A travel writer extols the virtues of hiking in Switzerland, where the locals thoughtfully killed off all the fanged predators hundreds of years ago.
The only signs along Swiss hiking trails are quaint yellow signposts that provide not only the exact mileage between point A and point B, but also how long it will take you to hike it — in hours and minutes. The most startling thing you’re likely to encounter on a Swiss trail is a group of 89-year-old men in lederhosen speeding past you like you were standing still, and pausing just long enough to yodel.
In Switzerland, there’s also no need to carry a heavy backpack — or even a heavy lunch. The country’s charming trails are sprinkled with adorable cafes, chalets and restaurants where you can savor a frothy cappuccino and a steaming plate of homemade pasta. Feeling weary? A chain of rustic hikers’ huts and chalets offer more amenities than a Motel 6 — from comfy bunks and linens to delicious home-cooked meals.
Then again, I suppose this is the most we can hope for from people who specialize in making watches and keeping banking transactions secret.
Wait… doesn’t that sound exactly like a great way to visit Switzerland? Rather than staying in a hotel and seeing nothing??? OK, maybe if I LIVED there, it would be a little ‘luxurious’, but I’m all for vacations that let me eat well, sleep well and walk from here to there. The 89 year old men are simply an added bonus 😉
I would have to admit that seeing Switzerland on foot would be better than, say, flying over it in an airplane.
Most of the places I hike are lucky to have a porta-potty and a water spigot, so the idea of hiking to a cafe is a bit foreign.
I think as long as you weren’t *expecting* secluded wilderness, that’d be a pretty great way to see that country. And surely, there must be the occasional spur trail toward solitude, no?
Hey, thanks for all of the great information you have shared on this blog. I love visiting the links, etc…nice design as well!
Cheerful Trails,
Christian
Christian: all kind words welcome!
Just wanted to add, you have to read the story I linked to get why it made me cranky. It starts out with the writer being scared out of the woods in the Sierra and goes on to have her being thankful that the Swiss have run off all the carnivores. Grating.
Actually, from what I’ve been told this kind of trail-to-shelter setup is common across most of Europe and camping in tents is not encouraged.
OK… I see what you mean. I read the article and the words “avid hiker” and the attitude she conveys just don’t fit.
She sounds more like an ‘avid stroller’.
Great site btw –
From a lazy-hiker in Central Oregon 🙂
I could see doing a trip like this at some point, I am sure it would be fun indeed, but I’d call it “walking” not hiking 😉
On the other hand, I am not scared of animals in the wilds. Humans sometimes, but not animals. Hows about she gives me her place? Hehheh!!
This sounds like all the “hikes” I did while living in Munich. The scenery of the Alps is beautiful, but seclusion is very hard to come by.
On the other hand, there is a definite upside to climbing a good-size hill, finding a well-stocked cafe, eatting “ein paar Wurstchen” and drinking “noch ein Bier,” and then taking the gondola back down to the train station. I’ve spent worse weekends.
My 10 days in the Swiss Alps were nothing short of fascinating, challenging, and some of the best honest-to-gosh hiking (not merely “walking”) that I’ve ever experienced. True, seclusion is a precious commodity there, but that’s because dang near everybody hikes (they gotta work off all that cheese, bread, and chocolate). The biergartens were definitely a welcome bonus, too. I sure wish our stateside trail systems could connect a few pubs and wineries!