WORLDWIDE TRAVEL NEWS ARTICLE ABOUT SWITZERLAND



MERINGUES & MYSTERY IN MEIRINGEN

My adventure began with a comfortable flight on Swiss International Air Lines from London’s Heathrow Airport to Zurich in the company of Lisa Tyrrell from our co-host Inghams (famous for their range of excellent holidays in Switzerland).

On our arrival at Zurich Airport we were met by the Inghams representative Doris who steered us to the correct platform from which to catch our train to Lucerne and thence to Meiringen. We travelled on the upper deck of the railway carriage – a first for me. The air / rail connections at Zurich Airport are excellent and easy to use.

The final leg of our journey, from Luzern to Meiringen, was in a normal railway carriage but the views on this part of the trip certainly kept me staring out of the window. After arriving into the small station of Meiringen we walked the short distance to our hotel – the Parkhotel du Sauvage.

Up to now I have given you no clue as to the reason for the title.

If I were to tell you that the Parkhotel du Sauvage was where Sir Arthur Conan Doyle once stayed, would that help? Lots of the hotel has remained Victorian, with wide corridors enlivened by cabinets and cases containing period pieces of china and pottery. The rooms are large, comfortable but, surprisingly, do not have tea and coffee making equipment.

Parkhotel du Sauvage

Now, clue number two. A short drive from Meiringen and a ride on a funicular railway brings me to the Reichenbach Falls. This impressive and famous waterfall is approximately 120 metres high and is enhanced by a considerable amount of spray and mist. You can take the difficult walk to the top of the falls but it is much more impressive when viewed from below.

Are you getting close to the solution yet?

Reichenbach Falls Railway was built in 1899 to plans by Franz Josef Bucher of Obwalden as he was convinced that the falls would become a tourist attraction. A local engineer, Elias Flotron got a licence to build and operate 714 metres of track using two 24 person carriages. It takes around 7 minutes to get you up the 244 metre climb with a passing place built into the tracks.

Reichenbach Falls Railway

Have you solved it?

In Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s ‘The Final Solution’, the Reichenbach Falls are where Sherlock Holmes and Professor Moriarty were locked in mortal combat and where, to all intents and purposes, they both died when they plummeted into the falls. There is a plaque across the road from the funicular in memory of Holmes.

"Sherlock Holmes - the man who never lived and never died"

Conan Doyle, under considerable pressure from Sherlock Holmes fans went on to reincarnate Holmes in 1894 but this, for many, was a very fitting and dramatic end to Holmes’ wonderful adventures.

Back in the town of Meiringen I visited a small church, built by the English when Thomas Cook ran some of his very early tours to this area. It is now home to the Sherlock Holmes Museum which was opened on 4th May 1991 on the 100th anniversary of Holmes’ death. The Museum was designed by the English architects John and Silvia Reid.

The exhibits obviously concentrate of on Sir Arthur and the Victorian era but, for me, the highlight of the exhibition is as faithful as possible a reconstruction of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson's living room in 221B Baker Street, London.

Photo originally featured in Wild Yorkshire - Richard Bell's nature journal. http://blog.wildyorkshire.co.uk

On the road just outside of the museum is a delightful statue of the famous sleuth sporting, of course, deer stalker cap, cape and Meerschaum pipe. Needless to say Meiringen has become a mecca for the many Holmesians.

An explanation why, out of many waterfalls in the Bernese Oberland, the Reichenbach Falls seemed to have made the greatest impression on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle? He was shown the falls while on holiday in Switzerland by his host Sir Henry Lunn, the founder of Lunn Poly. Sir Henry's grandson, Peter Lunn, recalled, "My grandfather said 'Push him over the Reichenbach Falls' but Conan Doyle hadn’t heard of them, so Sir Henry showed them to him." So impressed was Doyle that he decided to let his hero die there.

Now on to the subject of sweet, crunchy delicacies. It has been claimed, not unreasonably, that meringue was invented in Meiringen in the 18th century. There are counter claims but the name and the fact that several bakeries in the town have been producing these delicious concoctions since the 1700s is good enough for me.

Kirsty McHale from the Liverpool Echo doing a great job

It was great to actually see the workings of one of these culinary establishments - Frutal Versandbacherei - and to even take a turn at piping out the sugary mixture. Sadly we couldn’t wait the several hours of slow cooking required to produce the final result so, instead, we visited the Frutal's café and bakery in Meiringen where we sampled some of these scrummy confections. www.frutal.ch

Getting there

Meiringen is best-reached by train from Zurich Airport which is served with direct flights from the UK by Swiss International Air Lines www.swiss.com
British Airways http://www.britishairways.com and
EasyJet www.easyjet.com .

From Zurich it’s around a three and a half hour rail journey, changing in Lucerne.

For great deals on the Swiss transportation system covering trains, buses and ships, visit http://www.sbb.ch

Where to stay

Meiringen is quite small with a limited range of hotels but keeping with the theme of this article, the largest one, patronised by Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson in fiction and by Sir Arthur in real life, is the Parkhotel du Sauvage. Positioned in the centre of Meiringen and surrounded by a beautiful park, this Art Nouveau hotel, which dates back to the 1880, offers fine panoramic views over the Bernese Alps.
http://sauvage.ch

Useful links:

www.haslital.ch – The local Tourist Bureau.

www.jungfrauregion.ch - The Regional Tourist Bureau.

www.inghams.co.uk - For a great selection of Swiss holidays
Summer and Winter.

Fact Box:

MEIRINGEN, SWITZERLAND

Inghams offers 7 night stay at the 4* Parkhotel Du Sauvage from £849 per person on a half board basis including return flights from Gatwick and resort transfers. The price also includes a complimentary daily tea buffet and entrance to the resort's indoor and outdoor swimming pool. The Parkhotel Du Sauvage is famous for being where Holmes and Watson stayed the night before the fatal meeting with Moriarty at the nearby Reichenbach Falls.

Inghams the following tours which are bookable locally:

Reichenbach Falls Funicular
£7 Daily Tour
Visit the 120 metre high waterfalls, the site of Sherlock Holmes’ final confrontation with his arch-enemy, Moriarty

Gelmer Funicular
£20 Daily Tour
Europe’s steepest funicular with a gradient of 106%

Brienzer Rothorn Steam Cog Railway
£19 Daily
Nostalgic steam railway to 7,300 feet above sea level for fantastic panoramic views of Lake Brienz and the Bernese Oberland

For more information on summer holidays to Switzerland visit www.inghams.co.uk or contact 01483 79 11 14.
For more information on holidays to Switzerland visit. www.myswitzerland.com