Europe
hiking
Switzerland
Switzerland: My Expectation vs Reality
2/27/2020
I don't know about you, but I first learnt about Switzerland from a TV commercial featuring Milka Chocolate and lush green Swiss Alps valleys with perfectly groomed cows wearing sonorous bells. To my deepest disappointment, Milka Chocolate, though originally made in Switzerland, has been produced in Germany for the past 100 years. On the bright side, these Swiss valleys with perfectly groomed cows do exist, and I was fortunate enough to locate a few of them in Appenzell, a little village that sits next to the Swiss border with Germany, Austria and Liechtenstein.
Public transportation in Europe (especially railways) never stops to amaze me. You can easily get to Appenzell by train from pretty much anywhere and then hop on a gondola that takes you to Ebenalp (1,644 m / 5,393 ft) where you can enjoy some of the most beautiful views in the Alps.
Appenzell marks an astonishing place where gently rolling hills meet towering granite mountains.
Depending on how hungry you are for hiking, your day trip can easily be extended to a multi-day hike as there are dozens of hiking trails originating in Appenzell with difficulty levels ranging from novice to strenuous. One of the most beautiful hikes in the area takes you to the summit of Mount Santis (2,501 m / 8,205 ft).
Paragliding is another reason people flock to Appenzell. Warm rising air ensures a long and smooth descent into one of the many open valley floors.
But believe it or not - my number one reason to visit Appenzell was not paragliding; wasn't hiking either. It's a place called Aescher, a hostelry built into a rock face. You can only reach it on foot, however it's worth 15 minutes of your time and a few dozen of burnt calories. As you can imagine, it's a very busy place, especially on a weekend, with lots of people taking selfies. But it's nevertheless beautiful, and apparently a very good place to try Swiss delicacies, too!
What is the connection between this picture below and the Aescher hostelry? You can find the right answer at the end of the article.
A cave chapel nearby provides a nice shade on a hot sunny day.
If you keep walking down from the Aescher hostelry, you will soon reach another stunning place - Lake Seealpsee. Surrounded by mountains, this dramatic alpine lake draws musicians who take advantage of sound effects similar to the ones in a music conservatory. Listening to the soulful music sitting by the lake was phenomenal, I didn't even mind the crowds.
I think the best way to finish a day trip to Appenzell is to visit the actual village with its neat, almost toy-like houses. There are dozens of good-looking places to eat and shop.
The right answer: the bottom picture is a lift that takes supplies to Aescher hostelry. If you got it right, you earned the respect of these real Swiss dudes!
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