June 6: Brig
Dear Ones,
Live, reporting to you from Brig, in the heart of the Valais canton. This morning dawned to glorious sunlight. After breakfast (I am getting to be quite the fan of muesli!!), Glenn, our guide, gave a lecture on Swiss “Geography, Culture and Challenges.” By the end of his lecture, the sun had left, and quite a rain was falling. We walked shortly with another guide to Stockalper Palace, completed in 1678 by Kaspar Jodok von Stockalper, a merchant from Brig, who first made a ton of money controlling the trade in silk over the Simplon Pass to Lyon. He then moved on to make another fortune organizing mail transport between Milan and Geneva. Finally, he gained the monopoly in trading salt over the Simplon Pass. In fact, he became so wealthy that he was forced to flee to Domodossola after receiving death threats. He eventually returned and died in his castle.
From the hotel and along the gardens, we strolled into the triple interior courtyard, formerly a market place with goods stored under the arcades. From there, we were able to view a few rooms, which are still used by the local council for meetings and judicial hearings.
We were on our own for the rest of the afternoon and evening, so Cathy (my roommate) and I decided to go to the newly opened (September 2016) World-Nature Forum, the base camp of the UNESCO World Heritage Swiss Alps Jungfrau-Aletsch. We secured directions and easily found our destination. Before launching off into the exhibitions, we had lunch there, enjoying the daily special of carrot soup and goulasch and red cabbage—decidedly memorable!
In the interactive exhibitions we experienced the Jungfrau-Aletsch area with all our senses, and immersed ourselves in the varied scenery of the Alps. We watched a stunning 180-degree screening following butterfly migration from South Africa to Switzerland, and then saw the Jungfrau-Aletsch area from the vantage point of a helicopter. To see the Eiger-Mönch-Jungfrau trio, after having seen “Nordwand” at least 20 times; to view climbing equipment and actually sit in a replica of the mountain train which took and takes non-climbers to experience the varied moods of the Eiger north face; to sit there, with the landscape going by, rememberingToni Kurz and Andi Hinterstoisser and how Luise had in vain called Toni’s name from that vantage point was a poignant experience.
A great museum for children, as it is so interactive. Both Cathy and I loved placing a red ball in a receptacle, have it sucked to the top, then slowly descend through at least 15-20 obstacles as it made its way down in a kind of Rube Goldberg setup. I could hardly get enough of that!
On our way back to our hotel we passed the Bäckerei—Konditorei—Confiserie (a combination bakery, pastry/cake, and sweets shop), and, in true European fashion, we stopped to enjoy Kaffeestunde, a ritual I have lived too long without! We both had Apfelstreusel (a pastry with a slightly less dense presence than Apfelstrudel, allowing for more apples in the filling, sprinkled with powdered sugar)! True heaven! WIth it we had some of the finest coffee I have enjoyed since being here, complete on its little serving tray, with warm milk contained in a little thimble of chocolate. So civilized!
And now we have returned, and I am ending this entry now. Time to go and read my Spyri book in the garden, then pack for tomorrow’s push to Zermatt and the Matterhorn, and from there to French-speaking Lausanne. A chance to try out my French! As ever, SV
Live, reporting to you from Brig, in the heart of the Valais canton. This morning dawned to glorious sunlight. After breakfast (I am getting to be quite the fan of muesli!!), Glenn, our guide, gave a lecture on Swiss “Geography, Culture and Challenges.” By the end of his lecture, the sun had left, and quite a rain was falling. We walked shortly with another guide to Stockalper Palace, completed in 1678 by Kaspar Jodok von Stockalper, a merchant from Brig, who first made a ton of money controlling the trade in silk over the Simplon Pass to Lyon. He then moved on to make another fortune organizing mail transport between Milan and Geneva. Finally, he gained the monopoly in trading salt over the Simplon Pass. In fact, he became so wealthy that he was forced to flee to Domodossola after receiving death threats. He eventually returned and died in his castle.
From the hotel and along the gardens, we strolled into the triple interior courtyard, formerly a market place with goods stored under the arcades. From there, we were able to view a few rooms, which are still used by the local council for meetings and judicial hearings.
We were on our own for the rest of the afternoon and evening, so Cathy (my roommate) and I decided to go to the newly opened (September 2016) World-Nature Forum, the base camp of the UNESCO World Heritage Swiss Alps Jungfrau-Aletsch. We secured directions and easily found our destination. Before launching off into the exhibitions, we had lunch there, enjoying the daily special of carrot soup and goulasch and red cabbage—decidedly memorable!
In the interactive exhibitions we experienced the Jungfrau-Aletsch area with all our senses, and immersed ourselves in the varied scenery of the Alps. We watched a stunning 180-degree screening following butterfly migration from South Africa to Switzerland, and then saw the Jungfrau-Aletsch area from the vantage point of a helicopter. To see the Eiger-Mönch-Jungfrau trio, after having seen “Nordwand” at least 20 times; to view climbing equipment and actually sit in a replica of the mountain train which took and takes non-climbers to experience the varied moods of the Eiger north face; to sit there, with the landscape going by, rememberingToni Kurz and Andi Hinterstoisser and how Luise had in vain called Toni’s name from that vantage point was a poignant experience.
A great museum for children, as it is so interactive. Both Cathy and I loved placing a red ball in a receptacle, have it sucked to the top, then slowly descend through at least 15-20 obstacles as it made its way down in a kind of Rube Goldberg setup. I could hardly get enough of that!
On our way back to our hotel we passed the Bäckerei—Konditorei—Confiserie (a combination bakery, pastry/cake, and sweets shop), and, in true European fashion, we stopped to enjoy Kaffeestunde, a ritual I have lived too long without! We both had Apfelstreusel (a pastry with a slightly less dense presence than Apfelstrudel, allowing for more apples in the filling, sprinkled with powdered sugar)! True heaven! WIth it we had some of the finest coffee I have enjoyed since being here, complete on its little serving tray, with warm milk contained in a little thimble of chocolate. So civilized!
And now we have returned, and I am ending this entry now. Time to go and read my Spyri book in the garden, then pack for tomorrow’s push to Zermatt and the Matterhorn, and from there to French-speaking Lausanne. A chance to try out my French! As ever, SV
I knew you’d find a way to get Nordwand to be a major component of this trip! Glad you got that experience, sounds very meaningful. Also the Kaffeestunde sounds like a great ritual and a welcome break in the day
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