A return to Kandersteg
Robin and I sometimes play this game.....How many times have we been to Kandersteg?...
The answer varies but what we do know for sure is that we have visited this beautiful corner of Switzerland in excess of 20 times since our first trip in the Autumn of 1992.
Kandersteg is located in the Bernese Oberland, west of the Jungfrau massif.
The village has around 1200 inhabitants , is at an altitude of 1200 m and is surrounded by high mountains....the highest being the Balmhorn at 3698m/ 12,133ft.
The largest lake in the valley is lake Oeschinen.....in my view, the most beautiful place on earth.
Lake Oeschinen and the Gastern (the upper Kander Valley) are located within the Jungfrau-Aletsch area, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001.
Most of the population speak German as their first language.
It is also one of the most gloriously, beautiful places you could ever wish to visit.
This particular trip was in June 2018. We had flown from Liverpool John Lennon to Geneva, hired a car and after an overnight stop in a delightful 'relais' on the shores of Lac Leman we wound our way through the mountains from Aigle to Spiez and on up the valley to Kandersteg. It was a fabulous journey through magnificent scenery....a fitting prelude to our arrival in the Kander valley. Home.....
We had been watching the weather reports for weeks and it had not been good. So we had brought waterproofs and warm clothing.....as well as a few optimistic T shirts and the odd pair of short pants. However, the clouds cleared on the evening of our arrival and never returned for the whole 2 weeks. We were incredibly lucky......well aware of what the weather could be like in the mountains and actually had been on many earlier visits.
This time, no rain, no thunderstorms , no snow.....just wall to wall sunshine.
Sunday 17.6.18
It has become a bit of a tradition with us that our first day proper would be up at the Lake. This trip was no exception. Even though it was a Sunday, and we knew it would be very busy, we just had to go.
Oeschinensee (Lake Oeschinen) can now be accessed via a cable car system called a Gondola Bahn......a continuous flow of small cable cars ascend the mountain. You just pay your money and jump in. Up until sometime in the late 1990's the ascent was by an old ski lift.....you would sit there, legs swinging in the breeze and hanging tightly on to your possessions for fear of dropping something on the head of an unsuspecting tourist far below. I was so happy to see it replaced !
It is an unforgettable day out.
A ten minute walk from the railway station brings you to the Gondola Bahn which whisks you up some 500m above rocky alpine meadows....in roughly 7 minutes you alight onto a shelf that affords spectacular views down to the village and across the valley.
It is then a very gentle , leisurely stroll to the lake. At this time of year....the spring ....you get to see sunlit waterfalls on the surrounding mountains. The lake is the most perfect of turquoise blues.
It really is a sight you will NEVER forget.
The lake is fed through a series of mountain streams and waterfalls and drains underground. The water re-surfaces as the Oeschinenbach and is captured for the production of electricity and as water supply for the village.
There are several options for walks from Oeschinensee, depending on your level of fitness and head for heights. We would be getting a cup of coffee at one of the lakeside cafes and then walking on up to Unter Bargli via a path that climbs steeply and clings to the mountainside.....under overhanging rock and out into a flower strewn meadow. The views down to the lake are breathtaking....as is the climb. The flowers are magnificent.
After that lovely walk, we planned the next 3 days on what was a cool and breezy evening.
Switzerland played Brazil in the world cup ......and got a well earned draw.
The answer varies but what we do know for sure is that we have visited this beautiful corner of Switzerland in excess of 20 times since our first trip in the Autumn of 1992.
Kandersteg is located in the Bernese Oberland, west of the Jungfrau massif.
The village has around 1200 inhabitants , is at an altitude of 1200 m and is surrounded by high mountains....the highest being the Balmhorn at 3698m/ 12,133ft.
The largest lake in the valley is lake Oeschinen.....in my view, the most beautiful place on earth.
Lake Oeschinen and the Gastern (the upper Kander Valley) are located within the Jungfrau-Aletsch area, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001.
Most of the population speak German as their first language.
It is also one of the most gloriously, beautiful places you could ever wish to visit.
 |
| Upper Kander Valley |
 |
| Clouds clearing to reveal the mountains |
 |
| Lake Oeschinen |
We had been watching the weather reports for weeks and it had not been good. So we had brought waterproofs and warm clothing.....as well as a few optimistic T shirts and the odd pair of short pants. However, the clouds cleared on the evening of our arrival and never returned for the whole 2 weeks. We were incredibly lucky......well aware of what the weather could be like in the mountains and actually had been on many earlier visits.
This time, no rain, no thunderstorms , no snow.....just wall to wall sunshine.
Sunday 17.6.18
It has become a bit of a tradition with us that our first day proper would be up at the Lake. This trip was no exception. Even though it was a Sunday, and we knew it would be very busy, we just had to go.
Oeschinensee (Lake Oeschinen) can now be accessed via a cable car system called a Gondola Bahn......a continuous flow of small cable cars ascend the mountain. You just pay your money and jump in. Up until sometime in the late 1990's the ascent was by an old ski lift.....you would sit there, legs swinging in the breeze and hanging tightly on to your possessions for fear of dropping something on the head of an unsuspecting tourist far below. I was so happy to see it replaced !
It is an unforgettable day out.
A ten minute walk from the railway station brings you to the Gondola Bahn which whisks you up some 500m above rocky alpine meadows....in roughly 7 minutes you alight onto a shelf that affords spectacular views down to the village and across the valley.
It is then a very gentle , leisurely stroll to the lake. At this time of year....the spring ....you get to see sunlit waterfalls on the surrounding mountains. The lake is the most perfect of turquoise blues.
It really is a sight you will NEVER forget.
The lake is fed through a series of mountain streams and waterfalls and drains underground. The water re-surfaces as the Oeschinenbach and is captured for the production of electricity and as water supply for the village.
There are several options for walks from Oeschinensee, depending on your level of fitness and head for heights. We would be getting a cup of coffee at one of the lakeside cafes and then walking on up to Unter Bargli via a path that climbs steeply and clings to the mountainside.....under overhanging rock and out into a flower strewn meadow. The views down to the lake are breathtaking....as is the climb. The flowers are magnificent.
 |
| Knautia arvensis, Field scabious |
 |
| Rosa species, Rose |
 |
| Geranium sylvaticum, Wood cranesbill |
 |
| Centaurea montana |
 |
| Phyteuma orbiculare, Round headed rampion |
 |
| Paradisea liliastrum, St Bruno's lily |
 |
| Trollius europaes, Globe flower |
 |
| Veronica, Speedwell |
 |
| Asrantia major, great masterwort |
 |
| Thalictrum aquilegiifolium, French meadow rue |
Switzerland played Brazil in the world cup ......and got a well earned draw.
Not getting an eight or nine and shedding to the banker is a 15.35% probability and neither the banker nor participant getting an eight or nine is the most probably consequence at approximately 65.72%. At the start of the spherical, Player 1 bets €100 on themselves to win and 카지노사이트 Players 2 and 3 wager €100 on the banker to win. The banker then offers everybody their cards – the banker gets two sevens , giving them an preliminary hand value of 4.
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