Rigi!
We had a great day in Rigi. After much deliberation yesterday over whether we should drive or take the train, I decided to drive. I almost regret that decision this morning after getting stuck in mega-Stau (that's traffic in German) on the way down there. Normally, I wouldn't care how long it took, because we were just going hiking so what's the hurry. But I had timed it perfectly in order to catch the 10:10 train up from Arth-Goldau to Rigi-Kulm. The train runs only once an hour, and it takes 35 minutes to ride to the top of Rigi-Kulm, so you can imagine how long it would take to hike it! As I was exiting the freeway at 10:09 we realized we would miss the train, but said, let's just park anyway, maybe the schedule online was wrong (as if...), and we can catch another one. Just as we parked the car, Marlis mentioned that she saw the train chugging our way-- literally, because it's a cog wheel train. Turns out we ended up parking somewhere other than where I had planned, and the train stopped at this stop at 10:12 rather than 10:10, and we could buy the tickets on the train, so we made it! Phew. That set a good tone for the day.
After reaching the top of Rigi-Kulm, we hiked for about 3 hours over to Rigi-Scheidegg, stopping along the way to ooh and aah about the views, talk to many cows, and eat a good sausage-and-beer lunch (standard mountain fare). From Rigi-Scheidegg, we took a cable car back down to the parking lot. All of this and I was still home by 6:00! I definitely have to do more of these day trips over the next few months. It was absolutely one of those this-is-why-I-love-living-in-Switzerland days!
Here I am at the top of Rigi-Kulm. You'll notice I'm wearing a fleece. Yes, it's June 9 (happy birthday, Dave!), but it was COLD up there. And very windy. I easily could've used a hat and gloves most of the day. Don't be fooled by the lack of snow.
I like this picture because it's very typical of the scene throughout our hike. Whereas someplace like Pilatus has much more spectacular snowy mountain views, hiking on Rigi feels very different because you're walking through lush, green, rolling hills and past actual working farms.
And now for a few cow pictures. I don't know what it is that makes me love Swiss cows so much. Maybe it's their bells. Often the only sound you could hear while hiking (other than Marlis and me talking the whole time) were cow bells in the distance coming from every direction. You'd think I wouldn't care about cows because I'm from Wisconsin and there are cows everywhere there. But there's something really unique about hiking through the alps and mingling with the Swiss cows. Here I am, loving the cows.
I think this will be my new favorite picture of Switzerland. It captures it perfectly. Look at that cow bell!
After reaching the top of Rigi-Kulm, we hiked for about 3 hours over to Rigi-Scheidegg, stopping along the way to ooh and aah about the views, talk to many cows, and eat a good sausage-and-beer lunch (standard mountain fare). From Rigi-Scheidegg, we took a cable car back down to the parking lot. All of this and I was still home by 6:00! I definitely have to do more of these day trips over the next few months. It was absolutely one of those this-is-why-I-love-living-in-Switzerland days!
Here I am at the top of Rigi-Kulm. You'll notice I'm wearing a fleece. Yes, it's June 9 (happy birthday, Dave!), but it was COLD up there. And very windy. I easily could've used a hat and gloves most of the day. Don't be fooled by the lack of snow.
I like this picture because it's very typical of the scene throughout our hike. Whereas someplace like Pilatus has much more spectacular snowy mountain views, hiking on Rigi feels very different because you're walking through lush, green, rolling hills and past actual working farms.
And now for a few cow pictures. I don't know what it is that makes me love Swiss cows so much. Maybe it's their bells. Often the only sound you could hear while hiking (other than Marlis and me talking the whole time) were cow bells in the distance coming from every direction. You'd think I wouldn't care about cows because I'm from Wisconsin and there are cows everywhere there. But there's something really unique about hiking through the alps and mingling with the Swiss cows. Here I am, loving the cows.
I think this will be my new favorite picture of Switzerland. It captures it perfectly. Look at that cow bell!
<< Home