A Day in the Life of a Leukemia Traveler: Interlaken, St. Beatus Caves, and Last Day in Lucerne

Posted by Michele September 01, 2024

A Day in the Life of a Leukemia Traveler: Interlaken, St. Beatus Caves, and Last Day in Lucerne

Today is our last day in Lucerne and the closest we will be to Interlaken while in Switzerland, a Swiss town in the Bernese Oberland region of the Swiss Alps, so we decided to take a drive, No matter where you go in Switzerland, beauty surrounds you, and the drive is nothing short of magnificent! I've never encountered such long tunnels through mountains or such twisty, winding roads.

Lake Thun and Brienz offer panoramic views of the Berneses Alps, and the turquoise water is stunning and clear. The gorgeous blues and greens are created by tiny glacier particles that sink slowly to the bottom of the lake. There are also many gushing waterfalls in the area, too.

Interlaken has perfect flight conditions for paragliding which explains the sky full of paragliders. I have never seen so many paragliders in one place, I’ll bet you could count 50-100 paragliders at any moment; it did not entice me to join them, but it was fun watching them spiral to the ground.

It wouldn’t be an “old town” if we didn’t visit a castle or church, and we found both. The “Interlaken Castle” was first documented in1133. It was established as an Augustinian monastery by monks from Unterseen. The main building has Gothic influences with Renaissance elements. The bonus feature was a modern water closet out back.

Next door was another church, less ornate, but still beautiful.

The view of Jungfrau from the town was incredible, I wish the skies were clearer; they have been hazy since we have been in Switzerland, but looking up at its massive size was still a sight to behold. It is 13,641 feet above sea level and the third-highest mountain in the Bernese Alps. Switzerland has the most beautiful landscape that I have ever seen.

Walking through town we ran across a once-a-year outdoor market, where people were peddling their wares and selling food and beer! We had some dumplings/perogies in a spicy chili sauce and the obligatory cucumbers. The beer was cold and after splashing myself with water from the fountain, I was able to cool myself down enough to continue our journey.

The heat during the past three days has been extra challenging for me.

After walking through town, and visiting two churches, we headed for St. Beatus Caves. Parking was a nightmare, but the parking Gods opened up a space for us like magic! The walk up to the caves was steep and winding, but the views of Lake Thun made it all worthwhile. In my opinion, this is the best bang for your buck in Switzerland thus far; $20 allows you to take a self-guided tour through St. Beautus’s limestone cave system.

According to legend, the caves provided a safe haven for St. Beatus after he conquered and expelled a fire-breathing dragon that dwelled there in the sixth century. I believe he inhabited the cave to escape the heat! The temperature was a welcoming reprieve from outside.

We wandered a half of a mile into the cave enjoying running water, waterfalls, stalactites and mites. And even some vegetation, which I have never seen in a cave before. The mirror images, in the pooled water were my favorite.

It took approximately one hour to explore the entire cave. It is definitely a worthwhile experience.

After motoring back down the hillside, we headed back to Lucerne, to the Sunset Bar, to watch the sunset and eat a fire-roasted pizza. The sunset did not disappoint, and neither did the pizza. It was the perfect way to end our stay in Lucerne.