Flyfrequently
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I'm thinking Mrs H may have had trust issues!We were stymied in our decision to get to Interlaken a few weeks ago. The Swiss Rail had rail issues!
I'm thinking Mrs H may have had trust issues!We were stymied in our decision to get to Interlaken a few weeks ago. The Swiss Rail had rail issues!
Do you remember the cost of the buffet lunch? I was thinking about going up there this yearSchilthorn
After getting our thrills, we boarded our fourth gondola for the day and set off towards the next stop on the mystery day I'd planned for the girls.
We climbed beyond the cloud, eventually reaching 2,970 metres and the peak of Schilthorn.
It wasn't postcard perfect, but there were glimpses of sunshine showing of the stunning scenery of the Alps.
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There’s a large viewing terrace and walkways extend out the ridgeline.
The crane operator likely has the best view of all.
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Scraped bare by the almost year round cover of snow and ice, Schtilthorn at the height of summer looks like a moonscape.
Dark grey gravel with craters of residual snow.
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Schilthorn is also the location where parts the James Bond film “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service” was shot.
There’s a museum with artefacts from the film and some excellent behind the scenes explainers.
At the top of Schilthorn is a revolving restaurant and the next part of the surprise was that I’d booked us a table for the buffet lunch.
On a clear day this would have been spectacular.
But even with plenty of cloud around we had great views of the Alps.
It was a fairly average buffet but included Italian sparking.
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For those keen to visit Schilthorn, the train from Interlaken to Lauterbrunnen takes about 30 minutes.
It's another 15 minutes by bus to Gimmewald where you connect to the Schilthornbahn base station.
Here's the series of four cables cars/gondolas from there:
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I was disappointed we didn't get a clearer day for our visit, but the girls both enjoyed themselves.
But on the way back to Interlaken I had more surprises planned.
You are seeding threads with 'places' you are going to for this year hey? What's up.Do you remember the cost of the buffet lunch? I was thinking about going up there this year
No need to remember, there's a spreadsheet for that.Do you remember the cost of the buffet lunch? I was thinking about going up there this year
all will be revealed when I get my cough together and book something - lots of balls at the momentYou are seeding threads with 'places' you are going to for this year hey? What's up.
And you probably learnt something as wellA school excursion
Having long ago given up on winning any awards for parenting, we’d taking Miss H out of school for three weeks for this trip.
As a diligent student she'd requested work from her teachers and was keeping up-to-date.
But with Mrs H keen for a rest day, I decided a field trip was in order so Miss H could learn a thing or two.
The day’s first lesson: Geography.
We made our way to a bridge behind the main street of Interlaken.
It offered nice views, but also marked the merging point of three neighbouring communities: Interlaken, Matten and Unterseen.
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Next lesson: Economics
For this is was back into town where we made our way to a small shop called the Funky Chocolate Club.
Here, a 90 minute chocolate making class will set you back ~$350 Australian dollars.
Miss H was set a multiple-choice economics exam:
A: Join the chocolate making class.
B: Go on a chocolate buying spree back in Australia and make your own at home.
Miss H scored an A+ in debating after successfully arguing for a hot chocolate while considered the economics question.
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I'm pleased to report she passed economics with flying colours... and did an excellent job with the chocolate lesson back home a few weeks later.
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The chocolate hearts had peppermint centres and were easily the most delicious!
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Lesson number 3: Hydrology
From the chocolate shop it was back to the river to learn how engineers keep the water levels of both lakes even.
We toured the flood gates and learned how the flow rate is remotely adjusted to match the seasons and rate of snow melt.
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Lesson 4: Biology.
With all these flood gates, how do the fish get upstream to breed?
We made our way to look at two different types of fish ladders.
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The final lesson of the day: photography.
For her exam, Miss H was required to take a picture of the Interlaken scenery demonstrating depth of field.
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It was a low key and enjoyable father-daughter day.
Miss H learned something.
Mrs H had her nap.
And I managed to erase the guilt of Miss H missing three weeks of school.
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I know that feeling!our ambition was not matched by our ability
Exploring Mount Niederhorn won a split vote 2-1.