Brig and the Aletsch Glacier for a Fabulous Taste of Switzerland

Arriving in Brig by train

From Domodossola, Italy, we continued by train to Brig which takes under half an hour. Brig is not a very large town; walking from the train station to the central square takes only about 10 minutes. Hotel Londres is located in the center of the old town, so we arrived in no time.

Hotel de Londres is a British themed hotel, so it was really fun for Cynthia and me! (Translates to London Hotel.)

We loved the decor and theme, but it definitely still had its Swiss side.

We were welcomed to Hotel de Londres with a lovely hot coffee drink which we enjoyed on the rooftop patio, with views of the town, and mountains beyond.

Walking tour of Brig

First thing on the agenda was a walking tour. We met Romaine, our tour guide, downstairs and wasted no time in getting to know the lovely old town of Brig.

Brig has an incredibly rich history and Romaine was well versed in all of it. One of the first things we discovered was a memorial fountain dedicated to Peruvian aviator, Geo Chavez. He was the first person to fly over the Alps in 1910. Unfortunately, he crashed in Domodossola, and died 4 days later, due to his injuries.

The Stockalper Palace is a bit overwhelming to think about sharing with you as there is so much to see and describe. As I said earlier, this palace is Brig’s crowning glory, built in the 17th century by Kaspar Stockalper. He was one of those incredible people in history who seemed to have five lives in one!

Stockalper was called “The King of Simplon” and was a merchant, banker, large scale entrepreneur, military official and politician. The castle is the largest private building constructed in the 17th century in Switzerland. The palace has three towers with gilded onion domes and reflects the immensity of Stockalper’s wealth. Today, his fortune would be worth far more than half a billion Swiss Francs.  -courtesy of myswitzerland.com

Romaine gave us a tour of the courtyard as well as many rooms inside the palace.

One of my favorite features was the hand-painted scenes on the silk wallpaper which were designed in Paris in the 18th century. The detail was incredible.

The exterior wasn’t any less ornate.

Romaine walked us back to Hotel de Londres where we had some time before going out for dinner. We enjoyed a glass of wine on the rooftop patio.

Brasserie Les Cheminots

Cynthia and I were fortunate to have Jürg from Brig-Simplon Tourism take us for a lovely dinner at Brasserie Les Cheminots (les cheminots = railway workers). The restaurant is located inside the Ambassador Hotel in Brig. It was a lovely evening, so we were seated on the patio.

Breakfast at Hotel de Londres

At Hotel de Londres, breakfast is included, and it’s a wonderful way to start your day. From homemade granola, fresh breads and jams, fruit and eggs, made to order, there’s lots of decisions to be made. You’ll also have to decide whether to eat “cosy” inside, or go for the fresh outdoors. The staff were absolutely wonderful: attentive, friendly, helpful and welcoming!

Once we had breakfast, it was time to head back to the train station. Today’s agenda included a train trip to Betten (only 16 minutes) to take a cable car to Bettmeralp, and ultimately, the world-famous, Aletsch Glacier.

When we arrived at the Betten train station, we were greeted by David Kestens (Aletsch Arena). He would be our guide to visit Bettmeralp and the glacier. We stored our luggage, and headed for the first cable car. It was much quicker than hiking up to where we were going!

Bettmeralp

Bettmeralp is a small village and there are no cars here. In fact, everything (including building materials) must be transported via the cable car. It’s a popular tourist destination in both summer and winter, with many activities besides hiking in summer and skiing in winter. There are scooter trails, downhill bike courses, fishing and also indoor activities.

David told us about the village as we walked through. He also explained that the clouds would soon burn off as it was a rather gloomy morning. Despite this, the views were fantastic off in the distance, along with the wild flowers and other sights throughout the village.

I zoomed in for a closer look. The formations are amazing, and apparently there are fleas that live in the glacier! In fact, the glacier flea is the local mascot! There’s some trivia for you.

The view across the valley was another fabulous sight.

Valais Plate and Johannisberg wine

I won’t lie, Cynthia and I were cold by the time we got inside for a bit of lunch, so we all had a lovely, hot Ovomaltine (Ovaltine) first.

It didn’t take long to warm up and soon we were indulging in a glass of Johannisberg along with a most beautiful Valais plate!

This is comprised of locally cured meats, cheese and some dried fruit and nuts. Cynthia and I couldn’t stop taking photos of it as it was so thoughtfully prepared. David explained about the rye bread that is typical to the Valais region, as well as how the cheese is made from cows that change where they are pastured.

Cholera

After we devoured the Valais plate (everything tasted as good as it looked), we were introduced to “cholera”. Yes, the dish is named after the disease!

David explained how this dish came about during a cholera outbreak because no one wanted to leave their homes for fear of contracting the disease. The only option was to make food from what was already in their houses, so “cholera” was usually made with potatoes, apples, pears, onions, leeks, cheese and whatever else they had on hand. It is still made and enjoyed in the Valais region today, although everyone has their twist on the recipe.

I would love to make this dish in winter. It’s absolute comfort food, and this version was delicious.*

Cable car to Bettmeralp

We took the cable car back down to Bettmeralp and the views were fantastic.

 

Hérens Cows

On our way back to the second cable car, we were able to see some famous bovine called Hérens cattle. David explained to us that the females are known for their aggression. In the springtime, cows and heifers put in “cow fights” (please note that they have this aggressive behavior with each other naturally). It is nothing like bull-fights, just to be clear.

The winners are sold for high prices and the fights are a major tourist attraction in the Valais region of Switzerland (Wikipedia). All the cows were “chill” when we visited. 🤣It was lovely to hear the bells (if you want to hear them, you can watch my Instagram story).

David was right about the weather clearing up as it turned into the most gorgeous day with magnificent views everywhere we turned!

*Here’s an interesting fact: two days after my visit here, my neighbors (five doors down) hiked to Bettmeralp and ate at this exact same restaurant! In fact, they even ordered a Valais plate, but we had no idea until we spoke a week later! What are the chances?