ENGLEBERG, SWITZERLAND

                                A Quaint Mountain Village

            Engleberg means Mountain of angels. After getting tickets at the Titlis rail station we boarded gondolas. Half way up the mountain we transferred from the small gondolas to a large standup gondola for the ride to next platform. Finally we transferred into the Rotair, the world’s only rotating gondola.  Also  a large standup gondola, the floor rotates 360 degrees in minutes. It was pretty impressive and when we came out of the clouds the gondola was filled with a chorus of ohs and ahs. What a view!

            At the top of this glacier people were playing in the snow. It was very slippery but not as cold as I had expected. At 10,627’ it was a little misty but not enough to obstruct our view or to get  wet. We were just standing in the clouds!

            An ice cave was constructed in 1974-78. It is 427-feet long and has a constant temperature of 30-31 degrees. There are several rooms in the cave. It was pretty unusual. It takes ten years for one meter of snow to become ice. The ice in this glacier ranges from 15-50 meters deep. (48-162’).

            After being well cooled in the cave many of us stopped in the café for a hot drink. When we were all warmed up again we took the Rotair down to the next platform which was called Trubsee meaning the lake of sorrows. We hiked around the relatively small lake stoppimg many times to examine and learn the names of the many alpine flowers that were in bloom. It was an easy hike on a well-maintained gravel path. About three-quarters of the way around, a path to Engleberg headed off to our right. The sign said an hour.

            When hiking in Switzerland the signs are always posted in time, not miles. The Swiss do not talk about miles or meters when hiking, only the length of time it takes to get somewhere.

            Most of us decided to take this side path. Why not hike instead of riding the gondola down! The footpath in reality turned out to be a cow path. It was mucky in spots. There were a lot of slippery rocks and a lot of climbing up and down over them. So, we all played mountain goat for the next 2 ½ hours!

            After going a few hundred feet I was about ready to turn back, but it looked like it got better up ahead. It did, but not for long. However, by the time it turned mucky again we really had reached the point of no return so we trudged on. When, over two hours later, we finally hit level ground several of us were ready to pay some farmer to give us a ride to the railway station! Since no farmer or motor vehicle was in sight we continued on. When we rounded the last turn in the road I felt like shouting, “There’s the station. I can’t believe we all made it!” We found our guide and the couple of people who elected not to hike waiting for us at a picnic table.

            Before leaving this quaint little city we took time to visit the 1120 Benedictine Monastery which was only a short walk from the station, and I for one was happy to be on level ground. There are still a couple dozen monks living at the monastery. In 1729 the monastery burned down and was rebuilt in splendid baroque style.

            The charming little village is defined by the monastery and the Collegiate Church. Switzerland's largest church organ, the impressive Collegiate Library, the Valley Museum, a show dairy and a manor house are to be found here. The little old priest who met us was as sweet as can be, but he rambled on and on. Maybe he was lonesome for someone to talk to. He was justly proud of the inlay woodwork throughout the monastery which was absolutely gorgeous. Such fine craftsmanship! We spent a lot of time in a couple of rooms and saw less than we had anticipated, but enjoyed listening to the priest and his stories.

COSTA RICAN HOT SPRINGS

                                 Fun But Different Experiences

On my second trip to Costa Rica we had lunch at the Tabacon Hot Springs Resort. Entering the resort an attendant placed a plastic wristband on our right hand. This gave us the privilege after lunch of partaking of the thermal pools. Lunch was exceptionally good, but few of us tarried as we were anxious to get in the pools.         

After changing into our bathing suits we were given a locker and towel. In the river at the foot of Arenal volcano there are several man-made pools. In addition there are several pools among the lush tropical landscape. Pool temperatures ranged from rather cool to almost steamy hot. One even had a waterfall, and that warm water falling on the neck and back was heavenly!

After trying several of the pools, both in the river and among the tropical vegetation my son and I settled by ourselves in the uppermost pool. Because it had two streams running into it there were areas of both warm and cool temperatures. Pretty neat.

One couple in our small group lived on another planet. They had had a slew of shots before the trip---none are necessary---and in the beginning talked about the fear of Dengue fever. So it was no surprise to learn that they had not even packed bathing suits. How clean could those pools be? Wow, did they miss out. In general this couple was a real pain in the neck. I hope wherever they are they might read this and identify themselves.

We stayed in the pools as long as possible, and begrudgingly got out when it was time to leave. Our skin was  pretty pruney anyway. It had been great fun and the gorgeous scenery was absolutely spectacular.

Our hotel was only ten minutes away. Our single bungalow  faced directly across from Arenal volcano. It was going to be a good night!

            On my third trip to the country, with grandchildren, we visited Baldi Spa and Springs.  It was at the end of a hot, humid day when we arrived looking for some cooling relief. This is a large facility, and again there were many pools of varying temperatures. The landscaping was tropical, lush and lovely, but my preference was that of Tabacon. The big attraction for the kids was the large water slide. They couldn’t get enough of it. Their mother stressed the importance of following the rules.

            But some smart-aleck fellow decided that the rules applied to everyone else and went head first down the slide.  He let out a blood curdling cry when he hit the bottom dislocating his shoulder. My daughter was the first to reach him and it took four people to pull on him to relieve his pain. Another fellow somehow cut his head hard enough to bleed.  

           Arenal volcano was the backdrop at both resorts.   Two different hot springs in the same area and two different experiences, influenced much by the crowd and facility. Baldi was aimed more toward families with children, a little more Disneyland, where Tabacon was aimed more toward relaxing and the adult population.