Happy Swiss National Day - August 1

We celebrate everything Swiss today, August 1st, Swiss National Day. While you eat some chocolate or cheese and plan your trip to our Sister City, Interlaken, Switzerland, you will enjoy reading this travel blog by Max Rumbaugh, Jr.

"Interlaken is in a valley between peaks of the Swiss Alps. Rising above the town are towering mountains both to the north and to the south of town. To the south, the mountains rise majestically to year-around snow caps. Between the town and the snow caps, there are meadows interspersed between areas of forestation. And, sprinkled amongst that picturesque landscape are villages with alpine homes and buildings. 

The most convenient place to stay is in the town of Interlaken. Wonderful hotels, great restaurants and many shops are in walking distance from each other. Two train stations on either end of the town provide direct connections to Zurich, making getting to Interlaken easy.

One may wish to stay in a village on the slopes of the Alps. Towns such as Lauterbrunnen, Grindelwald and Mürren are very popular. Jungfrau trains and gondolas serve these villages, making the journey to and from Interlaken, plus between one another, a relaxing adventure.

What to do in Interlaken? A must is Jungfraujoch, promoted as the “Top of Europe.”  It has the highest (in altitude) train station in Europe. It is a magnificent destination where one can walk on a glacier, stroll through an ice cave and have lunch. 

Another essential visit is to Schilthorn. It is a-top the peak of another mountain also easily accessible from Lauterbrunnen.  The ride up the mountain is by gondola, the steepest in the world. Schilthorn is the site of mountain and ski scenes in the 1969 James Bond movie, On Her Majesty's Secret Service. It involves a revolving restaurant with ala cart and buffet menus. Both Jungfraujoch and Schilthorn should not be missed.

Visitors also enjoy hiking along the numerous trails in the foothills, boat rides on either lake (the town is between two lakes), seeing the waterfall inside a mountain, and hang gliding into the town’s central lawn.

As a sister city of Scottsdale, some Interlaken contacts are well known by Scottsdale Sister City leaders. They are reliable and can make your time there more enjoyable. For information on the Jungfrau trains and gondolas, contact Remo Kaeser at: Remo.Kaeser@jungfrau.ch.   For help with local tours, contact Robertus (Rob) Laan at robertuslaan@hotmail.com. A source for lodging is Stephan Zbinden who can be contacted through his website: www.stephans.ch,

Several restaurants which support Scottsdale delegations who visit Interlaken include the Grand Café Restaurant Schuh, the top of the Hotel Metropole Interlaken (both in town), and the panorama restaurant Harden Kulm on the mountain overlooking town. 

Shops are plentiful in Interlaken, including many places to buy souvenirs of your visit. But “must purchases” are at the Lindt candy story off the lobby of the Hotel Metropole. Ask for a sample. It is not only delightful Swiss chocolate, but the selections are overwhelming with far more flavors than are available than in the USA.

The second purchase should be Appenzeller cheese. It is local cheese made from the milk of cows that graze in the meadows of the Alps in the summer. It is delicious and very unlike what we have as “Swiss Cheese” in the USA.  

For wine enthusiasts, a visit to the wine shop of Philippe Ritschard will provide an opportunity to learn about the wonderful and diverse wines of Switzerland.  His store is Rischard Ltd Wine Shop at Aarmuhle Street 17. If he is there, great him as “Mr. Mayor” for he is the current mayor of Interlaken.

The best times to visit Interlaken are in the Spring, Fall and Winter. The summer season is wonderful, but Europeans generally vacation (they call it “holiday”) in July and August. The weather is great in the Spring and Fall when there are fewer crowds.

Winter is great for skiers. There are many slopes accessible by gondola, train or bus. The Schilthorn is the traditional start of “Inferno,” the longest amateur alpine ski race in the world.

When you do visit, be prepared not for just a European experience, but an international one.  Interlaken is a popular destination for Chinese, Europeans and North Americans.

To get to Interlaken, it is best to fly into Zurich. In that air terminal purchase a train ticket to Interlaken Ost. Then take a train that goes directly from the airport to Interlaken Ost without transferring in Zurich.

For more information about Interlaken, Scottsdale’s other sister cities, and Scottsdale Sister Cities, visit: www.scottsdalesistercities.com."

Interlaken in Alps Valley with Jungfrau in background, by Max Rumbaugh

Lauterbrunnen Valley above Interlaken with Staubbach Falls by Max Rumbaugh

Alpine Village above Interlaken, by Max Rumbaugh