Can anyone advise me on what kinds of day trips can be easily done via train from Interlaken?

I plan to extend my stay there if I can get a couple of day trips in. I haven't had much luck in this area of my research. More specifically are there any day trip worthwhile sites to concentration camps, Austria or Belgium?

Someone told me there are day trips to Belgium but I just don't see how that's possible, and if it is would Paris be a feasible day trip as well, just for the purpose of seeing the Eiffel Tower? I don't want to loose the focus of my Italy/Switzerland trip, I just want a little taste of what will likely be the focus of my next trip.

Thanks in advance!

Monica, we had a similar question:
http://www.slowtalk.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=3;t=000019

Have you ever been to a concentration camp memorial before? We were in German staying with friends in 1988 and were heading to Munich. We told them we were going to go to Dachau. They pleaded with us not to go. We did and it was one of the most upsetting experiences I have had while traveling. I was overwhelmed by the feelings of the horror that happened there. We had brought lunch with us and we threw it out, not wanting to even eat anything that had been there. We left Germany the next day and have only been back for short visits to our friends since. (My husband is from a Jewish background, I am not.)

You will be in Interlaken - see your immediate area! We LOVE Switzerland and are leaving at the end of August for 2 1/2 weeks there. It would be hours on the train to get into Germany, Austria - Belgium would be the whole day I think. Go to Grindelwald - an hour on the train - and see a beautiful mountain village. Take the boat tour of the lakes. Go to Lucerne if you are looking for a bigger town. For a longer day trip, go into the French section - like Lausanne. Or take the train to Zermatt and see a perfect mountain village with no cars at the base of the Matterhorn.

Go to the raileurope web site to get some ideas of times and distances via train. www.raileurope.com It would be several hours on the train to get to Paris - not worth it!! Better to spend the day walking around Interlaken - another beautiful town.

Thank you Pauline -- I plan to follow your advise in Switzerland. It sounds amazing! I think I will scrap any other country day trip thoughts for now...

I went to the Holocaust memorial in DC last year. I know what you mean -- very upsetting. After about an hour and a half I felt like I was going to pass out, literally. But still it was just a museum, it didn't happen there.

The atrocities of what happened to all of those people are nothing more than a series of black & white film clips in my head. I just want it to be more real to me because it did happen, it is unbelievable, and I want to know what it really was so I will never forget.

Is it something that you truly wish you hadn't experienced?
Or, as horrible as it was, are you a better person for having gone there?

That is a big question, but I think perhaps I wish I had not experienced it. But, I also wish I had not experienced September 11.

Switzerland is a beautiful country. I know that many people do not like Switzerland - but I really do not understand why. The four main regions (German, French, Italian, Romansch) are very different from each other. The country is full of beautifully preserved historic towns. The hiking is very accessible and incredible. The Swiss themselves love to hike - which explains the abundance of well marked trails. The Alps are beautiful to see and be in.

And they make the best handkerchiefs in the world. The chocolate is pretty good too!

Hmmm... It sounds like I don't need to be visiting a concentration camp. Especially since I find myself staying away from Sep. 11 anything, it's just too sad. So why would I want to make something more real to me, that I'm fortunate enough to only know in film clips? Really, thank you -- you've put it into perspective for me.

What region is Interlaken in?
Did someone say chocolate?? Hello!

I have a map of Switzerland showing the Cantons:
http://www.slowtrav.com/switzerland/planning/cantons.htm

Interlaken is in the Berne region. It is not up in the mountains, but in a valley just before the mountains. The mountain region, to the south, is called the Berner Oberland, but is still part of Berne. Interlaken, between the lakes, is between two very large lakes. You can get up into the mountains easily from Interlaken. I would recommend visiting Grindelwald or Wengen or Murren. You start up the same valley to get to these towns. Or go to Meiringen. These would all be good day trips from Interlaken.

The regular supermarkets in Switzerland usually have a whole isle devoted to chocolate. They love their chocolate. Some of the major chocolate companies are Swiss owned - Cadburys I think. One type of chocolate that you see there, but not in the US, are the alcohol filled chocolate. They also have lots of brands of hot chocolate mix.

The cheese through Switzerland is also excellent - much of it local made (as in Itay). Have a look through my Switzerland section. I hope to write more for that section after this summer's trip - but there is some good information there now.
http://www.slowtrav.com/switzerland/index.htm

Hi Pauline and all,

You're right about the chocolate. Included in the brands made there are Nestle's. In my illustrious past I did a stint with them in Sydney assisting to devise a system to be easily adapted to their computerized stock control system (just for Syd). Gee that's about mumble mumble years ago. I developed a taste for their chocolate, nescafe, milo, quik etc etc that, blow it all, has stayed for that length of time. Do I really want it to pass?

Carole

Me again PS,

Come to think of it maybe the milo is cadbury's ........ I don't know whether they are Swiss or not.

Carole

You are right - it was Nestles I was thinking of. Cadbury is British owned:
http://www.cadbury.co.uk/fr_rec.asp

THE COMPANY
Cadbury Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of Cadbury Schweppes plc.

LOCATION
Bournville, Birmingham

NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES
4,000 employees

MISSION
Cadbury Schweppes governing objective is to maximise returns to shareholders. In support of this, Cadbury Ltd. aims to be Clearly The Best and be seen to be Clearly The Best by consumers, customers, competitors and share owners. 80% of employees own shares through various share ownership / share save schemes.

Dear Pauline,

While that is a very progressive attitude I still prefer Nestles chocolate.........no accounting for taste I say.

Carole.

We just came back from two weeks in Italy, followed by 4 days in Switzerland. Our travel agent got us a Swiss rail Transfer Ticket/Flexi Pass. You buy it in advance for a specific number of selected journeys. It's valid for a period of 1 month. Ours had 4 journeys: Trip up the Jungfrau from Interlaken; trip from Interlaken to Lucern; trip (including lake cruise) up Mt. Pilatus; and trip to Zurich to catch our plane. It really was easy to use, as all you had to do was punch it on the platform and keep it on hand to show to the conductor.

Unless the weather is quite clear, you're wasting your time and money to go up the mountains. We had partial visibilty for the Jungfrau, and zero for Pilatus. Since we'd already paid for the trips, we took them anyway. Yes, Grindelwald is quite picturesque. On a clear day you can enjoy the views of at least 3 major alps.

I highly recommend Lucern. It's quite walkable, and the train station drops you right in the middle of the good stuff! Walk out the door and you can see the old city and the charming bridges across its river; the lake and Mt. Pilatus (on a clear day).

Have a great trip!

Monica, I don't know if you have already gone to Switzerland or not, but just in case you haven't, I would like to tell you that you can tour the Nestle Callier(sp?) factory in Broc. Broc is just a tiny little spec of a town, not far from Gruyere...in fact, from our hotel room in Broc we had a wonderful view of Gruyere! Anyway, you can tour this factory, altho they don't let you see the actual production lines, but at the end you get to sample the many, many varities, and of course, buy it at good prices. The thing that makes this factory so special is that all the chocolate made here is made with FRESH milk, as opposed to the OTHER Nestle factories, where they used powdered milk...at least that's what they told us. Pauline, we have wine info and hotel info, I am beginning to think we made need a page for chocolate info! Which is the litle gremlin for YUMMMMM!!!!!

Let me see, who could I get to write about chocolate for the web site? Who do we have here who is an expert? - - - Well, that would be you Barb!!

Steve and I love to tour factories when we travel. We toured a cigarette factory in Kentucky (and we don't smoke) - we tour any factory we get a chance to tour. But I haven't been in a chocolate factory.

Pauline from Slow Travelers

I don't know that I would consider myself an expert, rather just a lover of chocolate! I'm sure some of the "foodies" could discuss butterfat content or other details that are much too boring for me..I just eat it, and if I like it, I eat more! What a great system! Since I have now toured the Nestle's factories in Switzerland and Italy, I would be interested to know what other chocolate factories have tours.

No expert at anything, but have been through the Nestle chocolate factory in Sydney, many years ago. Recall the great temptation to pinch a couple of chocs off the conveyor belt......it was all just a bit too much for this chocoholic. Don't remember whether they used milk or powder but know that they also sold a brand of milkpowder called sunshine. Seem to recall a great cheesecake recipe they had too,(can't find it now). Anyway the tour's reward was a sample bag of their finest chocolates. They, as employers, had this policy of keeping employees abreast of everything, and the tour was part of this policy for new people. Wonder if they still do this.

Carole

It might pay to keep an open mind.