Photos from our Trip to Switzerland in 2009

My school friend Roland sent me these pictures he took of our traveling group in 2009 on the Lake of Thun in Switzerland. You might remember reading about it on Diane's blog after we returned to Oz.

They are great memory shots and I thank Roland for them.

So here they are:

We're disembarking from a trip on the famous Paddlesteamer DS Blümlisalp
where we had lunch during a cruise on the Lake of Thun.
To see more of the DS Blümlisalp, watch the video at the end.

While in Thun, Roland organised for us to climb into the Church Tower to
inspect the bells we used to ring on Sundays during our high school days.

Diane and friend Helen posed in the castle yard with the Aussie Flag.

This is the statue of Fuhlehung, the court jester who terrorises the
children of Thun during a weekend in September every year.
You need to be from Thun to appreciate that.

Diane and Paul waiting for dinner at the Hotel Seegarten in Spiez.

Paul

Carol

Helen

Roland organised a few of the other school mates to come and meet with us
while we were in Spiez.

Diane's late brother David and his wife Ann came over from London
so spend a week with us in Spiez on the Lake of Thun.

Helen and Carol during lunch on the DS Blümlisalp on the Lake of Thun.
Carol also flew in from London to be with us.

Paul, Carol and Bill admiring the steam engine on the DS Blümlisalp.
Roland even convinced the Captain of the vessel to let me go down
into the engine room to film, something which is not usually allowed.

Diane and Helen in the port of Interlaken on the DS Blümlisalp.

The traveling group: (f.l.t.r)
Helen, Diane, Paul, Bill and Carol
(All pictures by Roland)

To see more of this fabulous Paddlesteamer including the engine room, watch this short video below:

(Film by Bill Bohlen)

Update on the Black Swan Saga

Last week I mentioned that the Cantonal Authorities of Bern want the black swans (Cygnus atratus) banned from the Lake of Thun because they are not native to Switzerland, they are native to Australia but have been there since the late 1980s and the people love these birds. They have integrated beautifully and are no threat to local flora and fauna, nor do they breed with the native white mute swans. (Cygnus olor).

As I mentioned, the local people are outraged and have written lots of letters to local newspapers and contacted radio and TV stations.

Last Saturday, hundreds of people assembled in the town square of Thun and released hundreds of black and white balloons. A few local politicians joined the crowds and promised to bring up the matter in the cantonal and federal parliaments. Hopefully they are successful  in persuading the bureaucrats to lay off the black swans. We'll see....

500 black and white balloons are released

in the town square of Thun, Switzerland

(Photo Berner Zeitung)

St Beatus Caves in Switzerland

 On the eastern side of the lake of Thun, near the famous tourist town of Interlaken in Switzerland, nestled into the massive Niederhorn Mountain is a cave system of which the first kilometer is open to the public during the summer months, on guided tours.

Legend has it that in the middle-ages an English or Irish Monk was sent to the region to teach the pagan inhabitants about Christianity. The monk was known by the roman name of St Beatus. He heard that there was an evil dragon living in the cave. St Beatus was not afraid to confront the dragon. He showed the dragon his holy cross. Enraged by the sight, the dragon ran down the mountain into the lake and was never seen again.

Today there are about 15km of the cave system surveyed, with the first kilometer well lit and open on guided tours during the summer months.

The cave entrance is high above the lake

The water that runs through the cave exits in a waterfall

The view over the lake is magnificent 

The presumed grave of St Beatus

The stalactites and stalagmites are fabulous 

Internal lakes are plentiful 

In the early 1960s I was a member of the Swiss Speleological Society and took part in a couple of expeditions during the winter months into the caves beyond the public access area. In summer, there is too much water running through the cave which makes access through some of the narrow openings impassable.  

Me (foreground) during an exploration trip in the 60s

Surveying the cave system