• CH & IT Roadtrip
    The covered bridge, and the Gsteig church and tower — Gsteigwiler, Switzerland.
    I read that this covered bridge can be hydraulically raised when threatened by floodwaters.Gsteig Church and Tower — Gsteigwiler, Switzerland.Gsteig Church — Gsteigwiler, Switzerland.One of the historic frescoes at the Gsteig Church — Gsteigwiler, Switzerland.One of the historic frescoes at the Gsteig Church — Gsteigwiler, Switzerland.Historic gravestone embedded in the wall of the Gsteig Church — Gsteigwiler, Switzerland.Looking through the arch at the Gsteig Church toward the nearby inn — Gsteigwiler, Switzerland.The cemetery at the Kirche Gsteig complex — Gsteigwiler, Switzerland.Mui managed to cross the bridge to pick me up — Gsteigwiler, Switzerland.

    Beatenberg: Day 4 … Kirche Gsteig

    July 21 in Switzerland ⋅ ☀️ 72 °F

    Switzerland is a country of roundabouts … which help to keep the traffic flowing.

    We usually do very well counting roundabout exits and 99.9% of the time we take the correct one. On our way home from Lauterbrunnen, however, we miscounted and ended up detouring through Wilderswil. No problem … it didn’t take us too far out of our way.

    Before we got back on the route that would take us to Beatenberg, however, I spotted what looked like an old clock tower. So, we detoured further to find it. To get to the tower, we had to cross the Lütschine River via a covered bridge. Unsure whether it was a pedestrian-only bridge, Mui opted to stay with the car while I crossed it on foot.

    Turns out the tower is part of the Protestant (Reformed) Kirche Gsteig complex. The present church dates from the 12th century … though parts of the foundations are as old as the 8th century. A mix of styles ranging from Romanesque to Gothic and Baroque point to the church having been rebuilt over the years. For me, the most interesting part of this unexpected stop was the remnants of a couple of frescoes dating back to the 14th/15th century … uncovered during more recent renovations.

    I was wandering the cemetery when it started to drizzle. Time to get back to the car. Luckily, I didn’t have to walk all the way back to meet up with Mui. Noticing vehicles heavier than our car driving over the covered bridge, he had followed them to park nearby.

    The drive back to Beatenberg was a wet one … but at least we were warm and dry in the car.    Read more