[Idyllchat] Swiss Heartland

Mon Feb 5 12:19:28 EST 2007

-- My first attempt to send this reply to Eleanor and Idyllchat included a couple of photos, and was bounced by Idyllchat until their moderator can review it.  Probably too many kilobytes with those photos attached, so here's the email without the photos: --

  My family stayed in the Kuenstler 1 about 3 1/2 years ago, for 4 weeks, and loved it so much we cried when we had to leave.  My friend's family stayed there this past summer with Untours, upon my recommendation, and she liked it so much she text messaged me from there saying that she's lost all interest of traveling any place else in the world!

  The Untours web site has my daily journal in the Switzerland Heartland section of their customers' trip logs pages.  Please take a look at it.  (If you don't see it, let me know and I'll tell you in detail how to find it.)  In it, I described that apartment.

  This past summer my husband and I returned to the Swiss Heartland with Untours while our daughter was at camp, for a different type of trip.  We tried, but couldn't reserve the Kuenstler apartment for the dates we could travel, so had to stay in another town.  We made a special trip to Hohfluh (the village in which the Kuenstler apartment is located), and visited the landlady, Margrit.  She is a real sweetheart of a host.

  There are loads of things for teenagers to do in the Swiss Heartland.  Of course, hiking together is the primary activity.  You'll get plenty of specific, clear instructions and guidebooks of hikes from Untours before your trip.  The Swiss have a cable car transportation system that takes you up to level hiking paths up high in the mountains, making it easy, as well as breathtakingly beautiful.  There are usually drinking water faucets up on the paths where you can refill your canteens/ water bottles with clean glacier water.  They also have outdoor/indoor cafes way up high there were you can stop for a break or to celebrate the completion of your hike with a drink or meal, while admiring the beauty.  We've had some very enlightening conversations with other patrons there, sometimes sharing a table with them when it's crowded.  (Since you're going in June, some of the highest paths probably won't be open until the very end of the month, when the snow and ice on the trail
 has melted.)

  My favorite hikes were from Mannlichen to Kleine Scheidegg, and from Kleine Scheidegg to Wengernalp.  Also from Plannplaten to Balmereghorn.  Another favorite was the Lotschental area, south of Kandersteg (Take chairlift up to Lauchernalp and hike to Falfleralp where there's a bus stop to take you back to the train station...don't go the opposite way that was recommended in the Untours guidebook)  
  A beautiful mini-hike is from the hotel at Geisbach Falls on Lake Brienz, up to the waterfall where the path takes you above the stream and behind the waterfall.  The hotel has a gorgeous outdoor cafe there to sit and absorb the view.

  Besides the hikes, there's a miniature golf/putt-putt course near Hohfluh, high above Twing, where you get a view of the glacier covered mountains while you all play the game.  In Twing itself, the tourist office can let you borrow board games during your stay, if you promise to return them before you leave your apartment.  They also have an ATM machine there, if I remember correctly.

  In your own town of Hohfluh, there's a great little general store across the street.  Besides the main food and maintenance items you'll need, they have great fresh bakery items on the shelves on the back wall of the store, like rolls, croissants, and pastries from the best nearby bakeries.  The town bakery was closed down when we were there last summer.

  In Kandersteg they have a ride teens enjoy that's like sitting on a skateboard with roller skate wheels and a brake, and it takes them down the mountain.
  In Meiringen (near Hohfluh) there's a community center with a pool and water slide, among other things.  Also, Lungern has a swimming area in it's lake, with a water slide.  Meiringen also has a giant chess plaza with giant chess pieces you all can play with.  Also, you can take the little train in Meiringen to the Aareschlucht Gorge dramatic, short hike along the side of a canyon above the Aare River.

  In Thun, on Lake Thun, there's a great medieval castle from the 1100's you all can explore during the daytime.  They have chamber music concerts in there in the evenings.  There's a fabulous palace near Thun, in Oberhofen not to be missed.  When we were in there it had a young lady playing Baroque? music on a recorder who stopped every so often to make sure we noticed every room and its decorations!

  Don't be shy about getting whipped cream (called Rahm) on ice cream for dessert;  every one else does it there.  I enjoyed trying stuffed croissants everywhere.  They call them "gipfel".  The "nuss gipfel" were my favorite.  Eventually I learned a "schoggi gipfel" has chocolate in it, if I remember the word correctly.
  Also noticed that Swiss people on the train sitting across from us seem to wait for us to initiate conversation with them, before speaking to us, but then seem to enjoy a lively conversation with us, so don't be shy.

  Linda

Eleanor Fleming <ellie1953 at comcast.net> wrote:  We are all very excited about taking our first Untour, even though we 
will not be going until June. Our two teenage grandchildren have a 
million questions: Where will we stay? What's the place like? How 
long will it take to get to the train station? What is there to do? 
Will there be other kids there? , etc. etc. I can't begin to answer 
all their questions so I just keep telling them it is an adventure 
and they will find out. But, I'm just as curious as they are. Has 
anyone stayed at the Kunstler 1 apartment in Hohfluh? Would you share 
your experience with us?
Ellie
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