Gantrisch

One of my colleagues at work, Oliver, kindly invited Pam and I out for a day of hiking.  He suggested the Gantrisch region, which is a beautiful rural mountain area located in the triangle between Bern, Fribourg and Thun.   The Gantrish mountain range is actually considered part of the Alpine foothills and it is one of the few areas in Switzerland not easily accessible by train, so Oliver drove.  

It was a foggy morning but, as we drove up into the mountains, we crossed through the cloud cover and were treated to some amazing views.  The hike itself offered countless other picture taking opportunities.  It turned out to be an absolutely gorgeous day.  From the summit, we were able to scan across the horizon and see essentially all the famous Alpine peaks -- the Jungfrau to the east, the Matterhorn to the south, and even Mont Blanc off to the west (in France).  Oliver even pointed out Bern's own little Mt. Gurten poking out through the cloud cover to the north.

Surprisingly, we had enough energy left after the summit to hike back down to a beautiful nearby lake.  Oliver said he remembered the lake from his childhood, but he hadn't been back since.  Seeing it for the first time myself, I can understand why it made such an impression on him.  It was a special place.  But by this point we were pretty hungry, so we found a nice little restaurant with a table outside and enjoyed some delicious traditional Swiss food before heading back home.  

See pictures from Gantrisch.

Video:

"Where we came from, where we're going."

"Top of the Gantrisch"

Matterhorn and Mont Blanc

"Walking back down"

Paraglider takes off!

Mt. Pilatus

I had so much fun climbing Mt. Niesen last week that Pam and I decided to climb Mt. Pilatus (2132 meters) this weekend. The weather forecast promised a nice day. Pilatus is not too far from Luzern. In fact, we were able to see the summit of Pilatus when we strolled through the streets of Luzern back in August with my Dad and Gretchen. At the time, I remember wondering what the view was like from the top. This was our chance to find out!

We didn't have the time -- or the conditioning -- to attempt the full 4-hour hike from the bottom, so we jumped on a gondola at Kriens for the 30-minute ride up to the small hillside resort of Fräkmüntegg (1415 meters). From there, we set out for the summit. It was a moderately steep two hour hike up the rocky mountainside. Fortunately, the path was well marked. Fog rolled in as we neared the top, but it was clear on the other side of the mountain and, when we reached the summit, we were able to enjoy stunning views of Luzern and the lake below (it was far better than I ever imagined!). 

Given that it took so much effort to get there, I suspect we enjoyed the view just a little bit more than those tourists who took the gondola ride the whole way up! :) 

See photos from Pilatus.

Video:

From the top of Mt. Pilatus.

Hiking Mt. Niesen

Summer has turned into fall, which means its hiking season in Switzerland! It seems like everybody loves the great outdoors here. In the winter, people ski. In the summer, people boat on the lakes or float down the Aare river. And in the fall, people hike in the mountains. The Swiss take hiking pretty seriously. There is no shortage of hiking options. Switzerland's population even accepted an amendment to the constitution stating that the administration is obliged to support private efforts in creating and maintaining hiking paths.

Marco and Arno invited Pam and I to join them on a hike of Mt. Niesen this weekend. Unfortunately, Pam was unable to go because her friend Arlette was arriving from Amsterdam. But Arno's girlfriend, Bianca, joined us. Niesen is a 2,262m (7,749-ft) mountain overlooking Lake Thun, and its perfect pyramid shape make it a local favorite. We took a morning train from Bern to Mülenen, at the base of Mt. Niesen, and started walking from there. The weather was spectacular. We got a little lost along the way, but eventually made it to the Schwandegg funicular stop about halfway up the mountain. Hungry and a little tired, we decided the train was our best option for the rest way. :)

Once at the top, we enjoyed fantastic views of Lake Thun and Lake Brienz below, and from afar we could see the triumvirate peaks of the Eiger, the Mönch and the Jungfrau. We relaxed at the outdoor terrace restaurant and enjoyed a delicious lunch before heading back down. Marco, Arno, and I didn't have the patience to stand in line for the cog railway, so we decided to hoof it. There were a few steep, narrow and exposed places along the way (especially near the top), but we managed to make good time. We met up with Bianca back at Schwandegg and took the funicular back down together.

It was a great day. The experience definitely opened my eyes to all the hiking possibilities in Switzerland. Can't wait to get back out there with Pam next weekend!!

See hiking photos from Mt. Niesen

Videos:

Are we there yet?!

"It's absolutely beautiful from up here!"

View of Lake Thun from the top of Niesen

Look Mom: Narrow ledge, no safety net.

Michelle blogging from Switzerland

(MMC aka BklynGem blogging from Switzerland)

Ah, so it is Tuesday, Oct 7, our last day in Bern. Let me try to recount the past week in this one post without boring you too much.

In my opinion, Switzerland appears and acts much larger than it actually is...who knows what gives it so much character, I might say ballsy even. With the many mountains, lakes, castles, and rich history, I guess there's reason to be. So needless to say, we didn't get to do everything we wanted to (no trips to Zermatt to see the Matterhorn for example) or maybe we were subconsciously planning a return trip to finish the sightseeing ;-)

What we did do can be found in the many, many photos we took. Nadine and I are a bit of a nightmare with the camera. Love those candid shots. Sorry Brian and Pam.

Highlights include:
- Neuchatel (see photos): it's been noted that the yellow buildings appear to have been carved out of butter.  
- Milan (see photos): Gucci, Prada...like a beacon calling us home ;-). Also, the possibility of a husband (seriously that was his first question before even trying to sell his silly bracelets). The panhandlers were a bit aggressive here. I noticed that the train system was very much like Boston's...color train lines and charlie ticket type system, more likely vice versa, since the Pine Street Inn tower (here) is supposedly a replica of this one in Italy. I wonder what else Boston copied from Italy?  
- Fribourg (see photos): FONDUE. Enough. Said.  
- Lake Geneva a la Montreux (see photos): This might have been the closest we got to France. The lake, the mountains...just MAGNIFIQUE!!! Even the train ride is a sight to behold with the vineyards on one side and the lake on the other. Here, I was the lone nerd who wanted to go into the 12th century Chateau de Chillon to see where Lord Byron scribbled his name on a pillar in support of Francois Bonivard, prisoner of the Duke of Savoy. There's a famous poem and some history there, or something ;-). It was pretty cool, though, and I got some video in one of the crypts (note the ominous sound of my boots purposely done for effect-lol), and some great views from the watchtower.

There was also a brief jaunt for lunch in Sion where I was somehow left standing on the platform while everyone waved from the train...hmmmm. But I was not complaining, the train system in Schweiz is excellent and runs frequently. I was on the next train within the hour. And I had my trusty iPhone (ha, knew I was gonna plug at some point) to let the others know I was just fine.

I should also mention the lots of walking around in and around Bern (see photos) where we visited with Pedro in the Bearpit, the Rosengarten, Kornhaus, and of course there was CHOCOLATE.  

In summation, let's put it this way: Flight to Suisse - $1,000+, RailPass - $800+, Fondue Moitie-moitie - $25+, spending time with family - PRICELESS.

SMOOCHES!!

Videos:

"They are obsessed with Ovaltine!"

Welcome to Fribourg!

The Fribourg Strangler

Watch the "Amazing" video in Fribourg

Entering the Watchtower in Chillon.

Video in the Dungeon of Chillion.