Where We Be
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| Thun, Switzerland |
We had no idea how much we'd like Thun. It
turned out to be one of our favorite small towns
in Switzerland, what with its fairytale castle and
clocktower, cobblestone streets, and river
running right through town. Located just an
hour's train ride from Lauterbrunnen, the town
is situated on the western edge of huge Lake
Thun (pronounced “toon”). We found ourselves
wishing we had two days here instead of one.
The River Aare cuts through the middle of
Thun, forking into two branches, so you can sit
on the banks of either branch – or enjoy the
“island” in the middle that is full of shops and
restaurants. The train station is on one side of
the river and the medieval core of town on the
other. As soon as we reached the river from the
train station, we couldn't help ourselves -- we
just had to stop. We plopped our bags right
down and had lunch at a riverside cafe.
turned out to be one of our favorite small towns
in Switzerland, what with its fairytale castle and
clocktower, cobblestone streets, and river
running right through town. Located just an
hour's train ride from Lauterbrunnen, the town
is situated on the western edge of huge Lake
Thun (pronounced “toon”). We found ourselves
wishing we had two days here instead of one.
The River Aare cuts through the middle of
Thun, forking into two branches, so you can sit
on the banks of either branch – or enjoy the
“island” in the middle that is full of shops and
restaurants. The train station is on one side of
the river and the medieval core of town on the
other. As soon as we reached the river from the
train station, we couldn't help ourselves -- we
just had to stop. We plopped our bags right
down and had lunch at a riverside cafe.
| Obere Hauptgasse is an interesting split-level cobblestone street, with one tier of shops (and a cobblestone walkway) sitting atop the other tier of shops |
| Cobblestone streets and beds of flowers complement the architecture |
| We went for a short walk around 9 pm to see the town lit up at night |
| Next morning, as we walked back to the train station, it was mighty tempting to pull up a chair again at one of those riverside cafes |
| A final look back at Thun as we bid the town adieu |
| We hiked up a steep path for a closer look at Schloss Thun |
| After lunch we decided our first order of business was to climb up to that castle |
| We stayed at Hotel Zu Metzgern (immediately behind the fountain). Located on the town's central square, it was surprisingly affordable at 110 francs. |
| We got the coveted corner room (#2) at Hotel Zu Metzgern. This is the view looking down on the plaza from our window. |
| Thun's fairytale castle stands on a high hill and dominates the town -- as any fairytale castle should! |
| View from the riverside cafe when we first arrived in Thun |
| A rose trellis perfectly frames the clocktower |