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BRONTALLO, medieval village in Ticino, Switzerland
BRONTALLO is the first village in the Lavizzara valley, after turning right in Bignasco and following the Maggia River. Brontallo is a typical Ticino stone house village, all houses covered with heavy stone plates as roofs, picturesque and beutiful in its simple architecture , with stunning and breathtaking views from 715 meters above sea level over the valley and the local vineyards. High above Brontallo,…
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The 494 meters long CHARLES KUONEN BRIDGE, Switzerland
The Charles Kuonen Bridge, Europabrücke, or the Randa Suspension Bridge, is by its 494 meters a world record long bridge at 2090 meters height a.s.l. and can be reached by several hiking trails. Since its opening late July 2017, it has been on our list of “we-simply-must-go-there-one-day” places. But how and from where? It is not just around the corner, on the maps it looks…
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ISCHBODENHÜTTE, mountain restaurant, Switzerland
The ISCHBODENHÜTTE, Ischboden Hut, is located at 1400 meters above sea level, on the Grosse Scheideggstrasse not far from Grindelwald. The beautiful old restaurant/Bergbeiz, with stunning views, over the Grindelwald valley and to the mountains, from the terrace, serves delicious homemade and regionally produced food and service is super friendly. A real gem. The road is not open for private cars (except of course for…
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The KLAUSEN PASS, Switzerland
The KLAUSEN PASS is a very beautiful 1948 meters high Swiss mountain pass, stretching about 46 kilometres from Altdorf (home of the statue and monument of the legend Wilhelm Tell) to Linthal. At the top, there is a small chapel, the Bruder Klaus chapel from 1938. The road is often narrow with no option to enjoy the fantastic views and the numerous waterfalls, but from…
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The AARE GORGE, Switzerland
The AARE GORGE, Aareschlucht, a couple of kilometers from Meiringen, is for many a well-known (worldwide!) gorge, made accessible by hard-working pioneers back in the late 1880s. Safe paths and tunnels, and just a few steps, make the gorge available for most people. The gorge is 1400 meters long, in some places 200 meters deep (high!) and at the most narrow places just one meter…
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The ÄSCHER mountain restaurant, Switzerland
The ÄSCHER guesthouse on Ebenalp in Alpstein has been among our favourite mountain restaurants ever since we moved to Switzerland. Located 1470 masl. on a plateau, built directly on the mountain – yes, the mountain is partly a wall of the building; the guesthouse has been here since 1884, making it one of the oldest of its kind in Switzerland. The easiest way to reach…
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RIGI! Queen of the Mountains, Switzerland
RIGI, Mount Rigi, Queen of the mountains in Switzerland – nothing less! Rigi Kulm is the highest point, just 1.798 meters above sea level, but it has a 360° panorama view to lots of lakes and an endless number of other mountain peaks, even in the Black Forest in Germany and the Vosges in France! We visited Rigi in the spring when there was still…
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The BRIDGE in Sigriswil
The Panorama Bridge by Sigriswil is yet another pedestrian bridge mainly built to make a (safer) school way for kids from Sigriswil and Aeschlen. The 344 meters long steel bridge hangs elegantly 182 meters over the bottom of the Guntenbach gorge, also called the Gumi gorge. It is also part of a panoramic circular hike around Lake Thun and other hikes. The view from the…
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FOROGLIO, village and waterfall, Ticino, Switzerland
FOROGLIO in Ticino is probably mostly known for the waterfall of the same name. The waterfall can be seen from all over the village. It is possible to reach, or at least get closer to, the waterfall from two sides, an easy path close to the foot of the fall and a more challenging hike from the opposite end of the village. The reward for…
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Sicily – Part 3
Gole Alcantara, the Alcantara Gorges, is an absolutely natural gem of a botanical and geological park. We had read about it in a Danish tourist book about Sicily! 🙂 Initially it was formed by the Alcantara River, thousands of years ago. At some time the river was blocked by lava streams from Etna. The cold water cooled down the lava which then made the impressive patterns in…
