4,340 feet and 6 inches, to be exact.
After an exhausting hike (to the funicular station), we made it to the top of Harder Kulm—and were rewarded with absolutely breathtaking views of Interlaken, Lake Thun, Lake Brienz, and the snowcapped trio of Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau (aka the Ogre, the Monk, and the Maiden).
I can’t believe we almost skipped this.
I also can’t believe that my Swisscom SIM card works at the top of a mountain, and I’m blogging from 4,340 feet up. Impressed and depressed at the same time.
Cedar is currently living his best life, sipping a slushy on the summit, thrilled by the idea of drinking anything at that altitude. He may need something stronger for the funicular ride down (modern-ish, built in 1903). He was especially concerned with where the brake function on the train was. I pointed to the 2-inch cable we were clamped onto, and he seemed somewhat reassured. We shall see.
Interlaken itself is as beautiful as promised—easily earning its reputation as one of Switzerland’s adventure capitals. We weren’t 50 steps out of the train station before we were dodging paragliders landing in the middle of the city.
Cedar immediately declared he wanted to try it. We explained he might need to gain a few pounds (he’s a wiry 35 lbs soaking wet) and maybe wait until he’s at least a kindergartner. Not sure he was convinced with the logic. We ended up watching the landings for 40 minutes, he would have stayed longer, but I was a little afraid that if we gave him more time he’d have calculated the wing load ratios and called our bluff… what a guy.
For lunch, we went with burgers—probably the least Swiss meal we’ve had so far, but no regrets. Solid choice. This town caters to tourists—and yes, we are those tourists.
That said, I’m really glad we added this stop on our way to Zurich. A day trip was the sweet spot. Any longer and we probably would’ve talked ourselves into strapping into a paraglider.
