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GWATT, camping and birds at Lake Thun
GWATT with the Bonstetten Park, near Thun, is a small paradise. On this small area, with just about 1,5 kilometer of hiking path close to the lakeshore of Lake Thun, it is possible to jog, walk, have a picnic or barbecue, swim, paddle kayak, stand up paddling, and all other sorts of water activities, children can play on the playground and there is also a…
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BASEL OLD TOWN, Switzerland
The OLD TOWN (Altstadt) of BASEL includes a lot of historic buildings, some of which are around 700 years old and most of them in very good conditions. Luckily maintenance of these beautiful houses has a high priority. Most of the old town areas are easy to walk through, and some steep streets and steps here and there just add to the charm of the…
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Hiking at BASTEI and through the SCHWEDENLÖCHER
The BASTEI BRIDGE is a fantastic and not to be missed place in the German national park of Saxon Switzerland, Sächsische Schweiz. At almost 200 meters above the river Elbe, the bridge and the viewing platforms offer fabulous views over a huge part of the area. The Bastei has been a tourist attraction for over 200 years, and even with the first catering at the…
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Hiking by the Vièze River, Switzerland
The VIÈZE River is a just 22 kilometers long tributary of the River Rhône. Despite its size, it was still a devastating river in the 16th-18th century with massive floods around Monthey until it was channeled. From Champéry, in the western part of the Canton Wallis, there is a 4 kilometers roundtrip hike of which about half of it is along the Vièze River. After…
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SIMMENFÄLLE Waterfalls, Switzerland
SIMMENFÄLLE, the Simmen Waterfalls, is a series of waterfalls just outside Lenk im Simmental. Arriving at the restaurant, of the same name, at the end of the paved road, you will already see the first part of the falls. Then there is only a short and bit steep hike (exactly 1 km) upwards to Barbarabrücke (bridge) where the stream can be crossed and the view…
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POËTA-RAISSE, a hidden gorge, Switzerland
POËTA-RAISSE, a well hidden gorge in the French speaking part of Switzerland is probably one of the most beautiful gorge hikes in this region of Val de Travers. Poëta actually (perhaps?) means awful or terrible… And in the old days where the path followed the stream, there were definitely some horribly difficult places to cross. Since then, the path has been made accessible for normal…
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RIVER CRUISE from Basel to Strasbourg and back
RIVER CRUISE on the RHINE was not really an old and long dream, but we had sometimes considered a cruise on a sea. Then we took a quick decision one day, and booked a river cruise on the Rhine, with just 2 nights and including a visit to Strasbourg with its beautiful Christmas market as a highlight before returning to Basel. This could be, and…
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TRAVERSINER STEG, a wooden stairs bridge, Switzerland
TRAVERSINER STEG II, is a wooden bridge over the wildest part of the Viamala Gorge. Designed by the worldwide renowned engineer and bridge builder Jürg Conzett and built in 2005. The “II” because it is the second bridge – the first, in complete different design, was destroyed by falling rocks a few years before just three years after being built. The Traversiner bridge is part…
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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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A medieval village, SAINT-URSANNE, Switzerland
SAINT-URSANNE, set in a narrow valley by the river Doubs, is a beautiful medieval town in the canton of Jura. Apart from the abbey church, many of the old houses, some from the 14th century, together with the wonderful four-arched sandstone bridge from 1728, gives a fantastic medieval atmosphere in the streets and alleys of this quaint town. A good number of restaurants having outdoor…
