Although marketed as a tourist line, with new panoramic carriages—observation cars at front and back with the engine and driver in the middle of the train—it was interesting to observe people using it to go to and from work. Quite a few tourists got on and off at various points as well. The line passes through Gstaad, which is some fancy holiday place. There was a list of available hotels on the wall of the station and I’m sure it said that one of them was a 6 star hotel. I thought I could hear someone’s iPod blaring through headphones—but it turned out to be these cows with leather pouches round their necks making the noise. Not what you expect in a supposed upper class setting! The views we got were wonderful, though the mountains were not as high as the ones we’d seen on Tuesday.

Eventually we got to the end of the line at Zweisimmen and changed into a standard gauge train that wended its way down the hillside to Spiez on Lake Thun and on to Interlaken. The last few miles were single track and we had to stop more than once in a passing loop to allow another train through coming the other way. It was a surprise, therefore, to enter Interlaken Ost station and find eight platforms! There were three standard gauge and the rest narrow gauge. We crossed to one of the narrow gauge lines for the Locarno train that would take us to Meiringen. It followed Lake Brienz and up to the head of the valley to Meiringen where the train reversed for the onward journey to Locarno. It was as we were approaching Meiringen that Marianne said that we’d gone the wrong way. Reichenbach was on a different line entirely. This is true. But we weren’t going to Reichenbach, we were going to the Reichenbach Falls. This became obvious as we walked out of the station and saw signs to the Reichenbach Falls and the Sherlock Holmes museum (in an old English church building).

Because of Conan Doyle’s story, tourism has boomed in the area over the years and the people of Meiringen are very grateful. There was a Conan Doyle way; one house had a city of Westminster Baker Street sign on it, with 221B underneath; there is a Sherlock Holmes Hotel, and probably many more things that we didn’t see, but we couldn’t miss the statue, which looked a bit like Basil Rathbone. I have a picture of me with my arm around him, but thought the one of Marianne better. We set off, walking towards the Falls, following the signs. It’s a good 20 minute walk, longer if you confuse the chairlift signs to the funicular ones! We finally got there, somewhat exhausted and discovered that our Swiss Pass did not cover this—we had to pay, CHF10 each! We weren’t used to this. For those wondering what a funicular railway is, those who went to Bridgnorth and saw the one there will understand. There are two cars connected by metal rope, balancing each other and, with a bit of help from a motor, go up and down a hillside. This one is quite steep. I had fears of vertigo, but they were groundless—till we got to the top and saw the Falls! There is a star placed on the opposite side showing where Holmes defeated Moriaty (I know, it’s a work of fiction). The flow of water seemed quite small as a hydro-electric company often reduces the flow to extract more power. It was nonetheless spectacular. There is a path that goes to the very top of the Falls. We thought we’d get as far as the metal bridge that crosses the falls higher up. I didn’t think I’d be able to get across it—even if I managed to climb that far. But I managed it, looking up, holding both rails and rushing across, and then climbing to the very top. My GP will be delighted with the amount of exercise I’ve been getting! At the top I sent a text message to my old college friend, MC Black, who is involved with the Sherlock Holmes Society and does walks round Holmes’s London. At the top we saw this sign: Anyone know what a Monster Trotti is? Or even a normal sized Trotti? We worked our way back to the funicular and back to the bottom. Marianne observed a bus stop longingly, but we pressed on back to the station and never saw a bus. We refreshed ourselves in the snack bar by the station—at least, I enjoyed a coffee, Marianne had something called “Lipton’s Tea” which she doesn’t regard as tea at all. I said to a couple of Americans outside that the coffee was OK but avoid the tea. I could smell a lovely smell. It smelled like a mixture of steam and coal and oil. I walked into the station to find an old steam engine waiting to take some train somewhere. If only we’d had more time . . . But we didn’t have much. The walk to the Falls and back had thrown out our timetable, so I had to check the railway timetable to work out the best route back. As it turned out, we were only an hour later than planned. We could have gone via Interlaken to Olten and changed there, but Marianne thought it was too far and wanted to go via Neuchatel, but that meant an hour’s wait at Bern. We compromised with a train to Biel/Bienne which meant the near hour’s wait was there instead. We eventually got back just after eight having had a pleasant, but exhausting day. We still have to get packed ready for the return journey, though the train leaves Lausanne at 1303, but I’d like to leave on the train just before 1100 to be sure that there are no problems. And so to bed (after Marianne has checked this!).