Brienz

     On a travel day from Bern to Zermatt, our first stop was the small town of Brienz. It is on the climb up the Alps and is a small vacation town on the northern shore of Lake Brienz. Settlements here also go back to the Neolithic and Bronze Ages. This area of the Alps are among the sources of both the Rhine, Rhone, and Danube rivers which eventually reach all the way to Belgrade and Vienna.

     Switzerland is truly a land of lakes. Somehow I only thought about the Alps before coming here but the lakes are abundant. This is Lake Brienz.

     The main economics of Brienz are tourism and woodcarving. Our guide said that the town is so incredibly cute that we were lucky to be visiting here after the tourist season. He said that during the season, it can be a bit of a zoo. I could understand why.

     They know how to carry out the cuteness theme in Brienz as many of the houses and yards were well decorated.

     If you look closely at the rocks on the mountain behind the town, you might notice a long waterfall coming down the rocks on the left side.

     We spent an hour or so walking around Brienz but missed a fall highlight. Our guide said that the people in town bring the cows down from the mountains in the fall and have a big parade as the cows come back into town, all decorated with bells, flowers, and such.

     On another side note, below you can see a church in Brienz. I was struck by how many churches they had in some of these very small towns. Our guide said it was because the same denomination might have a different church for German, French, or Italian speakers.