Switzerland: The rocky ridge of Pennine Alps (Gornegrat) and the lovely Interlaken

Third day had passed by and I was still loving Switzerland. We, however only managed to explore the German side of Switzerland. Would have loved to explore the Italian side too. Friends told me that you could feel the difference between the both regions - one heavily influenced by Italian and another, German. How interesting.

Here is the Day 3 itinerary:

Sa 23.04.11    Zermatt-Gornergrat-Zermatt-Interlaken

                     Swiss breakfast buffet at your hotel

                     To validate the ticket for today fill in the travel date on your Swiss Card, DAY 3

                     Zermatt-Gornergrat-Zermatt-Visp same ticket as yesterday

                     09.36 h dep    Zermatt

                     10.05 h arr      Gornergrat

                     Enjoy the marvelous view. 27 peaks to admire… Lunch optional

                     11.55 h dep    Gornergrat

                     12.39 h arr      Zermatt

                     Coffee break in Zermatt

                     14.13 h dep    Zermatt

                     15.22 h arr      Visp, platform 1

                     15.28 h dep    Visp, platform 4/5

                     15.53 h arr      Spiez, platform 4

                     16.05 h dep    Spiez, platform 2

                     16.28 h arr      Interlaken OST – not Interlaken WEST!

                    

Your hotel is in walking distance.

Hotel Carlton-Europe                                           phone 033/826 0160

Höheweg 92-94

3800 Interlaken

After bidding goodbye to my lovely apartment, off we go to Gornegrat.
The train and railing system in Switzerland is definitely one of the best in the world. It makes Switzerland a very accessible country even though it is full off mountains and alps. I truly appreciate it.

In less than half an hour, we reached Gornegrat from Zermatt!

There were many trains that frequented between Gornegrat and Zermatt. Do take note of the schedule at the train station to plan your journey.

The observation deck was located at a higher spot than we alighted from the train. Walk slowly on your way up because the oxygen level in the air lessens as you make your way above. If you are travelling with kids, it is a good idea not to have them running frantically up and down, despite I know how difficult it can be at times.

A friend's daughter actually almost knocked out because she was running about excitedly in the open space. So, stay cautious.

If you suffer from asthma, ensure that you have your inhaler with you at all times.

One of the spots to catch a good look at the alps. There were many people preparing to ski too.

 Love this spot!

 There was a chapel among the mountains and alps. In fact, there was a mass going on when we were there.

I imagine it would be stunningly beautiful to catch the view of sunrise or sunset here.
Despite it was not extremely sunny, the combination of serene white snow coating almost everything in sight, and rays from the sun hidden behind the misty clouds was rather glaring. Put on your sun glass for protection.

Here is the reward. If you reached Gornegrat at 3100 metres, you get to mark your presence on a huge board and take a photo with it so you can brag about it to your child(ren) or grandchild(ren) when you are rocking away on a rocking chair years later :p

There was also a souvenir shop next to this board. Grab some souvenirs for your family, friends, or yourself, if you like. However, do expect the standard touristic price for the items.

If you are heading to the next destination, like we did, perhaps it is a good idea to visit the washroom first. It was just next to the souvenir shop, if my memory serves me correctly.

Interlaken, here we come! I absolutely love the city. I couldn't really pinpoint which part of Switzerland that I dislike, among the German-Switzerland region I had been to. Perhaps, as a tourist, everything is dreamy and fairy-tale like. Ah, but then, that is the magic of vacation :)

 Picture taken from the train.

After the last hotel in Zermatt, I was looking forward to our hotel in Interlaken, Hotel Carlton-Europe.

It wasn't as fancy as Jägerhof, but it was lovely.
The facilities were suffice and honestly, more than what I expected. Its captivating surrounding (look at the scenery above) was also a huge plus.
There was a table tennis table right outside the lobby, some board games, free Internet access at the lobby, a very quaintly designed cafe for meals and a mini library for those who want some space to do the reading.

The bathroom was a little small but not the smallest I had ever been. So, it didn't bother me too much....

Especially, we had a balcony as compensation ;)

And a good view from the balcony.

After checking our rooms, we headed off to discover what Interlaken had to offer.

Every step we took in the walk worth all the time and calories burned as we unfolded the beauty of Interlaken.

Clear and cool blue-greenish waters.

Fresh crisp air.

Snow-capped mountains.

Clean walk-paths.

And...what the city people always forget to appreciate - Tranquility. Peace. Serenity that enveloped the place.

We could hear every chirping sound of the bird, every passing cars, the current of the waters slowing washing away into the mainstream of lakes or sea as we strolled in silence.

We continued working so long there were paths ahead of us, allowing Mother Nature to guide us to its heart of pride.

Soon, we reached a railway. As we were admiring the landscape surrounding it, a train passed by. The wind generated from the speed was felt metres before it approached and passed us by. That was pleasant but not the deafening sound that came with it.

Finally, we had come to a cul-de-sac, unless we swam or cruise across the lake by a boat. It was a great spot for picnic, for painting, or to lay on your back for a quick afternoon nap.

We saw someone fishing on a boat on the lake.
That, too, could be an option for you, if you have the patience and the liking for it.

Many locals living nearby had canoes or boats parking by the shore or the garage - a similarity I observed in Denmark too.

Taking a look at the time, it is yet another mission to hunt for dinner. Of course, after we made our way out from this dreamy-fascinating world.

Apparently, there was a casino at the heart of the town. Except, it didn't look like casino. I thought it was a museum until I saw the sign "Casino Kursaal" above the entrance of the building.

Interesting.

But we didn't pay any visit into the casino.

We were more interested in what was for dinner.

Next, laid Hooters, right in the same town as the casino. Just a few hundred metres apart.

I couldn't remember what we had for dinner but certainly not in the Hooters. Probably nothing spectacular since neither of us took any photos of the dinner!

Or maybe, we were just too hungry?

It was time to greet Interlaken good night and get prepared for the next adventure - Jungfraujoch!