21 July 2018
The jet lag made us woke early so we had an early start on our second day in Switzerland. After a rainy evening the previous day, the morning seemed bright and cheery.
Schloss Oberhofen or Oberhofen Castle, on Lake Thun.
My original plan was to visit Schadau Park, a pleasant public garden on the shores of the Thunersee within Thun but we decided to go see the Oberhofen Castle and its lakeside garden instead. We had visited Oberhofen Castle (Schloss Oberhofen) on the previous evening but the heavy rain curtailed our visit.
Like before, we would use the public bus to get to the castle. The bus stop for Bus #21 was just outside Hotel Freienhof where we stayed and we had just missed the bus. The frequency of the bus service is 20 minutes.
We were just standing aimlessly at the bus stop, waiting for the next bus, when a friendly local woman stopped by and enquired where we are heading to.
“Come. Follow me and I will show you a nice walk by the river instead of waiting here. You can still catch your bus at the next stop”. She said invitingly.
We followed her and she led us passed our hotel, over a bridge across the Aare River and onto the pathway next to the river. This was where we were the previous day, outside the Beau Rivage restaurant where we had our dinner.
She pointed in the direction down Aarequai, gave us some directions to the next bus stop and said her goodbye as she continued on her way home.
It is nice to meet friendly and helpful local people when travelling in a foreign land. Thanks to this wonderful person, we got to enjoy a pleasant morning walk with gorgeous views of the Aare River and the Swiss Alps in the distance.
A walk along the bank of the Aare River, in the direction of Oberhofen.
We reached the bus stop as directed, just in time to catch the next bus to Oberhofen!
Once again, we went to the Oberhofen ferry pier, a good spot to view and photograph the castle. The conditions for photography were better this time, but still not ideal.
The glass building in the old castle premises is a restaurant. A mismatch in appearance, I think.
The castle by the lakeside, with the Alps in the background, made a pretty picture. I like the unique picturesque tower or turret that sits on the lake and linked to the main castle building by a “bridge”.
Colourful chairs at the cafe called Pier 17 located on the Oberhofen ferry pier.
Access to the Oberhofen Castle could be by bus or a lake steamer from Thun or Interlaken.
The old castle dates back to early 13th century and had many owners. It is now privately owned and visitors could visit a museum inside that presents the history of its former residents. Entrance fee to the museum is 10 CHF per adult.
A walk around the picturesque castle took us to the castle’s garden on the other side, with free entry.
Photographing Mount Niesen and the Swiss Alps from Oberhofen Castle’s garden.
The garden is a good place to linger, unwind and enjoy the cool morning.
We enjoyed photographing the summer flowers in the well-designed garden with breath-taking views of Lake Thun and Bernese Alps. There are informative signs to describe the various specimen of trees planted within.
There is a children playground with a large swing that my son could not resist trying.
We returned to Thun by bus and had lunch at one of the restaurants along the Aarequai with views of the Untere Schleuse wooden bridge. Once again, we chose to dine at an Italian Restaurant. This time it was the Restaurant Primavera.
A good place to have a meal in Thun is at the Aarequai, by the Aare River.
One last thing we did at Thun was to walk through the old town again and head up to the Thun Castle (Schloss Thun) and also the Stadtkirche, a Protestant church with its prominent clock tower.
Both buildings were located on a hill that we accessed via a series of stairs leading up from the town square.
Window shopping along the Obere Hauptgasse leading to the Town Square.
The gardening cans outside a shop along Obere Hauptgasse seemed to be having a chat. Inspired by scenes from Beauty and the Beast?
Lion vs Bear? Seen at the Town Square of Thun.
Like the Oberhofen Castle, the Thun Castle was first constructed in the 12th Century with extensions added later on. The five floors of the castle now house a historical museum highlighting the region's history, as well as temporary exhibitions on a variety of cultural, historical and current issues. Tickets are sold at the entrance.
Walking up to the Thun Castle.
Since the castle stood on top of the hill overlooking Thun, visitors could see elevated views of the town and Lake Thun.
Next to the castle is the City Church (Stadtkirche).
The Stadtkirche with an interesting sundial that is not effective on a cloudy day.
The terrace outside the Stadtkirche offers good views of Thun.
Scenic view of Aare River, Thun and mountains from the terrace of the Stadtkirche.
After visiting the two medieval castles, we took the train from Thun to Zermatt via Visp. We could have made a stop at Spiez for a quick look at the Spiez Castle along the way, but chose not to.
In the next week, we will be enjoying the Swiss Alps by hiking around Zermatt and the iconic Swiss mountain, the Matterhorn!
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