Mürren, Piz Gloria, Gimmelwald

Mürren changed overnight from overcast and cloudy to a perfect sunny picture postcard Switzerland! I had quite a few places to visit today. But I should start the post with a shot that is frame worthy. The shot below is taken from the flower trail at Allmendhubel which is just above Mürren and can be reached by a funicular railway. It cost only CHF 7 for a return trip and it totally worth it.

Allmendhubel is a small mountain plateau directly above Mürren, and it’s one of the prettiest, gentlest excursions you can do in the Jungfrau region.

So this is how you get there. The Allmendhubel funicular is pretty steep by everyday standards.
• Track length: about 536 m
• Vertical rise: about 267 m

That works out to an average gradient of ~50% — which corresponds to an incline angle of about 27°. The Allmendhubelbahn (Allmendhubel funicular) was originally built in 1912 by a local cooperative in Mürren to connect the car-free village with the sunny plateau above.

Once you get up there, the world opens up. At the plateau it’s easy gradient to walk. There is a beautiful playground for kids and also a restaurant.

As the title shows here you’ll find sweeping views of the Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau, as well as down into the Lauterbrunnen Valley. Kids play with their parents and grandparents here and the flower trail extends into melodious music of cow bells. There’s a restaurant terrace perfect for a slow coffee or lunch with the mountains right in front of you. I did have a cup to coffee there and it was excellent.

That’s the herd of cows I was talking about.

Piz Gloria

The revolving restaurant sits right on the summit ridge of the Schilthorn, part of the Bernese Alps in the Helvetic realm of the Alps. Yes, Her Majesty’s Secret Service was filmed there. Not my favorite bond movie. George Lazenby Was my least favorite Bond. However the place is dramatic indeed. Lot of construction going on there right now that makes the experience a bit pale, but nothing can take away the location!

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_Her_Majesty's_Secret_Service_(film)

Yes, it is indeed that dramatic! You must change cable car twice to get there and I am told it is the steepest in Europe.

Half way there in Brig, there is a viewing platform and a glass bottom sky walk. Really cool, yes, you can see the bottom through your boots!

Gimmelwald

Gimmelwald is one of those rare alpine villages that feels like it’s stepped out of another era — quiet, car-free, perched high above the Lauterbrunnen Valley, and surrounded by some of Switzerland’s most spectacular scenery. The pin I have in this post is at is at the Pension Brewery. Here are some details about Gimmelwald.

•Altitude: ~1,367 m (4,485 ft)
•On a narrow ledge above the Lauterbrunnen Valley
•Between Stechelberg (below) and Mürren (above)

You can take a cable car from Mürren which takes 10 min or you can do a gentle downhill walk for 50 min.

I went there for this specific dark beer that I heard from my friends.

Schwarz Mönch, the beer that’s become almost synonymous with a perfect alpine pint in Gimmelwald 🍺. I later learned that it is in fact brewed in Interlaken now and Pension is not the only place that serves them. Still Schwarz Mönch has become synonymous with Pension Gimmelwald and I must say their beer garden where I had them is a rather spectacular place to enjoy they brew.

Inside was charming too, but you really want to sit outside.

Oh yeah, did I tell you Gimmelwald is a paragliding Mecca! ? There is nothing more spectacular to watch them daredevil lads fly next to Eiger!

Go there folks! Especially those in Europe, it’s easy for you guys! That’s all I have today! Tomorrow will be an another day! Cheers!

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