"It is, indeed, a fearful place. The torrent, swollen by the melting snow, plunges into a tremendous abyss, from which the spray rolls up like the smoke from a burning house."
When Dr Watson journeyed to Switzerland's Reichenbach Falls in the company of Sherlock Holmes, he was in a grim mood. But fair enough: he and Holmes were on the run from Professor Moriarty, their determined arch-enemy.
As I'm not being pursued by a vengeful villain, however, I'm in the right state of mind to enjoy the scenery. It's a beautiful sunny day and I'm taking the funicular railway to the top of those same falls.
From the top station of the funicular there's a beautiful view over the town and green pastures, with snow-capped peaks beyond. But what I'm here to see is the Grand Reichenbach Fall, one of seven in a cascade that drops 290 metres to the valley floor. It's impressive; a torrent of water that dramatically strikes the rock as it falls, creating a beautiful visual effect and a constant rushing noise.
A sign draws my attention to a white star painted high on a ledge opposite. This, it explains, was where Holmes and Moriarty engaged in the hand-to-hand combat that sent them over the falls to their supposed deaths, as described by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in the short story The Final Problem, set in 1891.
Sitting on steps, being sprinkled with spray from the churning falls, I feel the same awe the author himself must have felt on first visiting here.
Back in Meiringen, I have more Sherlock-spotting to do. I head first to the Parkhotel du Sauvage, founded in 1880. Conan Doyle borrowed it for his short story, renaming it the Englischer Hof and having Holmes and Watson stay here before heading to the falls. Nearby is Conan Doyle Place, featuring a statue of Holmes seated on a boulder, wearing his deerstalker cap and sucking on a pipe.
At the rear of the park is the former English Church, now the Sherlock Holmes Museum.
In the centre of its former nave is a large grey block, on the sides of which are placed text, images and objects connected with actors who have played Sherlock Holmes on film and TV. One side refers specifically to The Final Problem.
Downstairs is a more conventional collection within glass cases. Exhibits include historic police uniforms from London and Zurich, a replica of the detective's alpenstock and a bust of Holmes. The highlight is undoubtedly the lavish full-scale replica of Holmes and Watson's sitting room at 221B Baker Street, behind a glass wall - filled with a delightful jumble of items connected with the detective's cases.
The museum has been marvellous but I have one more Meiringen legend to investigate. The town claims to have invented the meringue around the end of the 17th century. I find an excellent example of one at the old-school Tea Room Frutiger, served as a hollow circle piled with fruit and cream.
It's a fine way to end my day, and I think the Great Detective himself would've appreciated this sugary pick-me-up after (spoiler!) he escaped his apparent death at the Reichenbach Falls.
IF YOU GO...
The museum opens daily, entry $7.80.
Parkhotel du Sauvage is an elegant hotel in Meiringen, with a link to the Holmes stories.
The writer was a guest of Switzerland Tourism and travelled via the Swiss Travel Pass (myswitzerland.com/rail).
