May, a month were you expect birds to nest, rays of sunshine, lush alpine meadows but no snow fall.
However this is exactly what we got during our long weekend. In retrospect it was not bad at all and sort of a special moment with heavenly blue skies and 50 shades of grey.
Starting in Crans Montana we will hike to Chetzeron. Because of Corona we decided not to take the gondola nor the jeep offered by the hotel that would drive us. We did accept the offer of the driver to take our luggage. We said good-bye to the other guests and start walking to our hotel at 2122m altitude on a unique location, a 700 meters ascent.
We started of our hike with the official walking trail, but after a while we decided to use maps.me to our own preferences to make it more adventurous. After 2 hours walking, steep short cuts and snowy landscapes the hotel presents itself. I must admit, the interior is stunning. Especially the the dining part were the cable cars used to turn. In a previous life the building was actually a cable car station, which closed in 2003. The large window is a real eye catcher. A smaller copy with an incorporated sofa was part of our room. A perfect spot to enjoy the mountain views and silence.
Next morning we woke up under a white blanket. A perfect scenery for a hike to Cry d’Er & Bella Lui. Adding another 400 meters climbing. We didn’t stay long at the summit because of the freezing wind, but the 360° view was worth the exercise. And an exercise it was because we forgot to carry our easy deck snow shoes. Snow was on some points 40cm deep.
After our last breakfast we returned to Crans Montana, walking again, to proceed our journey to Oeschinensee. It’s actually not a long drive if you consider to take the car train from Goppenstein to Kandersteg. It also adds an extra dimension, like a time machine trip. Driving your car on the train at the French speaking part you enter the German speaking part after 20 minutes in the tunnel darkness. Bang! Forget the ‘bierres’ order a ‘pilsner’ instead.
It’s actually very easy to get to the Oeschinensee. Take the gondola. But then you will miss the fun, transpiration and beautiful surroundings.
So walking is the most logic decision, and a healthy one.
The lake is part of the Jungfrau-aletsch-Bietschhorn UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2007. Probably for it’s bright blue water.
The weather was not riviera style but more like Scottish foggy highland soup when we started our hike. This created kind of a mysterious atmosphere. The famous bright blue color was our silent witness.
