On the Alpine Panorama Trail near Lake Constance

April 21, 2019 (Easter Sunday) -- The weather forecast for Easter Sunday was for nicest weather in the far Northeastern corner of Switzerland near Lake Constance (Bodensee), so we headed to Canton Appenzell (AR) to do a stretch of Trail no.3, the "Alpine Panorama Trail". As it turns out, the sky was cloudless to the North in Germany, but all white to the South over the mountains, not the best conditions for my photos, which turn out best when the sky is blue.

This was the third day in a row of hiking, so I had a bit of a hard time of it. The walk started in Trogen (until 1876 the capital city of Canton Appenzell Ausserrhoden) and after a steep descent into a ravine, we had a very warm climb to the highest point of our hike, the Kaienspitz, where we did get a nice view of the Alpstein Massif with its highest peak: Mount Säntis. After that, it was just a long descent to Heiden, with Lake Constance ahead of us and a clear profile of the Austrian Alps to the East.

Originally we planned to continue walking the Panorama trail almost all the way down to the lake but after three hours I had finally had enough. But the trails were good and the Appenzell houses lovely to look at... and to picture how small the people must have been when they built them, with their low doors and ceilings.

Interesting fact: Lake Constance is the third largest freshwater lake in Central and Western Europe, and the Rhine River flows into it on the East side at the border of Austria and Switzerland, and flows out on the West side, basically forming the border between Germany and Switzerland all the way to Basel.

On the way to Trogen by Bus from St.Gallen, we passed the village of Speicher with this very pretty church

Main square in Trogen, which was once the capital of Canton Appenzell Ausserrhoden

Gasthaus Krone, so nicely decorated

Pretty shutters

Gasthaus Schäfli = Sheep

The stories on these houses are so narrow, the ceilings must be very low

In this house, Urs would have to walk bent over all day

More pretty details in the area around Trogen, as we head into the Chastenloch Ravine

Below us is the ravine called "Chastenloch" and other the other side, after a long hot climb, the village of Rehetobel. On the far right is the highest point of our hike: Kaienspitz

What a surprise to find a restaurant at the bottom of the ravine. A pretty popular one too, on this Easter Sunday.

At the bottom of the ravine. It was so warm, I had to change out of my leggings before the steep ascent

The sign reads: "Are you tired? Take a break!" Which is what we do. Often.

Easter trees are a tradition here as well, a pretty one.

And we weren't quite sure what this was about

Spring babies. The papa goat was pretty smelly

In Rehetobel we finally got the first views of the Alptein Massif. In the back on the right is Trogen, where we started the hike.

The Alpstein Massif with its highest peak: Mount Säntis.

The village of Rehetobel

Lunch time at the highest point of our hike: Kraienspitz. Here we ran into quite a few people enjoying their Easter Sunday. Unfortunately, the sky to the South was not blue as I had hoped.

These violets are a nice spring touch

On our descent to Heiden, Lake Constance ahead of us. On the other side is Austria (Lindau on the left)

The city of Friedrichshafen, birthplace of the Zeppelin, is just across the lake, and this blimp does tours across the lake and right over where we were walking.