Day 7 - Aareschlucht (Aare Gorge)

On day 7, the weather continued to show good to us...how lucky we were. After taking breakfast in the hotel, we checked out and moved to another place which is further away. Husband said we were going to visit the attractions along the way to our destination then. 

The 1st place we were going to for that day is a gorge, about 50 minutes drive from the hotel.

Husband said there are 2 entrance to the gorge, one is on the west, and the other is on the east. Since the west gate is closer to us, we took that one.

Some big crystals at the tops of the "branches", it gave me a fantasy that we might find some big crystal like this from this place.

Aereschlucht (Aare Gorge), situated between Meiringen and Innertkirchen in the valley of Hasli.

After buying the admission ticket, we walked inside the gorge from here.

Gorge is usually associated with tunnels, that's the 1st tunnel we have gone through.

The path through the Aare Gorge is an easy walk and is mostly between 1-2 m wide. The path is constructed of 1 km of wooden paths built on steel girders which are anchored in the cliff walls.

Aare River is below our feet.

The gorge is 1.4 km long and up to 200 m deep. For more than 100 years, the gorge is accessible to visitors by a system of safe path and tunnels that run through it. 

I like gorge, because walking through it can always give me a very special feeling to experience the nature.

Over thousands of years, the tumbling waters of the young Aare gradually eroded a passage by pushing and gurgling their way ever deeper into the rock until the present gorge with its niches, grottoes and hollows was formed.

At certain part, the sheer light passing through the narrow gap between 2 rock formation has given the place a sense of mysterious.

Hiking through the Aare Gorge from either the west of east entrances takes approximately 40 minutes.

The rock formation between Meiringen and Innertkirchet is called the "Kirchet" and consists mainly of very hard limestone. This formation was created in the Cretaceous Period approximately 130-160 million years ago as the ocean sediment which hardened to limestone over the years.

Kleine Eng, these 2 rocks formation are very phenomenon, like they are kissing each other.

Since the rock formation is very hard and very resistant against erosion, they probably will be kissing each other for a very long time. How romantic.

At some narrow sections, the distance is only about 1 m wide.

We could still see them kissing from this part.

Under most of the circumstances, the right thing to do is always going towards the source of light.

The light is kind of very spiritually too...

Along the path, only 250 m are normal paths. About 400 m are cut out of the rock, either as galleries or as tunnel. About 1000m are bridges built of steel with wooden floor, like this one. So, most of the time, the visitors are walking on the bridges.

From time to time, William would turn his head and check on me. Told him not to worry, cause I won't get lost in any of the part.

We have probably walked 30 minutes by then.

Go on, sweetie, I promised I will be right behind you.

It's not a usual place where people met one another here, in a narrow gorge which is not even visible from above the sky. 

I think some sort of connection had brought us to meet here. Thinking of this had prompted me to greet and say hello to whoever I bumped into along the path.

A narrow path like this had reminded me of a movie called "127 hours". I was thinking : if this place collapsed suddenly, we all will be gone without a trace. Who will ever think we could have been buried here?

So, I think "surviving" is itself a miracle at any time.

There are a lots of light at front, guess we have reached a more open section.

Yes, I was right.

I heard there is an elevator transports up-and-down to the underground train station inside the tunnel. The train will stop only if some one on the train or in the train station requests this by pressing a button. There are train station on both ends of the gorge, so one can combine the visit by hiking, then return by train to the car, or vice verse. 

We didn't take any of the above options. Instead, husband turned back from here, and made his way back to the car park. He said he would drive the car to the other end and wait for us there.

So, the 3 of us continued the journey without husband from here.

They are not lonely with each other's company.

Aareschlucht, or better the Reichenbachfall waterfall was the location of a famous Sherlock Holmes movie, where the great private investigator was killed by Dr. Moriarty, after a fight in the gorge. 

Knowing husband could have waited for us at the end, I got to pushed the boys to walk faster. 

I have no idea how far we needed to go, but we had got to go without stopping. 

Nothing had made me stop except 1-2 second for a quick shot.

Without their daddy by their side, they would walk behind me instead.

Yes, they were fine, following my suit.

When the boys saw this, they think it was a jail. Later than I knew, it was a military cavern.

From here, we started to walk up a hill. 

The end point is right in front. 

Another military cavern. 

Still needed to walk up a little bit. 

Ok, clearly this is the end point. 

Good job, sons. 

Husband has been waiting for us here with some refreshment. Great. 

Cheers, for another hiking was completed smoothly.