Winter fun between the lakes.
By Wibke Carter • Photographs Courtesy Wibke Carter
Interlaken in Switzerland is located in a peerless location between glacier-fed lakes Thun and Brienz with the pearly white peaks of the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau forming part of a majestic natural landscape. “It’s the only place for miles where you can ride a bike from one end of the town to the other on a flat surface,” laughs a local Celina Finger. But gentle cycling is not the reason why so many visitors are drawn to this 5,000 inhabitant resort. It’s the adrenalin-loaded adventures that make even the fearless scream.
And scream I do as the red jet boat makes yet another 360° spin before thundering towards the fishing village of Iseltwald. We circle the only island in Lake Brienz, the Schnäggeninseli (snail island), which is rumored to have gotten its name due to the fact that monks farmed snails here as fish bait in earlier times. Since 2015, both the island and nearby Castle Schlossburg have been for sale. Our jet boat guide, Phil Hausammann, quips “For a mere 20 million Swiss Franc ($20.5 million) it could be yours”.