Ups and downs of Swiss journey

To celebrate my husband, Al’s, recovery from a near-fatal illness, we decided to return to Switzerland, our very favorite country, Aug. 4-19, 2015. However, we got off to a rough (and very sad) start on our departure day when we had to say a final ‘Good-bye’ to our beloved 16-year-old cat, Alexander. We buried him in our backyard and left a few hours later to begin our travel to Switzerland.

Because we were using frequent-flyer miles, our itinerary was not the best. Flying on AirBerlin, we had a 7-hour layover in Chicago, then flew to Berlin and, finally, Zürich. We were emotionally and physically tired, but we were in familiar Zürich. We made our way to the train station to validate our train passes. 

Suddenly I realized I didn’t have my jacket. I had left it on the plane! We never do things like that. We always watch out for each other and double-check to make sure we have everything. But the jacket was gone, and so we traveled on. 

We had to change trains in Bern. We had been to that station many times. It’s big, with multiple levels, but we knew how to negotiate it.

We each had a 22-inch carry-on suitcase and a rolling backpack, and we had to go up to the next level. Use an elevator? No, the escalator wouldn’t be a problem, so we started up.

Somehow, my husband lost his balance and fell backward onto the escalator. The backpack cushioned his fall, thank goodness, but his arm was against the moving escalator, which kept chipping away at his bare arm. 

A man jumped onto the escalator and helped my husband get up. They made it to the top, but Al’s arm was badly cut and dripping blood.

Our train was nearby, so we made our way there. The conductor took one look at us and quickly escorted us to his “office,” where he got out a first-aid kit and bandaged the bleeding arm. We thanked him profusely and returned to our seats. We were a bit shaken and stressed.

Soon we arrived at the Interlaken Ost station, where we got off the train. As we boarded another train to Lauterbrunnen, we realized I didn’t have my ever-present tote bag! There was nothing very valuable in it (we keep passports and cash in the inside zippered pockets of our travel vests), but it had my journal, books, maps and miscellaneous travel aids.

I had probably left the bag in the conductor’s office. 

Train personnel told us to report the loss at the Lauterbrunnen station, which we did. We were told they would search the train we had been on.

From Lauterbrunnen, we took the cable car to Mürren and our destination, Hotel Alpenblick (Aegerten 1078A; phone +41 33 855 13 27, www.alpenblick-muerren.ch), where the hotel owner, Jeannette Vogt, assessed our situation, rebandaged Al’s still-bleeding arm and helped us to our room.

We were exhausted, but straight across from our balcony were the glistening peaks of the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau. What a glorious sight! All of our troubles faded away as we immersed ourselves into the beauty of the Swiss Alps.

We stayed three nights at Hotel Alpenblick, paying CHF170 (near $171) per night, which included a wonderful breakfast.  

Later, we stayed seven nights in Lauterbrunnen at Hotel Staubbach (Beim alten Schulhaus 424F, Lauterbrunnen; phone +41 33 855 54 54, www.staubbach.com), where we paid CHF180 a night, with breakfast.

In retrospect, we wish we had stayed more days in Mürren. The view from there was incomparable! The village is accessible only by cable car, which adds some time to your day travels, but it’s worth it.

From our hotel in Mürren, we strolled through the village and took the funicular up to Allmendhubel for a spectacular view of the mountains and valley. We also took the cable car up the Schilthorn to the Birg stop and stood on the glass platform, with the valley dropping far below.

The white peaks of the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau were etched against a blue sky. And every morning we sat on our balcony drinking in the spectacular scene.

Thanks to Swiss Railways’ tracking system, I got my tote bag back on Aug. 11. It had been located quite soon but took several days to get to Lauterbrunnen, where a train station employee called our hotel.

I also got my jacket back! Jeannette made email and phone inquiries, and then Angie at Hotel Staubbach took up the search, finally locating it at the Zürich Airport Lost & Found. The jacket had my name on it, which helped in its recovery.

All’s well that ends well.

EMILY MOORE
Greenville, IL