How did I do it? Simple,
stay with family. Seriously, the only way I have been able to explore Switzerland in
any depth has been because I am fortunate enough to have family there. Otherwise, travels in CH would not be
possible within my budget.
After a six month hiatus, I was back in Switzerland enjoying a
gorgeous August in Zürich, with weekend day-trips within easy reach. Near Interlaken in the Bernese Oberland,
stopped at Meiringen at lunchtime for a chance to see the Reichenbachfälle, the famous Reichenbach Falls of Sherlock Holmes.
As any long-time fan of Sherlock Holmes can tell you, the Reichenbachfälle is the scene of the
final, deadly encounter between Holmes and his arch-enemy Prof. Moriarty, as
recounted by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in the story “The Final Problem.” Conan
Doyle was pressed by his publishers to permit Sherlock Holmes to survive the
fight, but looking over the precipice at the falls, seems survival would have been doubtful.
Driving through the town of Meiringen, signs pointed to the
Sherlock Holmes Museum, in the basement of what was formerly an English church,
with a sculpture of Sherlock Holmes in front of the building. From the town, the Reichenbachfälle is accessible using the Reichenbachfälle-Bahn, the funicular that climbs a dizzyingly steep
gradient to the falls. Or one can hike up.
We opted to drive up to the restaurant at Schattenalb for lunch, from
where it was a much easier hike down to view the falls, which consisted of
three or four separate cascades roaring through the large granite boulders
shaded by thickly wooded slopes.
There was a small hydo-electric station near the upper
falls, and below were signs warning hikers of sudden bursts of water from water
released through the dam. The Reichenbach
roared straight down the chasm to the valley below, flowing into the Aare,
which flows into the Rhine about 120 Km north.
After enjoying a taste of Sherlock Holmes adventure, we
continued on up to the Schwarzwaldalp, past Rosenlaui, and found a fully
operational water-powered lumber mill, dating from 1896, complete with a woodman
who explained the operations.
Most
educational, both the children and adults present were fascinated.
Stopped at the base of the Sustenpass at Gadmen to buy some alpenkäse in a roadside shop.
Then climbed
up the switchback road across the pass, and got a photo of the signpost at the
summit (2224 meters above sea level).
The snow was real, and saw a glacier feeding a mountain lake on the way
up.
The return through canton Uri was some of the most beautiful
mountain scenery and classic Alpine towns in Switzerland.
