Switzerland, 9.6.16 - 9.17.16, Part 5 of 13: An Evening At The Faulhorn
After a wonderful round of drinks to celebrate our group all making it to The Faulhorn in the first place, there was a sense of accomplishment and an opportunity to just relax and enjoy our surroundings, knowing that the hardest part of our itinerary went so smoothly and was now behind us. Our first order of business was to check in to our rooms. I had booked this night almost a year ago with great anticipation. The websites all sang the praises of the benefit of staying overnight, providing an unparalleled opportunity to see a sunset and a sunrise on the awe-inspiring Jungfrau Massif from such an amazing vantage point.
The rooms were about as funky as you can get. Being a 186 year old hotel with no roads leading to it, the berghotel retained an old world charm that is hard to describe. Upon entering, you were asked to remove your shoes and wear a pair of flip flops or slippers. A large supply of them were available near the door. This was to avoid centuries of heavy hiking boots tromping through the hallways. After de-booting, we went up an old staircase that led to a long hallway. Maybe it was always this way or maybe time had taken its toll, but the walls of this very narrow hallway were tilted at a substantial angle and combined with the only light coming from several candles, it reminded me of one of those rooms in a house of illusion.
Down the hallway we found our room number. Even the door was small (were people shorter back then?). The room itself was fairly basic which we expected. Two single beds were lined up along the wall, a small table which held a basin and a couple of water pitchers and a chaise lounge near the window. Even the floor was all warped and at an angle.
Time worn hallways
Luxury accommodations
Our room with a view, and oh what a view!
Once we were settled into the rooms it was time to explore the surroundings. Of course we were already acquainted with the patio. Even in the short time since we had arrived, the clouds had slowly thinned out and the views of the peaks were improving. From the patio itself, the entire Jungfrau Massiff lay before us. I couldn’t imagine a more delightful place to sit and have a glass of wine or a Rügenbrau, the local beer brewed in Interlaken.
The patio at The Faulhorn
Steps behind the hotel led just a few feet higher to the actual summit of the Faulhorn. From this vantage point, which had its own wooden viewing platform, not only were you looking over the top of the hotel to the massif, but now the views on the opposite side of the mountain opened up. The first thing you realize is that the backside of the mountain is a sheer drop off. Far below we were treated to a view down to the city of Interlaken, sandwiched between two beautiful lakes, the Thunsee and the Brienzersee.
Looking north off the back side of the Faulhorn to the Brienzersee
A lovely tarn straight below the Faulhorn. We would hike right past this tarn the next day.
Panorama of the Jungfrau Massif
Before long it was time for dinner which was held in a community dining room. There were about thirty people staying there and it would have been nice to have everyone mingle but we had our own table. Most of the other guests were speaking in German anyway, so other than Schultz, Klink, Lowenbrau and Volkswagon, we wouldn’t have had much to talk about.
Our waitress was a perfect 10 in so many ways. Her name was Fabiane and she was unbelievably attractive with piercing blue eyes and huge dimples when she smiled which was all the time. She had an extremely charming personality, spoke six different languages and the capper was that since there are no roads, she backpacks to work which is for two weeks on and then a week off. I wanted to take her home with us but Bridgit preferred the french patio bartender (voilá, voilá, voilá!) so we both agreed to leave things as they were.
Dinner was a beef and mushroom stroganoff with mashed potatoes, nothing too fancy but hit the spot. As soon as dinner was done I made a beeline for my camera gear to hopefully capture the sun going down. The clouds mostly disappeared and we were treated to some gorgeous color changes throughout the evening as the sun sank below the horizon.
The Big Three (Eiger, Mönch & Jungfrau)
Closeup of the Eiger and Mönch, The north face of the Eiger (called the Nordwand) is the rock section with very little snow on it. You can see the Sphinx at the top of the Jungfraujoch way up on the high ridge in the far right of the photo. We would be going there a couple of days later.
The sun setting on the Jungfrau
Late evening light on the Shreckhorn
Sunset panorama. What an amazing sight it was!
This ends Part 5. Coming up will be Part 6 - Schynigge Platte.