As is our luck, we woke to brilliant sunshine and clear blue skies - what a difference a day makes.
We were showered, packed and breakfasted early and just as we were getting back into the lift to go to the room, we bumped into a young couple plus toddler and grandfather who we'd sat next to at breakfast in Lucerne on the very first morning - what a small world! They were a lovely couple and were doing more or less the same route as us, but in a slightly different order. They were heading up to the Jungfraujoch today and luckily for them the forecast is fabulous. There are live cameras in the breakfast room and the views were just spectacular, we warned them though to make sure baby George was well wrapped up. Apparently her dad (grandfather) had worked in Switzerland as a chef and they were treating him to a memory lane trip as he couldn't afford it himself. She freely admitted that they hadn't realised just how expensive it would be and had resorted to nicking stuff from the breakfast buffet for their lunch - no judgement from me, I've done that all around the world, but not here as there was nothing I liked!
Today we're heading to Montreux on the GoldenPass line which takes around 3 hrs 15 mins and is supposedly one of Switzerland's most beautiful journeys. Part of the route (from Zweisimmen to Montreux) is on a different gauge track and run by a completely different company. Although recently there have been attempts to run a through train, the delightfully helpful young lady at Interlaken West explained that these have in fact been suspended as they've damaged the line so we would have to change trains. Although there is a special Belle Epoch train we decided to get the normal train as it is more comfortable and still has panoramic windows although we still needed to book seats on the second leg.
First time we've seen this mountain, it's been thick cloud every other time we've stood on the platform.
I think this is Lake Thun which we could see from Harder Kulm.
Maybe I was expecting too much, but I didn't find the scenery to be as jaw droppingly gorgeous as I'd imagined it would be.
Arriving into Zweisimmen station where we had to change trains, we'd given ourselves half an hour to wander around but everywhere seemed closed and there were very few people about. I suppose it's like Kleine Scheidegg, just a place where you change trains unless you're here in the height of the skiing season.
The church looked interesting but sadly by the time we found it we were running out of time so couldn't stop.
Pity really as the covered entrance gate looked amazing.
Gnomes of every shape and size.
Our next train arrived on time and we easily found our seats, either side of the gangway so we could swop over if necessary. Actually some of the reserved seats weren't occupied so with permission from the ticket inspectors I moved around the carriage leaving Ian chatting away to the young couple sitting opposite us. They were from South Wales and had come here on a train from France but once again were finding the cost of everything rather prohibitive - they said they'd been spending almost £100 each evening on dinner. Obviously not yet as inventive as we've become seeking out the most economical way of eating/drinking.
(Sorry but there is a definite colour cast on these photos so I'm guessing the train's windows are tinted - I tried to correct it quickly but not sure I've done it well enough).
I'm surprised at the amount of telegraph cables all over the place, they rather spoil a shot like this but there are just too many to clone out.
This young lady clearly wasn't overly impressed by the views either.
This is such a lovely scene; I can just picture Maria skipping along the path with the Von Trapp children singing "The Hills Are Alive .........."
Just to prove we were actually on a train, in case you couldn't tell from the reflections, I've left the window edge in.
Another of the many problems of travelling by train - the major one of course being that you can't just stop when you want to - is that we don't have a clue where we are.
This small airstrip may give me an idea if I start researching..
The train ran through the centre of Gstaad which is a lovely little town and, I’m sure, a very, very expensive place to live. It boasts an amazing list of former residents including the Rainiers of Monaco, Roger Moore, David Niven and Peter Sellers to name a few.
A Swiss housing estate?
With the benefit of hindsight and a period of reflection (no, not window reflection!), I'm actually starting to think it was rather a picturesque journey after all.
I don't know if you can see the white in the field around the house in the middle, but is wild narcissus.
And another, although sadly we didn't see any close to the tracks.
Our first glimpse of Lake Geneva, just above the house.
The track twists and turns many times on the way down so Montreux was seen from many angles.
The mountains on the other side of the lake which are still in Switzerland, just.
