Weekend Trips -- A Series of Touristy Posts: Part 2

Cailler Chocolate Factory - Charmey - Kandersteg - Oeschinen Lake - Thun

On the weekend of June 1-2, a few interns, including Braveen Ragunanthan and Adrian Diaz, who are also fellow medical students at Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine (Medical College of Virginia), and I were lucky to join a bus full of friendly WHO officers and staff for their HOPE Team Trip to Kandersteg.

Our first stop along the way was my favorite: the Cailler Chocolate Factory.

Photo Courtesy of Braveen Ragunanthan

After tasting the delicious chocolates, we stopped in the scenic town of Charmey. We then arrived in Kandersteg, and stayed at Kandersteg International Scout Centre (KISC).

After dinner at KISC, a group of us joined the rest of the Kandersteg townsfolk as they hosted a huge Swiss brass band music festival, where 1800 musicians and 50 bands were expected.
   
The next morning, after breakfast at the KISC, we took the cable car up to Oeschinen Lake. Though the rain and fog kept us from seeing the mountain or lake, postcards sold at the local souvenir shop (or a google image search) made it clear that we were in the midst of some of nature's finest beauty, even if we could not see it with our eyes. And as we hiked down the mountain, the fog started to lift, and we were privileged to behold some of the natural beauty all around us.

We then visited the town of Thun.

Photo Courtesy of Braveen Ragunanthan

And there, the sunshine finally joined us as we enjoyed the scenes along the boardwalk.