Switzerland – Page 16

St. Gallen

A brief visit to the beautiful town of St. Gallen.

We made a short overnight visit to St. Gallen, a pretty little town in the eastern edge of Switzerland. We were there for an evening banquet, hosted by my professor host at the University of St. Gallen, and stayed overnight so we could explore the town the next day. We spent a few hours to stroll the history ‘old town’, the famous Abbey of St. Gall, and its Christmas markets. Unfortunately the library at the Abbey was closed for cleaning, but we enjoyed their small museum about the this thousand-plus year-old archive of documents. (“Since 1983 the whole remaining abbey precinct has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site.”) The old town has many beautiful half-timber buildings and oriels, elaborate multistory bay windows. Many of the squares and streets had stalls selling crafts and Christmas wares, and in one square we encountered three old men playing music on their alphorns. Fascinating!

Streets of St. Gallen's old town, Switzerland. See the photo gallery for more. If you want to keep up with our adventures, “Follow” this blog via email or RSS at right.

First, Grindelwald

Sometimes you need to close the laptop, grab a camera, hop a train, and head for the mountains.

Today we took the train (actually three trains, a bus, and a tram) from Zürich to Grindelwald, in central Switzerland… and then the gondola up to ‘First’, where there is a panoramic view of the Jungfrau region. On this blue-sky day, with no clouds and no wind, it was truly spectacular.

Wetterhorn (left) and Schreckhorn (center), from First... above Grindelwald.

Check out the photo gallery… what a day!!

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Bachtel

A pleasant hike to panoramic views on Bachtel, outside Zurich.

It’s still November and we’re still doing fall hiking, close to Zürich. Today Andy and I walked from the little village Gibswil, over fresh dusting of snow and through pastures and forests, to the summit of Bachtel. Although not a high mountain by Swiss standards – only 1,115 meters – it is popular for its panoramic view of the Zürichsee valley and the Alps beyond. There is a road to the summit, which has a restaurant, a playground, and an observation tower. Ok, the purist in me would normally avoid such a summit, but there is really something to be said for sitting in a warm restaurant over a plate of raclette and a glass of beer, enjoying the panoramic view.

Last night there were low clouds hovering over all these hills, leaving behind a dusting of snow at the higher elevations. We began our hike as those clouds slowly began to dissipate and the sunshine sparkled in the snow. Sadly, some clouds persisted between Bachtel and the Alps throughout our lunch, and just began to clear as we snapped a few photos and descended toward Wald. Fortunately the trails and pastures of the descent allowed many fine views toward the Glarusalps over the pretty valley town of Wald.

I certainly plan to return on some future clear-sky day! Check out the photo gallery. If you want to keep up with our adventures, click “Follow” at right.

Hiking notes:

We followed this description, and its gpx file. We made one slight detour (mistake). Our route ended up being 9.9km, 2.5 hours walking time. Tram/train/bus from home to Gibswil was about 50 minutes; from Wald to home was about 40 minutes.
The summit Bachtel Kulm Restaurant actually has pretty good food and drink, and an extensive ice cream menu 😉

Schnebelhorn

Alpine and pastoral views from Schnebelhorn on a grey and windy November day.

Although it is late fall, and I’m seeing the occasional Züricher happy lugging skis toward the train station enroute to a day of skiing at one of the high-altitude resorts, the lowlands are still snow-free and quite lovely. Indeed, yesterday the forecast was for warm (12-14ºC) though blustery conditions. I decided to tackle Schnebelhorn, the highest point in the Canton of Zürich. Read on, and check out the photo gallery. View of the Glarusalps from the descent of Schnebelhorn.

Continue reading “Schnebelhorn”

Christmas lights

I went to watch the city of Zurich celebrate the onset of the Christmas season.

At this particular time on this particular day, the city of Zürich turns on all its Christmas lights and the Christmas markets officially open. Throngs of people turned out for this much-anticipated event, packed shoulder-to-shoulder on Bahnhofstrasse, the central avenue. The photo below shows the moment after the lights came on, with the crowd cheering and the people in the verandas at upper left setting off confetti crackers. The smell of heiss marroni (roasted chestnuts) and glüwein (mulled wine) wafted by, and the shops were handing out free glasses of champagne or live music indoors. A very festive evening… see the short gallery – with video!

Paxmontana

A lovely 48 hours at Hotel Paxmontana in a tiny village outside Luzern.

I spent about 48 hours at the lovely Hotel Paxmontana in the tiny village of Flüeli-Ranft, outside Luzern Switzerland, for a research-group retreat. One of those grand countryside hotels, recently renovated, Paxmontana is nestled above a valley with a 180-degree views including two lakes and several snow-capped mountain ranges. Behind the hotel is a narrow stream valley echoing with the bells of cows grazing its with hillside pastures – and the bells of several small churches that enjoy reminding everyone of the time every 30 minutes, around the clock. Paxmontana Hotel, Flueli-Ranft, Switzerland.

Despite our short visit, the weather and light shifted frequently – from overcast to sunny, from light drizzle to heavy snowfall – leading to opportunities to photograph the same scenery in dramatically different conditions. I attach just a couple shots here; check out the photo gallery for more.

The valley is best known as the home of Bruder Klaus, also known as Nicholas of Flüe. Born in 1417, he is the patron saint of Switzerland. “Despite being illiterate and having limited experience with the world, he is honored among both Protestants and Catholics with the permanent national unity of Switzerland.” He left his family to live as a hermit in this tiny valley, and (according to Wikipedia) had a “reputation for wisdom and piety” that caused many to travel from afar to seek his advice and counsel. Soldier, farmer, hermit, ascetic, saint – interesting fellow! Pasture near the Paxmontana Hotel, Flueli-Ranft, Switzerland.

Amden Höhenweg – High Mountain Trail

A lovely hike on the Amden-Höhenweg (high mountain trail), with grand views.

After more than two weeks away from Switzerland – in the sunny Mediterranean and the Baja of Mexico – it was somewhat jarring to return to the crisp air and fallen leaves of autumn in Zürich. Within an hour of arriving home, I took a walk with the family to the hilltops above Zürich, where there were dozens of other families out for a sunny Sunday stroll among the colorful leaves of late-season forest trails and distant views of snow-capped Alps. I was eager to get back out into the mountains.

It rained all week, and the fog rarely lifted high enough to see the hill on the opposite side of town, let alone the mountains beyond. I thus had weak hopes for a hike this weekend; indeed, I thought perhaps the higher trails may well be buried in snow. But read on about our visit to the Amden valley – there is good news ahead – and check out the photo gallery. Continue reading “Amden Höhenweg – High Mountain Trail”

Bellinzona and the Tibetan bridge

A daytrip to the Italian corner of Switzerland, with a hillside hike culminating in a tremendously long suspension bridge.

The weekend weather forecast for Zurich and all of northern Switzerland was looking rather wet, but I really wanted to squeeze in one more hike before the fall chill sets in. An officemate suggested Bellinzona, the capital of the Italian-speaking corner of Switzerland – the canton of Ticino. This small city is often overlooked next to its glitzier lakeside neighbor, Lugano, but has a lot to offer. UNESCO recognizes its three medieval castles as a world heritage site, and the surrounding hills include a web of well-organized hiking trails. Read on, and check out the photo gallery.

Continue reading “Bellinzona and the Tibetan bridge”

Faulhorn

When hiking in the mountains one must occasionally have faith in the weather – starting out enmeshed in dense valley fog, only to climb into a spectacular day above the clouds. This was one of those rare, magical days, when we topped a ridgeline and encountered a mountain view more spectacular than any I have seen in 45 years of hiking, with the major peaks of the Berneralps spread across the horizon above a sea of undercast clouds. Breathtaking! Read on for the full story, and be sure to check out the photo gallery. An ethereal landscape, above treeline but in the fog.

Continue reading “Faulhorn”

Swimming in the Zürichsee

Zürich is located right at the tip of Lake Zürich, and there are several public swimming facilities easily accessible from the tramline along the shore.

The weather here in Zürich has been exceptionally warm and pleasant for September, or so the locals tell me. This weekend had spectacular weather. On Saturday I went hiking in the Glarus region. On Sunday, Andy and I decided to take a swim in the lake. Zürich is located right at the tip of Lake Zürich, and there are several public swimming facilities easily accessible from the tramline along the shore. For an entry fee of a few francs we joined throngs of happy Swiss folks who were sunning and swimming. The Seebad Utoquai facility, not shown particularly well in this photo, was well-appointed with changing rooms, lockers, showers, and a snack bar. And (though crowded) there was space to lay out your towel and catch a few rays, to see and be seen. Our quick dive into the lake was chilly – cooler than the Connecticut River at home right now – but very pleasant. The water is deep and clear. The swim floats were packed with young folks while the older long-distance swimmers arrived from their swim across the lake. Nice spot!