TRIP SIGN UP
To make sure that everyone who
wants to go on the trip can come, it is crucial that you sign up
NOW. It will not be possible to add people at the last minute,
and we are already making reservations. You can chose one of 4
options:
1) Hike near the Lower Grindelwald Glacier
2) Relax in Grindelwald
3) Stay in Bern for the day but meet us for dinner in Grindelwald
4) Stay in Bern
Please contact Kate (fishbaugh @ issi.unibe.ch) to sign up and indicate
how many people (including yourself) will be joining us (number of
adults and number of children).
DESCRIPTION
As a break in the middle of
the workshop and as a chance to get to know each other outside of a
meeting, ISSI is organizing a trip to Grindelwald. When we arrive
in Grindelwald, we will drop some people off there (those who wish to
stay in the town for the day), and the rest of us will take the
Pfinstegg cable car up to the trail which overlooks the Lower
Grindelwald Glacier. From this trail, you will have a magnificent
view of the Grindelwald valley and the glacier. It is mostly
uphill on the way out, but the views are worth it. You will be
free to hike at your own pace, and we will meet back at the cable car
station at a designated time. We expect to have about 4
hours to hike. Families are of course
welcome, and the trail is well-maintained and safe for
children.
There is a restaurant at the top cable car station with a play area for
kids, so you could relax and enjoy the view from there without hiking
if you wish. There is also a restaurant along the trail about
1h15min from the cable car station. After the hike, we will enjoy
the conference dinner at the Hotel
Wetterhorn. Those who have stayed in Grindelwald for the day will
be taken by the bus to join us for dinner.
LOGISTICS
We will go by chartered bus to
Grindelwald from ISSI (about 2.5 hours) directly after the Wednesday
morning session ends. The bus will drop some people
off in Grindelwald who do not wish to hike. On Wednesday, we will
arrange where and when the bus driver will pick those people up for
dinner.
For all
those going to Grindelwald (including those staying in town and those
hiking): You will need
to buy a lunch to bring on the bus with you since we are leaving
directly after the morning session. The easiest way to do this
would be to stop in the Bern train station to get a take away lunch on
your way in to the meeting Wednesday morning. The bus will not be
stopping for lunch on the way. This also means that it's okay to
wear hiking clothes to the meeting in the morning, so don't worry about
fashion on Wednesday. :)
For those
going on the hike: Please bring comfortable hiking
clothing, sturdy shoes (running sneakers are probably okay but hiking
shoes are better), a light rain jacket, a long-sleeved shirt or light
fleece
in case it gets chilly, sunscreen (the trail is mostly without shade),
water (there is no stream for re-filling water bottles), and a snack or
two.
Those of us going on the hike will take the Pfinstegg cable car to and
from the
trail so as to avoid a steep hike up and down. For workshop
participants,
the cable car will be paid by ISSI (not sure of the regular price for
accompanying persons). The hike is
described above. After the hike, we will take the cable
car down again.
The workshop dinner will be at the Hotel Wetterhorn (just outside of
Grindelwald) which serves traditional Swiss cuisine. ISSI staff
will choose a set vegetarian and meat menu. Please let us
know if you have any other dietary constraints (including vegan and
allergies).
Dinner will likely be at around 19:30 or 20:00. Dress is
extremely casual -- whatever you wore hiking -- since the hotel (while
very nice) is used to housing lots of hikers. Dinner will be paid
by ISSI for workshop participants. We will let you know how much
it will cost for accompanying adults and children.
For those who will stay in Bern for the day but meet us for dinner in
Grindelwald, we will help you to find the right trains to get you to
Grindelwald (but the cost will not be paid by ISSI). Please be
aware that the Hotel Wetterhorn is about a 50 min walk from Grindelwald
(uphill), so if you wish to take a bus to the hotel from the
Grindelwald train station, you will need to get to Grindelwald by about
17:00 (the last bus leaves at around 17:25). This means that you
will have to wait at the Hotel Wetterhorn for a couple of hours until
the hikers return, but it is a beautiful view, and there are plenty of
walks to take nearby.
RELEVANT WEBSITES
Hotel Wetterhorn
All about Grindelwald
In Bern:
SInce this is the International Year of Physics and since Einstein
wrote about Relativity while in Bern, there are many special Einstein
celebrations taking place this year. You might want to try the
special exhibits at the
Bern Historical Museum or to visit Einstein's
house.
All about Bern
?????? Questions about
the trip? Please contact Dr. Kathryn Fishbaugh
(fishbaugh @ issi.unibe.ch)
MAP from the Hotel Wetterhorn
website showing Grindelwald, the Pfinstegg cable car, the Eisgrotte
(circled) and the Hotel Wetterhorn (circled).
Note: We will follow the trail which overlooks the glacier but
will no longer be going to the Ice Cave since it no longer exists due
to recession of the glacier!!
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