Non Hiking Activities

Eating is always a good non-hiking activity. Of course the cheapest way to do it, aside from picking wild berries while you're hiking, is to get your food at grocery stores. The most prevalent grocery store in the Berner Oberland is the Co-op chain. You basically can't throw a rock without hitting one. There's one right in Matten, within five minutes from any of the Matten accommodations mentioned above. In Wilderswil there's one right across the street from the train station. Their hours are 8:00 AM till noon and 1:45 PM till 6:30 PM. Anytime other than high season, they're closed on Wednesday afternoons, and they always close early on Saturdays, at 3:30 PM. And Sundays, of course, so plan ahead.

A simple key to figuring out the seemingly random closing times is that just about every place in Matten closes on Wednesdays, and Thursday is the off day in Interlaken. More than half of Interlaken's businesses also extend their weekend by remaining closed on Monday morning as well. Take heart: some of the "foreigners" who've lived in the area for years still occasionally show up in urgent need of an avocado to find the Co-op lock-stock-and-barrelled on a Wednesday afternoon.

Other good grocery stores, following similar opening and closing patterns, are the Denner Discount, half way between Matten and the center traffic circle in Interlaken, and Migros, which is across the street from the West Station. Think of small local grocery stores as the equivalent of a chain of Majik Marts--avoid their high prices unless you are keen on that down-home feeling you get from shopping in them, or you're just plain desperate. Another good rule of thumb is to do your shopping in Interlaken instead of in the mountains, when you have a choice. Believe it or not, the food prices do usually go up a little with the altitude.

Tired of the bread and cheese routine and feel like lunching out? Remember the qualifications "cheap and good." If "good" hinges more on quantity than on quality, head back to Migros, by the West Station. Their second floor cafeteria has a big selection of big food for amazingly small prices. You can also hang out in there forever, drinking coffee and writing postcards, if you've got that once-a-year rainy day. Ha, ha.

More upscale but still relatively inexpensive choices would be the Cafe Spatz, on Marktgasse, right in the center of town on the river, and the Tea Room Brunne, across the street from the Co-op in Matten. Both have small outdoor terraces to enjoy in good weather.

When dinner time rolls around, keep in mind that the best food in Switzerland is Italian food! Always number one for great meals, prices and service is the Mercato, located behind the Chalet Oberland on the main drag of town. Among other things, they have the normal array of pastas and pizzas from SFr 8.00 to SFr 13.50. Try #227, which is capelletti stuffed with broccoli and cheese in a mushroom cream sauce! Though you might not guess it from the name, another good Italian place is the West End, which is just past the West Station, on the right. Romantic atmosphere, similar food and prices, but the service is less attentive...more "European."

The second best food in Switzerland is, of course, Mexican. Check out El Azteca on Jungfraustrasse (the walking street). It's not cheap, but the food, atmosphere and music are all excellent.

Have an overwhelming urge to try the Swiss "cuisine?" I bet you do. (Excuse my sarcasm; I personally love the Swiss food, though it tends to be somewhat cheesy, bland and white.) Anyway, stay the heck out of those tourist restaurants on the main drag of Interlaken. Once again on the only semi-touristy Jungfraustrasse, you'll find the Restaurant Sternen. Though the food is not strictly Swiss but a bit of an exotic mix, it is prepared and served by the Swiss, which is already different from all of the places mentioned above. Those intrigued by seeing the Swiss cope well with spices and vegetarian dishes, two areas in which they have not previously been known for thier expertise, should next try the Hotel Anker, on the street heading north from the center circle, on the left. Moving steadily towards the more traditional, we have the Gasthof Hirschen, in Matten, on the corner by Balmer's. As always, patiently sift through the menu for the less expensive items; at the Hirschen, the Sennen Rösti and the Eier Spätzeli fall into this category. (The first is yet another twist on the traditional hashed-brown potato dish, this time with vegetables and bacon cooked into it, and the second are little egg dumplings, cooked in onions and butter.) Have your meal under the Wysteria vines on their romantic outside terrace. Just down the street from there is the Hotel Tell. Friendlier service and inexpensive daily specials make up for their less-romantic inside and outside ambiance. Further away but worth the short bus ride or half hour walk is the Gasthof Steinbock, in Wilderswil. On the cheaper end of their menu, try their Käseschnitte (sort of a Swiss rarebit) or the Bratwurst mit Rösti. Take the #5 bus to the Wilderswil station and head for the highly-visible churchtower; the Steinbock is right next to the church.

Drinking? Did I hear you, the early to bed and early to rise nature-person, say you wanted a drink? Well, in case you do, here are some good places to go. Number one: Buddy's Pub. For years it's been known to be smoky, crowded, noisy, meat marketish--and it's still number one. Visit this bar, on the main street of Interlaken on the ground floor of the Hotel Splendid, and decide for yourself. In '93, the Riverside Bar was also wildly popular, due to its TV, live music, theme parties and in spite of expensive beer prices. Both the Riverside and the adjacent Alp Lodge have changed hands now and reopened on May 1st, 1994, so we should all go check it out, for curiousity's sake, if nothing else. If you go to the center circle and follow the street heading north from there for about five minutes, you'll see it on the left. If you still don't feel like retiring by the time these two close, follow the remaining stragglers down to Johnny's, which is about a block before the East Station, on the right. It's expensive but yet cheaper than all the other late-night places, and the crowd is delightfully bizarre.

The above describes basically the normal bar choices for North Americans, where they are likely to meet other North Americans. If you're not shy and have a genuine interest in being around some Swiss people, you should stop in at the Restaurant Sternen on the walking street. Same kind of thing, only slightly more "alternative" is the Hotel Anker, on the same street and same side as the Riverside, but a door or two closer to the center circle.