Travel – Page 16 – David Kotz

Grindelwald

Home base for a week of alpine hiking!

My first visit to Grindelwald was in fall 2019, after an incredible overnight stay at the alpine hut perched on the summit of Faulhorn mountain, with sunset views of the Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau. It was so stunning that I brought my family back there in December, to see it in winter – and then again in June 2020, to hike from there up to Kleine Scheidegg in the shadow of the Eiger. Each visit to Grindelwald was magical, surrounded as it is by the stunning beauty of the Alpine peaks and pastoral meadows. So, despite its intense tourism (after all, I am hardly the first person to notice Grindelwald!) I decided Grindelwald would be an excellent base for a week of hiking with college friends. We rented a house on Vrbo, and settled in on Monday evening for a week-long stay.

View of the Eiger’s north face, from the bedroom balcony of our rental house.

In subsequent posts I will highlight each of our daily hikes, then wrap-up with a few photos of Grindelwald itself.

Zurich

Back in Zurich! on my way to the Alps for a week.

As regular readers recall, I enjoyed the opportunity to live in Zürich for the year 2019-20, including during the first four months of the pandemic. It is a beautiful city, with stupendous opportunities for hiking near and far. I was sad to leave in July 2020, thrilled to return for a week’s visit in December 2021, and dreamt of further visits into the future. So I was excited to find myself walking the streets of Zürich again this weekend, meeting up with friends for a trip to Grindelwald for the rest of the week. I took my usual morning walk to the viewpoint on Zürichberg, rode the train to the view on Uetliberg, explored in Einstein’s footsteps at ETH, strolled Bahnhofstrasse and the Altstadt, sipped hot chocolate at Sprüngli, and dined on wurst and rösti at Zeughauskeller.

David is back in Zürich – here at HB train station.

It was hot and muggy both days, so the residents and tourists alike were out in the street cafés, boating on the lake, all trying to beat the heat. We only had a few brief hours in town, so I share a small gallery of photos. Soon to come: alpine hiking in Grindelwald!

View up the Limmat river, from the bridge near HB, Zürich.

Iceland – Westfjords

A beautiful two days in the remote northwestern region of Iceland.

After a few days amongst throngs of tourists at the “Golden Circle” of sights near Reyjavik (see my prior post) we headed for the remote northwestern corner of Iceland, the Westfjords. We rented a rural house at the blue dot on the map below, and explored westerly from there – reaching the westernmost tip of Iceland, which is also the westernmost point in Europe. It required driving some remote, dusty, narrow, twisty, and sketchy roads… but also led us to stunningly beautiful landscapes. Read on! and check out the galleries linked below.

We rented a house in the Westfjords (blue dot) and in Reykjavik, Iceland.

Iceland – Reykjavik and Golden Circle

Our week in Iceland began with a tour of some classic sights.

Our extended family loves to travel. We sought an interesting destination to celebrate a graduation and two birthdays, and settled on Iceland. So eleven of us met up in Reykjavik for a busy week of touring this beautiful country. Iceland’s northernmost point just grazes the Arctic Circle, but even at Reykjavik (on the southwest coast) and on our dates (three weeks after solstics) the days were still very long: sunrise at 0342 and sunset at 2325; it was never dark! Although Iceland is a small island, a one-week visit is really only enough to scratch the surface – we focused on the area around the capital of Reykjavik (and the crowded “Golden Circle” of nearby sights) and the remote Westfjords peninsula. This post focuses on the Reykjavik area; see the combined gallery or the location-specific galleries below. Read on!

Maroon Bells

Photographing one of the most iconic mountain scenes in North America.

This being my first visit to Aspen, I spent the past few months asking friends and colleagues where I should plan to hike. Although there were many great suggestions, I had only one day I could fully allocate to hiking. From my research, it was eminently clear that the Maroon Bells are a must-see destination. Fortunately, they are easy to reach from Aspen, with a free city bus from Aspen town over to the base lodge of the Aspen Highlands ski area – which in summer serves as the base for the shuttle bus up the Maroon Creek valley to Maroon Lake and its trailhead. Read on and be sure to visit the photo gallery!

Aspen Mountain

A steep climb at high altitude, with outrageous views.

I was in Aspen for a AAA&S workshop for higher-ed leaders; immediately afterward, I pulled together my hiking and photography gear and took the hotel shuttle into the center of town. From there, I walked a kilometer on city streets to reach the trailhead for the Ute Trail, which leads up to Ute Rock and beyond to the summit of 11,270’ Aspen Mountain (3435m). I was fortunate to have arrived in Aspen three days earlier, to give me a little time to acclimatize to Aspen’s 7,980’ elevation (2432m). Still, especially under the afternoon’s strong summer sun, I really felt the altitude as I climbed the incredibly steep trail through eight, nine, ten thousand feet. The first half of the route ascends on steep switchbacks through a forest of aspen and conifers, with wildflowers sprinkling the forest floor; it then follows ski slopes (black diamond and double-black diamond!), some with lingering patches of snow, to the summit. Three thousand feet of gain in under three miles, at this altitude, whew!

I take in the view from the sundeck at the summit.

Aspen

My first visit to Aspen – beautiful!

I had the opportunity this week to attend a Forum for Higher Education Leaders, hosted by the American Academy of Arts & Sciences (AAA&S), in Aspen, Colorado. I had never been to Aspen before… but the opportunity to spend a week in the Rocky Mountains, during wildflower season, was too much for a hiker/photographer like me to pass up.

View down to center of Aspen, along my route down Aspen Mountain.

Northern Lights

Two brilliant nights, above the Arctic Circle.

As noted in the prior post, we spent four nights in Saariselkä, near the northern tip of Finland. We stayed at the “Northern Lights Village,” which we all hoped was eponymously named! Guests are housed in individual little cabins, called “aurora cabins,” which have glass across half their roof, and a special in-room tablet computer that rings a gentle alarm whenever the Northern Lights are visible. We were all hopeful to see the aurora borealis, at least once. We did! Read on, and check out the photo gallery!

Lapland

Northern Finland – Sami culture, reindeer, dogsleds, and more.

After our day in Helsinki (Finland) and our day in Tallinn (Estonia), we hopped on a Finnair flight to the northern tip of Finland – specifically, to the tiny town of Saariselkä, where one can downhill ski at the northern-most lift-skiing resort in the world, cross-country ski on an extensive trail network, explore reindeer farms, experience dogsledding, and more. We stayed four nights at the “Northern Lights Village,” a delightful resort in the middle of all these delightful opportunities. Read on, and check out the photo gallery for more!

David skied on nordic skis to the summit of Saariselkä, Finland.

Tallinn

Dartmouth Alumni Travel to Finland.

While our group was based in Helsinki, Finland (see prior post), we took a long day trip across the Baltic Sea to visit the medieval heart of the city of Tallinn, now the capital of Estonia. What a delightful place! Read on and check out the gallery.