January 28, 2018

Winter Hike at the "Greatest" Glacier of the Alps: Aletsch Glacier



January 28, 2018 -- Definition of "Greatest": Unusually or comparatively large in size or dimensions.

"Largest" is the word that comes to mind for me, but that's maybe a language thing. 
In any case, the Aletsch Glacier, which is 23 km long and at its thickest point 900m deep, is the very largest or greatest glacier in the Alps!

And the Aletsch Arena is a very large region that was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2001 and also a very large winter sport area, which was wonderful because on this most beautiful Sunday when we were expecting so many people up there, the crowds had spread out so much that it was really quite peaceful and lovely. We took it easy and did away with any uphill walking by riding various cable cars and ski lifts so that we could meander along the cleared trail above the glacier and the mighty gorge below it, and through the clichéed alpine villages with chalets covered with "snow like icing on a cake" almost deeper than some of the houses were tall! ***


And of course the Great Aletsch Glacier is a wonder, in winter as well as summer, although summer is better, and I hope to hike here again this year (did a few hikes in this region in 2014).

An additional treat: Since Switzerland's favourite holiday "Carnival" is coming soon, the various bands that take part in the parades hold practices in public places, and we were treated to such a performance! ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guggenmusik )

*** The deep snow on the roofs looks fantastic, but there has been too much snow in the mountains, snow which fell on an original icy layer, and this has caused a couple of incidences of elevated avalanche danger this winter...


On the way up in the gondola from Mörel to Riederalp, this is the village of Ried-Mörel
Our first surprise of the day in Riederalp: Snow about 2m thick on the house roofs! 

I had never seen anything quite like this.


Our second surprise of the day, a "Guggenmusik" band practising for the Carnival Parades (there are hundreds of these bands participating in parades all over the country in the first two weeks of February)



After a walk through the village of Riederalp, we headed up with the ski lift (gondola for hikers) to the start of our walk at Moosfluh.

And to start, a look at the mighty Aletsch Glacier (23km in length) from the viewing platform.

And to the North across the gorge (the tongue of the Aletsch Glacier is below) is a side glacier called the Upper Aletsch Glacier. Where the two gorges meet is a huge suspension bridge that we want to cross this year. 

Heading West we have the distinctive Mount Matterhorn in our sights.


Very few skiers on the pistes, and not a lot of hikers either. The region is huge so it spreads out quite a bit.

It was a wonderful, beautiful day with perfect weather conditions. Warm, no wind, crisp snow.

No wonder the Matterhorn is a favourite. It is definitely a recognizable peak.


Now we reach the same level as the Upper Aletsch Glacier. There is a bridge in the middle that spans the gorge....

This is a zoomed shot of that bridge, piled high with snow. This year we want to hike here.

We found just the right spot for a picnic lunch. The ridge on the right, we walked across that in 2014. It's much larger than it looks! (Mounts Bettmerhorn and Eggishorn)

Across the Massa Gorge (which is the river that flows out of the Aletsch Glacier) is the village of Bruchegg near Belalp (also a popular ski area). You can see how easily the slopes release the snow to cause avalanches

From here we have quite a descent to Riederfurka, the restaurant/hotel is at the bottom, and the building above is a museum. Behind it is the Massa Gorge.

Villa Castel Nature Conservation Center. 

Heading back down to the village of Riederalp where we started.


Some animal seems to have jumped the gap between the road and the roof

We decided to stop at this bakery for cake and coffee on the terrace before walking another couple of kilometers to the next village to the East, Bettmeralp, from where we took the cable car back down to the Upper Rhone Valley
So much snow on all the roofs!

This one was my favourite, the snow is almost higher than the cabin!

We started with a gondola ride from Mörel in the Upper Rhone Valley to Riederalp, then another gondola ride to Moosfluh, the start of our walk. Back in Riederalp, we decided to continue to Bettmeralp to descend from there.
And on the way home, out of the train window. There's even a plane in the upper left corner...
All the hikes we've done in this area so far (Aletsch Arena)

January 24, 2018

Among the Vineyards of the St. Gallen Rhine Valley

January 24, 2018 --  We don't travel to eastern Switzerland a lot, but going in that direction on this excursion meant we were sure to have sunshine and no snow, as well as a varied walking trail on the hillside above the Rhine River where it builds the border between Switzerland and Austria.

We knew we had to expect muddy trails as it has been raining for quite a while (in fact, some of the fields in this area appear to have been waterlogged since last September, according to the owners of the lovely vineyard estate where we had a very good and reasonably-priced Appenzell Cordon-Bleu for lunch). But on the meadow and forest trails that are my favourites, the going was rather tough, as we could hardly find a spot where we didn't sink into the mud. And in the short forested sections, there were still remains of various hurricane-force storms we've had in the last few weeks, and we were lucky we didn't have to double back.

Otherwise, this 14-km stretch (Stage 2) of the Regional Trail called the "Rheintaler Höhenweg" between Berneck and Altstätten was full of pretty views (Mount Säntis and Mount Hohenkasten in the Alpstein Massif, the mountains in Austria and Liechtenstein, villages in the Rhine Flatlands, lots and lots of vineyards ) and interesting regional architecture including three castles dating back from the 14th Century. Best of all, it only took us 2.5 hours travel time to get there....


Village of Berneck, the starting point of our 14-km hike through the Rheintal Valley
Village of Berneck, the starting point of our 14-km hike through the Rheintal Valley


"The Thinker", or a version thereof
In the church in Berneck

Berneck in eastern Switzerland

I love the variety of signs you find on the shops and businesses in the cities and villages here

First stop is a fortress ruins on the hill looking down in the Rhine flatlands

This is a renowned wine area, we passed through many vineyards.

This is a renowned wine area, we passed through many vineyards. Below in the back is the city of Lustenau, which is in Austria

I love the forest trails
Everywhere there are still remains of recent storms. We were lucky we didn't have to back-track.

Finally over the hill and the first welcoming views of the Alpstein Massif with Mounts Säntis and Hohen Kasten

Zoomed view of Mount Säntis (below is Castle Grünenstein which we passed later)

We had lunch in the beautiful sunny parlor of this vineyard estate

They were prepared for us, with our muddy boots!

We had a very nice lunch of Appenzeller Cordon-Bleu in this bright parlor in the Vineyard Estate

The owner of the vineyard estate is quite the collector of orchids!

The first of three old castles we passed, this is Schloss Grünenstein, a private estate dating back to the 13th Century (renovated and elaborated since then)

In the gardens at Schloss Grünenstein

In the Gardens at Schloss Grünenstein

The second castle we passed is Schloss Weinstein. This one dates from the late 14th Century and is now a fancy restaurant and a favourite for weddings

Heading to Schloss Weinstein

The vineyards of Castle Weinstein. The mountains at the back are in Austria and Liechtenstein.
Schloss Weinstein:  Vineyards since 1375



The next castle is a little one, Schloss Neu Altstätten, also dating to 1375.

4 pm and the sun is already behind the hills as we approach our destination of Altstätten

Another attractive city in eastern Switzerland:  Altstätten
14 km between Berneck and Altstätten in the wine country of Rheintal (Rhine Valley, St. Gallen)