FRIDAY, JUNE 3: KRIENS TO LAUTERBRUNNEN
Today was more of a mixed-weather day. We started out early and went to the Aare River Gorge (aareschlucht.ch) in Meiringen. We bought a combined ticket for the gorge and the Reichenbach Falls funicular; there is no discount with the STP. There is a 1.6 km trail of platforms suspended along the edge of the gorge, which is quite narrow in places. You can start the trail at either end, so we walked from the west to the east side and back to the west side—very dramatic scenery.
Then it was on to nearby Reichenbach Falls, the site of Sherlock Holmes’ and Professor Moriarty’s fatal struggle in 1891 as described in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s “The Final Problem.” There is a historic funicular (www.grimselwelt.ch/bahnen/reichenbachfall-bahn/) that goes most of the way up to the top. The falls have retreated quite a distance in 130 years, so the spot where the fictional battle took place is no longer over the boiling cauldron of water described by Doyle. There is a star marking the spot on a ledge on the other side of the falls from the upper funicular station. However, as a true Holmes fan, I had to climb up to the top of the falls and down to the ledge, where there is a plaque commemorating the event. The falls are dramatic in their own right and not only worth visiting by Holmes fans.
After we took the funicular back down, we went into Meiringen, which is the town from which Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson set out on their fateful hike to the falls. There is a very nice (albeit quite small) Sherlock Holmes Museum (www.sherlockholmes.ch) there, which features a meticulously-researched recreation of the sitting room at 221b Baker Street. The museum was opened under the auspices of the Sherlock Holmes Society of London and of Sir Arthur’s daughter, Dame Jean, on the 100th anniversary of the assumed death of Holmes at Reichenbach Falls. There are various other exhibits related to Holmes and Doyle. This attraction, including the interesting audioguide, is free with the STP. The small park next to the museum features a life-sized statue of Holmes and a path with information signs explaining the plot of “The Final Problem.”
Unfortunately, while we were waiting for the museum to open, it had started to rain. We drove to two of the three sites that John had planned for this afternoon, but it was too miserable to get out and hike. We finally decided to continue on to Lauterbrunnen, where we would be staying for the next four nights. Along the way, we stopped at the Denner grocery in the Oberland Shopping Center (www.oberlandshopping.ch) in Wilderswil, where we picked up an assortment of Swiss cheeses, wines, and chocolate; cured meats and salami; and bread for a couple of al fresco dinners.
By the time we reached Lauterbrunnen (lauterbrunnen.swiss/en/), the weather was clearing. We drove to the end of the valley, marveling at all of the gorgeous waterfalls cascading down the steep valley walls, with the snow-capped mountains in the distance. Lauterbrunnen Tourism claims that the valley was JRR Tolkien’s inspiration for his fictional Rivendell. There are reputedly 72 waterfalls in the valley and include some of Switzerland's highest free-falling waterfalls, with Mürrenbach Fall ranking first and Staubbach Fall third.
We stayed four nights at the Hotel Staubbach (www.staubbach.com), which is in a fantastic location looking up the Lauterbrunnen Valley to gorgeous mountain peaks and with stunning Staubbach Fall literally next door and illuminated after dark. There is free parking in front of the hotel and in an adjacent unpaved lot. The hotel provides a Lauterbrunnen Guest Card that gives discounts at local attractions, including some that are not covered by the STP. It also helps that it has friendly and super-helpful staff who are full of ideas about what to do in the valley and how to do it. David in particular was great, but everyone we dealt with was wonderful!