Shopping can be a shock and an ordeal in Switzerland, but if you end up, say, travelling with clothes for the wrong season, here are some money-saving clues. The best clothing store is "Metro," located right on the main street, right across from the West station, though "Go West," just south of the center circle, and "Cockpit," on the pedestrian zone (Jungfraustrasse), are also good. (Heed my warning and avoid the inherent appeal of the Benetton or Esprit shops; their jean prices will knock you over in a dead faint. Cockpit and Metro have jeans on sale for a fifth of the "normal" price.) Further away and with fashions that are slightly more Swiss than North American is "Clocharde," over in Unterseen. Turn right just before the West Station and look for it in the little outdoor mall, just after the Co-op Center, on the right.

If you're even more budget-minded, try good old Migros, which it doesn't take long to see is pretty much the K-Mart of Europe. For those who absolutely want to spend nothing on clothes but really need a warm sweater or something, pay a visit to "Klamöttli," the second-hand store, conveniently located on the main road connecting Matten to the center traffic circle. (Klamöttli will take that fractional price offered by Cockpit and half it again; once I even saw a pair of excellent hiking boots in there for SFr 5.00...unfortunately not my size.)

Now and then people re-vamp their travel philosophies mid-trip and suddenly decide to do some actual hiking, climbing or camping out. For good outdoor clothing or equipment, head over to Eiger Sport, which is also in that outdoor mall area behind the Coop Center. Eiger Sport is a serious, practical sporting goods store, unlike the cornucopia of flashy, fashionable sports stores for tourists. However, you are, after all, still in Switzerland, and for their top-of-the-line goods you'll pay a top-of-the-line price. If that price sends your mind reeling, return once again to Migros. Their M-Sport section has a separate entrance just to the right of the main entrance.

T-shirts pose a special problem. You can either pay the price you want to pay and get something hideously tacky, or pay the standard Swiss price for something nice. Unfortunately, the Swiss and all of their visiting tourists seem to prefer the former choice--alarmingly ugly T-shirts abound. For an attractive and sturdy shirt, go to InterSport on the main street of Interlaken next to the Hotel Krebs (or "Nils' Crazy Shirts," up in Grindelwald).

That brings us to the last great bastion of time and money wastage: souvenir shopping. Read this concise and to the point paragraph carefully, so as to avoid wasting yours. Sure, Swiss chocolate is something your friends and relatives will go berzerk over, but don't buy it in a bakery or a candy shop. Attractively packaged chocolate for a much nicer price can be found at grocery stores like Denner Discount or Migros. "Swatch" watches are the same price everywhere, but when you go to buy a serious watch, you'll find that many stores specialize in watches that are either too expensive or too cheap. Two good, moderately-priced shops are Fiechter and Kirchhofer, both, oddly enough, right on the main street in the center of town. The majority of all cuckoo clocks are made in Germany, but if you want to buy them in Interlaken, you can. The Music Box Plaza has a huge selection of them, even a few Swiss ones, and they'll also ship them home for you. "Your Store" at Balmer's still has the best deals on Swiss Army Knives, but if you're looking for something unusual, like a knife plate with camouflage on it or one made out of Mother of Pearl, go to Sylvia and Charly's. Sylvia and Charly's and the Music Box Plaza are both also located on the main street, close to the center. Happy shopping!

Cycling is another great way to see some of the Berner Oberland. If you are staying at Balmer's, you can get a discount on mountain bikes from InterSport, making the price a reasonable SFr 30.00 per person per day. If you're not staying at Balmer's, a mountain bike from the West train station will cost you SFr 31.00 per day, whereas a city (five speed) bike will be only SFr 19.00 per day. Interlaken West also offers a family rate of SFr 52.00 per day for two adult city bikes and as many children's bikes as are necessary. It is also possible to rent bikes for half days, and by the week. Weekly rental is usually the equivalent of 3-4 days hire.

Assuming you're of average capability, you'll probably want to start with a city bike and a relatively easy cruise out to the neighboring villages of Bönigen and Wilderswil, to check out some of the quaint old houses. The castle ruins of Unspunnen and Weissenau also make good cycling goals. Or maybe you'd like to go out to the "beach" area, at Neuhaus, on Lake Thun. Either one of the lakes can be completely circled in a few hours, but Lake Thun is the better choice because the route is easier to find and follow. Remember, you're meant to only ride on secondary roads; stay off anything marked by a sign with a green bridge on it, signifying a highway. There are bike routes signposted in red around Interlaken but, unfortunately, the only maps available for them cost SFr 8.00 from either the West Train Station or the Tourist Information Office. You should probably just try your hand at following the red signs without the overpriced map, or go pick up the very nice free street map given out by the Schweizerischer Bankverein, across from the West Station.

If you are slightly more enthusiastic and are thinking of renting a mountain bike, many more options will suddenly become available to you. Grindelwald is not especially easy but certainly possible, and there are of course a whole network of country roads extending beyond and above Grindelwald, as high as Grosse Scheidegg in one direction and Bussalp in the other. If you find yourself in Lauterbrunnen, by no means stop there. You can go on to Stechelberg, at the "end" of the valley, and then even further, following the red cycling route signs up the hill to the Berghaus Trachsellauenen. If you're hearty and persistent, you can continue on up to Gimmelwald and Mürren, but you will have to deal with a few steps. (And gravel. And steepness. And cliffs. But people do it. Australian Frank recommends the up direction, though.) Naturally, anywhere you poop out where there happens to be a form of transportation nearby, you can bring your bike back with you for a modest fee.

The number one mountain biking day trip is a circular route, heading out along the north shore of Lake Brienz, past the town of Meiringen, up the Rosenlaui Valley to Grosse Scheidegg, down into Grindelwald, then back to Interlaken. It's not easy, but it does offer some of the best scenery in the area that can be seen from a bicycle, especially along that little-known jewel, the Rosenlaui Valley.

There are large maps next to red information signs at either train station showing some of the available "mountain" routes around both lakes, including peak elevations. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find a source for any portable copies of these maps. Those interested must test their skill at hand-drawing their own copies

The super-fit extremist might want to leave the Berner Oberland and do the "three-pass route" (i.e. Grimsel, Furka and Susten, via Meiringen). It's possible to do the whole thing in one day, but it's not recommended unless you are Superman, Wonder Woman or some other Saturday morning TV hero. More realistic would be to plan overnight stays at each of the three highpoints and spend more time enjoying the very spectacular views. Consult a good map and talk with other cyclists before heading into the hills. (If you're staying down at Balmer's and make the acquaintance of the owner, Erich, you can ask him; he's done it.)

If you're into what I call "Adventure Sports", your timing is good because they are just beginning to make it big in the area. Alpin Zentrum (Phone 036/234363) is the outdoor sports organization that's getting a lot of good press right now, and they are in fact the organization through which Balmer's Herberge sends most of its trips. White-water river rafting, paragliding and bungy jumping are the most popular ventures, though rock- and ice-climbing, "canyoning" and something called the "Flying Fox"(a trip through the Saxeten Gorge featuring fixed ropes, a zip-line and a pendulum swing) are also available.

The rafting takes place either on the Simme River, two valleys to the west, or the nearby Lütschine, and the average time on the water is three hours. The Simme is the tamer of the two rivers, the Lütschine only in recent years being authorized for rafting, as it is known locally as the "Man Eater." Do ask around about how much rain there's been recently before you make your choice because this can of course affect the caliber of the rivers a lot. The rafting trips cost SFr 81.00 if you go directly through Alpin Zentrum, SFr 78.00 through Balmer's.

As for paragliding, Alpin Zentum offers six different location choices, from altitudes of 500 - 1400 meters, at a cost of SFr 100.00 - 170.00. The cheapest and therefore most popular trip is from Luegibruegli on the ridge just north of Interlaken, but the Schilthorn and First (above Grindelwald) are also available. It goes without saying (but I'll say it, anyway) that you are in a tandem unit with a trained professional flying you.

Balmer's offers Luegibruegli at the same price and a similar array of higher-priced choices, doing them through a smaller part of Alpin Zentrum which is simply called Paragliding Interlaken. Those staying at Balmer's who are interested but have doubts should talk to staff members Sandy or Barry, who both fly.

Good news on bungy jumping! You don't have to go all the way to Engelberg anymore to do it; they now do it in the Lauterbrunnen Valley, from the Schilthorn transport cable car. Your choices are a jump from 100 meters or 180 meters, at a cost of SFr 129.00 or SFr 220.00, respectively, including your transportation from Interlaken. Alpin Zentrum will treat people to this rare thrill on all Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and weekends from early May till the end of September. Balmer's guests can do the cheaper jump for a mere SFr 100.00.

Note: the bungy jumping and rafting are seasonal, but the paragliding goes all year round, depending on good conditions.

Now it's time to say a few words about the Oberland's two biggest money-making excursions: the Jungfraujoch (a 3,454 meter saddle) and the Schilthorn (a 2,971 meter peak). These are daytrips to consider only if you have a good-sized budget or are holding InterRail or some kind of Swiss Pass. Trains for either destination depart from the East Train Station essentially every hour on the half hour, interim stop Lauterbrunnen. The Schilthorn--yes, the mountain that James Bond was on--will run you SFr 87.60 round trip, going up via Grütschalp and returning via Stechelberg, with the option to stop off at Trümmelbach Falls. Anyone with a car should consider driving to the cable car station in Stechelberg and taking any cable car between 7:25 and 8:55 AM, or the cable car after 3:25 in the afternoon. Go at these times or anytime between the 11th of October and the 14th of November and you will get the discount rate of SFr 60.00 round trip. In summer season, folks not driving rental cars have the option to take the discounted guided tour on the 8:05 train out of Interlaken East--not exactly a steal but slightly more appealing at the price of SFr 78.00. All of the assorted economic extravagances mentioned above will get you great scenery and a spectacular cable car ride, but you can get nearly as good a view from Mürren for less than a third of the price. If you're really keen to get the full 360 degrees, you can hike the rest of it.

If you had to choose between the Schilthorn and the Jungfraujoch, the balances are weighed in favor of the Jungfraujoch. Though the normal price is a quasi-insane SFr 146.00, I would recommend (May 1st to October 31st) the first train, at the invigoratingly early hour of 6:35 AM, for the discount rate of SFr 110.00. This discount also applies to the 7:38 AM train between November 1st and April 30th. (In the summer, the 8:05 train out of Interlaken East is a guided tour for the Jungfraujoch as well as the Schilthorn, though I wouldn't call it a discount at SFr 157.00, even if it does include lunch at the top.) Important: if you have a ticket for either of the first two discount trains, you are supposed to leave the Jungfraujoch before or on the noon train. It's worth it for SFr 110.00, but, for any other price...NOT. So, for twenty odd francs more than the cost of the Schilthorn, you get a train trip through the amazing Eiger tunnel (an engineering effort that claimed many lives around the turn of the century), a view of the sprawling glaciers behind the Jungfrau, sled dogs, year-round skiing, a visit to the Ice Palace and the Sphinx weather station. You can also go up via Lauterbrunnen and come back by way of Grindelwald, stopping off for as long as you want at Kleine Scheidegg and Grindelwald on your way back--effectively glimpsing the whole Berner Oberland in one day. If you are staying at Balmer's, don't bother launching from bed extra, extra early to go buy your ticket; you can buy the same discount tickets at the reception desk of Balmer's the evening before.