Kleine Scheidegg, Switzerland

It didn't take long for people to figure out that this was a special place. On the Wengernalp Railway ride up the mountain, the views became increasingly good of the mountain range. Still, the reaction upon reaching the destination of Kleine Scheidegg was priceless. Everyone got off the train, took in the atmosphere ... and reached for a camera. 

The catch, naturally, is that the feeling can't be captured in a photograph. The mountains are too close, too overwhelming for that. But you do have to try.

The mountain pass is about 6,700 feet up, and it feels like it .... particularly for those who walk up a hill to gain a better perspective of the area. This is the center for some winter sports like skiing, and there's a store available to handle those needs. Hotels, restaurants and shops are also around. There are trails back down to the villages below, and they seem pretty popular in the summer.

The train station not only takes visitors from one end of the pass to the other. It also carries tourists to the top of Jungfrau. It is the highest rail station in Europe, and thus takes the name "The Top of Europe." The Eiger is on the left; you can see how steep it is and why it wasn't climbed until the 1930s. It also was the setting for the Clint Eastwood movie, "The Eiger Sanction." Munch mountain is in the middle. From Kleine Scheidegg, you can see the rail depot on Jungfrau.

It costs about $200 to go from the small villages below all the way up to Jungfrau. That might have been nice in different circumstances. No one from our group, though, complained about not making the last step of the journey. Kleine Scheidegg was unforgettable.   

Here's how it looks at the end of winter:

Wengen, Switzerland

Wengen is a village located in the mountains above Lauterbrunnen. It normally has something like 1,300 residents who are around for the entire year. But about 5,000 people are there in the summer, and it doubles to 10,000 in the winter. Cars are not allowed here. About the only way to get there is by train.

As you'd expect, the skiing is good up here. A World Cup event is staged here annually. Such races date back to about 100 years, thanks to the effort of British visitors. 

We didn't get to see much of the place during our visit, since we were headed up the mountain. This helps fill in the details:

Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland

There may be a few places to live more scenic than Lauterbrunner. A few. But not many.

It is tucked between some mountains and rocks, and 72 - that's right, 72! - waterfalls dot the landscape. No wonder the name comes from "many fountains."

Some people think of this of the point where they head up higher into the mountains. But this is a fine destination on its own merits. Tourism, which obviously had problems in the first half of the 20th century, has rebounded since the end of World War II. Some of the visitors even decided to stay. 

A video of the area ought to be good, and it is.

Brienz, Switzerland

Time should be budgeted in Switzerland for a decent stop at one of the little villages in the midst of the Alps. Brienz is one such place. It is located on Lake Brienz, and the scenery is spectacular. 

This started as a farming community. Along the way, some of the residents began to practice wordcarving as another way to earn money. They got good at it, as you'd expect. Brienz is now famous for that particular craft.

This is a great place for a walk along the waterfront. It combines two of the most popular features of the city - the lake views and wood carving. Most of the artistic work is quite happy; it's difficult not to pose for a photo with two guys laughing. But the photo shown here also gets those ideas across. The main street of the village, Brunngasse, is considered to be one of the most beautiful streets in Europe, with its mostly 18th century homes.

One of the travel sites describes this as "Where the Alps Dip Their Feet." That's a pretty nice way of putting it.  

While we are here, we should go for a boat ride.

Lungern, Switzerland

Group tour usually are known to keep a tight schedule. After all, there are a lot of moving parts in organizing a long trip for dozens of people. It's nice, then, when the tour director decides to make a little stop along the way.

Our bus filled with Americans certainly knew about the concept of the highway overlook. Such stops break up the long drive a bit and provide some unexpected moments. It's difficult to imagine that any of them topped this view from the roadsize in the middle of Switzerland. You might want to click on the photo to expand it.

Lungern was very isolated until 1861, when a road was built that went over the Brunig Pass. A railroad out in 1888 followed. The population currently is said to be a little more than 2,000. The demographics skew old, as you might expect. The unemployment rate at last count was 0.6 percent. 

We didn't get any closer to the village than this. But you can. Beware of the spelling error at the beginning.

Vitznau, Switzerland

Vitznau isn't a big place - it checks in with a population around 1,500 - but you can't beat the location. While references to the place go back about 1,000 years, it seemed to catch the world's attention in the 19th century. That's when the tourists started to arrive. It led to the construction of the Park Hotel Vitznau in 1903. That resort was built to fit in with the countryside, and it succeeds nicley. 

If you want to explore the region around Lake Lucerne, this is a good place to begin if you want to be away from crowd. The most popular trip probably is going up Mount Rigi, with its fabulous views of the surrounding area.

Rigi Kaltbad, Switzerland

This area is technically part of Weggis, although it goes by this name. The area is located about 4,700 feet above sea level, and the ridge on Mount Rigi has become a resort area. The hotel dominates the spot, although a few other businesses share the land. No cars are allowed in the area.

There are two ways to get here, and both are gentle and easy. One is to take the cable car from Weggis, and the other is to take the railroad from Vitznau. (The rail line does go higher.) We did both, going up one and coming back down the other. The higher we went, the more Lake Lucerne came into focus. Upon arrival, everyone rushed from the cable car "station" to an overlook in front of the hotel in order to see what was below. The photo reflects that view. Nice.

Rigi Kaltbad, Switzerland: Catholic Chapel in the Rocks

According to legend, three sisters banded together and tried to move to an isolated location to avoid overlords who wanted to abduct them. They chose this part of Switzerland. They led a quiet, pious life. When the last of them died, a spring is said to have with healing properties. Kaltbad translates to "cold bath." 

The first chapel on the site was built in 1585, and the spot received a new building about 200 years later. Someone usually stops by every day to pray and light a candle. With a fabulous location overlooking Lake Lucerne, this is a popular spot for weddings. The chapel can hold about 120. A cemetery is nearby. 

Weggis, Switzerland

Weggis isn't in the middle of Switzerland, but it's close enough for our concerns. The village is located on the north side of Lake Lucerne, It can be reached by car if you feel like driving around the lake. A better alternative is to hop on a boat that goes between Weggis and Lucerne. On a sunny day, the views are excellent.

Weggis was rather independent in its early years, and was an ally of the Swiss Confederacy around 1332. When the town was more or less sold to Lucerne in 1380, the good people of Weggis weren't happy. For about 300 years, they were involved in the odd act of rebellion. Then in the peasant war of 1653, Weggis actually took the side of Lucerne ... which calmed the situation down a little. In 1798, Weggis became its own village again. 

It has a population somewhere around 4,000. Weggis has a hotel management school, and at one point it was said that more than 200 Chinese students were enrolled there. The biggest celebrity associated with Weggis probably is Rachmaninoff. He lived in the area for much of the 1930s, leaving in 1939 because of World War II. (Me, I would have stayed put.) Rachmaninoff wrote "Rhapsody on a a Theme of Paganini" in 1934 and "Symphony No. 3" in 1936. 

Weggis, Switzerland: Sennenchilbi Weggis

(Welcome to post No. 1,500 on this site.)

Visitors arriving in Weggis soon find a nice little green area near the waterfront. Then they soon find this.

What is "this?" It takes a little knowledge of the local language to figure it out. The first work translates to "Alpine Dairy Company." Thus begins a charming story about a collective in Weggis.

In 1686, foot-and-mouth disease was a huge problem for the farmers of the region. Livestock was dying off, and the owners were in financial difficulty. They banded together, hoping that God would help them overcome such diseases. 

About 300 people belong to the association these days, and they aren't all farmers. They simply are residents who want to help each other; I guess you could call it to the service clubs of America. Every five years they get together for the Sennenchilbi. There is plenty of celebrating, but the members also gather and vow again to stand together when times aren't so good. 

The official website has a photo of the officers in front of the oversized bucket above, as they prepared for the gathering in November 2022. I'd like to see the cow that needs that big of a container.