Interlaken

Interlaken, in the Bernese Oberland of Switzerland and so named for being between two Alpine lakes--Brienz and Thun--is an odd little town, itself divided between east and west centers. We stayed in Interlaken West, in a B&B just above the Cafe Treff, both run by our host, Gabrielle H. 

Our building is at the corner of a small square in the old town, near three restaurants, a church whose bells rang the hour (even at 2 am, trust me) and, no one knows why, clanged crazily at 8 pm for about 20 minutes, several tiny businesses, and was at the foot of a mountain, the Harder Kulm. 

Like our place in Schaffhausen, our two rooms + bath above the cafe were spacious, had a wood-beamed ceiling, but were very impractical. Nowhere to put clothes, no sink in the kitchen area. But, decent WiFi and, wish we'd known earlier, the best high resolution HD and reception that we ever had. Tons of radio stations on the TV, too. Intriguingly, there was a locked closet. G said she has not been able to open it because someone took an ancient, metal key that could unlock it. I shined the phone light in and saw a few books and paper bags. No skeleton or ancient codex!

To get to most anywhere by train in Interlaken, you have to ride six minutes to the other town, Interlaken East, and connect with lines there. Once that's figured out, the area boasts fabulous Alpine tours and hiking (for the brave, enthusiastic, and hearty of lung).