switzerland

Europe, 2024 Zurich Days 11, 12 & 13

I am starting to get used to this life, waking up and scurrying off to the train for a day hike:) I know it’s just vacation, but it sure does feel nice to have these beautiful mountains at my finger tips. Below is a synopsis of my last three hikes.

Tuesday I decided to hike the Hirzli Rundweg which is a circular hike promising stunning panoramic views of the valley below and the Walensee. The description of this hike was clear: steep ascent. No other words were necessary because yes, this was a steep ascent. I probably hiked on my toes for an entire km – good thing my calf muscles were warmed up from the week prior. Tip toeing up I went. The hike’s ascent passes along a beautiful sculpture trail with wooden animal carvings and information panels for each animal. I have noticed in my travels so far that at nearly every mountain restaurant or cable car station is a playground. There are often kids on the trail and this hike provides children with a book to “track” all the animals they see on the sculpture walk. So inclusive indeed. One of the sculptures was for a European brown bear – so I admittedly spent the rest of the hike imagining a bear watching me. Though rare to see in this part of Europe, I couldn’t help but let my imagination run. I figured the cows in the alpine pastures were more appetizing though. The weather at the start of the hike was cool and I could see thick fog rolling in above. The fog moves quickly so it’s hard to track what the summit will be until you get there. Seeing all of these animal sculptures did get me thinking that I have hardly seen any wildlife aside from a few marmots, bees, flies, one falcon, crows, and so so so many cows. The hike was also very covered, this was my first hike on this trip during which I had tree covering for most of the trek. Cool air coated my skin, even though I was sweating. Because I don’t use an app which indicates my whereabouts on the trail – I never really know how far it is or what’s to come around the next bend. I like it this way. I use my senses – looking at the tree line or ridge line, knowing my pace and how long it’s taken me to get to where I am – and of course listening. I use the sounds of the cow bells and birds to indicate how far or close I am from something. I also look down at the trail to see if there were footsteps ahead of me, and which direction the shoe print is pointing. I look for hiker pool markings and how wet a rock might be after a stream crossing to determine how far or close I am to other hikers. On this trail I saw only a small handful of folks hiking. The description of this trail clearly stated it was not on the tourist radar and used mostly by locals. After the day I would conquer. I was alone for nearly 3 hrs, without another person in sight or within ear shot. When I reached the summit, thick fog settled in and there was nothing to be seen. No panorama views for me, but it was mysterious which I enjoyed. Instead of hiking the typical blue route I opted for the riskier red trail along the ridge adding on about an hour and half. The cable car operator suggested I bypass this area given the drop off on either side of the trail so I was on alert – and two women I met at the summit also suggested it was a bit riskier…I decided to begin and assess for myself the conditions. I quickly realized it was pretty safe and decided to complete my original plan. Yes, there were sections with extremely step slopes on ether side of the ridge, but the trail was clear and good footing available. Muddy at times with many roots to maneuver over. On this section I also spotted the largest snail I have ever seen, wild alpine Lily’s and a dainty butterfly. I also foraged some wild strawberries – their sweet rich flavor made the additional hike portion so worth it.

Wednesday was a very different kind of day, no longer was I alone on the trail, there was hardly a moment where I wasn’t alone. I traveled farther than usual today, about 2.5 hours outside Zurich to the Oeschinensee, for a hike along the lake. This hike starts again with a cable car ascent (after three trains and a bus ride). Immediately upon arriving at the cable car station I was swarmed with tourists and hikers. This was a magnet location and I could quickly see why. This location offers activities for any person, any ability, any age. There is a wheelchair accessible path from the cable car to the lake, boating, fishing, and of course hiking. There is a large restaurant/cafe lake side and treats at the cable car station. It’s a 35 minute downhill walk from the cable car to the lake (so be prepared for the return trip walking up) – but tightly packed gravel makes it easy to traverse. While the lake was appealing to see, I wanted to gain elevation first before sticking my hot feet in the cool water as a final reward. So I planned to hike up along the lake traversing a trail which runs high above the lake though parallel to the lake. You can imagine panorama views of the lake for most of the hike. Some parts where narrow and but surprisingly traversed under waterfalls from the ridge above. The hike is circular, starting above the lake, and ending down along the water’s edge. Blue water looks stunningly bold against the gray, white and brown rocks dashed with green patches of trees and grass. This hike makes for great eye candy – and the hot sun pulls you closer to the water with every step. At the far end of the hike is a hut where folks stop for refreshments and then the intention is for one to head down. When I reached the hut, I wasn’t ready to descend yet so I opted to hike an hour up. Yes, straight up. Just under three hours from this point is a mountain hut for guests to spend the night. It sits perches way up high and far back into the mountain. As much as I wanted to reach this hut, time would not allow it. With the long commute home, I needed to plan accordingly. So – an hour of delightful uphill trekking. No polls, just my body doing the work. There was no shade or tree cover, but a cool breeze blew down from the glacier up ahead. So, despite the sun, I was refreshingly cool. I reached a great lookout spot at the the glacier, ate my apple, carrot and bar before heading down. Yes, I did stop to take off my shoes and dip my feet into the water. It was entertaining to watch all of the swimmers, loungers, boaters and tiktokers. It’s unsarcastically entertaining to watch people set up their phone stands, and perform tiktok moves, gimmicks and dances with the iconic setting behind. After a cool down, I ventured back up to the cable car, bought myself an Apfelschorle which is apple juice with carbonation – ahh, so refreshing after a day of work.

Thursday was by far the longest hike I did, just under 15 km and ending the day with 27,000 steps! This hike was called the Flumserberg 7 Peak Tour- can you guess how many peaks I hiked, yes, seven! Seven times up and seven times down. This is a popular hiking region (again with varying levels of hiking trails), but I was on a mission to do one of the most challenging hikes available here. As a result, I found myself alone for many long stretches. The hike begins with a small climb, a warm up – and then a royal procession of three more climbs ending with the 4th highest peak called Gulmen at 2317 meters high. With each ascent, there is a steep decent, so your legs have to work hard pushing up, only to then loose all the elevation as you go down and onward towards the next. I honestly loved every second. The hike is predicted to be about 6 hours long. I completed the hike in 3.5 hours:) As I was hiking on the final decent, there were other peaks I wished were added on to make this just a bit more of a challenge. But don’t worry – I felt very satisfied and proud of my crushing it – time. Between the 4th and 5th peak you hike around in the back country of a mountain, thick rumbling rocks line your path and lots of mud and muck (cow poop and pee). The smell reminds me of my childhood, the ground makes me feel alive and the mountings looming around remind me to be ever humble.

Yesterday evening, while relaxing on the couch, Obi asked me if I had ever done a mountain roller coaster. I admittedly judgingly said no – and brushed off this idea. Explaining that I wouldn’t typically opt for an easy way down. Ironically at the hike I did that day, to the Oeschinensee there was a mountain roller coaster with many kids and adults excitedly on the ride. Then…today, I kid you not, as I was sitting in the cable car riding up to the trail head – what do I see, but a very long mountain roller coaster with twists and turns! I thought well this is fate, I need to try it out. So – after completing the seven peaks I took a small diversion on the trail to Chrüz, which is the start of the ride. Getting to the coaster is possible from three different ways. Walking from the bottom of the ride, taking the ski life up or hike to it from where I came from. One of the ticket options is unlimited, allowing you to ride the life up, down on the coaster and around again and again. Before staring I was laughing at myself – for my comments the night before. I also noticed I was slightly scared, this ride was steep and looked fast. The last time I was on a coaster type ride was with Obi at Six Flags. By the end of the day day, my voice was gone from all the screaming. He was a my buoy – grounding me and pumping confidence into me. Funny, I’m not scared in the slightest being thousands of meters above the ground alone for hours – but put me on a human made machine that goes fast, downhill – and forget it, my adrenaline (not the good kind) kicks in. But, here I go! Before getting strapped in, one of the ride operators takes my and another woman’s backpack and places them on the ski lift chair – they get the slow ride down. I sit down, strap in and hold on to the controls on either side – forward = go, back = stop/slow down. Details on the ride, you can go 40km per hour, it’s 2000 m long and you loose 250 m in elevation. You are supposed to stay about 25m behind the rider in front. When my chair launched from the top – I accelerated very quickly, and my hat blew up and off, thankfully getting caught on my bun, I reluctantly released one control while making scared monster like sounds, grabbed my hat before it was lost forever, and slipped it around my wrist – then quickly took hold of the control again. You are jolted around from left to right as the ride zips down sharp turns, through tunnels, waves, and spiraling circles. At one point of the ride, a camera flashes and takes your awkward photo. I saw mine at the bottom a mouth wide open, eyes locked in and arms flexed on the controls. So uncool indeed, hahaha! Anyhow, I felt wind swept at the base, and hobbled my way to the ski lift and waited for my bag. That ride showed me who was in charge. I won’t judge a mountain coaster again, that’s for sure. What a day.

Coaster chairs coming up from their drop off point (ski lifts tow the chairs back up the mountain).

Imagine me sitting in that first seat…ahh!

Tomorrow, Obi and I are visiting a dear friend of mine and his family. We met on outward bound trip when I was 23 years old in the Colorado Rockies. We’ll be heading to Nyon, Switerland. See you on the other side!

Europe, 2024 Zurich Days 7 – 10

I ended my last post with a message about heading off to Greece, sadly the global IT outage caused by Crowdstrike had different plans for us! After packing our bags and boarding the train to Zurich’s airport we overheard a family talking about an IT outage. I could see Obi’s tech brain quickly at work as he searched the world wide web for news of the events. Yes, flights were being cancelled and planes grounded but not all of them and so we were hopeful. When we looked at the departure board at the airport, Athens was still a go and so we pushed onward. Only to very quickly realize something major was happening. The line to check in was extremely long – longer than what you would expect and there were TV crews around filming and interviewing people. While on line we started to hear announcements about all USA bound passengers to please get off the line and were shuttled into a different holding area. We slowly snaked through the line and about an hour later made it to the check in. By this time, we had 45 minutes to check our bags, clear security and reach the gate. The agent took our passports to check us in and couldn’t find our flight. She called a manager and they realized our flight was cancelled! We quickly saw our dreams of Limnos withering away. We were directed to another line for folks with cancelled flights through Swiss Airlines. This line had probably about 200 (or more) people on it…as we waited we contacted our booking site only to learn that all of the alternative flight options to Limnos at this time would have costed a large sum of extra money, and the timing to fly was highly inconvenient (through the night or legs of the trip which were 23 hrs long). So – we cancelled our plans and returned to the Airbnb. Limnos, I am coming…just not yet! After some internet searching we booked a stay at a mountain resort outside Lucerne. Lucerne is a 55 minute or so train ride from Zurich. Given what time of the day it was by now, we decided to leave Saturday morning.

Lucerne is a pleasant town with some impressive historical sights. We wandered through a farmers market which we stumbled upon and picked up some classic pastries and fruit for breakfast. Eating by the river witch sticky hands, watching tourists and locals merge at the market stands. The site I was most moved by was the Lion of Lucerne which is a rock relief sculpture. The monument was completed in 1821 and commemorates fallen Swiss soldiers killed during the French Revolution. The monument is free to tourists and is protected by Switzerland, though is costly to maintain. It is a striking sculpture as it sits set into the massive rock face wall. We also enjoyed a one hour long boat tour with an English audio guide in the Lucerne Lake. We marveled at the lake side villas while listening to the legends of Mount Pilatus looming overhead (a dragon lives there!). We also learned that this mountain’s name was falsely rumored after Pontius Pilate. However, the mountain actually got it’s name from the Latin word for hat or cap, pileus because the clouds sit a top the mountain peak like a hat (or at least the locals say that when the clouds sit on top like a hat it will be a good weather day, but when the clouds drape down along the sides into the valley, rain is coming). We had a day with clouds like a hat – so lucky us!

After touring Lucerne and departing with delicious street side pretzels from the Pretzel König (King) we were on the second part of the journey to the mountain resort at Melchsee-Frutt. We took a train, to a bus and finally a gondola up – way up into the mountain range. Riding these gondolas feels like you enter a whole new world. From down on the street into the clouds you go. We were both quickly impressed with the setting and found ourselves immedaitly humbled by the looming alps and snow capped peaks. The resort sits on the edge of a lake, Melchsee which has a lovely walking path around it and connects to another nearby lake about 4 km away. From this area are also many hiking trails. The resort was home to a lovely spa with a sauna, steam room and pool. On the first day we had a few hours of daylight left and walked together around the lake, finding our bearings and enjoying the luscious sights.

On this first walk we found ourselves at part of the trail with a few large and magnificent cows. They were blocking the trail and mooing along. We were at a gate and it almost seemed like they wanted us to open and let them pass. As we waited another couple came by and confidently gently nudged them aside and so we thought we could do the same – but when we passed through the gate the cows instead turned around and walked ahead of us. They were trail blazing and leading us along the path. It was thrilling to trail behind them and we were unsure if they would let us pass. Finally at a same point, I clapped my hands and mimicked what I hear the German farmers say and voila, the cows decided to head off the trail and started to sprint down the lake. It was such a site to be seen. Never have I ever seen cows run so fast and look so happy. They all have bells – some large round bells which make deep hallow ringing sounds and others with smaller shapely bells that make higher pitched chimes. Together the cows really are the bell choir of the Alps.

On Sunday we had grand plans to do a big hike together but the weather had another idea – rain, rain, rain. We studied the Swiss weather app, stalled our departure and hiked during the window with no rain projections. As many of you know, Obi, is not an avid nature lover like me. He appreciates beautiful sites but hiking for hours in the heat – and especially up is not his cup of tea. I said “I prefer going up instead of going down.” His reply, “I prefer staying level.” Oh he makes me laugh. He did suggest joining me on this hike – so I was beyond happy. I love hiking with him – and so off we went. Prepared for what might come and we thankfully got two ponchos from the hotel reception. Yes, we left all our rain gear in Zurich ignorantly imagining only sunny days ahead. The trail head was sneaky to find – but once we located it’s start, we were off. One step at a time we climbed and met another couple on the same route. I was and am very proud of Obi – and he was happy his running this past year paid off as he managed very well climbing. The trail went along the edge of a valley to the ridge line of a mountain – and then a small trek to the summit. The rain held off the whole time and we managed to make it back to the hotel as the sun broke through the clouds.

We had Nutella style sandwiches courtesy of the breakfast buffet :), Obi showered and settled in to watch his F1 race. I headed to the spa for a second round of delights. Sauna, steam room, cold shower and repeat. Then some time in the pool with it’s water massage jets and a cup of tea on the outside terrace with the view of a lifetime. We ended the day with an hour in the game room. The resort has a room with a two lane bowling alley. The balls are small, hand sized and much lighter than a traditional bowling ball and the pins are attached to strings which are used to pull up and automatically reset the pins. As you know Obi and I are very competitive with each other and have a spreadsheet in which we track points. The last time we bowled Obi kicked my behind and earned a point – so I was not willing to risk another point on the line. I regretted that decision fast because I won every round and with each game we played (a total of three) my score improved! Obi was in shock – hahaha! We then played three games of foosball. I think given Obi’s emotional state (coming off the blowing annihilation)- he was not as focused, and so I capitalized on his weakened mind – and I won the first game! He won the next two and found his stride again – but wow, we couldn’t stop laughing at the turn of events.

Monday morning was another rainy day, so after a workout at the hotel gym, we had breakfast and then I did a final walk around the lake – snapped a few more photos of wild alpine flowers with their rain drops perfectly pillowed on their petals – said good by to the Melchsee and took the gondola ride back down. We are back in Zurich – Obi will head to work tomorrow and I out to the mountains for another hike. Till then.

Europe, 2024 Zurich Days 1-5

Am I still in Antarctica? I wondered this as I trekked through some of the still snowy capped mountains of the Swiss Alps. Much to my surprise I was not in fact down south – lol – but in Zurich, Switzerland! I was just starting my Pizol 5 lake hike. A challenging hike up and down through the mountain tops to see five (actually there were only four?!) glacial lakes. This was my inaugural hike on our trip to Zurich this summer. Obi had the idea to visit Zurich so that I could hike and bike while he works at the Google office. He knows me well and suggested this idea so that I could have access to the great outdoors a place I long for and love. We arrived in Zurich on Friday morning, sleep deprived from the red eye flight. We found a luggage storage at the main train station in the city, secured our goods and committed to staying awake until our 3 pm Airbnb check in. We decided to visit the National Swiss Museum across the street to pass some time – and learn a bit more about Swiss history and culture. The museum was full of many small exhibits one which I particularly found interesting was various examples of how waste is being reused. There were on display examples of not just the three Rs (reuse, reduce and recycle) but actually the 10 Rs including refuse, repurpose, or repair as additional examples. The museum also had an exhibit telling the story of finger rings from historical roman, Egyptian and medieval periods to contemporary 20th and 21st century. The variety was mind-blowing – as each ring felt so different and told a different story. The collection is from Alice and Louis Koch on display at the museum. The ring was was spellbound by was a large blue oval representing the ocean and in the middle was a gold figure of which you could only see the head and an arm – the parts of a body one sees above water when swimming. The ring was satisfying to look at and I felt such a sense of freedom in that simple image. We were admittedly very tired and eventually rested in the cafe with some cool drinks. Behind the museum was a small park which we ventured through and then at last, to our rental. Checking in was smooth (after negotiating with two lock boxes found our key) in we went! We were both pleased with the place we rented. Large windows with a lot of natural light, a living, eating and sleeping area laid out simply but effective. Sunday was dedicated to acclimating – so we found a local breakfast spot, enjoyed a hearty meal and then explored by foot some of the city. We tried to get groceries for the apartment only to quickly realize stores are not open on Sunday (even though I know this – I always seem to forget!). We had not been to the FIFA Museum and decided to check it out. We were both highly impressed with the quality of the exhibit and spent just over two hours reading about the history of soccer rules, many facts about the Men’s and Women’s World Cups, the design features of soccer balls over the years, imagery on national jerseys, and facts about key players, team coaches and referees. We even visited the world famous Maracanã stadium in Brazil:)

Following our soccer or football immersive experience it was back to Swiss culture with a visit to the Fraumünster and Grossmünster in the “old city.” Having visited these historic churches before venturing inside felt familiar. Remembering the smell of the concrete walls, wooden pews and crypts below was enjoyable but not as much as looking at the glorious stained glass windows with late afternoon sunlight pressing it’s way through. Our dinner that night was a delightful find – we were walking across a street and I happened to glance over to see some food being carried out to the dinners. It looked colorful, fresh and so so yummy! We decided to abandon our original plan and asked for a table. We made a great choice and dined on Lebanese food- a spot we will most likely eat at again!

Monday morning came which meant Obi needed to head to work and I, after doing some research found a hike to tackle. The Pizol 5 Lake hike was a great way to start this trip – as I mentioned above it was a challenging hike with so many lovely surprises along the way. The hike guides you from one lake to the next and so you need to hike up and down in order to pass through the valley from one body of water to the next. Given the altitude and temperature of the water, two lakes were ice-capped with large pieces of ice floating around. I found it impossible to not think about Antarctica and the massive glaciers and ice floes which remain strongly imprinted in my mind – but these baby ice-floes were delightful in their own way. Despite the hot sun – rushing glacial melt flooded these lakes and aroused excited yelps from hikers who took their own version of the polar plunge. I did not stop to swim as I was eager to reach the end of the trail. My engine was running – I wanted to keep pushing. Sometimes when I stop too long in the middle of a high intensity physical activity, it requires more work to get the muscles firing again, than to keep them moving at a steady clip. A highlight of the trail was a rock cairn collection from which many previous hikers have contributed. Some small and others life sized the fragile pillars stood erect and at attention overlooking the expansive valley below. Admittedly I am not so great at taking pictures when I am alone – and in the zone – but here are a few I quickly captured which should give you a sense of the atmosphere. I enjoyed this hike so much I will probably come back again for a repeat adventure – maybe this time I will stop and take a plunge:)

Wildseeluggen, 2492 M, Can you see the ice?

On Tuesday, our 5th day here (counting the arrival day) I had planned to hike again – after a little over an hour of scouting last night for a hike to conquer I woke up to heavy rain. While the surrounding city of Zurich was supposed to clear up – the mountains I was heading to predicted thunderstorms for most of the day. I will hike through a lot – but thunder and lightening is a safety concern no hiker should take the risk in. If todays trail would be anything like yesterday – rain would add to the steep drops, slippery rocks and mud slides. I knew it was not wise and so I shifted gears and began looking for a bike to rent. Much to my surprise, renting a road bike (let alone a half way decent bike) is surprisingly not that easy – despite how bike friendly this city is. I tried many possibilities all dead ends and after Obi left for work I gave up on the computer, packed up and head out not knowing where I would find a bike, but going to try. The neighborhood we live in is lovely, calm and seemingly family friendly. A synagogue down the street, some delicious restaurants, two local ice-cream shops and a Park Slope Food Coop type store a few minutes away (yes, I have already done a big shop there:). Also around the corner from our place is a bike shop – so I asked if they knew of a good bike rental shop and well, it was a lucky day after all – they had a bike left and would be happy to rent it! It’s a red, sturdy hybrid bike with disc breaks – fits me perfectly and rides smooth. They needed an hour to tune her up – and then voila – I was off. Once again I was not sure where I would end up and decided to pick a point along the lake which was about 35 km out and then bike back…but as you know, it’s hard to contain the adventurer in me and before I knew it I mapped out a huge loop cutting across the Seedam bridge. In the photo below – the yellow route maps my ride today and the orange section I did not complete yet (the two stars indicate our apartment and the Google office). Not tomorrow, but probably on Thursday I will do the whole lake from tip to tip – yes, I rented the bike for a week so I could enjoy a few more rides this week. I will save more hikes for the last two weeks.

Today I biked just about 46 miles – with the extra tip the loop should be 56 miles. While the ride is not particularly beautiful – I am mostly on the bike lane shoulder of the road (route 3 and route 17) it’s nice to just be able to ride without interruption pumping my legs like pistons. The terrain is relatively flat with some rolling hills but the hardest component is the wind. It pounds on your relentlessly – and reminded me of my Tour de Fran which I completed a few years ago through Spain and France. When I rode through France the wind was aggressive (as it’s known to be in that area). Today I felt like le mistral came back to say hello. I was immersed in the experience and it wasn’t until my stomach sent me a signal to eat something – the hours of riding had caught up to me and so I pulled over at a train station, with the lake as my view and chowed down the cheese sandwich, trial mix and fruit bar I brought along. Powered up I launched head first into the final 20 km – parting the wind with my tires and helmet. There were a few points at which I was convinced the rain would return as the sun disappeared behind large thick grey clouds and a few drizzling drops reached my face – but again, as luck would have it, the rain held off and I arrived safely back home after 3 hours and 45 minutes of high powered biking. Google claims the ride should take 4.5 hours… Yes the Franimal always has to beat Google. I’ll write again before we leave for Greece on Friday:)