Interlaken was really a good choice, Lucerne ain't bad

If I were offered one day in Europe, and then had to return, I'd choose Interlaken. Not so much for Interlaken itself, although it's pretty good, but for what's available to see and do nearby. I guess you can tell I'm pretty impressed with the area, Libby, please tell Jacob thanks.
Before I continue with Interlaken, several brief comments about Bern I forgot the last time.

If you go to Bern, the climb up the tower of the church is worth the effort for the view. But be sure you really want to pay the admission. There are about 250 steps to climb, before you get to the ticket seller. That's a lot of climbing if you change your mind. And there are about 100 more from that level to get to the very top.

All the major streets in the central part of Bern, the old part, are lined with arcades. I think I read 6 miles of them, but I'm not sure. When the city was young, the streets were much wider. The shopkeepers built sheds in front of their shops/homes. Over time, these were joined, and then second and more stories were added. Now it looks like they were originally built that way. Nice in bad weather, too.

Back to Interlaken. I did make it to the train on time, and got to Jungfraujoch, well worth the early awakening. By the way, if one takes either of the first two trains, there is a fair discount for early birds. Look into it if you come here. The mountain itself is Jungfrau. I'm not sure what the appended "joch" means.

Beautiful views of the mountains and glaciers. I have to say, even as a Californian, that I think the Alps surpass the Sierras in grandeur and are really awe-inspiring. (waxing poetic, aren't I?) The weather was really fine. The temperature was around 4 or 5 C (40 to 42 F) with only occasional gusts of uncomfortably high wind.

The last part of the trip was on the cog railway I mentioned. Between the rails is a continuous strip of teeth and a gear wheel on the train engages them and provides the drive. Hope that's clear to you. I don't think It is, but can't think of a better description. Much smoother ride than I anticipated when I saw it. The last 6 or thereabouts kilometres were in a tunnel through the mountain. There were two stops with side tunnels to the outside as viewpoints. Well worth it, believe me.

On the way back, I changed trains at the halfway point and went back through Grindenwald (SP?) I considered it as one of the possible spots for skiing the next day, and wanted to get a look. It would be a nice little village to spend a relaxing day or two in, and a good base for skiing.
And to keep the streak running, I met a couple from Perth, AU while on the mountain.

The next day was the skiing day. I'd had several inputs on where to try. On the train back, I met a couple from Northern CA who had been skiing at Grindenwald, and said it was pretty nice, with a lot of powder, but not really long runs. Turns out they were staying at the same hostel as me. Then at the hostel, I talked to a young man from Washington, and he had been at ???? (can't remember the name of the run.) It sounded like it was a bit longer, and the trail map made it look more appealing (one easy run; blue, red, black, not the American green blue, black.)
So I chose ???? and it turned out to be a good choice. I started out on the blue run, which was really more of a trail meant to be shared with cross-country skiers. After one pass on that, I took the red route, except for the first part. That looked to me to be pretty steep even from the bottom. And they always look steeper from the top.

It did get to be a bit boring by the end of the day. There are only 5 lifts open near Interlaken so far, in three different locations. To get from one area to another, one has to take the gondola to the train station, then the train to the next area. Then, in two cases, the gondola again.
But all in all, it was a pretty good day. My knees were rather sore that evening, and even into the next day. I haven't been keeping up my normal exercises on the trip, and maybe that's the reason. Or could it be age whispering sweet nothings to me?

On to Lucerne. I got here yesterday around noon. The train ride was nice, but the visibility wasn't the best. Cloudy and overcast all the way. Same in Lucerne, but that's life in the European winter. I checked into the hostel, then wandered around town. Took a lot of pictures, as usual.

In the evening, I had dinner at a Spanish restaurant, for a change of pace. Then I took in "King Kong". "Lord of the Rings" it isn't. Special effects are super, and the beginning and ending are fine. But I found myself thinking several times that something had been edited out by mistake. Lots of discontinuity, at least for my mind. Even for a fantasy, I really had to use my imagination. So much for my career as a movie critic.

Today, I took a boat ride on Lake Lucerne. Since it's pretty cold, I only took one to the first stop and then back to Lucerne. I like to stand outside, and it was just a bit too cold for that.
On the subject of boat rides, there must be quite a business in the summer here. I counted at least 9 pretty good sized tour boats, and several smaller ones. Only one line is now running, and it's primary purpose is as a ferry to the towns around the lake.

I spent a good deal of time walking around the town this afternoon, as it was a beautiful day, in spite of the chill. Lots of sunshine. This is a really pretty town. The old town has retained the old Europe look in the buildings and cobbled streets, except for the ground floors. They are for the most part modern retail stores. No cars allowed, although it seems delivery trucks can get in. And old town is surrounded by the modern city.
Late in the afternoon, I visited the Glacier museum. It seems that someone digging a wine cellar in the late 1800's found an area that was a perfect example of what glaciers can do, and it was right in the city of Lucerne. So no wine cellar, a museum instead. Not too bad.

Trivia time. I've got all my tickets and hotel accommodations lined up for the rest of the trip. Not usually good at planning, but I figured I'd better do it, rather than get stuck somehow.
In Interlaken, I had "Jugged Deer" for supper. That was the English translation on the menu. I asked what it meant, and the waitress looked puzzled and said "Jugged". Even when she asked for help, that was about all I could get. Finally the head waiter came back and gave me something about "Jugged" having to do with the antler size. You tell me, I don't understand.

That's about it for now. Time is running out.