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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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SONOGNO, village and waterfall, Switzerland
SONOGNO – when driving through the beautiful Verzasca Valley, with its lots of photo stops, Sonogno will be the end station, at least when arriving by car. (There is a parking lot, including places for motor homes just before the village.) Despite the low number of inhabitants, less than a hundred (they even speak their own language!!), this beautiful little 800 years old village lists…
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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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THUN, lovely town be the lake, Switzerland
THUN also has an historic Altstadt, old town, with cobbled streets and beautiful old buildings. One of the old shopping streets have quirky shops and cafés in two storeys. From this street a covered stairway with many, many steps, leads the 30 meters up to the Castle of Thun with tremendous views over Thun, Lake Thun and the Swiss Alps. The castle is more than…
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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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CHAPLIN, about his time in Switzerland
CHAPLIN, Sir Charles Chaplin, is known by all of us. What many perhaps don’t know is the fact that he lived his last 25 years in Switzerland after being banned from the US in September 1952. Chaplin’s, and his wife Oona’s, home was at the Manoir de Ban set on a 14 hectare park close to Corsier-sur-Vevey, near Montreux, until Chaplins death in 1977. The…
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OESCHINENSEE, Lake Oeschinen, Switzerland
OESCHINEN LAKE had been on our to-do list for a while – so when we noticed the option to even WALK on it, we had to go. From Kandersteg it takes just 10 minutes with the cable car to the mountain station and then a 2 km sligthly downhill walk to the lake (beware of crossing skiers and snowboarders!). At this time of the year…
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BERNEUSE, views and skiing, Switzerland
BERNEUSE is a mountain of just 2.048 meters, but with a fabulous 360° view to other surrounding mountains – even to Mont Blanc. Lake Geneva and the Swiss part of the Rhône Valley can also be admired from here. The Berneuse area, and of course Leysin in general, is a popular winter sports place for the whole family. A short trip by cable car from…
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ZERMATT, Switzerland – view to Matterhorn
ZERMATT is probably among the most known winter sports towns in Switzerland, maybe even in Europe. And if not for anything else, then of course because of the legendary mountain, Matterhorn and about 20 other 4000+ peaks. But, the town itself, with direct access to Gornergrat, Klein Matterhorn with the Glacier Paradise, Schwarzsee, endless hiking trails and a lot of history also makes it worth…
