It would seem slightly redundant though, that coming from a beautiful cherry and apple orchard in British Columbia, I would look to find places in Switzerland where I can experience the spring blossoms. Or maybe just for that reason. Furthermore, not sure why we need to go far from home for that, as Zug is known for its cherries. Nevertheless, we had heard of a place in Canton Baselland in the far Northwestern corner of the country, that boasts to have one of the most beautiful orchard landscapes in the country.
This place also has a very interesting name: Nuglar-St.Pantaleon (two villages that create one community) and unfortunately, due to the very cold and nasty weather we recently had, we just missed the height of the cherry blossoms, and apples are still on the way. Still, it was a pretty landscape and travel time was only two hours each way, so we got home in time for supper (unusual for us). Oh, and we even managed a quick tour of the old town of Liestal before heading home.
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| In this part of the country, the houses used to be large stables with living quarters. In recent years, many of the homes have been renovated, converting the stable area into living space or entryways. This beautiful house was in Büron, Solothurn, where we started our hike. |
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| The first part of the trail was a nice steady uphill through cherry orchards |
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| The first part of the trail was a nice steady uphill through cherry orchards. This is near Büren Solothurn |
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| Some unusually tall trees looming higher than the rest in the forest sections |
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| Actually, not too late yet for the cherries, and everything is turning nice and green |
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| The rolling hills of Canton Baselland in Nuglar, near Liestal |
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| This area is supposed to have one of the nicest orchard landscapes in Switzerland |
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| In the background, the village of St.Pantaleon |
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| Under that beautiful tree is a bench, where we stopped for a coffee break |
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| The coffee break bench |
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| On the way to St.Pantaleon, another look up the cherry-tree covered hillside |
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| Like back home, my old home. |
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| We were worried we might have missed the cherry blossoms, but we just caught the end of the blossoming season. Some late varieties are still in bloom. |
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| Another renovated house with the typical old stable entryway |
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| Church in St.Pantaleon |
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| Some of the large trees are particularly beautiful |
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| We took the bus back to Liestal and had a quick tour through the old city. This is the tower on the city gate. |
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| The main pedestrian steet in old town Liestal |
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| Town Hall in Liestal |
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| Looking back at the city gate and tower |
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| On Easter Good Friday most of the shops are closed, but this is usually a busy pedestrian area. Up ahead is the Government building as this is the capital city of Canton Baselland |
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| The church in Liestal |
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| Another 12-km hike with an additional 40 minutes walking through the town of Liestal. |
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