I traveled by air to Zürich via London, and then by train via Bern and Interlaken to the village of Wilderswil at the base of the Bernese Alps.
I took only a medium-sized backpack, as I will be hiking through the alps from mountain inn to inn (or hut) each day and want to minimize how much weight to carry all day.
I flew first to London Heathrow on Speedbird 280, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, departing LAX at
If it’s not Boeing, I’m not going.
I selected this seat after seeing a YouTube video explaining how this is one of only a few seats from which you don’t have to climb over your reclined neighbor to get to the aisle.
The flight was non-stop from Los Angeles to London, traveling over 5,400 miles in approximately 10 hours and 45 minutes.
I had a couple-hour layover at London Heathrow airport, so I took advantage of the business-class lounge, had lunch, and relaxed until it was time to walk over to the next terminal to board my connecting flight to Zürich.
The flight to Zürich was only about an hour long. Hiking poles are prohibited to carry on, and I did not want to check any baggage, so I gambled that I could pick up a pair at a sporting goods store in the Zürich airport / train-station shopping center. They did indeed have poles, but only in the women’s’ model; the sales person said they are actually uni-sex and that they are sold as “women’s” so that women will buy them. But they were not as sturdy as my poles at home, and they were just barely tall enough for me when fully extended. They were, however, a pretty color.
I departed Zürich on a train to Bern, which took about an hour. I changed trains in Bern, and shortly after leaving Bern got my first glimpses of the high peaks in the Bernese Alps. The train passed through scenic countryside and then along the Thunersee (Lake Thun) before arriving in Interlaken. From here to switched to a city train for a 5-minute ride Wilderswil, where I spent the night at the Alpenrose Hotel.
