From James Bond to Muggestutz the dwarf
Apply to be an Explorer and, with a bit of luck, you could win a week’s holiday in the Jungfrau Region. Claudia Tschudin (age 35) from Waldenburg in the Canton of Basel-Land did just that. She was successful. And so it was that Claudia, her husband Daniel (52) and their three children Lisa (7), Elia (5) and Timo (2) came to spend seven unforgettable days in the Jungfrau Region. This family of five started their holiday with a bang. Literally. There were fireworks because the first day of the holiday fell on 1 August, which is Swiss National Day. In the days that followed, the Tschudins visited the Flower Trail and the Flower Park on the Allmendhubel, learned all about cows on a visit to a farm, followed in the footsteps of Agent 007 on the Schilthorn, enjoyed a brunch buffet at the Alpen tower and walked the magical Dwarf Trail. The hike up to the Gelmersee is a challenge, but you forget your weariness as soon as you see the turquoise water of the lake. The cherry on top is a ride on the Gelmer funicular: the steepest open funicular railway in Europe.
“Something for everyone”
The whole family of five agreed that “It was a week to remember”. The only disagreement was on which part was the best part. Daniel Tschudin doesn’t hesitate to answer “the Schilthorn”. “I haven't been on this mountain—one of the very first tourist destinations in Switzerland—since I was a child. Seeing the 360-degree revolving restaurant and knowing that a James Bond film was shot here: It’s so impressive!” After visiting the Schilthorn, Daniel was also crystal-clear on the first thing he was going to do when back home in Waldenburg: “Watch On Her Majesty's Secret Service.” Daniel, who is 52, had never seen the 1969 classic Bond film that was shot on the Schilthorn. “That was a great day out,” agrees Claudia. But for her, the trip to the Gelmersee was the best part of the holiday. Perhaps that’s because Claudia, who is 35, loves getting active in the mountains—and had no trouble with the 60-minute ascent. Even with two-year-old Timo on her back, it was a cinch for this passionate trail runner. “The hiking, the Gelmer funicular, the lake in the middle of this gorgeous landscape—it's just beautiful,” she says. And of course it helped that the weather was nice.
“The Gelmersee in the middle of this gorgeous landscape
— it's just beautiful.”
And what about the kids? Lisa, the eldest, was clearly very much at home in front of the camera. She enjoyed the limelight but was also in her element filming her siblings in action on the trail using the filming team’s GoPro camera. Elia, who is two years younger, did a great job managing the walk up to the Gelmersee. His personal highlight of the excursion was finding a beautiful caterpillar on the way. He jumped for joy about it as only a child can. On the Hasliberg, Timo surprised his parents with his inexhaustible energy reserves. He did struggle not to doze off in the gondola on the way up to the Alpen tower but the two-year-old rallied once he got to the Dwarf Trail to see Muggestutz and the Gauli Witch. Here’s what Claudia had to say: “I think the Allmendhubel was the part the children enjoyed the most overall. The playground here is incredible.” And her conclusion about the experience as a whole? “There was something for everyone. We discovered places we never would have thought to visit otherwise. We found the family-friendly walks particularly good, especially because of the way you could combine them with the mountain railways.” The family also loved eating out here: “We never needed to cook, and never needed to prepare a picnic in the morning. That made for a really relaxing time for us parents.”
