Travel in the Bernese Oberland

Willingly and quite diligently, such a person will tell what he has seen and heard; but he does not desire to contradict anyone, he does not need to parrot back to anyone what is unseen, and finally, he does not want to prescribe to anyone what must be viewed, felt, admired, and noted. He offers simply from a joyful heart what he has and can, and leaves it to others to think, lets them take or reject as much as they like.

Four parts then are there, in my opinion, of which it might be appropriate to speak in this general introduction. 1) A word about mountain travel and alpine travel in general will naturally come first. 2) Remarks about the Bernese Oberland in particular are justifiably the second. 3) The necessary preparations then for the physical... 4) The necessary knowledge and resources for mental progress are the third and fourth parts of a useful preliminary consideration. We ask for some patience for these few discussions, and we hope to be able to hand over the presentation of the journey itself all the more fluidly and pleasantly to the reader; because some dry, or overly petty, or even too all-encompassing details should then no longer interrupt him during the consideration of attractive details.

1. Of mountain travel and alpine travel in general.

If, according to (Jean Paul) Richter’s remark, traveling is truly life, then mountain travels are even more