Continued
This article is a continuation of a previous one. Please check out the part one article if you haven’t already, and start from the beginning. If you’ve already read part one, but you haven’t read part two yet, please read the part two article first to get caught up.
Wien (Vienna)
I made it to Wien, believe it or not, and I sure felt very lucky to have done so completely unscathed. Hell, hardly even inconvenienced at this point!
Along the way, there were many rivers/streams that I could see from the highway, all of which looked to be higher than usual. The closer we got, the more clear it became just how seriously this storm had impacted the area. However, once in Wien itself, the city seemed like its normal self, just with a lot more than the usual amount of rain.
It turns out that’s exactly what was intended, as the city had designed some incredible flood protection back in the 1970s, in response to a flood in 1954 that completely overwhelmed the city. It is truly remarkable to see the volume of flows that they were able to redirect around the city, especially since this was all happening around me while I was there, and I was none the wiser! Once in Wien, things went according to plan, per the typical conference schedule: attend as many talks as possible during the day, and leave the conference venue after the last talk to look for some good food with work colleagues and any new friends we’d picked up at the conference that day. Of course, I also managed to get some photos there.
One thing that stuck out immediately as very spooky was the emptiness of Wien Hauptbanhof. One of the largest train hubs in Europe, and it simply had no trains or passengers at all.
But there was no time to stare at this empty train station in awe. I needed to go meet some colleagues for dinner and take pictures of other awesome landmarks within the city…
All throughout my stay here, I continued to work with ÖBB (the train company) to try and figure out my return trip, as the situation there did not change regarding trains. They weren’t due to start running again until the day after I was originally supposed to leave. This was a problem, as I’d planned the return trip out so that I’d get back to Zürich in the evening, and my flight home to Miami was early the following morning. The day before I was supposed to leave, there was still no official update on the trains and exactly when they would start running again. Some attendants at Wien Hauptbanhof mentioned they could start up again the following morning, but there were no guarantees, so I had to make a change of plans. My initial thought was to just have work fly me back to Zürich one-way. It was an easy way to ensure I’d made it back on time. Even though I hated the idea of flying such a short distance in a place with super fast trains that are (typically) always running, I didn’t feel like I had much of a choice. Rescheduling my return flight home was not something I wanted to consider. I wanted to get back home to my family.
So, I worked with someone at work for probably over an hour, and they looked up every possible option. First were flights, but those were sold out! Somehow, every single flight from VIE –> ZRH that day had exactly zero (0) seats available in any class. We were both in disbelief at this point, but I needed to get back to Zürich, so I asked about a one-way car rental. This seemed like a pretty good option, because there was very good availability of vehicles at VIE the following morning, and I would be able to get back to Zürich a whole day sooner than originally planned, giving me an extra day there to relax before the flight. Once again, my luck has prevailed, and things seem absolutely perfect. By the time all was said and done, and the rental was booked, etc, it was very late, so I just threw some things into my suitcase/backpack and went straight to bed.
Leaving Wien by car, Zürich bound
I woke up when my alarm went off and immediately felt the drag from the limited sleep I’d gotten. Oh well, I need to drive 9+ hours, so I just planned on taking lots and lots of stretch/coffee breaks along the way. This was a doubly good idea, not just because I didn’t want to be driving while tired, but also because the train ride in the opposite direction left me wanting to stop many times to take pictures of scenery, and driving would make it necessary for me to do exactly that. I picked up the rental and headed West. I drove for two segments of about two and a half hours each, and I made it all the way to Weer before I started to feel tired again, not far east of Innsbruck. At this point, I was just under 5 hours from where I started, so it was time for another break.
Once that break was over, and I felt the coffee had kicked in, it was time to head to Innsbruck, which was not too much further. I might have forgotten to mention it in the first post, but even in the short time I spent at Innsbruck Hauptbanhof, I felt like I really wanted to see more of the city. Since it was now late afternoon, I knew I wasn’t going to get to see most of the coolest sights along the way, since it would be dark within the next 2 hours, so I decided to spend the rest of daylight in Innsbruck.
Innsbruck pit stop
The feeling I got about Innsbruck when I stopped there to switch trains was 100% correct. That was a very cool city, and I’m glad I stopped there. I did a lot of walking there, and I ended up seeing a large park, walking a trail through woods along a river, and looking at some incredible sights. Once again, the pictures do it no justice, but I’ll share them anyway.
Innsbruck had really impressed me, and it was now past dinner time, so I decided to find a place to eat. I got some good food and had yet another coffee, so that I could drive for the other ~four and a half hours I had left to reach my hotel in Zürich. Since it was night time, I only managed to get one good picture for the rest of the drive.
Zürich, part two
Some time very late, I finally arrived at my hotel in Zürich. I checked in after I found some on-street metered parking that was free until later in the morning, then I set my alarm to get out there and put money into the meter. I went to bed, and surprise! I woke up late. I ran outside to put money into the meter, and there was no ticket! Whew. Lucky again, I suppose. I fed the meter, and then I went back upstairs to get cleaned up and ready for the day. I had to return the car, but I also had a whole day to myself, so I contemplated my options. I could either stay in Zürich and see more sights there, or I could catch a train headed south and go see the real mountains. I’ll bet you can guess which one I picked…
Interlaken
I dropped off the car at the airport, headed back to Hauptbanhof and decided to head down towards the Lauterbrunnen area and hike from there to Stechelberg, taking the lifts up to Gimmelwald and Mürren, as some of the most famous peaks are right in this area, including Jungfrau and Eiger. To get there, I needed to go through Interlaken. Since this was another place I really wanted to see, I decided to stop on the way. I did lots of walking and sight-seeing there, of course, but I think I’ll just let the pictures speak for themselves.
Yet another incredible city. Since I wasn’t sure how many restaurants there would be in the next towns, I decided to stop and eat here before heading further into the mountains.
Lauterbrunnen / Stechelberg
This is where I wanted to be. Finally. As soon as I walked south from where the transit stations are, I could already see the mountains jutting up over the horizon; I knew I just needed to keep walking toward them. The view just kept getting better the closer I got too. It was a very long hike, but there was plenty of motivation ahead. The regular town becomes a farm town fairly quickly as you walk, in the space between Lauterbrunnen proper and Stechelberg. There’s a lift in Stechelberg that goes up the mountain, stopping first in Gimmelwald, and then you can take another to Mürren, so these two towns then became my ultimate destination. Though I wanted to see the valley of these huge peaks from further ahead of where I was walking, I realized the view I really wanted of them is likely up higher. Along the way, I saw waterfalls, cows, goats, chickens, and it really was a breathtaking view, even before I got to the lift. The air felt crisp and clean, and the sound of running or falling water (or both) was nearly constant. Only the sounds of jingling bells attached to the animals I passed interrupted the water noises. To say this was a peaceful place is a severe understatement.
I’d made it to the lift at Stechelberg, so now it was time to ride up to Gimmelwald. The lift was pretty fast, so not much time for pictures.
Gimmelwald / Mürren
I got off the lift in Gimmelwald, and I immediately realized I would have appreciated having more time here. The views from the ground on the walk here were already spectacular, but something about the perspective from up here really made it even better. I was just walking around completely speechless, staring and taking lots of pictures. I stopped lots of times to sit or stand and just take it all in. It was hard to believe what I was seeing was real, because the size of these mountains is massive. The houses and structures are also built on the mountain faces, which is impressive on its own. Some parts of the towns are very steep also. I am 100% certain I will be back here some day, hopefully very soon. This is the kind of place I’d love to bring my family some day, and I wished they were there to see it with me that day. Without further ado, here are some of the photos.
Stechelberg / Lauterbrunnen again
It was time to go, unfortunately, as it was getting dark, and I had to get back to Zürich. I had a plane to catch in the morning, and my trip was over. Two more nice sights on the way back.
