Thursday, March 13, 2008

We had the opportunity to sleep in a bit on Thursday morning which was nice after such an early wakeup the day before. Today would be our last full day in Wengen topped off by our final night at the Bellevue. We were unsure of what the weather was going to be like and were hesitant about considering a trip to the Schilthorn after our trip to the Jungfrau and Zermatt yielded less than spectacular views.

After showering Travis ran down to the reception desk to check the daily condition reports that were posted on a bulletin board just off the dining area. The reports showed weather conditions, ski conditions, area closures, etc. The reports indicated generally good weather and Travis found out that the Piz Gloria, the revolving restaurant at the top of the Schilthorn, was open for business which, evidently, is a sign of decent weather.

Instead of having breakfast at the Bellevue we opted to finally check out the pastry shops in Wengen and check out the stores a bit too. On Wednesday morning, as we made our way through town, everything had been closed. Now, with the hour being later in the morning, everything should be open for business. We had also forgot to charge the GPS the night before and needed to buy some time before we headed out to the Schilthorn so it could achieve at least a partial charge. (Throughout the trip I had been marking any significant points of interest we visited: Jungfraujoch, Wengen, Lauterbrunnen, Zermatt, and so on. I didn't want to miss marking the Schilthorn!)

After plugging in the GPS to its charger we headed out. It was sunny and cold with most of the snow that had fallen in the streets last night already melted away. Even the evergreens up on the slopes had lost their white coats and were now green again. People were out and about, checking out the shops, heading for a day of skiing, or doing some skiing on the slopes here in Wengen.

We wanted to check out both pastry shops and thus each bought two small breakfast items, one from each of the stores. The smell as you entered these bakeries was wonderful. All sorts of fresh baked breads, pastries, and other bits of deliciousness tempted you this way and that and it was difficult to determine which item you wanted. After much consideration we each selected a small item, paid, and headed back outside to the street to munch on breakfast as we perused the shops. The pastries were delicious and we soon found ourselves in the other bakery for seconds.

We checked out several of the shops along the street as we munched breakfast and picked up some hiking guides from the tourism office before heading back to the Bellevue to grab our equipment and head out for the day. We still we not sure if we would spend the entire day at the Schilthorn or if we would be back in Wengen early enough to explore some of the local hiking trails. We wanted the guides just in case.

The Schilthorn is reached via a series of cable cars from Mürren, another small ski town, that lies above Wengen in altitude and across the Lauterbrunnen valley. We caught the train from Wengen to Lauterbrunnen and from there took a cable car to Grutschalp. At Grutschalp we took the Mürrenbahn on a short train ride to Mürren proper. The train station for Mürren lies at the far end of the town and the cable car station near the center so we had a short walk through the town during which we enjoyed the beautiful scenery and the neatness of the town itself.

It was during this walk that we spotted a clapboard sign outside a restaurant and hotel advertising the fact that the restaurant was recommended by none other than Rick Steves! We, of course, had to snap a picture for RobinMarie.

After walking the short distance we came within view of the cable care station, the Schilthornbahn. The entire cable car ride to the top of the Schilthorn, divided into two legs, takes about 20 minutes and transports you from an elevation of 1634 m (5361 ft) at Mürren to 2971 m (9748 ft) at the top of the mountain. That's just shy of 4,500 ft or nearly a mile. The first leg terminates at Birg, nothing more than a building perched on the peak before the Schilthorn summit, where we transferred to another cable car for the final leg of the ascent. Our Swiss Pass provided a hefty discount for the cost of the cable cars so the round trip tickets ended up being just under CHF 75.00.

After purchasing our tickets we took a few minutes and popped inside a small souvenir shop located in the station. Inside Travis immediately spotted numerous James Bond items and purchased a coffee mug and several magnets with the James Bond and Schilthorn logo on them. (More on the whole James Bond connection in a bit.) Leaving the shop we headed to the area of the station where the cable cars are loaded.

The cars are actually quite large and were well packed with people during our trip up and down the mountain. The interiors reminded me much of the WDW Monorail just on a much larger scale. There were poles throughout for people to hold onto as well as straps hanging from the roof that also provided some degree of stability. The car moved swiftly and smoothly across the cables with next to no noise other than the chatter from the passengers. As the massive car moved over the guide towers holding the wires it swung forward and then back causing the skyline to shift considerably. Although it didn't bother me I could see it easily affecting someone who has a fear of heights.

We soon reached the summit and were ushered out of the cable car. The main attraction of the Schilthorn is the spectacular 360 degree view of more than 200 surrounding mountain peaks. On clear days, the view is so spectacular that one can view all the way to Mont Blanc in France. Thankfully, for us, we had one of those days.

Standing on the summit of a mountain nearly two miles high with views for hundreds of miles can't be described with words. It's certainly one of those things that must be experienced with all of your being and all of your senses. It's simply amazing. Just as standing in an eight hundred year old church gives you a sense of your place in the history of human culture, standing atop a mountain that was formed millions of years ago and dwarfs everything human made gives you a sense of your place in the world as a whole.

After taking many, and I mean many, pictures, as well as some video, from the observation deck we decided to head inside to warm up and explore the shop area and multimedia show on James Bond. James Bond, you ask? You see, at least in part, the building on the Schilthorn owes its existence to the filming of the James Bond movie On her Majesty's Secret Service. For some reason construction was held up and the Piz Gloria was not going to be completed. MGM so desired the use of the building and location in the movie that they assisted with the cost of completing construction. This connection has lead to lots and lots of 007 references throughout the facility as well as many 007 items for purchase.

The shop carried your usual assortment of souvenir oriented merchandise including a series of Swiss watches specially designed for the Schilthorn attraction. One of these, featuring the James Bond logo and the “Schilthorn” namesake, caught my attention and I showed it to Travis. Instead of buying it then he decided to think about it and return to the shop later if he decided to make the purchase.

Inside one corner of the shop there was also a small bar with several James Bond murals painted on the walls and signed and dated by the artist. Travis snapped pictures of the murals as I continued to look around the store.

Next up was the multimedia show. The “show” basically detailed information about the site and its tie to Her Majesty's Secret Service. Several clips from the movie were also included. It was interesting to note that the room that now houses the multimedia show about the movie was most likely one of the main sets on which the movie was filmed.

We had debated on whether or not to eat lunch here at the Schilthorn or return to Mürren and find a less touristy restaurant to enjoy the meal. We checked out the menu here and, while the prices were comparable to any other restaurant, the selection was limited and the food was probably not of the same quality. Still, they had Champagne on the wine list and the views were not to be beat. And, we weren't quite ready to leave the Schilthorn as of yet but were quite famished.

The restaurant is built in the shape of a cylinder, with the tables situated toward the outer walls under nearly floor-to-ceiling, wrap-around windows and the kitchen area located in the center of the room, and actually revolves on top of the main portion of the building. Thus, as you enjoy your meal you're treated to a spectacular 360º view that slowly unfolds before you.

Selecting from the wine list was easy enough as we knew we wanted to have Champagne and ordered a bottle of Bollinger Special Cuvee. Vegetarian selections on the menu were lacking and about our only option was a cheese plate, which, while sounding very good didn't promise a very full meal, or Rosti with vegetables and sour cream. We both selected the later and were quite happy with the entrée.

Our Champagne arrived soon after we ordered it along with stemware etched with the Bollinger label. A nice touch! Although Bollinger has been well enjoyed throughout many James Bond movies, interestingly enough, it wasn't the 007's Champagne of choice in On her Majesty's Secret Service. In that film, the spy agent enjoyed a bottle of Dom Perignon 1957. Alas, the Bollinger worked for us very well!

One interesting note, we did take notice of the fact that the pressure from the high elevation did indeed affect the Champagne. Bollinger, as should any true Champagne, provides for an endless series of very fine bubbles being released from the wine. Instead of those fine bubbles we found large, obtrusive bubbles of the carbonated soda kind. This, in turn, affected the mouth feel of the Champagne as well. While certainly not detracting from our enjoyment of the wine it certainly was a different experience for a bottle of Champagne.

As the view slowly slipped by we spotted Mont Blanc (a couple times) and numerous other famous peaks and enjoyed our Rosti and Champagne. Near the end of our two-hour meal the restaurant had cleared out significantly and another waiter in the room asked if we would like another bottle. We didn't but rather finished up and headed back out to the observation deck for more pictures.

During our second photo shoot I also directed a Swiss-styled reenactment of Howard Dean's infamous post-New Hampshire concession speech starring Travis. It may well become the next YouTube hit.

With the time closing in on 4:15 we decided to check back in on the shop for the watch and then head to the cable car station as the last car left at 5:00. We walked back inside and we stunned to find the shop closed. We looked through the glass door and noticed the cashier counting down her till. Travis motioned to her and she came over to listen to his query about possibly purchasing the James Bond watch. While very polite she said that she couldn't as everything was closed up and being counted down. [Note: I hate to say it but I did, in fact, urge Travis to buy the watch when he first saw it!]

With Travis in a state of dismay we headed to the loading station of the cable car and waited for the final car to arrive and load. The trip back ended up being more than 50% staff from the facility and relatively quiet in comparison to the crowded trip up. We transferred at Birg and soon arrived at Mürren.

After disembarking the cable car we were headed for the exit when the cashier from the store atop the mountain stopped Travis. Although the smaller shop here in the Mürren station was also closed, she said her friend may still be inside and they would probably be able to run a transaction to allow Travis to buy his watch. We both felt that was exceptionally kind of these two women and profusely offered much thanks to them both (over and over again). With Travis all a glee now that he had his watch we headed out of the station and back toward the Mürrenbahn.

After taking the Mürrenbahn to Grutschalp and then the cable car down from Grutschalp to Lauterbrunned we decided to walk around Lauterbrunnen one last time before heading back up to Wengen. Even though it was still early (probably about 6:00 PM), nearly all of the shops on the main street of the town were closed up. We took some more pictures and just enjoyed being in Switzerland half a world away from work, worries, and everything else in our lives.

We returned to Wengen shortly after 7:00 and headed for the Bellevue to drop off Travis's newly-purchased items and everything else we had been lugging around all day. We then headed back out to Wengen to find dinner.

Having eaten lunch not too long ago we wanted something pretty light and decided on one of the local pizzerias just off the main street. One would have never guessed that you were in Switzerland instead of a U.S. rendition of what an “Italian pizzaria” is supposedly like. Complete with the pictures of Venice and the empty Chianti bottles serving as make-shift candle holders the atmosphere for such places must be universal.

We were quickly seated and ordered a large pie with mushrooms. We somehow also ended up with bottled water instead of tap water and had to ration said water throughout the meal. At home, we drink little else other than copious amounts of water and our 1-2 bottles of Champagne or wine on the weekend. Having limited water to drink throughout the meal was difficult and we constantly made light of the situation throughout the meal. Watergate wasn't easy to live through.

After dinner we slowly walked back through the streets of Wengen to the Bellevue. It was sad knowing that tomorrow morning we would leave this small, wonderful little town and probably never return in our lives. This area of Switzerland had provided us with amazing experiences, outstanding cuisine, beautiful interactions with nature, and so much more. And tomorrow, we would have to say goodbye so that we could continue our journey into the cityscape. Before heading into the Bellevue I snapped a few last pictures of our soon-to-be ex-home.

We both slept well.