Day fourteen: Reichenbach Falls and Aareschlucht Gorge! Part I
Note: I did a lot of adventuring this day so there will be multiple posts as I break it up haha
I had a much needed day off and I decided to venture off on my own to Meiringen where the Reichenbach Falls are. The Reichenbach falls are famous as the location where Sherlock Holmes and Professor Moriarty faced off for the last time.

I left Our Chalet at 9:15am and began the long journey to Meiringen. I took a bus and three trains to get there. On one of trains, I passed through Interlaken which is a beautiful city surronded on both sides by lakes. The lakes are turquoise blue and green mountains rise up around the lake. The scenery reminded me of the dinosaur age and I could imagine taradactals flying around in the sky and other dinosaurs eating the vegetation around the lake.

After I arrived in Meiringen, I tried to figure out the bus schedule but I don't think any buses were running because it was a Sunday and most things are closed on Sundays. I meandered into town and the first building I spotted was a chapel. Stained glass decorated the chapel windows and there was a tall wooden agriculture that reminded me of a mix between a totem pole and a tree. The sign outside of the building informed me that it was....the Sherlock Holmes museum! It was closed so I decided to possibly stop by later if I had time before it closed later. The museum was situated in a park. To the right of the building was a platform with a life-size set of chess pieces (similar to the set that I saw in Bern...perhaps this is a trend in Switzerland?). To the left of the museum past the sculpture was a grassy area with a small playground.

I continued up the street but I had two problems: 1) I had no idea how to get to Reichenbach falls 2) It was time to find a WC (water closet). I entered a fancy-looking hotel near the Sherlock Holmes museum and I followed the WC signs to the basement. The basement walls looked like marshmello and were now smooth at all. I walked up and down the hall for a few minutes until I spotted the bathroom! It was a door that had a symbol on it that I had not seen before haha. Afterwards, I asked upstairs for directions and reception kindly gave me a map to take with me.

Now, with directions I could finally set off! I walked down the streets of the quaint town of Meiringen. Stores lined the streets and most of the buildings were white with terracotta roofs or wooden (another theme of Switzerland). I also passed by the Sherlock Holmes hotel and I got a glimpse of some other smaller waterfalls to the left in the nearby mountains in the distance. I turned the corner and ended up crossing a bridge. Underneath, the turquoise water flowed strongly and on both sides, snowy mountains were close on the horizon. In front of me, I spotted Reichenbach falls! The falls tumbled down strongly from the mountain and were nestled in the pine-covered mountain in front of me.

After about 20 minutes, I made it to the beginning of the mountain up to Reichenbach falls. There was a red trolley service that would bring you up to the falls but they were closed down. The wooden track rises up most of the way to the falls. The trolley is bright red with wooden bench seats and doors and was a refurbished antique. I ate lunch near a stone commemorating Sherlock Holmes in the park near the trolley while I decided what to do. Since I did not want to sit around for 30 minutes, I thought that I could hike up the mountain to the falls. I started to head up a hill (without taking a map or reading the map of course) and started walking on the road. I figured as long as I followed the wooden tracks, then I would be able to hike the falls.

I followed the road and passed underneath the the wooden tracks. I continued on the road until I came to a trail that turned all rocky. I ended up passing some other hikers so I knew I was going the correct direction. Then, I came to the end of the rocky road to a bunch of yellow signs. I randomly picked one way to follow and followed a gravel path. I had the rail track in sight and then I crossed a bridge and underneath there was a big rocky patch. A river was flowed through the rocks to a sharp drop of five to seven feet and then continued with a strong current underneath the bridge. The sharp drop amazed me that at such a small waterfall could be made while on my hike up the mountainside before the giant waterfall of Reichenbache!

Then I came to a fork in the road; I then wasn't sure what to do. Should I continue to follow the gravel road (next to which was a grass field with an abandoned chalet) away from the Reichenbache falls or should I follow a small hiking trail into the trees? My internal compass is not the greatest and I tend to get lost easily...I decided to follow the small hiking trail into the trees because I would be following a route closer to the falls and the trolley track would still be in view.

On the trail, I saw the beginning of the waterfall that I had spotted the end of at the bridge that I crossed. The rocks stacked up into a small sheer cliff that the water tumbled over into the a pool and river that flowed into the other smaller waterfall (back near the bridge). I continued uphill over rocks and roots on the trail. I came to a point where I passed right next to the track that I could reach up and touch it (if I wanted to haha). I kept going uphill (taking a few water and sunblock breaks on my way) until I reached a metal electric fence. The wire shaped into a small opening with a wooden door. I ducked down into a large field which I assumed to be a cow field. I could clearly see the Reichenbache falls in front of me and a grey house to the left and the trolley track to the right. I eagerly followed the trail until I came to a bridge that crossed over the trolley tracks. To my left, there was the grey house on the field, a nearby abandoned chalet and tall grass. I watched a trolley under and above the bridge before I ventured across. I ran through a field of tall grass up to my calves to the edge of the field that was surrounded by fence and had a drop. Below the drop of land was a river from the Reichenbache falls. I stayed here for a few minutes stuck. I had managed to get myself stuck again. I didn't want to give up...but where to go?

I crossed the bridge back to the first side that I was originally on. I went up a small hill through the grass (taking the path of least resistance) and climbed up the path and ended up next to the grey house. I paused there for a break, hoping at last that I was going in the correct direction.