Things to See in Switzerland
- Rae Richen
- Oct 13, 2018
- 2 min read
Updated: Jan 7, 2019
by Rae Richen
Getting there:

Catching the correct part of the train was a trick we learned with the help of the station staff. Look in the right corner of each car for your train car number which is printed on the ticket.

As we arrived in Frutigen Valley, in Switzerland, we were hardly aware of the mountains because of the fog cover.

Behind this lovely old church, we found a graveyard with new and old graves containing all the names similar to those of my husband's family in Helvetia and Portland, Oregon.

The headstone for Margrit Reichen-Schmid reminded us that family stayed behind when the Reichens left for Portland, Oregon.
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Our name, Reichen, was changed to Richen. My husband's grandmother once told me the name change was the result of hatred for Germans during World War I. Note the log cabin and fir trees carved above the name. Margrit was a beloved mother, but only lived to be 45.

Whimsy in decoration seemed to come out in the gardens of the residents.

This fellow is dressed for company. Note tail accommodations in checked table cloth pants.

What may have been a water trough has become garden art, or perhaps a deterrent to curious dogs.

The tunnel where we found this map/sign takes off from Frutigen and heads for many miles in to the surrounding alps.

On our first morning, we awaken to find the mist of yesterday lifting. The fresh air of the first morning felt warm and refreshing. The sudden sight of the mountains, forced us to sit on the curb.

Frutigen is a walkable town. We climbed to this view in a half an hour.

Climb higher and you can see the waterfall coming from the snow field.
The contrast of dark rock, green moss meadow and icy water from the long snowfield is beautiful and cooling. This view is spectacular because the enormous mountains are so close and the drop of waterfall so long.

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