[CR Switzerland] Day 12-1

September 28, 2006
Interlaken - Brienz - Ballenberg - Mt. Pilatus - Engleberg

Morning call: 6.30 * Bags and Breakfast: 7.00
Departure from Interlaken: 8.00

This is a day that would live, if not in infamy, at least with an underlying thread of anxiety for several hours. The weather matched my mood; we left Interlaken under heavy cloud and the news that the mother of all typhoons was going over Manila. 200 kph center winds, and gusts even stronger - that's not something to sneeze at under any circumstances, let alone when that kind of monster is set to go straight over your home.

I felt bound to apologize to Elmar in advance if I seemed to be in a distracted state throughout the morning, and if he heard my mobile phone chirping all through the admin details and all the times he'd be describing the sights - the dear man gave me a quick hug and assured me that all would be well. I replied that of course I knew all would be well, it was just nicer to know *for sure*.

Ma saw some folks giving Ueli his tip and had me get down from the bus post-haste so that I could do the same. We'd gotten the news that Ueli would be leaving us when we reached Engleberg, for a new six-day assignment in Spain's Costa Brava. The question of whether he'd be able to join us for dinner was still up in the air, and I certainly was hoping he would be able to do so; he's been a marvellous, expert driver!

Unfortunately, the envelope with Ueli's tip did not have the usual little note of appreciation that I stick inside it. It's a custom I started when I was given the chance to travel - and to date, I've been blessed to be in groups handled by excellent Tour Directors and drivers. I apologized for the lack of the note, and even if Ueli said it was all right, it still niggles at me that I didn't get to write even two lines to say how much we enjoyed his company, and how grateful we were for his driving skills.

We traveled along Lake Brienz, where I shot one of the best series of photos I've ever taken to date. The sun was breaking out from the clouds over Brienz as we were driving through cloud and mist, making the town look as though it was some sort of thing out of faerie land. By the time we got to Brienz, the sun was out with the promise of a bright day ahead, and my husband's SMS messages were of someone coping very well with the weather and the imminent loss of power. He sent me one of my favorite Sherlock Holmes quotations: "It is a capital mistake to theorize in advance of the facts." By which he meant, enjoy the day and don't let your writer's imagination get the better of you!

So it was in this reassured frame of mine that I got down from the coach as we stopped at the Brienz woodcarving shop. We were welcomed and given a tour by a very nice man with a decidedly Australian accent who spiced up his stories with good humor, and lots of it. He showed us various examples of the woodcarver's art from the workshop on the ground floor, explaining how the family business had grown over the generations. Then we were taken upstairs to the music box workshop, where we were given a very enlightening talk about the types of music boxes and what it took to create one.

We were also given demonstrations of the various music boxes, using examples from as far back as the 1800s and early 1900s! The only modern piece that I recall was created by one of the sons of the family - one of those things that are made just to show that the artisan can make them. Five seventy-two pin drums, all orchestrated to play in harmony, and with every flip of a switch, a different tune came floating out. You can bet that there were a lot of appreciative sounds for that little beauty.

Another piece that drew many sounds of wonder was a huge box shaped like a house, showing figures of dancers and an oom-pah-pah band in a diorama-like setting. When the music came on, no one cared if any of the notes were on key, because the little dancing figures twirled and moved in time to the tinkling melody. Really, really pretty!

Once the little factory tour was complete, everyone went rummaging through the shop, like the good tourists that we were. :) This is where I got my Swiss (Victorinox) knife, a basic model exactly like the one Elmar was using - scissors, knife, tweezers, toothpick, file/screwdriver. In fact, Elmar had been singing the praises of the myriad uses of his Swiss knife (he's had it for 20 years and then some, fancy that!) that nearly everyone on the bus was drawn into getting the same model - not only for themselves, but for friends and relations as well! Couldn't go wrong for 13 Swiss francs, now could you?

Dad got himself a shirt, and I took a picture of Ma cuddling with the handcarved bear at the entrance to the shop before sitting on one of the benches outside. The group was just finishing as Sarah’s bus came rolling up beside ours; this was the signal for everyone to vacate the premises and get on the bus. As we were pulling out of Brienz, Elmar pointed out the statue of Peter and his goats (from the Heidi story) overlooking a view of the lake.

Our next stop was the Ballenberg open day museum, where people could stroll around a community living the lifestyle of a hundred years ago. There was a bit of confusion before we entered, as we were required to wear sticker badges that were also our entrance tickets - and somehow, despite an accurate head count, Elmar came up short one ticket. The ticket lady was very nice about releasing one more ticket to the group, and then we were led inside through a lane shaded by lovely tall trees, into the main meeting point. This was composed of the washrooms, self-service cafeteria, and sit-down restaurant.

Using the maps that we were given at the entrance, Elmar gave us an orientation on where the paths went before sending us off on our own. Not too far into our own ramble, Dad decided he wanted to strike out on his own. So while he wandered off, I took Ma on a slow stroll down the “short itinerary” path that took us down past some chalets, the sausage smokehouse, and the herbal medical store. The sausage smokehouse was something else - you can't really appreciate it until your eyes adjust to the dim light, and possibly not even then. Thank goodness for flash photography! I managed to get a shot of the hundreds of sausages hanging from the ceiling so that they could be smoked by the cooking fire, and could truly appreciate the sight, even on a 2.5-inch screen.

Elmar showed us the old-fashioned water pump and watering trough when we emerged back into daylight (feeling almost as smoked as the sausages), then pointed us towards the herbal medicine shop. Ma was in heaven over the beauty of the herbal garden, the lush green and fragrance of it all. We bought three kinds of herbal tea and they smell *so* good! Can't wait for them to join the collection of Dragon Well tea, lychee tea, and generic China green tea at home.

From the herbal medicine store, a time check showed that lunch was in order. On our way down the path, we passed by the pig pen of the smoke house, and being country girls, Ma and I marveled at the absolute *pinkness* of one of the pigs - such a healthy, huge creature as it was. I thought the pig was worth a photo or two, since it was the classic example of what a good pig ought to look like!

A quick washroom stop (more of those stairs again, but these were fairly user-friendly), then into the self-service cafeteria, with its lovely open-air dining area. In fact, the weather was so fresh and clear that any number of people were enjoying their sit-down in the open air! Chose bratwurst yet *again* and I have decided that I prefer roesti over frites with my sausages. Dad caught up with us here, and got himself a nice sausage lunch as well. Back to the washrooms after lunch, then we took our time walking through the shady lane back to the exit and the waiting area in front of the parking lot.

There was a souvenir shop that we poked around in before getting back to the bus. I bought hazelnut brownies for snacking in case someone's tummy decided to ask for food before we got to the hotel. While the parents boarded, I, as usual, stood about outside, determined to wring every last breath of fresh, cool Swiss air that I could. Had a short chat with Elmar and Ueli about loving one's work, and how much I would miss Switzerland once I got home - and how I was sure that I *would* return, someday.

On our way out from Ballenberg, Elmar switched itinerary activities and took us up to Mt. Pilatus, an event that's supposed to take place tomorrow. Looking at the map, it makes sense doing it this way - from Ballenberg, it wasn't that far to the cogwheel train station for the ascent; then the cable car descent ends at Kriems, which by the sound of it, is closer to Engleberg and Lucern than if we'd done it the other way. Ma and Dad were a bit confused at first, because they were more familiar with taking the cable car for the ascent and using the cogwheel train for the descent, then taking the lake cruise all the way back to Lucerne.