Have to go to Switzerland!!

[IROC]

Sometimes work is pure pain and suffering. I have to go to Grindelwald, Switzerland and present a paper I'm writing at a scientific conference.

I'll be there for a week (March 7-12th), but will probably be tied up with the conference most of the time. Are there any must-do things in the area? Any pelicans?

[masraum]

Boy, you've sure got it rough.

I envy you.

A few years back, I had a colleague that went to Brazil for work, just happened to be Carnival week.

[Dottore]

We used to go there a fair bit on weekends when we lived in Zurich.

You absolutely must take the tram to the top of the Eiger mountain. It begins in Grindelwald, winds its way up the mountain, and then for the last 2000feet or so actually goes through the center of the mountain. Quite amazing.

Get off the tram at the half-way stop (before it disappears into the mountain). You will be in the high-alpine, and there are some great wine-bars there in which to soak up the atmosphere.

The Eiger was for many years the holy grail of mountaineers, and a brilliant book was written about it some time ago called "The White Spider". If you can locate this book, it's a great introduction to the mountain and the whole area.

Check out the face of the Eiger from the midstation. Countless people have died climbing it. Recently though, it's become a science, and I think the record now is just 5 or 6 hours to the top. Scary stuff.

Coincidentally there's a huge Swiss Porsche meet in Interlaken (just down the hill from Grindelwald) each year about the time you are going. Worth trying to google Porsche and Interlaken etc.

Grindlewald itself is your typical mountain tourist town. Not much to do—but breathtakingly beautiful. The whole area is also where the Bollywood crowd films a lot of their alpine musicals, so be prepared to meet boatloads of Indian filmstars.

PS: Oh yes of course: Try to see Clint Eastwoods "The Eiger Sanction" before you go.

[IROC]

I've seen "The Eiger Sanction" and have also seen a documentary (?) on HDNet about some guy and his father's connection with the mountain. I plan to do the tram ride for sure.

The whole area is breathtakingly beautiful, so just being there is going to be sensory overload for me.

[dd74]

Originally Posted by IROC

Sometimes work is pure pain and suffering. I have to go to Grindelwald, Switzerland and present a paper I'm writing at a scientific conference.

I'll be there for a week (March 7-12th), but will probably be tied up with the conference most of the time. Are there any must-do things in the area? Any pelicans?

This may be a strange question, but what's the paper about and who asked you to give it?

[IROC]

Originally Posted by dd74

This may be a strange question, but what's the paper about and who asked you to give it?

Oh, it's very exciting stuff!! I'm giving a paper on the remote replacement of a liquid mercury target and a proton beam window at the Spallation Neutron Source facility for the ICANS conference (International Collaboration on Advanced Neutron Sources). Replacement of the target and proton beam window is accomplished completely by remote operations and had never been done before, so there is some interest in the community...

International Collaboration an Advanced Neutron Sources

[carreraken]

Went to Geneva once for work. Stayed in Lasanne - beautiful country...

[red-beard]

Originally Posted by IROC

Sometimes work is pure pain and suffering. I have to go to Grindelwald, Switzerland and present a paper I'm writing at a scientific conference.

I'll be there for a week (March 7-12th), but will probably be tied up with the conference most of the time. Are there any must-do things in the area? Any pelicans?

Nice. My next ski trip will be back to that region and I expect to stay in Wengen. We stayed in Interlaken last time, I and I won't do that again. Lots of nice full service hotels in in Wengen.

Our last run of the trip, we skied from the top of Schilthorn/Piz Gloria down to Lauterbrunnen . It is almost 8000 feet of vertical in one run. Amazing. It is also a ski race, and is famously the route that Bond took in "On her Majesties Secret Service".

[ckissick]

You could go over to the Lauterbrunnen Valley and take a tram to the top of the Schilthorn. Murren is nice. They have a tennis court right next to the cliff. If you hit a ball too far over the fence, it will drop a couple thousand feet to the valley below.

[red-beard]

I don't remember the court being open this time of year.

[ckissick]

Of course it's open. You just have to use a pink ball so you don't lose it in the snow.

[rattlsnak]

my uncle has a summer cabin in Grindlewald. it is probably THE most beautiful place on Earth!!

i have never been there in the winter, but several of the mountain passes are only open for 2-3 months a year because of weather/snow. last time i went, we had to take the long way around to get up therem but were able to take the pass on the way back a few days later.

and as far as the Interlaken tram, we always take it up, and walk down. (half way)

[Aurel]

Man I feel for you, been there done that. Look where I HAVE to go this Spring to give two talks: ECS 217th Meeting - Vancouver, Canada

I plan on catching some salmon between meetings...

[JavaBrewer]

Originally Posted by IROC

Sometimes work is pure pain and suffering. I have to go to Grindelwald, Switzerland and present a paper I'm writing at a scientific conference.

I'll be there for a week (March 7-12th), but will probably be tied up with the conference most of the time. Are there any must-do things in the area? Any pelicans?

No advice. I was there once at 20. The place was awesome. Please take lots of pic and post them here.

[sammyg2]

Make sure you don't go 20 mph over the speed limit, they'd prolly slap you with a hundred thousand dollar fine.

[72doug2,2S]

The home of John Calvin's life works welcomes you. Watch your speeding.



My ancestors can from Aargau and Bern, enjoy.

[Tanick]

Before you go (or even while you're there), read 'The Beckoning Silence' by Joe Simpson. He's the guy that wrote 'Touching the Void' and decides to do a few last climbs emulating his heroes before giving up climbing. Excellent book. I couldn't climb the North face of the Eiger in a million years, but just going to look at its mile high face is on my must do list.