CH - Thun

My trek to Thun brought me through what is supposedly the longest land rail tunnel (or something like that), which is named the Lötschberg Tunnel. Actually, it may have been the brand-new (opened on 15 June 2007) Lötschberg Base Tunnel. Regardless, while it may sound neat and fancy to go through such a grand tunnel, the problem is that it’s really just several minutes of nothing but darkness. So basically whenever my train would hit a tunnel, I’d fall asleep within a minute. This was no exception.

The river through Thun is a beautiful sight and the city takes full advantage of its location upon a river’s joining with the lake Thunsee. The buildings are built right up to its edge, bringing back memories of Venezia.

Inside the Schloss Thun, set upon a hill overlooking the town, is not too much to see; but it’s kind of neat and the ongoing renovations in the tower area created yet another Hall In Tirol sort of Myst-like feeling. The view from the towers is worth the cheap admission price.

There are two covered bridges provided flood control along the river, which means there are some nice waves coming out the back of them. Sure enough, a group of young surfers spent nearly the entire day hanging onto a water-ski rope attached to the side of the bridge. It was quite entertaining to watch and I very well might have given it a shot, myself, had my swimsuit not been a mile away.

After wandering about a bit more, I ended up taking a walk along the lakeside – the definite place to see the beautiful people of Thun. Well, more specifically, I suspected that the Schloss Schadau Thun is where the crowds really are, but this was certainly a lovely path to walk along and I’m sure bikers were delighted.

For food, I generally had a full day of Turkish fare since the other places I had been considering ended up seeming a bit too posh (read: costly) for my taste. The döner I had for lunch was pretty good, purchased along Untere Hauptgasse just north of Brück Gasse. The döner I had for dinner, purchased along Obere Hauptgasse, unfortunately, wasn’t as tasty. I think it was because of the corn, which tastes strange in Switzerland.

I stayed at the Hotel Emmental, which stands out quite prominently upon the roundabout just north of the Alstadt. My single room had a nice view toward the town and the castle.