From Sörenberg to Kemmeribodenbad

May 21, 2017 -- As much as we always try to plan for a perfect hike based on weather maps and weather forecasts, we're not always so lucky. On Sunday (one week before this post) the weather was supposed to be sunny everywhere, including Central Switzerland on the section of the "Trans Swiss Trail" that we had planned to walk, albeit forecast had for light clouds in the morning, clearing in the afternoon.

So perhaps we simply left too early, as we ended up hiking with a very cold breeze (I wasn't dressed warmly enough) and disappointingly low clouds covering the mountains for more than half of our 11 km, 3-hour hike.

Other than this it was a very pleasant hike starting after an exciting bus trip on narrow winding roads to the popular winter vacation town called Sörenberg, then a surprisingly enjoyable uphill hike, followed by a large variety of landscapes from moor meadows to the steep hillsides of the Schrattenfluh mountain range, along the Emme River flowing through a gorge to Kemmeribodenbad, famous for its meringue deserts. (Of which we didn't partake THIS time (this is not our first time here) because it is a very popular place on a Sunday afternoon, and the restaurant grounds were packed....)

Along the way the best surprise was a quaint little shop converted from a cellar room in a typical farmhouse, offering -- self-serve on the honesty principle -- a wide range of homemade preserves, jams, honey, teas, liqueurs, salts, syrups, pasta, cheeses, sausages, and even ointments and tinctures. This is a place I'd love to visit again, if one didn't have to walk an hour to get there!

** Interesting note: This area is called the Entlebuch, which was designated a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 2001, and is nicknamed the "Wild West" of Lucerne.

Heading up the hill from Sörenberg, a popular winter ski area

The wind is blowing chilly on this upper moor landscape

Clouds sit low on the Brienzergrat (Brienz Ridge) which separates us from Interlaken to the South

Typical barn in this area

Ahead of us are the flanks of the ridge called the Schrattenfluh

Walking on this section of Trail No.2, "Trans Swiss Trail" from Sörenberg to Kemmeriboden Bad.

At the back, a prominent peak on the Schrattenfluh range (Böli)

We discovered this gem, a beautiful farmhouse with a "Self Serve" shop

Along the way, a "Hofladen" (Farmstead Shop), a renovated cellar room in the family home.

We often come across these "Self-Serve" farm product offerings, but this shop was particularly special.

For extra income, farmers often offer their homemade cheeses, sausages, preserves etc. in a shop on the property, or a fridge set up outside their barn, or as in this case, even a room in their home. All items are priced and you are expected to pay the amount into a cash box located nearby. It is all done on the honour system, which is strictly upheld here as most people are aware what a difficult life the mountain farmers have. Offerings in this shop included salts, syrups, liqueurs, jams, pastas, meringues, teas, preserves, ointments and tinctures, besides the expected cheeses and sausages. They even provided a jug of water and small cups to sample the syrups before buying them (flavours such as "Red Clover" and "Primrose" and "Sage"). We left with "Bear Garlic Salt" and "Alpine Herb Syrup" and homemade caramels.