A Spectacular Day Around Interlaken

This morning we departed by motor coach to Saint Beatus' Cave located on the north shore of Lake Thun. The entrance to the. Cave seemed like it was half way up the mountain. It was a long arduous climb but we all made it. That being said, the scenic view as we climbed up was spectacular. Just below the cave entrance an underground stream emerges and creates a beautiful waterfalls which we crossed on short bridges as we made our way up to the entrance. Once at the entrance we had a wonderful view of the lake and distant mountains.

A long but beautiful walk up

Inside St Beatus' Cave

Our tour guide informed us of the significance of the caves. According to legend Saint Beatus and few other Irish monks came in the first century to convert the indigenous people to Christianity. The locals being fearful of a terrible dragon living inside the mountain led Beatus to take up residence in the cave and drive out the dragon. With such a impressive display of God's power the locals were easily converted. Inside the cave we found the subterrainian stream that feed the waterfalls, numerous interesting rock formations but fortunately no dragons!
Making our way back down to the bus we were then off to see the Castle Thun. Marina handled the coach really well on the windy road which seemed more appropriate for a sports car. Arriving in the town of Thun we circled about trying to get close to the castle but found that the surrounding medieval villages prevents one from getting too close. Finally finding an access street we again climbed cobble stone streets to get where we wanted to be. The castle was constructed in the late 12th century by the Duke of Zahringen. What we learned from visiting these towns and castles was that they were frequently established by design by some Germanic noble who wanted to establish waypoints on the trade routes connecting Germany to northern Italy.

View of Thun from the castle

The castle is beautifully maintained and presented opportunities for superb photos of the town and lake below. However it didn't have the menacing feel about it that Chillon did. Perhaps that is because no long ago it had been used as a granary. Following our visit we stopped in the town for a quick lunch before heading off to our next destination.

After more winding roads through the beautiful countryside we arrived at Trummelbach Falls in Lauterbrunnen. First of all, the valley we were in was absolutely beautiful with shear vertical mountains springing up on both sides. It very much reminded me of Yosemite. As we made the easy walk to the entrance we were pleased to find that there was an elevator to take us up at least half way to the top. These falls are very different from what one pictures when one thinks of a waterfalls. The powerful stream has carved a twisted gorge down through the mountain which constrains the water in something like a half pipe forcing the water to shoot downward at great velocity. It gives a very dramatic indication of the power of water to, with time, wear away solid rock!

Returning to the valley presented us with the most spectacular views of the valley, the adjacent mountains and the distant snow covered alps! The scene was enhanced by the silent intrusion of several hang gliders which traced back and forth across the sky like giant colorful leaves.

Dinner tonight was on our own so after retuning to the hotel we headed downtown looking for a place to eat while enjoying the spectacle of the hang gliders coming in and landing in the park at city center.