Summer in Switzerland – High season in the Bernese Oberland and Co.

Summer in Switzerland – High season in the Bernese Oberland and Co.

my Swissies and Switzerland lovers it’s already 
June and the peak season is starting everywhere I’m also very busy because I want to show you 
as much as possible of this time in Switzerland Today I am traveling with Rasta from Brienz on 
the lake to Steingletscher below the Sustenpass It is one of Rasta’s favorite places because 
he can play carefree in the shallow streams there To get to Steingletscher we drive via 
Meiringen, Innertkirchen and then through the entire Gadmental. I love driving this route because 
the nature up here is truly breathtaking We drive past the impressive Gadmenflue and 
reach Steingletscher after about 1 hour From here we continue a little further until we reach 
this beautiful spot below the Tierbergli Hut There is still a lot of snow up here but soon 
the last of it will be gone Summer temperatures are forecast so we are enjoying a little more 
winter up here Rasta I have a surprise for you But he already knows Rasta Yeah bathing in ice cold water 
Huh yeah Only for you today Only for you Right Enjoy Enjoy You know this is his thing 
Yeah Absolutely his thing In moments like this he almost forgets his 
disease That’s why we’re doing things like this It is always a balance between Yeah wishing him 
a lot of fun and stopping him because Yeah after after too much joy he’s dead at home you 
know So but it’s not always easy because I mean I love to see him having fun So and 
we let him have this fun as often as we can In about 2 weeks there will be cows up here 
again By then the snow will have melted and the alpine meadows will be blooming again 
in the most beautiful colors The Sustenpass will soon be open and soon motorcyclists like 
this one will be able to ride across all the alpine passes that Switzerland has to offer The 
alpine passes are becoming increasingly popular It is therefore a good idea to set up early in the 
morning so you can ride as carefree as possible Hop up Three days later I had a very cool appointment on 
the Alp Grindel in Gschwandtenmad above Meiringen
This is where the alpine season opens today In the alpine season 
playlist you can see the whole detailed video of my visits to the Alpine pasture including 
the production of alpine cheese For the cows the alpine season is a great but also a tough time The 
longer the alpine season lasts and the higher the cows go the more exhausting it becomes for both 
humans and animals But Lena is in good spirit The first day is always a bit quiet and relaxed 
she said But then it gets tougher every day After my visit to the Alp which started at 
4:00 a.m for me I took a short hike from the Schwarzwaldalp down to Gschwandtenmad In high season parts of this route can be easily covered by post bus From the Schwarzwaldalp you can take another 
post bus up to Grosse Scheidegg and continue on other hiking trails from there The hike from Schwarzwaldalp
to Gschwandtenmad is an easy hike of about 1 hour If you like nature you will love this hike 
and the area It is also not too crowded here So at this time of the year it can easily happen 
that you have uh cows on your hiking path Yeah Just try to not disturb them And then uh mostly 
there is uh some space so you can go through What a beautiful hike it was 
Now it’s time to head back to Brienz am See It is finally time for the Brienzer Rothorn Unfortunately the View from the Brienzer Rothorn 
wasn’t very good this week Smoke from the forest fires in Canada actually made it 
all the way through Europe clouding the view Nevertheless I hiked from 
the Brienzer Rothorn down to Brienz am See This is a climb of about 1,700 m If you have knee 
problems it is better not to do this hike or take the Brianz Rothorn Railway from the Planalp  
Middle Station back down to Brienz Please note that you need to reserve a seat everywhere so plan 
ahead Now we’re heading to a completely different corner of Switzerland The Säntis, a mountain in the 
Appenzell Alps lies on the border of three cantons Appenzell Ausserhoden, Appenzell Innerhoden and St. Gallen
in good weather you can see six countries from here Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Liechtenstein, France and Italy the direct route from Brienz am See takes about 2 and a half to 3 hours by car to the Schwägalp valley station there is 
plenty of parking and because it’s a weekday it is not full at all I take the cable car up to Säntis
You can still see remnants of smoke from Canada but the visibility is slowly improving There are 
many viewing platforms on Mount Säntis where you can look in all directions But what many people 
don’t know is that on the other side where you can see the Alpstein on the back of the Säntis there 
is a mountain hut the Berggasthaus Alter Säntis I have known the family who run it for a long time 
So it always feels like coming home The Mountain Inn has simply but cozy rooms Some of them have 
shower and toilet in the room but most of them have a toilet in a hallway that is shared with 
other guests But that’s normal in mountain huts I love the sunsets and sunrises up 
here Everything is very quiet and peaceful I always feel completely happy up here Even if it always looks like a lot of fun the 
nights in summer are short Photographing the full moon chatting late into the night getting up 
early at 4:30 a.m so as not to miss the sunrise After trips like this I usually need a day and a 
very long night to recover but it is worth every hour of sleep I don’t get It’s an early morning 
again today The cows are going up from Axalp to the higher alpine meadows This cow was quite surprised 
to see a human being so early in the morning Everything is still quiet and peaceful until you 
hear the bells in the distance and an Alphorn After the spectacle we take the most beautiful 
chairlift in the world up to Windegg. Windegg is located at 1,921 m above sea level From here you have a 
breathtaking view of Lake Brienz and the Brienzer Rothorn And there you can see free range Alphorn players May I May I disturb you No no no Great Hi Nice to 
meet you Hi Hi Who are you and what are you doing well I see what you are doing here But uh yeah 
why here uh listen it’s a probably fine day today So and I live here on this part of the mountains 
and I think I place something here So you living at Axalp yes One of the most beautiful places in 
the world I’m really preferred Okay I think And you are a professional Alphorn player right no sorry 
That’s my passion Oh really it’s only my passion I’m still working every day as million of peoples 
on the world But uh to playing here to be here and to play the horn that’s my passion Exactly But 
that sounded so great But of course I know more about you Okay I know a little bit more I know for 
example that you were playing at the Eurovvision Song Contest lately Oh how you are good informed 
Yes exactly How was that for you so to play on such a stage it it was at first it was a great 
challenge and then it was a great part of to being there to being a part of this Eurovision Song 
Contest community uh we are playing about there were in part of 30,000 people they listening they 
looking for of our of our uh production that we done there it was really great yes the people they 
love Alphorn but I I’m quite sure that um most of the people do not know a lot about the instrument 
itself um how long is this one and are they all the same length or are they different Okay the 
length of this instrument is in part of 3 m 45 cm and that’s the original Swiss length and we have 
separate p parts uh you have the possibility to change the last part of the instrument with a with 
a shorter one with a longer one and then you have another part of the tones But this one here that’s 
yeah with we call them that’s the Swiss original Swiss length from the horn Exactly Is it heavy 
it’s between three three and a half kilograms It’s heavy to bring it up in the mountains but it’s not 
so heavy It’s just like in um it sounds so easy when you play it Uh if I want to learn it how long 
would it take that I that I could play it i think at first you will found one or two tones that’s 
quite easy but then you have to perform your lips and all the things you need the basics and I think 
when you will play some melodies you need in part of one year to play that sounds interesting with 
the lips because I only thought that uh you have to just make like this but it’s not like this tell 
me no no it’s not like licks like this it’s really important that your licks lick come in fibr in 
fibration So you have to perform it just like you can listen and then I take the the part of the 
mount piece So you can listen it’s just like that That’s all we have to do So you need a good 
pressure from the air back down and then and then you put it just in here And I put the mound 
piece And so when I bring my lips in front of the mound piece in fibration the whole part inside 
the air they will fibration come in fibration and that will go give the tone That’s all So 
it’s an easy part but it’s not so easy to play Ah when you say you you have to breathe deeply So 
when you are on higher altitude like 3,000 meters or something like it could be hard to play right 
really sure I was It’s a long time ago that I was on the Jungfraujoch and to play there I play one or two 
pieces and then it was finished Oh really because about exactly about the altitude Absolutely Crazy 
But they booked you for two hours I’m not sure I don’t know I didn’t know It’s possibly No exactly 
Okay So you play the all Um this is uh your your not your profession it’s your your hobby Yeah 
Yeah So say why is it difficult to to live from something like this yes It’s it’s quite diff it’s 
quite not so easy because you you play it and the people they listen it and that’s all And uh to 
to get to get the money that you can live about this it’s it’s quite different Okay You you look 
so good with your uh how how it is called Tracht in Swiss German I know but I don’t know the word 
in English That’s the Swiss Swiss custom Swiss Swiss Swiss custom from this region We have some 
different we have a lot of different customs in in traditional customs I think I’m not sure Uh 
we have but we have a lot of different of this customs That’s that’s a custom a traditional 
custom here from the region of Brienz Axalp And uh you bought this also here or Yes I bought 
it in uh not in Brienz but in Interlaken There’s a there’s a little shop Great job They they do 
a really good job and you can both there some customs And where can I buy an Alphorn we have here 
in the Bernese Oberland in a little village up in the mountains in Habkern That’s part opposite of 
Interlaken There’s uh Alphorn uh constructure and uh there you can buy one of this instrument How 
much do I invest in something like this uh 3,500 Swiss Franks Ah okay I need to do some money on 
the on the side Hh That’s that’s a good that’s a good idea Oh crazy Oh and it looks so so uh 
how you say beautiful And you have some signs here Yes exactly And this uh these are famous 
persons or what this yes that’s a a part of my that’s signature that’s from a Hockey player one 
of the best hockey player in Switzerland Mark Streit This is a a musician Daniel Kandlbauer 
from Grindelwald And yes on the other side you will see that’s still the uh the woman Um they’ve 
just married with Mark Streit That’s Fabienne And here I didn’t know if you know the Swiss the 
Swiss Wrestling king of 2016 That’s Matthias Glarner Okay So I’ve played for these people 
or or do something with this then they have to understand my my instrument All right So you are 
quite married with this one right uh yes a little Yes I think it’s really important that when you 
play you have to be one part with your instrument So then it comes your soul your sound I think 
that’s really important for me Of course I heard from another album player which I met lately 
um that it needs some uh how do you say rocks that it sounds perfectly Uh we don’t have any 
rocks here but uh why because of the the echo and yes when you when when you have this rocks in 
backside of you or in front side or everywhere the tone comes back it sounds like you you tell that 
like a echo I say that’s just a garden of sound and that’s the thing that uh the most players 
with the horn they are looking for this parts then you have just like in a when you play in a 
big arena No Which is your favorite place to play yes here on this region I play really on the 
Hinderburgseeli That’s that’s a great place But in the end of the day I play everywhere It’s 
also great to play in a in a big town inside where you have some great uh buildings and 
the tone comes back you have an arena also So for me it’s everywhere The Alphorn is uh well 
known not only uh by the Swiss people also for for people coming from all over the world And 
I recognized that when they see an Alphorn they are totally excited and they want to come uh 
closer but uh I think it’s not a good idea to come closer to the Alphorn to to feel the real 
sound Right Absolutely It’s better when you are between 20 50 or 100 meters away You can take 
the whole sound from the horn and from the part of the arena also That’s that’s that’s really 
exactly you you need the sound or it’s better when you’re be a little away there So if um 
a tourist comes here to Axalp and he wants to try out to play the Alphorn would you give them 
uh some exercises absolutely Oh really really he can call me and then we we make we make one 
lesson and he can try it Yes of course Because I think it’s it’s interesting to looking how it 
functions So absolutely Yes So they get a known piece for the mouth because of uh the the the 
clean or or I I have some special other mound pieces and then we clean it not more and that 
will be that sounds great I’m sure that after this video you will get a lot of mail We hope 
that So um I would like to hear another piece if you if you don’t mind Yes So I I um Yeah 
I’m surprised now Okay Thank you for coming By the way Alphornists are not only able to play 
traditional music They are able to play pop music That’s That sounds funny and it sounds exhausting 
Yeah it’s not quite easy because you have to change You’re looking I have to change from 
the one to the other instrument So and then also to listen the sound because I’m not on 
the same part of it Oh crazy Such a pro Oh funny Thanks for that That was really special 
Okay This is something not everyone can do it right yes You need you need a lot of exercises 
You need at first the idea how you how you can do that and then you need a lot of exercise 
because you have to perform with the lips the right position and also to listening 
exactly are you on this on the right part of the instrument So that’s yes Wow It needs it 
needs a Thanks for that experience You’re welcome I say goodbye with these wonderful sounds and this 
breathtaking view and I am excited to see what awaits us next Sunday Thank you for your interest 
in the beauty and the culture of Switzerland

Summer has arrived in Switzerland. The Bernese Oberland and other regions are ringing in the high season. In this video, we visit various places such as the Steingletscher glacier below the Susten Pass, the Säntis, Gschwandtenmad where cows are allowed onto the alpine pastures for the first time, the Brienzer Rothorn above Brienz on the lake, and the lesser-known but beautiful Axalp, where I interview alphorn player Dölf Zobrist. There are many exciting stories to tell – I hope you enjoy them!

0:00 Intro
0:32 On the way to one of our favorite spots Steingletscher Switzerland Bernese Oberland
0:44 Gadmental Switzerland Bernese Oberland
01:04 Steingletscher below Sustenpass Bernese Oberland Switzerland
01:33 Below the Tierbergli Hut
03:54 Gschwandtenmad Alp Bernese Oberland Switzerland
05:12 Schwarzwaldalp Bernese Oberland Jungfrau Region Switzerland
05:22 Hike from Schwarzwaldalp to Gschwandtenmad
07:20 Brienzer Rothorn with smoke from the Canada forest fires
08:33 Schwägalp Säntis Switzerland
10:34 Early morning at Axalp – a surprise is waiting for you
10:54 The cows go up on the alps accompinied by the alphorn player Dölf Zobrist
12:06 Axalp Windegg – the viewpoint above @brienzamsee
13:09 Interview with the alphornist Dölf Zobrist (www.alphornist.ch)
24:33 Dölf Zobrist is playing a pop song with the alphorn

Other Places to visit in Switzerland:

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