The Switzerland Traveler

Switzerland has a variety of beautiful lakes, many surrounded by majestic mountains, ideal for reflective shots like this one.

Lake Brienz (locally known as the Brienzersee)  is located between the eastern side of Interlaken (literally, between the lakes) and the village of Brienz; also home to an open air museum.

The lake is renowned for the colour of its water; a deep turquoise, and is quite different from it’s sister lake the Thunersee, which is located west of Interlaken.

The Brienzersee has been described as gloomy, but that completely misses the beauty of the place. It’s a deep lake, over 250m or 850 feet deep, with shores that plunge quickly from the nearby mountains. The water is cold, and fishing is apparently not good.

On the south side of the lake, there is a waterfall at Giessbach, with an elegant hotel, and the best way to see this is in one of the five boats that offer a passenger service on the lake. Regular services run, and as with most public transport, timetables are available at www.sbb.ch.

You can also combine the boat trip with a ride in a train (steam powered on certain weekends) up the Rothorn, which has always proved a big hit with our visitors. The train takes you up to 2244 metres above sea level, which is over a mile higher than where you started.

 Photo Credit: Flickr