Day 35 - Interlaken

Day 35- 19 September 2008 Today we got up early had breakfast at our hotel and then jumped on the train to Bern (the capital of Switzerland) and then changed trains to Interlaken. We dropped off our luggage at our hotel and then went and had a look through the town and got the funicular up to Heimwehfluh which is a small part of a mountain which has a restaurant and some rides. We enjoyed a nice lunch up the top and climbed the tower for some fantastic views of the two lakes which surround interlaken and of the mountains. We also had a go at this spinning wheel (similar to those small ones you see mice go around, they are a circle and you can walk or run inside them). We then got on a small toboggan and headed back down the mountain. I thought these small yellow toboggans which are connected onto a metal pipe which goes down the mountain would be slow, but the brake was used a bit as i went hurtling down the mountain and very very high speed and thinking that every corner might be my last on this earth. It was very exciting and quite surprising. We then headed to the ferry terminal and waited for a ferry then when it arrived we jumped on board and went to St Beatus Caves. When we arrived at the ferry dock there was a sign that said the caves were a 20 minute walk. We were not told this in interlaken. It was uphill, up a very steep gradient. Well after an exhausting climb we got there to find a fantastic water fall which was rushing with water and came out of the caves. After a short wait our tour of the caves began and it was quite a good tour. There were the usual stellitights and stellimites and cavins and even a sound and light show involving a dragon in the caves. The tour went around about 1km into the mountain into the tunnels. It was quite an adventure. Our hotel also had a rock climbing wall on the third level of the building which i tried out very quickly. Very interesting. Tomorrow we head to Luzern and then to Zurich.