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Maybe they were young to get the reference?but was disappointed to learn I was the only one who found it amusing.
Maybe they were young to get the reference?but was disappointed to learn I was the only one who found it amusing.
The ferry seems a tad overloaded but maybe just an optical illusion.Geissbachfalle (part 2)
After viewing the falls we returned to Hotel Geissbach.
It has a terrace with a café and restaurant overlooking the falls.
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There’s also stunning views across lake Brienz.
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It was now late in the morning and plenty of people were checking out of the hotel.
I watched as the valet retrieved their cars: one Mercedes, two Porshe, a BMW, and a Ferrari.
I felt like a coffee but on a Corolla budget I was afraid to look at the menu.
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AUD9.50 for a coffee and AUD21 for a bowl of wedges.
Pass.
Instead, we headed back to the ferry terminal.
We skipped the funicular and opted to walk.
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We were rewarded with great views.
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The path took us over a bridge where the falls spill into Lake Brienz.
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Our timing was perfect… it was just a five minute wait until our ship came in – this time an old paddle steamer.
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But the smooth sailing of the day so far wasn't to last.
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It was absolutely heaving.The ferry seems a tad overloaded but maybe just an optical illusion.
The insta crew and other influencers were annoying the hell out of us (and many other genuine tourists) around Europe last winter. I think I’ve reached the stage of grumpy old womanhood where I will start telling them to get out of the way and share nicely with others.On this day it was Mr Selfie Stick.
Middle East prices right there!AUD9.50 for a coffee and AUD21 for a bowl of wedges.
I was thinking Karratha airport...Middle East prices right there!
And........ ???It had been several days since any sort of family fracas.
Things were going well.
Too well.
As we stepped ashore in Brienz, so too did our holiday enemies: hunger and indecision.
Switzerland is wickedly expensive. Glad to have left it today.Brienz
Brienz is a quaint tourist town at the eastern end of the lake with the same name.
On a Saturday, in the height of the European summer, it should have been bustling.
While the train station was crowded, elsewhere it was a ghost town.
With two hours until the next ferry and what seemed like very few options for food, I was beginning to worry.
It was only a matter of time until I was taking more fire than a clay pigeon at a target range.
I did my best to distract the family from their rumbling stomachs by pointing out things of interest, like the architecture, the mountains and the slightly gaunt looking novelty cow.
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The malnourished looking bovine only served to remind the family of their hunger.
As we headed through the village we came to a small supermarket.
The gardening products outside gave me hope it might be open.
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But the place was closed.
They were just very trusting that no one was going to steal plants or mulch over the weekend.
But after the chaos during covid, high-demand items like toilet rolls were locked up safely inside.
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The complaints of hunger were growing.
I offered to sell a kidney so we could afford to eat at an expensive looking rooftop restaurant with sweeping views over the lake.
This was ruled out due to the menu rather than any concern for my organs.
Also ruled out was a greasy looking burger van at the ferry terminal.
So, we set off on a walk up the hill towards the west in the hope that something appealing lay over the ridge.
Next we came to a packed bistro – a good sign I thought.
Despite claims that death by starvation was only moments away, the German inspired menu was rejected.
We then passed three pizza places in quick succession.
All were empty and after glancing at their prices it was easy to see why.
We were now a considerable distance from the centre of town, no closer to eating, and a long way from the ferry to salvation.
A tense standoff ended with Mrs H commencing a hunger strike and marching off to sit by the lake and wait for the next ferry.
This changed the decision-making equation.
All we needed to determine now was which pizza shop and what toppings.
Returning to the lake armed with two pizzas brought the hunger strike to an abrupt end.
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Collapsible canvas chairs are provided by the local council and we spent an enjoyable hour watching the world go by.
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Having narrowly averted another disaster, we hopped back on the ferry towards Interlaken.
I quickly secured a table by the window and ordered a beer.
I had a chuckle to myself that the name of the beer so aptly summed up the two hours we spent in Brienz.
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We were stymied in our decision to get to Interlaken a few weeks ago. The Swiss Rail had rail issues!That scenery is spectacular. We always go in winter to ski. I really must plan a summer trip sometime.