1936 On the Continent

The other wall of the Wetterhorn is seen far above, while the bed of the valley is a delightful green. Here are ancient nut-brown chalets and again a wealth of wild flowers. The Rosenlaui Valley leads on down to the Haslital which it joins at Meiringen, the chief town of the valley. The peasants of the villages, apart from farming, are mainly occupied with wood-carving and weaving. Most of Meiringen was destroyed by fire in 1892, with the result that most of the town is new, but there are a few old chalets remaining. The chief attraction of Meiringen is the proximity of the Aare gorge, a great chasm nearly a mile long, through which the river Aare flows just before it enters the town. A path is carried along the cleft and from this it is possible to look down into the gorge and also up to see the rocky walls converging, and at times they almost touch. Proceeding south we come to the Handeck Falls, where the Aare drops 150 feet. Beyond is the Grimsell Pass which leads down into Gletsch. Another popular excursion from Meiringen is to the Reichenbach Falls.
Brünig
    From Meiringen we can take the Brünig Railway to Brünig, whence it leads on via Lungern and Sarnen to Lucerne. Brünig itself is gradually becoming a popular resort, and the villages above it on the slopes of the Hasliberg—Hohfluh and Reuti—offer winter sports for those who prefer a quiet resort. We will now go from Meiringen toBrienz, a village lying on the north shore of the Lake of Brienz at the foot of the Brienzer Rothorn, from the summit of which a fine view can be obtained of the lake and the Alps.
Brienz
    Brienz is the centre of the wood-carving industry in this district, and some of the work of the peasants is of distinctly high quality. From here we can take a steamer to the opposite side of the lake to view the Giessbach Falls. Here the water pours down a total height of 1,300 feet in a series of fourteen cascades, through richly wooded slopes and charming meadows until at the last cascade the water leaps into the lake itself. The best way for us is to travel by lake steamer to Interlaken, which lies between the two lakes of Thun and Brienz. This town is a fashionable centre and is particularly suitable as headquarters in summer from which to explore the Oberland. Here are fine bathing beaches on both lakes; shops where all requirements are catered for and where one may purchase the hand-woven linens, embroideries and carvings of the Oberland peasants. At the kursaal there are given symphony concerts, operettas, gala balls, dances and firework displays. One of the great attractions of Interlaken is the Tell Festival Play, which is held throughout the season in the open air on the Rügen. The stage is natural and uncovered so that the sky can be seen and the song of birds as they settle on the trees adds to the verisimilitude of the action; but the auditorium is roofed. The text used for the play is that by Schiller. At the end of May the Hirtenfest (Festival of the Shepherds) is held in Interlaken, and the country people then come into the town in their quaint old costumes. Innumerable excursions can be made from Interlaken on foot, by car, train or boat and there is so much to see that the lakes of the Oberland can be visited many times without their possibilities being exhausted.
    There is the fashionable promenade of the Höheweg, whence can be obtained one of the finest distance views of the Jungfrau; there is Heimwehfluh with its shady views, commanding an outlook over both lakes; there is the Schynige Platte which is reached from Wilderswilby a rack railway, and from where there is a magnificent view of the Alpine giants; there is St. Beatenberg on the slopes of the mountain from which there is an exceedingly lovely panoramic view of the blue lake, the green slopes of the hills with their inevitable background of white mountains. Below the village are the Beatushöhlen, a natural tunnel through which a subterranean stream flows; stalactites hang from the roof and glitter in the light from the electric bulbs which have been fitted to allow the caves to be visited, and small waterfalls trickle along murmurously.
    These caves are reputed to have been the home of a dragon who devastated the land around until it was finally overcome by St. Beatus—the Irish saint who is credited with the introduction of Christianity into Helvetia—and drowned in the lake; there is the Harderkulm which can be reached by funicular, and it is not unusual for