We started with a comfortable one-hour walk around the lake, then headed out of the valley, alternating between mountain trails, forest roads, a wonderful 30 minute winding forest trail along rather steep slopes, and then descended through meadows to the Werdenberg Castle (originally built in 1230 but pretty well destroyed by a kitchen fire in 1695 -- then restored in 1895), where we were pleasantly surprised by a charming collection of very old and intricately painted wooden buildings along two narrow alleys, dating from the 13th to 17th Century and all currently private residences. This cluster of houses along the castle's lake was worth skipping a bus and treating ourselves to dessert at a tiny café. Perfect way to end the day!
A harrowing experience: Usually when a hiking trail goes through a field where cows are grazing, the farmer puts up a warning if there are mothers with baby cows in the field, as the mothers get very protective and aggressive when you get near their offspring (people have been killed by cows when crossing fields with babies and mamas....) So I got a slight shock when I was happily photographing the (as usual) stunning landscape when I heard a wild banging of bells behind me and turned around to see a MASSIVE cow sprinting my way! Very scary. We headed quickly off the trail and over the cow fence. And it wasn't even her baby she was protecting! And we weren't even close to them...
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| Heading up to the lake by bus from Grabs. These mountains are the Southern part of the Alpstein Massif, location of Mount Säntis, the highest mountain in the Alpstein Massif. |
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| On the way up, the road was barely wide enough for the bus, let alone the hikers and cows. The girls on the left almost rolled down the slope when the bus passed! |
Up here the cows have free range for three weeks in spring and in fall, before heading to higher altitudes, the bus driver told us. I think he wasn't too thrilled about them meandering all over the road.
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| This was at the start of our hike. This was the view I was photographing, as the cow came charging up to me from behind! Respect... |
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| Our walk around the lake started slightly higher up through the woods, so we got a few glimpses through the trees. |
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| Back here at the back of the lake we are on the East side of the Churfirsten Mountains |
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| It's mother cows and babies like this we have to watch out for. This was the second field we had to pass through, we kept a good eye on the beasts and passed as quickly as possible. |
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| Early morning ambiance, very pretty |
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| Time for a coffee break |
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| Back around the other side of the lake. At the very back is Mount Chäserrugg in the Churfirsten range |
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| A slight uphill and then we head out of the valley, mostly through woods. Photos don't provide the full "picture" as you have to have the full sounds and smells, it's fabulous. |
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| These farmers and their haymaking... I thought for sure this tractor would tumble into the road |
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| So curious! And so cute! |
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| After emerging from the 30 minutes of wooded trail, the rest of our descent is mostly through the meadows, with views across Buchs and the Rhine River to the mountains in Liechtenstein. |
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| The castle had a nice café but was otherwise not spectacular, so we walked around the castle lake to view it from the other side. |
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| Schloss Werdenberg |
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| Schloss Werdenberg from the other side of the Castle Lake. We returned to view that very pretty row of houses below the castle, some dating from the 13th Century. |
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| This little alleyway of homes (all lived in, by the way) is called Werdenberg Städli (= small city). The residents claim this to be the smallest village in Switzerland. |
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| It was so charming and quaint walking along the two lanes, that we decided to skip a bus for our trip back home. |
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| Werdenberg Städli |
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| Most of the houses on this alley are made of wood. These structures were probably built in the 13th Century. |
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| Beautiful, elegant painted wooden homes. |
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| Just up this alley is a café where we stopped for dessert |
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| Dessert break at a tiny café on a lovely OLD alley whose houses date back to the 13th Century... |
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| Oh yes, also first time riding a double-decker bus! |
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| Lake Voralpsee is in the very eastern part of Switzerland near the border of Liechtenstein |
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| The hike was 13 km, and took us about 4 hours. |
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