Hotel Leugebrüggli

High above Lake Thun is a small hotel called Leugebrüggli.

We’ve often thought about paying this place a visit, as the views must be absolutely spectacular. Yesterday we decided to go for lunch. A bus took us up the hill and dropped us off outside. We didn’t have a reservation, but we were lucky enough to get one of the best tables in the restaurant.

Before we get to the views, let’s deal with the food. It was gorgeous. Val had Salmon Trout, which is the house speciality, and my lunch was a huge pork schnitzel. The service was nice too, with an old-school maitre-de and waitresses in traditional costumes.

On the journey up the hill from Interlaken we were accompanied by quite a few paraglider pilots and their equipment. They take off in a field just above the hotel. One of their favourite things seems to be flying close to the restaurant windows and waving at the diners.

As expected, the views from here are simply stunning. I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves. The marina at Neuhaus, with a departing steamer, and the nearby golf course.

The high alps in the distance.

Waiting for the bus to take us back down to Interlaken.

I’d highly recommend a visit to the Hotel Leugebrüggli. It’s just ten minutes on the bus from Interlaken West station.

Karaoke night

We had a good meal and a few beers at the Brasserie last night, and with no bars open in Wengen we thought we’d make a night of it in Interlaken and get the last train back. It’s Thursday, and Thursday night is karaoke night at Frankie’s bar. It’s very popular.

Different genders seem to have different approaches to karaoke. The girls sing in groups of two or three, whereas men prefer to go solo. Frankie’s is a brilliant venue for this stuff.

A great night out.

Weather improving

Here’s a view that we haven’t seen for about 10 days. The valley, and the peaks beyond.

It was snowing when we got up this morning, but since then the weather has greatly improved. The warm sunshine is very pleasant and most welcome, particularly as our house is covered with a foot of snow at the moment. All this needs to melt before the contractors can start work on our super new solar roof next week, so hopefully the sun is here to stay. We have an evening out to look forward to tonight; half a dozen of us are off down to the Brasserie for dinner.

Bern

Val had a trip to Bern for an appointment today. She wanted to see the Munster. Here it is.

Lovely interior.

You can climb the tower (for a fee of course). Views from the terrace half way up.

Back in Wengen, we had a little more snow, but it looks like the weather might be starting to improve. Fingers crossed.

A trip to Interlaken, and a change of season

It’s another cold, snowy day in Wengen. We need to get out though, as Val has an appointment at the eye clinic in Interlaken. The village is looking particularly wintry.

As the train took us down the valley the scenery changed from midwinter into late spring. Trees are in leaf and there are lots of tourists rushing around trying not to miss anything. We had lunch at the Co-op and got some much needed shopping.

We’re planning to return to the U.K. next week when our renovations are due to start. We learned this afternoon that owing to the weather the work is going to start a week late, so we could stay here a little longer if we wanted to. It’s a bit late for that unfortunately, as our flights are booked and paid for, and we have a busy schedule once we get back.

Guess what?

Surprise surprise, it was snowing again when we woke this morning. That makes seven straight days. It’s colder too, and the weak sunshine that occasionally gets through the clouds has failed to melt the snow on our garden steps. Up in the village the authorities are getting concerned about avalanche danger, so the road between the Park Hotel and the swimming pool has been closed. Here at Chalet Iltis, the area of balcony that is available for some fresh air is rapidly shrinking owing to the accumulation of snow.

Val has an appointment in Interlaken tomorrow, and we have a lot of recycling to get rid of, so it looks like we’ll be venturing out in the morning. Wish us luck.

Not going out

We had planned to go up to the Crystal bar for a few beers tonight, as surely the snow that has been falling all day has to stop sometime. It didn’t, so we stayed at home in the warm and began another series on TV. Ali popped round for coffee this afternoon and said what we’ve all been thinking – we’re fed up with the snow now. The farmers must be even more fed up than we are, there isn’t a single useable pasture between here and Lauterbrunnen, so the livestock will have to remain in their barns until we get a thaw.

I didn’t bother with a picture today, as you already know what a snowy Wengen looks like. Weather forecast? More snow. Last weekend’s heatwave is a distant memory.