by Jennifer Sharp

Created on: January 25, 2010

The birdhouse is not what you think...

This is not a hotel review.  However, I must set the scene.  Let’s start at Hotel Schützen on a quiet street in a deep valley.  Inside the light is golden and the fire, hot.  Ask for a Caffe Schützen.  A sweet version of Caffe Fertig, this drink is a Swiss specialty topped with whipped cream and chocolate shavings; it’s the perfect topper to a dinner in the Lauterbrunnen valley. Hotel Schützen prides itself on the perfect views of the Staubbach waterfall, inspiration for the poems of Goethe and this particular traveller.  In the summer, visitors from the cities complain about the noise of the rushing water but in March, it is a gently ethereal, misty site.  The valley and height of the cliffs are stunning when seen in person.  A camera cannot truly capture them.  The sun sets early here behind the mountains and despite the cooler shade of the afternoon, you will still be on your balcony staring up at the protective cliffs and the flow of the water as it cascades from above and makes its way to the Weiss Luchine River. The water is so clear you could probably drink from it.

The atmosphere at this hotel is homey, comfortable and yet the food is spectacular.  You could eat their Spätzle (a German/Swiss pasta) every evening, but never forget to leave room for the never-ending assortment of desserts topped off by a Caffe Schützen or Jaeger tea. While you are here, talk with the elder proprietor of Hotel Schützen as he sits by the fire in his restaurant catching up on the day’s events. Oh, the stories that worn, wooden table has heard! This man epitomizes pride of place.  As former mayor of the Lauterbrunnen valley, including the nearby and higher altitude towns of Mürren and Wengen, he knows the area like no other.  When avalanches caused deaths of locals in 1999, he begged his guests not to put on their skis until he knew it was safe. He knows when it safe to ski and when you may be risking your life venturing onto the mountains.  Ask him about the conditions and he’ll tell you with confidence whether or not it’s safe to venture out.

The Lauterbrunnen valley is the heart of the Jungfrau region of Switzerland.  From there, it’s possible to ski the highest altitude run in Europe, the Schilthorn, also the location for the filming of the 007 flick, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.

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