The next day, we set off on a day trip to Interlaken.
We passed the obligatory alpine lake or two, and stopped on the way in a little town called Brienz. They happen to be world-famous, at least in the world of wood carving.
Some pretty impressive stuff.
They also have a very nice lake.
Just before you get to Brienz, you drive down a valley with a bit of a cliff face on the other side.
Of the many streams and waterfalls that cover this region, there is one in this valley that is known, even in name only, by fans of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
Reichenbach Falls.
After leaving Brienz, we soon arrive in Interlaken. This town was built on what is effectively a silt bed, formed from residue coming off the mountains. It cut what was originally a single long lake into two lakes, with the flat section inbetween. The Aare River, which fed into and out of the original single lake, has found a way between the two new lakes.
Interlaken is a nice little town, popular with adrenaline junkies.
One obvious sign of this is the town square. Unlike the cobbled versions at every other town, this one is a paddock. No, that’s not the adrenaline I’m referring to. But every few seconds, you need to look up. Hang gliders are landing one after another in a never ending cascade.
Most cities you have to look out for electric cars, bicycles or scooters hunting you. In Interlaken, you need to look about for attacks from above.
When we got back from Interlaken, we stopped in town to check out what they call the Lion Statue.
It was made as a memorial to the Swiss Guards who were massacred in Paris in 1792 while defending King Louis XVI during the French Revolution.
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