A Sign of Things Past.

 

Like Ron, I love signs, though my problem is finding them. Local stores don’t seem to go in for them anymore. I guess that’s because of the rapid changeover, I mean what’s the point of paying for a beautiful sign when a store’s actual existence is in question? However, now that I have a super duper camera, I really should get out more to look for more signs. Oh, if only local stores would get with it!

On my travels I used to see lots of fabulous signs but rarely took a picture – except when in Switzerland, when I found the MOST GORGEOUS sign... made from wood and hand carved. I took a picture, the only sign in my collection of holiday snaps. See it - bottom right. I was so enamoured with the whole place I framed a group of pictures which adorns my kitchen wall to this day. 

I tried to find a clearer picture of the sign on the internet but it seems to have disappeared. There's no 'sign' of it anywhere!!

Two weeks in Switzerland was a wonderful holiday. We stayed in Grindelwald in the Jungfrau region. It was summertime so the only snow was on the mountains. It didn’t matter because it enabled us to travel round a bit. Yes, even up mountains, although at a certain point on Schynige Platte I had to let Joe go on alone because the rarefied air caused breathing problems. I wasn’t the only one suffering, most of the Chinese visitors had the same problem. Isn’t it odd how some are affected and others are not.

Anyway, back to the sign. It was at the entrance to Schynige Platte mountain railway in Interlaken (Bernese Oberland) and the sign told us the height of the mountain was 1,967 metres, that’s 6,454 feet) – pretty high, huh? However, on the picture at the start of this post the height is quoted as 1,983 metres. 

I like the way the artist had the man peering through binoculars at the summit. I doubt I could have bent my head far enough back to see the summit, let alone go up top. The train travelled on a single track with passing loops and you could guess the steepness by the tilt of the seats ... the entire journey uphill was almost like lying on my back. I was sure we travelled in a tunnel the whole time, I can still remember the train stopping at 'viewing places', but modern day photographs seem to suggest an open air route. I guess things change with time, and our visit was way back in June 1988 - anything could have happened during intervening years. Hmm, I wonder if Switzerland is still there!!

It was a shame I couldn’t complete the trip up the mountain because I missed seeing a display of ice statues and a team of husky dogs. I had to put up with coffee in the restaurant while I waited for Joe to return. Imagine that, a fully fitted restaurant three-parts of the way up a steep mountain, though from what I’ve read there is now a fully fledged hotel/restaurant right on the summit. Still, there were other things I could do so I’m not complaining.

Thank you, Ron, for reminding me of a great vacation.