Swiss Holidays: Thun to Lake Oeschinensee

After a restful night and a hearty breakfast we boarded the car and descended the mountain into the town of Thun. It was Switzerland's national celebration day, so Thun was alive with a carnival and party preparations. We walked around the old town, checking out the castle from below and the beautiful turquoise river rushing through the city. The water was so clear and clean, and I envied the kids sweeping by on inflatable rafts. Even if we did have the spare time, David and I had both forgotten swimsuits, so there will be no swimming on this trip.

We weren't particularly hungry, but we'd learned that all restaurants stop serving at 2:30. So we stopped at an Italian restaurant outside the town hall for a light lunch before returning to the car.

It was an easy forty minute drive to Kanderstag, where we were to embark on the most unconventional and hopefully most relaxing part of the trip.

We parked the car at the base of a mountain, did a little bit of luggage rearrangement, and took one small suitcase up to a gondola station. Bought two one-way tickets and were soon airborne, watching the town fall away behind us and the mountain pull us upward.

At the top station (although hardly the top of the mountain), we clambered out and took a look around. It seemed like everyone was taking a path to the right.  Having no better ideas, we followed.

We'd been advised that the hotel was a twenty minute hike from the station, but that there was a van to take our luggage. Well the weather was fine and there was no van in site, so we set off with our wheelie bag in tow.

The path was wide, and not very rocky, but the bag still clacked awkwardly behind us as we walked. We guessed that this hotel was a popular stopover point for hikers passing through; no one stayed more than one night, and everyone carried their belongings on their backs. We passed scores of serious hikers with real hiking shoes and walking sticks, looking at us like we'd just missed the turn for Zurich.

Finally the path turned a bend and a deep turquoise lake lay below us. A few minutes later a wooden chalet come into view, buzzing with hikers. We walked and rolled onto a large terrace overlooking the lake, and peered around lost until a waitress directed us inside and we were shown to our room.

When I'd booked the room over a month ago I remembered thinking that it was reasonably priced, considering it was located on one of the most beautiful lakes in Switzerland. When we saw our room we understood why; it was hardly big enough to hold the two small twin beds, a wooden cabinet, and a sink. The communal bathrooms were down the hall. Ah...hah. It's like a dorm.

The kitchen closed at 6 p.m., so after settling in and taking in the view we took a table on the lake side terrace and ordered a small dinner. Then we decided to see what we were up for the next day and took a small hike along the lake.

The first part of the path was wooded, and on either side old tree trunks had been carved into sculptures. We came upon a spring, and spent some time skipping stones on the lake. I couldn't remember the last time I'd skipped a stone, and I wasn't very good anymore.

Back at the hotel, we spent some time in the lounge reading and writing postcards just as a thunderstorm rolled in. With nothing else to do with ourselves we went to bed early, with the window cracked to hear the sound of the rain.