Easter in Switzerland

Easter morning when I turned on my laptop, I had an email from my Swiss cousin Hans-Peter who lives in Norway.  (If you are a long-time reader of this blog you may remember that way back in 2016 I traveled to Norway to visit him.)  For Easter vacation he and his family returned to Switzerland and spent time in the village of Zermatt which is nestled at the foot of the Matterhorn.  He sent me this photo that he took of the iconic Alpine peak.

So while I spent Easter in Mexico City where the temperature reached 88 F (exceptionally hot even though spring is the warmest time of the year here), Hans-Peter and his family were skiing in the Alps.

A Home with a View

Yesterday morning I was met at Zurich airport by my cousin Brigitta and her partner Peter.  They drove me to their home where I am spending my first two nights in Switzerland.  

Their house is located in Uster, a small city not too far from Zurich.  It is a beautiful home.

Their house is located on the very edge of Uster.  In one direction you can see the town.  Left of center in the photo is the tower of Uster's small "schloss" or castle, which today houses a school.

In every other direction, there are glorious views of the Swiss countryside, and on the horizon, the Alps!

Let's zoom in on those mountains...

What a magnificent place to begin my stay in Switzerland, enjoying the warm hospitality of Brigitta and Peter and beautiful Swiss vistas.

Summer of 2012 - The High Alps of Switzerland

Even though Werner and I had hiked in the Alps near Weisstannen, Werner's brother Andres said that I still had seen the "High Alps"!  So the three of us took a day's outing, heading south to the area around the city of Interlaken, and the Jungfrau, one of Switzerland's most famous Alpine peaks. Interlaken is a major tourist destination, and is located between Lake Brienz and Lake Thun (hence its name). 

 

 

We started our day with breakfast at a restaurant overlooking Lake Brienz.

 

 

At the edge of Interlaken is a small (4337 feet high) mountain called Harder Kulm. There is a trail up the mountain, and we decided to hike it.  It provided views of Interlaken below, and of the mighty Jungfrau to the south.

 

 

Hiking up the trail

 

 

 We could have taken a train to the top?!

 

 

The summit is within sight.

 

Glorious views from the top of the Harder Kulm

 

Looking down at Interlaken

 

 

Directly ahead, the snow-clad peak of the Jungfrau

 

 

Here we are atop the Harder Kulm. 

 

  

 

 

 

And we did take the train back down the mountain.

 

 

 

From Interlaken we drove to a village closer to the mountain, to get a better view of the Jungfrau.

 

 

Summer of 2012 - Weisstannen, Switzerland

After viewing the last three posts on Switzerland, you might be asking, "Where are the mountains?"  It's true that the countryside around Othmarsingen and Zurich, while hilly, is not located in the High Alps.  I had not seen the kind of scenery that one associates with Switzerland.  To remedy that, Werner took me on a three day excursion into the mountains in the eastern part of the country.  He had reserved a room in a small hotel in a tiny, rural village called Weisstannen.  The area is very much off the heavily-trod tourist track.  There were no hordes of vacationers, just peaceful countryside, and lovely mountain scenery.  The hotel was a very simple place, nothing luxurious.  The rooms did not even have private bathrooms... you had to go down the hall.  But the place was clean and comfortable, and the price was very reasonable by Swiss standards.  Breakfast and dinner were included in the price, and the food was the best I had in Switzerland. 

(Image from the web)

 

 

 

 

Our hotel in Weisstannen

 

This is the only street in Weisstannen.

 

 

The landscape around Weisstannen

 

On our first full day in Weisstannen, Werner and I took a lengthy hike into the mountains.  It was about a four hour trek round trip.  The trail was well marked.  The climb was gradual and not overly strenuous.

 

 

Our goal was the base of the mountain in the distance (the curved peak with a bit of snow on its slope).

 

 

 

Beautiful scenery as we climb higher into the mountains

 

By the time we reached the base of the mountain, its peak was no longer visible.  It was hidden behind the high cliffs in front of us.  Spilling over the cliffs were three waterfalls. It was a truly beautiful spot.

 

 

After a day of hiking we were rewarded with a delicious dinner at the hotel... roast pork and potato salad.