Meiringen, Reichenbach Falls, Professor Moriarty and Sherlock Holmes

Saturday was another damp, chilly day in the greater Thun megalopolis.

I had watched more video on our Sunday opponent, the 1-2 Luzern Lions, and had finished working on our offensive game plan. It was time to get out of Helvetica to clear my head.

Where to? Well every trip starts at the Thun Bahnhof. Along the walk down to the train station, I saw . . .

A man fishing the Aare River

My destination for the day was the village of Meiringen, about an hour away by train via Interlaken.

The reason for the visit? Elementary . . .

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote the story "The Final Problem" which was published in The Strand magazine in 1893. At that point in time, Doyle had tired of writing about his super slueth Sherlock Holmes and decided to end his series of detective stories about the exploits of Holmes and Dr. Watson.

Basically, in "The Final Problem," Holmes battles with Professor Moriarty, the "Napolean of Crime," at Reichenbach Falls just outside of Meiringen. The result is that both Holmes and Moriarty plunge to their deaths as they fight on a cliff overlooking the falls.

Doyle was now rid of Holmes and could move on to other literary pursuits.

NOT SO FAST MY FRIEND!!!

People were outraged by the story and wanted more of the Holmes adventures. So, just like in today's soap operas, because of popular demand Doyle magically brought Holmes back to life.

To this day Meiringen and the Reichenbach Falls are pilgrimmage sights for Holmes lovers.

I am one of them.

I made it smoothly to Meiringen

"N"?

Does that "N" stand for "Napolean of Crime? A clue indeed!

No, it stands for North it says.

Time to check out the Sherlock Holmes Museum

My guide book said that the museum was open Wednesday-Sunday at this time of the year.

The sign on the museum door said it was open Wednesday and Sunday at this time of the year.

Today is Saturday.

Damn that hyphen.

Sherlock Holmes with the Sherlock

Holmes Museum in the background

Dead Tree Carving

Just outside of the closed museum stood this dead tree. Rather than cuttin g it down, an artist was allowed to work his magic turning the dead tree into a piece of art.

Great idea, we saw a lot of these when we lived in Hässleholm, Sweden in 2010.

No problem, I could still walk to the other end of the village to see the treacherous Reichenbach Falls, the scene of the epic battle.

A Meiringen church built in 1684

It had a sundial, a mural and everything

As I walked through the village, I started to sense that some businesses wanted to cash in on the entire Holmes mystique.

Like this hotel and . . .

And this restaurant and . . .

This building

Old School Scale

Finally, after a 15 minute walk, I arrived

The Funicular to the Reichenbach Falls

The Funicular's track up the mountain

Just one teeny, tiny problem.

The Funicular is closed for the winter and will re-open on May 5th.

Zero for two.

At least I got to see his plaque

The Falls are up there somewhere

All in all, I appreciated the lovely train ride and the visit to the pleasant village of Meiringen.

It got my mind off the game for a few hours at least.

Sunday = GAME DAY!!!