Snowshoeing in Melchsee-Frutt

**Some catch-up posts are in order, dear readers.  We're taking you back to March for this one.**

Switzerland is the land of skiing.  Ritzy ski resorts, perilous slopes, bragging rights, and perhaps a little more time spent on the après than on the piste.  Swiss children learn how to ski soon after they learn to walk.  The Swiss Ms was not so fortunate.  Her first ski adventure took place well after the higher order functions of her brain were able to connect "going fast" to "breaking bones".  Higher order functions can really take the fun out of skiing.

After nearly an entire winter of avoiding the slopes (and exploring Italian cities instead), we bought an SBB RailAway deal for a day of snowshoeing.  

Perhaps more than any other trip, this day exemplified the beauty of Swiss transport.  Each part of our journey connected to the next nearly seamlessly.  

After taking a train to Luzern, we boarded Die Zentralbahn to the heart of Switzerland, Interlaken.  We exited the train at Sarnen and there waiting for the train, were 3 buses anticipating the influx of weekend visitors to the mountains.

Each bus was equipped with a trailer to hold skis, poles, helmets, sleds, etc, thus saving room on the bus itself for passengers.  

The bus delivered us right to the base of the Stockalp where the gondola whisked you into the mountains.

Our RailAway deal included discounted snowshoe rentals available steps away at Stockalp, round trip train fare, and lift tickets.

Armed with a map we set out to explore the snowshoeing trails.

http://www.melchsee-frutt.ch

The pink lines on the map above indicate snowshoeing trails.  We started our hike by heading towards Erzegg.  It was a sizable climb for first-time showshoers like ourselves and the trail was not well broken due to the recent snowfall.  However, we were rewarded with excellent views.   

Unbroken snow = hard to follow trail

Landmarks like these houses and stream were helpful.

At last, we arrived at Erzegg.

Next stop: Tannalp for lunch.

The snow on this trail was deep.  Compare this photo to the picture above where the sign post is far above our heads.  I think its safe to assume that both polls are about the same height.  

The trail to Tannalp was blissfully downhill, albeit very steep in parts.  It was more heavily traveled than the path to Erzegg.

What hits the spot after hours of climbing in the Swiss prealps?

Bratwurst with onion sauce and alplermagronen with fried onions and applesauce.  That bottle of water was 8 CHF.  We drank all of our water en route and there were no water fountains at this little restaurant.  It had to be done.

Irish Coffee for dessert.

Outdoor seating was popular, but the tables were full when we arrived.

The trip back to Melchsee-Frutt took us on a very well-groomed trail.  It would have been possible to complete this leg of the journey without snowshoes.  

Although it's hard to tell from this picture, the snowshoe/ hiking trail paralleled separate groomed trails for classic cross country skiing and skate skiing.  Maybe next time?

We learned a few lessons from our first snowshoeing experience:

1) We overdressed.  Snowshoeing is a workout.  A heavy coat is not necessary.

2) High altitude sun is no joke.  High altitude sun + reflective snow is worse.  Apply sunscreen everywhere and often.  (Reapply after you blow your nose.  Trust me.)

3) Stay on the trail.  With snow this deep, its impossible to know what snow is supported by ground underneath, and what snow isn't.  Watching fellow snowshoers stray from the path made us nervous, especially considering the steep trough between Erzegg and Tannalp.  As a Swiss once told me: "Respect the mountain".

Thanks for reading!

-The Merry Swiss Ms

Happy Easter from Mt. Pilatus

In Switzerland, Sunday is seen as a dedicated "Family Day", and it's illegal to have most business open on Sunday.  The only businesses allowed to be open are any places that sell foods, public transportation or any business underneath the public transportation railway stations.  In Thalwil, that means the only place to go out on Sunday is Starbucks.  Thalwil doesn't have a large enough railway station to house any businesses underneath it, but Zurich HB is a massive station and has a "RailCity" of businesses underneath (like Migros!  The Swiss Ms' favorite!) 

Although we knew that Switzerland was known for its gorgeous mountains and scenery, we had no idea that Easter was such a big deal here.  Not only are chocolate bunnies and beautifully colored Easter eggs everywhere, but both the Friday and Monday of Easter weekend are taken off as well.  As one local told me, it's basically four Sundays in a row.  As such, we thought it would be fun for us to get out of the city and celebrate, so we decided to go to Luzern (Lucerne in English) for the weekend (just a 40 minute train ride away).

Luzern also boasts a huge train station (HB), like Zurich HB, and hosts its own RailCity underneath!

Upon arriving at the Luzern Hauptbahnhof (HB), we walked along the Kapellbrüke (The Chapel Bridge), which spans the Reuss River of Luzern and is the oldest wooden covered bridge in Europe.  Unfortunately, a fire in 1993 destroyed most of the old bridge, but it was reconstructed and reopened to the public by 1994.  Inside the bridge, we admired the religious/ historical paintings lining the ceiling of the bridge.  Some of the triangular paintings were completely blackened, but it seems that they were able to save/reconstruct some of the surviving paintings.

Kapellbrüke spanning the Reuss River in Luzern.

Some of the paintings that survived the 1993 fire.

The farmer's market was also open on Saturday, which came as a pleasant surprise to us, since we expected nothing to be open.  We weren't planning buying anything since we were on foot all day and staying overnight, but the freshly baked bread smelled so good we couldn't resist buying some.  

The farmer's market!  So much cheese!  So little time!

Did I mention that Easter was a big deal here?

We broke down and bought a bread bunny.  They even gave us a second one for free!  (Swiss Ms: "How can you say no to those faces!")

We strolled the streets of Luzern, eating pieces of bunny bread and admiring all the local produce.  We strolled around town until we could find a restaurant that wasn't too busy, and ended up at Bäckerei Hug, a nice bakery and cafe.

Spinach Swiss Tart with mixed salad.

Älplermagronen (traditional pasta and potato dish in lot of cheese) with roasted onions, and apple sauce

Café au lait and espresso, with complementary chocolate!!!  We could get used to that.

Bäckerei Hug sat right on the Reuss River, across from the Spreuerbrucke (think Kapellbrüke with death story-boards).  We then took a bus to the Verkehrshaus der Schweiz (Swiss Museum of Transport), which is apparently the most visited museum in all of Switzerland.  After going, we can definitely see why.  It's a phenomenal museum that showcased all forms of transportation, with the actual vehicles there to tour and explore.

Swiss Mountains make helicopters essential for rescues.  Look at that victim wrapped in foil!

All the traffic signs in Switzerland!  Since we don't have to drive, we barely see them!

Cog railway to take you up and down the mountains!

After the museum, instead of taking a bus, we decided to take a boat back to Luzern HB.  The great thing about Swiss transportation is that a ticket will cover ALL modes of transportation, so there is no need to buy separate passes.  Once again, like everything Swiss, the boat was on time, immaculate, and housed a restaurant for you to rest and relax.  On the way back, we had the pleasure of talking with a family from Germany who were visiting Luzern for Easter break, and they spoke fluent English!  Although we've been in Switzerland less than a month, it was refreshing to hold conversation in English without feeling like "dumb Americans" who can't speak German.

I'm.  On.  A.  Boat.

After a long day of trekking around, we headed to our hotel (c/o Lonely Planet Guide- thanks TFT!), to drop off our things and go out for dinner.  We ended up at the Ristorante Rossini, a very warm, and affordable (relatively speaking) Italian restaurant.  Since asparagus is in season, we ended up ordering a delicious roasted eggplant/asparagus pizza and garlic infused/asparagus filled ravioli.

Too bad Swiss Ms had to share with me.

Too bad I had to share with Swiss Ms.

The hotel (which Swiss Ms, the dealseeker found), also offered a continental breakfast.  We had a delicious Easter brunch to look forward to.

Look at that spread!  Holiday Inn has nothing on this!

No Swiss breakfast is complete without cheese, dried meat and jogurt!

And for the extra touch, festively colored Easter eggs!  

Filled with a hearty Easter brunch, we then made our way to Löwendenkmal (the Lion of Lucerne), which commemorated the Swiss guards who were killed in the French Revolution defending the bourgeoise.  It is simply a stunning work of art.

The monument measures about ten meters in length.  (Swiss Ms: "I never would have thought when I visited this monument 12 years ago that I'd be a resident of Switzerland".)

Helvetiorum fidei ac virtuti.  "To the loyalty and bravery of the Swiss."

Finally, we get to the title of the post, Mount Pilatus!  During the summer you can take the world's steepest cog railway up the mountain, during the wintertime, it's closed!  However, there are still gondolas to take you up the mountain-top.  Unfortunately, due to the weather being cloudy/rainy, we could not enjoy the panoramic views.  We will have to come back on a sunny day (and perhaps, with one of our readers!).

The cable car up Mount Pilatus!

Very excited!  (Swiss Ms: "This blog is going to turn into pictures of me revealing my inner 5 year old glee while riding various forms of transport.")

Going up the mountain!

At the top, but it's so foggy, you can hardly see out very far!  We will be back!

Sorry for the long post.  Hope it was worth the read.

Happy Easter!

-Sir Cervelat