John Edward Cooper’s Notes

DAY 4
FREE DAY IN INTERLAKEN
There are countless fascinating things to do in and around the Interlaken area — and it’s nice to have a choice. So today you are free to spend as you wish. Explore the town at your leisure or you could use your included Bernese Oberland Pass to discover more of the surrounding region. If you feel like a gentle walk in peaceful surroundings without travelling too far, the Swiss footpath network is meticulously signposted. You could take the funicular to Harder Kulm, or the Post bus to Habkern or Beatenberg with its staggering views over Lake Thun and the snow-clad Jungfrau. Another peaceful option is a steamer cruise on either of the two lakes from which Interlaken takes its name. Or there’s the ride up the other side of the valley from Lauterbrunnen to the village of Mürren. Perched high on a ledge, this is where Arthur Lunn developed the idea of the downhill skiing holiday, and founding the company that eventually became Lunn Poly. This lovely car-free village is a great spot for lunch.
 For a supplement, take the spectacular cable car ride to the Schilthorn. Famous for its revolving restaurant with stunning views of the surrounding mountains, it starred in the Bond film “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service”. On the return journey you could stop to view the amazing Trummelbach Falls, hidden within a deep cleft in the mountain. And anyone with an interest in flora should definitely consider a day out riding another historic mountain cog railway which winds upwards from the pretty nearby village of Wilderswil to the Schynige Platte Peak. Here there’s an excellent alpine garden home to many rare plants — including the legendary Edelweiss. Wherever you choose to go, keep an eye out for the gorgeous pink glow on the snowy peaks as the sun sets. Once back at the hotel, you can be sure of a relaxing evening at the Royal-St. Georges.

When I woke up at 7.10am, Janet had already gone. It was her once-a-week “eat and drink what, and as much as, I please” day. Every other day, she strictly controls her calorie intake. When I opened the bathroom door after shaving and showering, though, I found that she was back. There was cloud on the mountain ridge to the back of us, and it was too hazy to see very far along it.


Monday 15 July 2019 — 07:52:36
View from the hotel room

Although Janet had been for breakfast, she accompanied me nevertheless when I went downstairs for the same, ca.7.55am. We went back up to the room, ca.8.30am.[i] When I started the computer, and attempted to check e-mail accounts, instead of the computer connecting automatically to the internet as on previous days I was taken by the browser to the internet provider’s log-on screen, asking for user-name and password. I realised then that the “free wifi” vaunted by by Day 1’s blurb (→12 July 2019) as part of “everything you’d expect from a contemporary hotel with this rating” was for a limited time only, and that to continue to have internet access one would have to pay.

[i] Janet wrote in her journal: “It rained ALL night! I had some sleep, but very little. [I was] up [at] 5.30am and took meds, then [went] back to bed until 6am.… At 6.30am I went to reception for an umbrella, returned to our room [with it], then [went] down to breakfast. [The breakfast room was] not yet open — [there was] a ‘slack handful’ of ‘Orientals’ hovering — waiting to pounce! As soon as [the] ‘barrier’ [was] down, they were in like a shot! They were all around the fry-up stuff, like bees round a honey-pot, I thought! Another wave of ‘Orientals’ appeared, and it was the same scenario: they headed for the crap! I hung on for [John — I] ordered a hot chocolate (my new holiday treat!) — and by 7.30am I’d done, so returned to the room. [John] was in the shower. I went to the breakfast room with him and we were back in our room at 8.30am

Map of Interlaken, showing places visited [click to enlarge]
© Federal Office of Topography swisstopo (labels in black letters mine)

We left the hotel just after 9am. There was only light rain by now. “All the mountains were shrouded in mist and it was quite cool,” Janet noted, and went on to write: “When [John] came to Interlaken in 1971 with Pam and Chris they went to a souvenir shop not far from our hotel. It was called Albert Schild.”
 I’d forgotten about Albert Schild completely in the intervening years but, during correspondence about that holiday, Chris wrote to me on 4 June 2015:

…We certainly spent an afternoon in Interlaken, or part thereof, because I remember our buying some postcards from a souvenir shop. The cards were placed in a paper bag bearing the name of the shop: “Albert Schild — Interlaken”. I googled this and found that there is now an Albert Schild AG. Whether it was a big concern then, I don't know, but we assumed the grey-haired man who served us to be Albert Schild!

On receiving Chris’s message, I looked up the firm’s website, and found this history:

Four Generations
In 1898 Albert Schild opened his special shop of wood carvings at
Bahnhofstrasse 19 in Interlaken, Bernese Oberland. He sold his own
exclusive wood carvings and also those made in nearby Brienz.
At the end of 1920 his son Ernst joined the firm – he extended the
selection of articles also including personally designed wooden toys.
These articles were subsequently sold all over Switzerland. Today,
the popular hand-painted wooden red cow with its leather ears is still
a favourite.
In 1973, his nephew Walter Andreas Fuchs took over the firm.
Besides the wood carvings and wooden toys Swiss made souvenirs
were included.

Albert Schild	Ernst Schild	Walter Andreas Fuchs

Since 1995 his son Kaspar Fuchs is in charge of this traditional house
– the fourth generation. Since 2006 Albert Schild AG runs the museum
shop in the Swiss National Museum in Zurich.

Chris commented (1 July 2015):

Thanks for the additional info on Albert Schild and, yes, I think it could have been Walter Andreas Fuchs who served us. Maybe it’s just my imagination running wild, but there is something vaguely familiar about him.

Before leaving the UK, I’d plotted a route from the hotel to Albert Schild—


[Click to enlarge.]

—but, somehow, Google Maps had got the location of Hôtel Royal-St. Georges completely wrong, and had placed it, not in Interlaken at all, but in the west part of Unterseen! However, looking at the map we picked up yesterday from the hotel reception, I was able quite easily to ascertain that it was a matter of turning right from the hotel and continuing some 950 yards in a straight line.


Monday 15 July 2019 — 09:03:22
“Hôtel Royal-St Georges”


Monday 15 July 2019 — 09:06:14
Proceeding along Höheweg, looking north


Monday 15 July 2019 — 09:06:44
Proceeding approximately westwards along Höheweg


Monday 15 July 2019 — 09:12:38
Proceeding along Höheweg, looking north


Monday 15 July 2019 — 09:12:38 (detail)
British red telephone box, used as a book exchange: “Take a book, bring a book!”


Monday 15 July 2019 — 09:13:12
Proceeding approximately westwards along Höheweg


Monday 15 July 2019 — 09:15:04
Proceeding along Höheweg, looking south: Höhematte Park


Monday 15 July 2019 — 09:18:26
Proceeding along Höheweg, looking north


Monday 15 July 2019 — 09:20:22
Proceeding approximately westwards to the end of Höheweg


Monday 15 July 2019 — 09:26:16
At the end of Höheweg, about to cross Centralstrasse and continue along Bahnhofstrasse


Monday 15 July 2019 — 09:32:32
Albert Schild AG, Bahnhofstrasse 19


Monday 15 July 2019 — 09:32:32 (detail)
Albert Schild AG, Bahnhofstrasse 19


Monday 15 July 2019 — 09:34:28
Albert Schild AG, Bahnhofstrasse 19


Monday 15 July 2019 — 09:35:52
Albert Schild AG, Bahnhofstrasse 19

When we got there, though, we found that the shop didn’t open till 10am; so we found a nearby café, and had a drink: I had a black coffee; and Janet, given the unavailability of Fanta, had a Sinalco Orange soft drink. I’d never heard of that, but according to Wikipedia: “Sinalco is the oldest soft drink brand in Europe.”


Monday 15 July 2019 — 09:41:54
Café de Paris, Marktgasse


Monday 15 July 2019 — 09:41:54 (detail)
Marktgasse


Monday 15 July 2019 — 09:50:00
Café de Paris, Marktgasse


Bill, issued at “10:09”

Back at the Albert Schild shop, there was an oldish lady serving. I should have asked her whether she was related to Albert Schild, son Ernst Schild, or nephew Walter Andreas Fuchs — but I didn’t. We bought a little carved, brown-and white painted, wooden cow, though “its leather ears” had been downgraded to plastic-coated fabric. A little poignant was the buying only of a single picture postcard and postage stamp; hitherto, I’d have bought two.


Receipt, issued at “10:30”


Monday 29 July 2019 — 11:25:44
Cow from Albert Schild AG back at home with her pal Inca Boy on the souvenir cabinet


Postcard

We retraced our earlier steps, and deposited our purchases in the hotel room. Then, leaving again, we crossed the road, turned left, and visited the Japanese Garden just ahead on the right. If I suspected algal bloom of contributing to the turquoise colour of the Aare and Brienzersee on 13 July 2019 and 14 July 2019, then that notion was mightily reinforced by the pea-green colour of the fish pond. A big carp popped his head up — I suspect, expecting to be fed.


Monday 15 July 2019 — 11:02:00
Japanese Garden on the corner of Höheweg and Schlossstrasse


Monday 15 July 2019 — 11:03:08
Japanese Garden on the corner of Höheweg and Schlossstrasse


Monday 15 July 2019 — 11:04:02
Japanese Garden


Monday 15 July 2019 — 11:05:46
Japanese Garden


Monday 15 July 2019 — 11:07:34
Japanese Garden


Monday 15 July 2019 — 11:10:20
Japanese Garden

Visible behind the Japanese Garden was a stone-built church with a spire — the Roman Catholic parish church of Interlaken, dedicated to the Holy Spirit, built in neo-gothic style in the early 20th century. But if we were expecting to see a gothic rib-vaulted ceiling and columns, we were in for a surprise, because the interior had been completely modernised. What’s more, the transepts, rather than being square, were triangular, so the nave was more or less hexagonal. The apse, too, was multangular, not round. There were picture postcards on sale; the stall wasn’t staffed, a payment box was provided on a “trust” basis. So I selected one external view, and two internal views, to supplement the photographs I took.


Monday 15 July 2019 — 11:13:06
Kirche Heiliggeist, Schlossstrasse 4, behind the Japanese Garden


Kirche Heiliggeist
(from postcard — photo credit: Hans Baumann, CH­3652 Hilterfingen)


Monday 15 July 2019 — 11:14:12
Kirche Heiliggeist and next to it the Schlosskirche


Monday 15 July 2019 — 11:16:12
Kirche Heiliggeist, entrance


Monday 15 July 2019 — 11:17:40
Kirche Heiliggeist, looking east


Kirche Heiliggeist, looking east
(from postcard — photo credit: Kurt Schneider, www.digital-foto.ch)


Monday 15 July 2019 — 11:18:38
Kirche Heiliggeist, east window


Monday 15 July 2019 — 11:19:22
Kirche Heiliggeist, features below the east window


Monday 15 July 2019 — 11:22:02
Kirche Heiliggeist, features below the east window


Monday 15 July 2019 — 11:20:06
Kirche Heiliggeist, looking west


Kirche Heiliggeist , looking west
(from postcard — photo credit: Kurt Schneider, www.digital-foto.ch)


Monday 15 July 2019 — 11:20:48
Kirche Heiliggeist, stained glass window to the south


Monday 15 July 2019 — 11:21:26
Kirche Heiliggeist, stained glass window to the north


Monday 15 July 2019 — 11:22:30
Kirche Heiliggeist, one of the depictions of the Stations of the Cross

Beyond this church was another, originally attached to the Augustinian monastery, now part of the 18th century Interlaken Castle, seat of the governor of the Canton of Bern. (The monastery was dissolved in the Protestant Reformation, much as they were in England.) I think the neo-gothic, rib-vaulted nave of the church is of early 20th-century construction, as the first church we visited was, though the spired tower may be original. It was evident to me that a funeral had taken place, or was about to, for there were flowers in front of the altar, and reservation cards on the forward pews saying “Trauer-” something.


Monday 15 July 2019 — 11:32:44
Schlosskirche


Monday 15 July 2019 — 11:33:10
Schloss Interlaken, seen from the north


Monday 15 July 2019 — 11:35:16
Schlosskirche, looking east towards the apse


Monday 15 July 2019 — 11:37:22
Schlosskirche, stained glass windows in the apse


Monday 15 July 2019 — 11:37:38
Schlosskirche, looking west


Monday 15 July 2019 — 11:38:08
Schlosskirche, stained glass windows: (1) The Adoration of the Magi


Monday 15 July 2019 — 11:38:26
Schlosskirche, stained glass windows: (2) The Expulsion from Eden


Monday 15 July 2019 — 11:38:46
Schlosskirche, stained glass windows: (3) John’s Vision of the Horsemen of the Apocalypse


Monday 15 July 2019 — 11:39:06
Schlosskirche, stained glass windows: (4) The Baptism of Jesus


Monday 15 July 2019 — 11:39:30
Schlosskirche, roundels


Monday 15 July 2019 — 11:39:48
Schlosskirche, roundels

We went through an arch immediately beyond the church into what I took to be the cloister of the former monastery. The wall on the far left side of the quadrangle had a cloister, in the sense of “a covered place for walking with a colonnade or windows” (the latter, in this case); and half-way down this walkway, on the left, was a door leading to a chapel. At the far corner of the walkway, was a passage to the left leading to a courtyard and the eastern part of the castle — which included a terracotta-steepled tower among its features.


Monday 15 July 2019 — 11:43:02
Schloss Interlaken, north-east entrance to the cloister of the former monastery


Monday 15 July 2019 — 11:43:24
Schloss Interlaken, cloister of the former monastery, east side


Monday 15 July 2019 — 11:44:16
Schloss Interlaken, cloister of the former monastery, south side


Monday 15 July 2019 — 11:44:28
Schloss Interlaken, cloister of the former monastery, west side


Monday 15 July 2019 — 11:45:14
Schloss Interlaken, cloister of the former monastery, east side, with door to the Schlosskapelle on the left


Monday 15 July 2019 — 11:46:18
“Schlosskapelle”


Monday 15 July 2019 — 11:51:38
Schlosskapelle, looking west


Monday 15 July 2019 — 11:52:16
Schlosskapelle, looking east


Monday 15 July 2019 — 11:53:32
Schloss Interlaken, passage from the south-east corner of the cloister


Monday 15 July 2019 — 11:54:52
Eastern part of Schloss Interlaken, looking east


Monday 15 July 2019 — 11:56:14
Eastern part of Schloss Interlaken, looking north-west: Schlosskirche


Monday 15 July 2019 — 11:56:26
Eastern part of Schloss Interlaken, looking west: Schlosskapelle

At the opposite corner of “the cloister of the former monastery” was a passage leading to the lawn on the north side of what I’ve called “the main house” of the castle.


Monday 15 July 2019 — 11:57:56
Schloss Interlaken, cloister of the former monastery, west side


Monday 15 July 2019 — 12:00:52
Schloss Interlaken, north side of the main house

We went through an arch to the left of the “main house”, finding ourselves in a yard, with a supply of water running into what I took to be either a drinking trough for animals or a bath for humans. Beyond that, I walked as far as the road, to get a view of the south side of the “main house”.


Monday 15 July 2019 — 12:02:30
Schloss Interlaken, yard to the east of the main house


Monday 15 July 2019 — 12:02:56
Schloss Interlaken, looking south from “12:02:30”


Monday 15 July 2019 — 12:06:24
Schloss Interlaken, south side of the main house, seen from Lindenallee

Then we made our way back to Höheweg, turning right. We took a slight detour into the English Garden,—


Monday 15 July 2019 — 12:19:48
English Garden, Höheweg


Monday 15 July 2019 — 12:26:22
Railway bridge over the River Aare, seen from the English Garden


Monday 15 July 2019 — 12:28:48
Adolf Guyer-Zeller memorial in the English Garden


Monday 15 July 2019 — 12:29:26
“To the creator of the
Jungfrau Railway
Ad. Guyer-Zeller
1839–1899”

—before making our way along Untere Bönigstrasse to the Coop, and specifically to the restaurant. Because of the method of selecting food and paying for it at a till, I have styled it “cafeteria” in the photo-captions below.


Monday 15 July 2019 — 12:33:12
Proceeding eastwards along Untere Bönigstrasse to the Coop cafeteria

We “bagged” a table, and I went first to the counters. I selected a sizeable wurst, which the counter assistant fried in some oil on a griddle. Then I selected fries and some peas and other vegetables from the adjacent counter. I also chose a 20cl bottle of red wine, then went to the till.


Till receipt, issued at “12:54”

The Graveline “Assemblage Rouge”, 12% a.b.v., was quite pale red. But then I read on the label, “Vin rouge léger”. Then Janet went to the counters. She chose a rack of lamb with fries.


Monday 15 July 2019 — 13:01:50
Lunch at the Coop cafeteria


Till receipt, issued at “13:03”

“Ah, sausage and chips!” Clive commented as he and Brenda passed by. Janet had a dessert, a slice of torte with blackberries and raspberries.


Till receipt, issued at “13:36”

Then we went to the Coop supermarket on the ground floor, where we purchased some bottles of Fanta Orange and Sprite Zero.


Till receipt, issued at “14:02”

We withdrew 300 CHF from an ATM, so went back to the hotel to deposit it in the safe and offload the bottles of pop. It had stopped raining, but it was still cloudy. We’d decided to postpone going to Schynige Platte to the next free day, in the hope of getting better weather then. But we thought we’d have nothing to lose today if we went up to Harderkulm on the funicular. Because we had the “Regional Passes” we wouldn’t have to pay to go, and could easily visit again if the visibility was too poor when we got there.


Route of the Harderbahn [click to enlarge]
© Federal Office of Topography swisstopo


Monday 15 July 2019 — 14:44:14
Proceeding to the Harderbahn station

There was a bit of a queue trailing down the upper flight of the stairs up to the Harderbahn station.


Monday 15 July 2019 — 14:48:22
Looking back from the Harderbahn station at a passing BLS train

When we got to the front, it wasn’t obvious what we should do. We had passes, but the automatic turnstile had a scanner, and our passes had no code for it to scan; so we went to the ticket window. The clerk examined our passes, and issued us with tickets.




Tickets, issued at “14:49”

Then we went through the turnstile to the waiting funicular car.


Monday 15 July 2019 — 14:52:34
Boarding the Harderbahn car


Monday 15 July 2019 — 14:57:28
Viaduct carrying the Harderbahn


Monday 15 July 2019 — 14:59:12
View back from the Harderbahn


Monday 15 July 2019 — 15:00:12
Tunnel on the Harderbahn


Monday 15 July 2019 — 15:01:44
Passing loop on the Harderbahn


Monday 15 July 2019 — 15:06:56
Alighting at Harder station


Monday 15 July 2019 — 15:07:10
Alighting at Harder station


Monday 15 July 2019 — 15:07:48
Leaving Harder station


Monday 15 July 2019 — 15:09:34
Proceeding some 280 yards to Harderkulm


Monday 15 July 2019 — 15:10:16
Poor visibility on the Harder


Monday 15 July 2019 — 15:14:24
Alpine flowers on the Harder


Monday 15 July 2019 — 15:14:50
Alpine flowers on the Harder


Monday 15 July 2019 — 15:15:18
Wild strawberry on the Harder


Monday 15 July 2019 — 15:17:18
Bergrestaurant Harder Kulm and viewing platform at Harderkulm

The clouds parted to afford views, albeit somewhat hazy, of the valleys below; but they remained resolutely ranged to the south, where on more favourable days one might see the tops of the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau.


Monday 15 July 2019 — 15:18:32
Views from Harderkulm: Interlaken


Monday 15 July 2019 — 15:18:48
Views from Harderkulm: Thunersee


Monday 15 July 2019 — 15:19:44
Come and see what God has done,
how awesome his works…!
Psalm 66:5 [NIV]
To You, O God, be praise and glory brought,
You have a work of creation wrought
full of magnificence and beauty.


Monday 15 July 2019 — 15:24:34
View from Harderkulm: (from lower left:) Interlaken, Schifffahrtskanal and Aare, Unterseen; (upper right:) Thunersee


Monday 15 July 2019 — 15:26:20
Bergrestaurant Harder Kulm at Harderkulm

We bought refreshments from the kiosk outside the Bergrestaurant Harder Kulm. I had an eponymous Harder “Helles Bockbier” from the local Rugenbräu brewery, rather strong at 7.2% a.b.v., and Janet had a strawberry ice cream.


Monday 15 July 2019 — 15:32:28
Refreshments at Bergrestaurant Harder Kulm


Monday 15 July 2019 — 15:56:54
Views from Harderkulm: very hazy view of Brienzersee


Monday 15 July 2019 — 15:58:42
Views from Harderkulm: valley of the Lombach north-west of Harderkulm


Monday 15 July 2019 — 15:59:14
Views from Harderkulm: valley of the Lombach north-west of Harderkulm — more detailed view of dwellings, etc.

As we were setting out to return to the funicular, I was able to get a reasonably clear panorama of photos from Thunersee to Brienzersee; the latter, especially, had been very hazy till just then. But the Berner Oberland’s “big three” to the south remained hidden. On arrival at Harder station we joined the queue of people that was boarding the funicular car; we didn’t have to await the arrival of one.


Monday 15 July 2019 — 16:00:40
Panorama of views from Harderkulm


Monday 15 July 2019 — 16:00:54
Panorama of views from Harderkulm


Monday 15 July 2019 — 16:01:02
Panorama of views from Harderkulm


Monday 15 July 2019 — 16:01:10
Panorama of views from Harderkulm


Monday 15 July 2019 — 16:05:32
Returning to Harder station


Monday 15 July 2019 — 16:08:06
Harder station


Monday 15 July 2019 — 16:08:50
Proceeding to the funicular car at Harder station


Monday 15 July 2019 — 16:09:42
Boarding the funicular car at Harder station

The funicular car was crowded — standing-room only — when we boarded. But a seated hijab-attired woman got her small son to stand and let Janet sit; and one of her companions stood for me, out of respect for my age, I guess.[ii] As the car proceeded, there was information on the loudspeaker, given over and over again in a different language each time. “What language is that?” Janet asked at one point; and I replied “Arabic”, before our fellow-travellers did. When we all got off, Janet said “Thank you” to our kind fellow-travellers; then commented “Show-off!” to my saying, “Shukran!”
 At our dinner table there had been some disparaging remarks about Muslims, so we determined that we’d tell the story of today’s kindness if there were any further such comments; but the subject didn’t come up again.

[ii] That wasn’t the end of acts of kindness from Muslims: on Wednesday 17 July, when Janet returned from Harderkulm before I did, someone in a party that included hijab wearers gave up a seat for her; and after one of our visits to Harderkulm, when the paper-towel dispenser in the loo at the lower Harderbahn station was empty, a hijab-attired woman gave Janet some paper tissues.

We got back to the hotel at 4.30pm; but we decided to turn right and go down the alley beside the hotel to the river, and sit on a bench there.




Monday 15 July 2019 — 16:34:44
Rear of Hôtel Royal-St Georges, with our room visible


Monday 15 July 2019 — 16:35:46
Proceeding northwards to the Aare


Monday 15 July 2019 — 16:37:04
Proceeding northwards to the Aare


Monday 15 July 2019 — 16:44:22
Looking east along the Aare


Monday 15 July 2019 — 16:44:34
Looking north across the Aare


Monday 15 July 2019 — 16:44:50
Looking west along the Aare


Monday 15 July 2019 — 16:48:02
A passing BLS train…


Monday 15 July 2019 — 16:48:18
A passing BLS train with graffiti on its side

It was brighter and a bit warmer than it had been. Back at the hotel, I transferred no fewer than 107 photos… to the WD Elements HDD using the Samsung notebook computer (17:05–17:06); viewed them all in Windows Photo Viewer, rotating 15 that needed it (17:11–17:16). Connected the WD Elements HDD to the Asus netbook/tablet computer and copied today’s photos to the MicroSD card that was also connected to it (17:24). That way, if the HDD was lost or got damaged, the holiday photos would not be lost. (Before I did the copy job, I started up the browser; but just as had happened this morning with the Samsung, it didn’t connect to the internet automatically; I was taken to a log-on screen, asking for user-name and password.)
 I’d been concerned since eating my quite substantial lunch that I’d not have any appetite at dinner time, and as time went on the feeling of fullness did not diminish.
 I wrote the postcard to Chris.


Postcard to Chris

Meanwhile, Janet was updating her holiday journal. Eventually, it was clear that I’d be skipping dinner because the very thought of food was putting me off; and, anyway, ca.17:50, I started to feel ill and lay down.
 I’d just woken up, ca.8pm, and was using the loo in the bathroom, when Janet came back from dinner. The clouds cleared away in the evening. Janet showered, updated her journal, and was in bed at 9pm.

[Tuesday 16 July 2019]