[CR Switzerland] Day 10-2

September 26, 2006
St. Moritz - Glacier Express - Interlaken

As promised, the drive to Interlaken through Susten Pass was smooth as silk, despite the inevitable switchbacks. All that exposure to the mountain air had made me sleepy, and once we had passed the Steingletcher (Stein Glacier), I decided to stop fighting the way my eyes were falling shut and slipped into a short nap. It was *that* comfortable a drive, indeed! Woke up just before reaching the outskirts of Interlaken, and perked visibly as we pulled into the city. Saw familiar names - Migros, COOP, Apotheke - as we came down past the West Banhof Station, down the main "hotel strip" and around the East Banhof Station before pulling into the drive of our hotel.

Interlaken, even under cloud cover, is *pretty*! Some of the more modern buildings were renovating, but the hotels retain their air of stately gentility. The Hotel Victoria, like its namesake, is rather queenly in aspect, commanding the best view over the main street. A view that included, to my delight, an open field with cows; their bells were tinkling as they moved about. We spotted Sara's bus in one of the hotels near the Victoria as we found our way to the Belle Rivage - and if the Victoria was a queen, then this hotel was a princess, dominating the end of the road just before the East Banhof Station. The river Aare runs behind it, and it would take a strong person indeed to resist the lure of exploring the grounds (assuming you didn't want to drop into town first).

Elmar highly recommended the dining room of the Hotel Schu for dinner the next night, prompting the Comment of the Day from our Irish Joe: "All things considered, I'd rather have the boot than The Schu..." Which of course had me crying out, "Ah, Joe, don't ever be telling me I just heard that!" along with various other groans at the play on words. Good times!

A word about the Beau Rivage. No, make that several words, because if you've been reading me this far, you know very well I can't stop at just one word. :) It is elegant. It's like somebody's stately home that's been converted into a hotel. There are chocolates on the pillow, a thick fluffy bathrobe and bedroom slippers at the foot of the bed. A bathroom that's lit up like a diamond center. Here's the fun part - the Beau Rivage was the ALTERNATE HOTEL. Sweet! And we were here for two nights! ::insert random squeeing here:: I mean...oh, my goodness. Of all the alternate hotels we got on this trip, this had to be one of the best, if not *the* best *ever*.

So if anyone finds themselves on the second bus for an Insight tour, just keep an open mind and hope for the best. You might end up with surprises like this one! :D

Once we'd settled down, Ma discovered that she'd run out of her multiple vitamins. I volunteered to run down to the Apotheke to buy some, and the walk was just the thing I needed before dinner. Felt good to stretch my legs after all that time sitting in the Glacier Epxress and in the bus; with just about 45 minutes to spare, I made it to the Apotheke in good time. Asked for the pharmacist's recommendation about vitamins for senior citizens, and in the end chose the one with ginseng. With that out of the way, my walk back to the hotel was more leisurely. I had time to hang over the fence of the cow field, and even spend time admiring the koi pond in the miniature Japanese garden not far from the hotel.

With the hotel in sight, I broke into a huge grin at the sight of a Smart car that was a rolling advertisement for Lacoste. It was white, and had the Lacoste alligator on each door, and all sorts of other stuff stenciled onto it. I also spotted a "Mr. Grill" at the very gates of the Beau Rivage - it tickled my sense of humor to see this home-run hamburger joint right in front of a luxury hotel.

Dinner call was at 7.00 PM, but of course our group was down about ten minutes before that. While chatting with the folks, I had half an ear cocked towards the piano bar, playing "Name That Tune" with the melodies I could hear floating through the doors. I have an affinity for music, and even if I haven't touched my piano for a long time, I will sing at the slightest suggestion of a tune in the air. Fortunately, the pianist was playing songs that I recognized - mostly golden oldies, so I entered the dining room in a very good humor indeed.

Dinner itself was delicious. Another convivial evening to cap the day. Tomorrow, according to the call times poster, is the Jungfrau Optional tour. Here's crossing our fingers to clear weather above the timberline!