Switzerland - July 2004

Oeschinensee in Kandersteg

To celebrate the 5th anniversary of getting engaged, we decided to go to Switzerland back to the romantic location where it all happened - Kandersteg.  This is also the place where Keith spent two summers when he was 19 and 21 years old - volunteering at the International Scout Center.  We were joined by Keith's parents which made it a truly romantic vacation!  During this trip, we spent time in Kandersteg as well as around Lake Constance (a lake that lies between Switzerland and Germany).

Accommodations:

Bernerhof Apartment (Kandersteg) - We rented a two bedroom apartment which was clean, roomy (had a dining area, kitchen and living room) and functional.

Gasthaus zum Hecht (Mammern) - A cute B&B located close to the lake.  The owner was very nice and hospitable.

Activities:

Shawna and Keith flew in from the States into Zurich and met up with Keith's parents who flew in from Scotland where they were visiting with friends and family.  We arrived in the evening, rented a car and drove straight to Kandersteg where we arrived at almost midnight.

Kandersteg

The next morning (Sunday), we walked up to Oeschinensee which is a beautiful lake nestled in the mountains.  It is the location where Keith proposed to Shawna 5 years earlier (in a row boat after drinking enough wine to drum up the courage).  We ate lunch at the restaurant located on the lake, then did a bit more of a hike to another hut above the lake. Dinner at the Doldenhorn was fantastic.

Doldenhornhutte

Monday morning, we first stopped by the Scout Center to try and check email - which was brutally slow.  We then started off on a hike to the Doldenhornhutte which looks over Oeschinensee.  It was a bit wet as we started, but mostly cleared up until the end when the clouds came in.

On the Tuesday, we met up with Peter and his son Henrik.  Keith was on staff with Peter in Kandersteg in '88 and it just worked out that Peter and his son were in Kandersteg.  We took the cable car with them up to Oeschinensee, took the trail to the right, and headed up to Frundenhutte.  The hike starts slowly as it hugs the lake, but then begins a zigzag through the rocks all the way up to the top - including some pretty steep ledges that Shawna was not totally wild about.  As we were walking, the snow and sleet came in, though we were dressed for the occasion.  A hot chocolate at the hut was much welcomed.

With Peter and Henrik

Gallihorn Hike

Wednesday was "romantic hike day" - meaning we stayed away from friends and parents.  We picked the Gällihorn hike, which is often done as a dawn hike (though not for us!).  It was yet another beautiful hike, with stunning views of the valley.  We also passed a few sheep friends along the way.

On Thursday, we left Kandersteg and headed north, through Interlaken.  We wandered around there a bit before driving up to Lake Constance (aka Bodensee).  We were so close to Liechtenstein that we stopped there for dinner before arriving at the guesthouse late that night.

Friday was spent sightseeing all day: Rhine Falls, the medieval town of Shaffhausen, and then up to Stein am Rhine - a stunning town with hundreds of murals on the facades of old buildings.  Lunch was at a restaurant on the banks of the Rhine, then off to the island of Mainau which is one big botanic garden.  Dinner was on the patio of the B&B in Mammern.

Stein am Rhine

Saturday was our last day so we headed back to the lake and took the 20 minute ferry to Meersburgh on the north side of the lake.  We headed over to Freidrichshafen where we saw a museum dedicated to the Zepplin factory that was in the area - really cool.  We had an early dinner at the guesthouse, retired early, and went to bed so we could get up for a 4:15am start to head to the airport. 

Restaurants:

Hotel Doldenhorn (Kandersteg) - Keith and Shawna had celebrated their engagement here 5 years early and so we returned with Keith's parents to have a wonderful meal.

Crystal (Kandersteg) - A casual place that serves traditional Swiss food.  Keith knew the manager at the time so she treated us well.

For more photos of this trip: