Introduction
Our schedule for today was to enjoy our B & B Sun Deck for some time and then set out for a trip to Thun Town, going by Bus and returning by Boat. We cooked our own breakfast and had a leisurely breakfast on the sundeck overlooking the beautiful valley and mighty snow-clad hills. It was a picture postcard setting with occasionally trains also passing over the bridge on the river "Aare" connecting Thun and Brienz Lakes.
We were to explore Thun Town and in return trip by boat from Thun to Interlaken over the full expanse of Thun Lake, enjoy the countryside. Since we were in a bit outer area (10 minutes to Interlaken Ost station), our trip had to start with a local bus trip.
Visiting Thun Town
Taking a bus from our B&B around 10 am we reached Interlaken Ost. We took a direct bus from Interlaken Ost station stop to Thun Bahnhof stop. That brings me to interesting and important information about the transportation system of Switzerland. Most places in Switzerland have all three modes of transport co-located. That means the Railway station, bus stop, and Boat stations are co-located.
Thun is a historical town since roman times (2 BC) when it had a prominent place in Roma Administration. It has also been an important town. In the present day, like most Swiss towns (not cities) Thun also has a population just short of 50 K. It is a small yet beautiful town. There are historical buildings like Thun Castle on the highest point in the town which was built around 1500, Stadtkirche (City Church), Town Hall, and then there is Schloss Schadau (Schadau Palace) on the other side of the Transportation Hub (Railway Station, Bus Stop and Boat Station) built-in 1854 in Gothic Revival Style by a rich merchant for his family. This beautiful palace has huge grounds, one side of which is on the shore of Lake Thun. It is now a hotel and also it is open to visitors, picnickers, and locals alike.
Let us see this small lovely town. As we walked from the Transport hub onto the streets, we were welcomed by historical buildings (not modern). Here is one such building on the bank of River Aare.
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| A Historic Building on the town street. River Aare is also seen |
Also on our way was this Traffic Island with Musical Instrument Models decorates with flowers. We could see Drum, Saxophone and two more such decorations.
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| Traffic Island with models Musical instruments decorated with flowers |
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| Another view |
The streets had very thin traffic. They were beautiful and had footpaths on both sides. Here is another of the old building on the way/
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| Another of the old building |
After some more walk, we turned into this narrow cobbled street with shops (Turns out, it is the historic shopping street of this town).
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Main Street of Thun. It leads to Townhall
On this street we found a path of stairs going up leading to the Town Church and Thun Castel.
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| Taking Rest in the middle of the climb |
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| Old Town Church |
Climbing those stairs, we reached the Church first as seen above, and walking a little further throw a narrower lane gave us our first glimpse of Thun Castle.
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| Thun Castle, first look |
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| Inside the Thun Castle |
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| Church Spire from Thun Castle |
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| Schloss Schadau (Schadau Palace), Its a Hotel and a Restaurent now |
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| Schloss Schadau Forecourt |
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| Schloss Schadau, A watch Tower |
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| This place has a huge garden |
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| Roses are Rosy |
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| Schloss Schadau Garden |
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| Arrangements to make Barbecue |
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In Thun Lake adjoining Schloss Schadau
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Boat Cruise, Thun - Interlaken West
After finishing our tour of this small and charming Thun town, we boarded a boat from the Transport Hub (I did this naming because they are co-located, whereas actually they are called Bus Station, Railway Station, and Boat Station) for a trip from Thun to Interlaken West through Thun lake, a trip across the full lake. This trip takes about 2 hours and 20 minutes with about 10 stips between these two terminal stations.
The boat was very comfortable and it being Switzerland, the weather was comfortable. That made sitting in open a pleasure.
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| Sun Bathing in the boat |
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On the Fox'el (Front Part) of the Boat, Schloss Schadau in the background
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| Schloss Schadau from the boat |
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A castle at the foot of the mountains
There are 4 services a day from Thum to Interlaken West and 4 from Interlaken West to Thun. The boat has 10 stops between these two towns but not every service stops at every port. There are three Major stops that every service has to take. |
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| Clock Tower |
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| One of the Lake side Hotel |
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| Oberhofen Castle |
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A colorful Castle, also a boat station
The boats also have enclosed areas and a cafeteria to cater to passenger's needs. There are also toilets available (its a norm in Europe, even long-distance buses also have toilets) |
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| Spiez Castle |
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| One more |
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| A boat passing in the opposite direction |
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| Look at the Tunneling for the road. This is Interlaken - Thun Route for Buses |
An old Castle in Interlaken Town
In about two hours we reached Interlaken West Jetty. From there we took a stroll through busy Interlaken main street to Interlaken East station. We also saw an old Castle and monastery in Interlaken about which we were not aware. That was a surprise find for us. This Monastery dates back to 11th century and has had its fortunes changing from time to time. A castle got added to it in 16th century. Now the whole complex is an administrative office of this region.
This was a long and tiring day with a lot of walking and exposure to the sun (even during our boat trip). After visiting Interlaken Monastery, we returned back to Interlaken Ost station, did our essential purchases from the Coop store at the station, and took a bus back to our B & B. It was rest, dinner and sleep time tehreafter.
