Bernese Oberland - Day 3 - Wengen

Guete Morge from Wengen

I think I must be a wee bit tired this morning. I tried to put my pants on over my pjs. 

The breakfast buffet was plentiful and there was also a cooked menu. 

The view from our table 

The restaurant greeter

This morning we will take on one more signature Berner Oberland experience—walking the Männlichen to Kleine Scheidegg Panorama Trail.

A wide gravel 4.4-mile (7.1-kilometer) gentle downhill trail is heavily visited for its stunning and easy-to-access views of the Jungfrau Massif that winds through beautiful alpine meadows. You are going to get lots of photos because I just couldn’t stop taking them. How I wish you could get the full 3D effect. Simply supercalifragilisticexpealidocious!!!

Although walkers can turn this trail into an out-and-back route, the best way to experience it (in my humble opinion) is by beginning from the highest point at Männlichen, reachable by cable car from Wengen and walking one-way to the Kleine Scheidegg train station. By following the trail this way, we keep the majestic mountains always in view.

The cable car to Männlichen

The following photos are taken from the cable car as we ascend. 

We reached the top. Magnificent!!!

At the summit, we followed signs to do the Royal Walk, a worthwhile 20-minute uphill side trip to a viewing platform with 360-degree views.

If you stand just right you can line up this sign with the Eiger behind it and see the routes that people took to climb it. 

Names and dates of climbers 

A very nice playground area for children. 

Then, following signage and the other hikers, we headed back down the hill to begin the one-way walk to Kleine Scheidegg. We got right behind a large group from a tour bus so we took our time letting them get well ahead. It appeared they were on a mission anyway. 

The Eiger Trail was in the Macs plan but I received an email from Macs yesterday telling me it was closed. We decided to do this trail instead and you constantly have the Eiger (as well as all the Jungfrau Massif) right in front of you so it was a good choice. 

Talk about a road to heaven…this one looks like it will take you right there. 

There were some areas of mudslides that we crossed. 

And several streams 

Climb every mountain, ford every stream, and yes I’m singing it in my head. 

Well rat-spit Colleen, I can’t ski down 

Short walk through the forest. 

We were thoroughly enjoying ourselves until we saw the sign for Kleine Scheidegg, 40 minutes, and pointing straight uphill. Someone forgot to mention the 700’ elev. gain at the very end of the walk. 🙄 Talk about nose to the ground walking, it was steep!

Jo Anne is climbing up the hill. She said if she could pick one word for the end of the walk, it would be encouragement, as so many encouraged her while she climbed this hill. I felt like I was cheering her across a marathon finish line (after I hit the WC of course). 🤣

This is a green dock beetle or chrysolina, and I’ve seen many of them. I also forgot to mention that there are thousands of bees with all these wildflowers and they really like buzzing around your head. 

After a short break and 30 min wait, we boarded a train back to Wengen.

 Took these photos from the train. 

Hard to tell in the photo but it looks like the Eiger is blowing smoke out the side, it’s just a cloud. 

And here we are right next to the glaciers we can see from our balcony. Speechless!

Pear sorbet, the only thing gluten and dairy free on the menu. 

Jo Anne had today’s special which was a Swiss version of mac and cheese. 

You can tell it wasn’t any good. 

After the hike, some souvenir shopping and a snack/meal, Jo Anne went to the massage bed and I came down to the lounge area to blog. WiFi is much better down here. 

Forgot to put in these photos of our room. We have a two room suite. 

We have dinner reservations in the hotel dining room at 6 so I think I’ll go sit on the balcony, just relax and finish up later. 

It’s later 😁

Jo Anne had pork medallions with potato pea mash. 

And a tapioca squid ink crisp

I had beetroot and goat cheese risotto. One thing you can say for sure about our dinner is it was colorful. 

And peach pavlova 

Which we didn’t like at all. 

Stats 

Steps - 17,038

Miles - 6.9

Elev gain - 707’ or 63 floors

Descent - 968’

“Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.”

Psalm 90:1-2