Day 7
Woke up about 7, went to the bathroom, climbed back into bed, and regretted feeding the sparrows yesterday… they were chirping rather aggressively as I attempted to reenter the Land of Nod.
It didn’t matter though, because before 7:15 I could not believe my ears as they registered the sound of… a weed whacker! The owner had said she was having trouble getting him to show; I guess she was finally successful. The property is so steep a lawnmower is impossible, so it gets an hour of weed whacking instead.
Sleep was futile; I got up around 8 with berries, toast and leftover almond tart for breakfast.
It wasn’t looking too delightful for the day’s travels, so we planned a boat trip on the Thunnersee – Lake Thun.
Unfortunately the drive to Lake Thun took somewhat longer than I had hoped – about 1 ¼ hours to Speiz. This does not bode well for some of our other possible excursions.
It didn’t matter though, because before 7:15 I could not believe my ears as they registered the sound of… a weed whacker! The owner had said she was having trouble getting him to show; I guess she was finally successful. The property is so steep a lawnmower is impossible, so it gets an hour of weed whacking instead.
Sleep was futile; I got up around 8 with berries, toast and leftover almond tart for breakfast.
It wasn’t looking too delightful for the day’s travels, so we planned a boat trip on the Thunnersee – Lake Thun.
Unfortunately the drive to Lake Thun took somewhat longer than I had hoped – about 1 ¼ hours to Speiz. This does not bode well for some of our other possible excursions.
Parked in a “high rise” lot, with no one else in it, and had about ¼ mile walk to the boat dock. We quickly boarded a very nice excursion boat to Thun – I hope it was nice, 3 round trips (ok, in first class) cost 90+ CHF (~$70) for a 2+ hour trip.
The water was that aquamarine / turquoise blue common to glacial melt lakes and rivers. Beautiful. Lots of ducks and swans, etc., many types unknown to us.
The water was that aquamarine / turquoise blue common to glacial melt lakes and rivers. Beautiful. Lots of ducks and swans, etc., many types unknown to us.
Oberhofen Castle
I went to pay for the tickets on board with my Visa, and – Oh Shit – the Visa was gone. Jill paid with hers and got harassed by the deckhand because her signature did not match the card. She had to sign three times before he was happy. As we ascended to our first class cabin, separate from the Hoi Polloi, I realized that I had probably left the Visa at Au Montagnard for yesterday’s lunch.
Our waitress brought us 3 sandwiches and Diet Cokes, and we settled back to enjoy the scenery. We stopped briefly at several towns on the north side of Lake Thun, and our second stop, Oberhofen, looked particularly attractive.
It was raining and misting on and off (more on than off), though Kristen and I were able to go onto the back deck and take some photos. Oberhofen Castle has one room jutting into the lake that made for some pretty photographs.
After an hour we were in Thun, but the dock area was rather unattractive, being adjacent to the rail and bus stations. With the rain getting heavier, we opted to return to the boat. Saw a sailing school in progress, and decided to debark at Oberhofen to check out the castle.
Our waitress brought us 3 sandwiches and Diet Cokes, and we settled back to enjoy the scenery. We stopped briefly at several towns on the north side of Lake Thun, and our second stop, Oberhofen, looked particularly attractive.
It was raining and misting on and off (more on than off), though Kristen and I were able to go onto the back deck and take some photos. Oberhofen Castle has one room jutting into the lake that made for some pretty photographs.
After an hour we were in Thun, but the dock area was rather unattractive, being adjacent to the rail and bus stations. With the rain getting heavier, we opted to return to the boat. Saw a sailing school in progress, and decided to debark at Oberhofen to check out the castle.
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It ended up a good choice, as the interior was lovely, well maintained with period furniture, art, antiques, etc. I especially liked going out into the room over the lake – 4 windows, a table in the middle, exquisite wood paneling – it was a masterpiece and I could imagine myself enjoying a drink, or a cigar there.
The rest of the castle has some great furnished rooms too… Louis XIV, Louis XV, and all that. Miss K had about 10 minutes on the playset outside before the next boat at 3 p.m. |
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Got back to Speiz, tired, about 3:30, got back to the car about 4 and drove home in the rain. Bummer.
Went shopping at Co-Op and parked for a while in front of Au Montagnard to see if I could reclaim the Visa when they reopened at 5:30. By 5:40 it was still dark, so I drove off, only to see the lights on. I knew that would happen! I parked a couple of blocks away, Jill and Kristen walked back, no one spoke English but it turned out that the card was at the Gendarmerie (police station)! After a quick ID check from a very attractive female cop (Arrest Me!), and thanks all around, I had the Visa back and it was time to back up the %#&$&$^# driveway.
Jill made a nice dinner of salad, pasta with sauce and bread, and of course some wine. Dave deleted some bad / redundant photos from the camera to make room for more. Miss K is playing with her mini-dolls and George Harrison is on the iPod / stereo.
One thing is for sure – ain’t no one going to whacking weeds tomorrow morning!
Day 8 >>>
Went shopping at Co-Op and parked for a while in front of Au Montagnard to see if I could reclaim the Visa when they reopened at 5:30. By 5:40 it was still dark, so I drove off, only to see the lights on. I knew that would happen! I parked a couple of blocks away, Jill and Kristen walked back, no one spoke English but it turned out that the card was at the Gendarmerie (police station)! After a quick ID check from a very attractive female cop (Arrest Me!), and thanks all around, I had the Visa back and it was time to back up the %#&$&$^# driveway.
Jill made a nice dinner of salad, pasta with sauce and bread, and of course some wine. Dave deleted some bad / redundant photos from the camera to make room for more. Miss K is playing with her mini-dolls and George Harrison is on the iPod / stereo.
One thing is for sure – ain’t no one going to whacking weeds tomorrow morning!
Day 8 >>>