Schaffhausen
July 23, 2017 in Switzerland ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C
Schaffhausen, a town that made it's money from transporting goods from the upper Rhine to below the Rheinfall.
Beautiful old town, with ornately painted buildings and covered balconies.
Munot
July 23, 2017 in Switzerland ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C
The Munot is a circular 16th century fortification in the center of Schaffhausen. It is surrounded by vineyards and serves as the city's symbol. The ring-shaped fortress was built in the 16th century.
Boat to Stein am Rhein
July 23, 2017 in Switzerland ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C
Then it was on a boat for a two hour journey up river to Stein am Rhein. Along the way the boat had to navigate some quite narrow, shallow passages, as well as avoid folks floating down river onRead more
Stein am Rhein
July 23, 2017 in Switzerland ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C
Stein am Rhein is a small town west of Lake Constance (Bodensee), full of preserved, half-timbered medieval houses with painted facades, clustered around Rathausplatz in the old town. On a hilltopRead more
Zurich
July 24, 2017 in Switzerland ⋅ 🌧 15 °C
Today I walked around Zurich, a city I'd been to before a couple of times, but never explored
I walked around the old town either side of the Limmat river,exploring all the small alleys down to theRead more
Interlaken
July 25, 2017 in Switzerland ⋅ 🌧 13 °C
Today's trip was into the mountains in the centre of the country, starting at Interlaken. Not a great day weather wise, but nothing will stop me.
A few big old hotels here tells how much it's been aRead more
Harder Kulm
July 25, 2017 in Switzerland ⋅ 🌧 11 °C
I firstly went up the funicular at the north of Interlaken to Harder Kulm. Raining heavy, but still got glimpses of Interlaken below through the clouds.
Schynige Platte
July 25, 2017 in Switzerland ⋅ 🌧 13 °C
Back down the funicular, and straight onto another train to Lauterbrunnen. A short distance from Interlaken I get off at Wilderswil, where I get on the old cog train up to Schynige Platte. A very slowRead more
Wengen
July 25, 2017 in Switzerland ⋅ 🌧 10 °C
Once down to Wilderswil, I transfer onto a train to Lauterbrunnen again, where I change onto the mountain train to Wengen. But pouring down there, with no view of the surrounding mountains.
Overall IRead more
Bellinzona
July 26, 2017 in Switzerland ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C
Today's daytrip was like visiting another country, through the newly operational 57km Gotthard tunnel, which allows train speeds of up to 160mph (250kmh). This took me to the south of Switzerland, andRead more
Castelgrande
July 26, 2017 in Switzerland ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C
Castelgrande is located on a rocky peak overlooking the valley, with a series of walls that protect the old city and connect to Montebello.
Castillo di Montebello
July 26, 2017 in Switzerland ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C
Castello di Sasso Corbaro
July 26, 2017 in Switzerland ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C
Sasso Corbaro, the highest of the three castles, is located on an isolated rocky promontory south-east of the other two. The Castles of Bellinzona with their defensive walls have been an UNESCO WorldRead more
Mornera
July 26, 2017 in Switzerland ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C
I also went up the mountain on the opposite side of the valley by gondola to Mornera, then down again to one of the lower gondola stations.
Ponte Tibetano Carasc
July 26, 2017 in Switzerland ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C
From there it was a relatively tough hike to the Tibetan bridge, a 270m long suspended foot bridge, 130m above the gorge below.
Kandersteg-Goppenstein
July 27, 2017 in Switzerland ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C
Thursday was a trip to the south west of Switzerland, into the French speaking Valais canton.
Before that we had to drive onto a train to travel through the mountains.
Lac Souterrain
July 27, 2017 in Switzerland ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C
Once off the train it was down twisty roads to the valley below. We stopped at Lac Souterrain at Saint-Léonard. The subterranean lake is located along the Rhone valley, between Sion and Sierre in theRead more
Notre-Dame de Montorge
July 27, 2017 in Switzerland ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C
Then it was onto Sion. It’s known for 2 hilltop fortifications: the 13th-century Tourbillon Castle ruins and the Valère Castle complex, with a basilica housing an organ over 500 years old. TheRead more
Sion
July 27, 2017 in Switzerland ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C
After supper we had a walk into the centre of Sion, lovely warm evening.
Fiesch
July 28, 2017 in Switzerland ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C
Day two in Valais. A night in Sion before heading eastward up the Rhone valley to see two glaciers, the spectacular Aletsch glacier and the Rhonegletscher.
Both have been affected by global warming,Read more
Aletsch glacier
July 28, 2017 in Switzerland ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C
And at the end of the gondola, what a view. The Aletsch glacier, the largest in the Alps at 23km long, 1km deep at the deepest. Stunning views everywhere and the clouds disappear as we get there.Read more
Rhonegletscher
July 28, 2017 in Switzerland ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C
After the Aletsch glacier it's onwards up the Rhone valley, to where it's very narrow, and very twisty roads. A huge scar shows where the Rhonegletscher ice used to be in very recent history. TheRead more
Grimsel pass
July 28, 2017 in Switzerland ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C
After the Rhonegletscher, it was back down the valley and over the Grimsel Pass at 7100 ft (2164m) on the opposite side of the valley. Nice misty pass at the top, temperature changed from 27.5C toRead more
Basel Zoo
July 29, 2017 in Switzerland ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C
Saturday was a lovely day out to Zolli, officially Zoologischer Garten Basel, and is Switzerland's oldest (1874) and largest zoo (by number of animals). It's a huge attraction as it's in the centre ofRead more
Königsfelden, Windisch
July 30, 2017 in Switzerland ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C
My final day on Sunday in Switzerland was a quick tour around Vindonissa, located in what is today called Windisch. It was an important Roman legion's camp being the only one in Switzerland andRead more