We didn't do the hike, because the idea was actually to RIDE the cable car, not to hike up the 40 minutes of walking time we would save by riding the cable car. So this hike will be postponed....
So we walked back to Flüelen, and got on another bus to a place not that far off called Schattdorf, from where we took a regular cable car to the sunny upper plateau called Haldi. From here you can descend into a hidden valley called Riedertal, something we also had wanted to do for a while. There is a popular pilgrim's church in this valley (mid 16th Century), and a very pretty one at that. The interior was wall-to-wall Italian Gothic Frescoes, which is something I really like. The hike was a bit rough though, with a steep descent into the valley. But the weather was good, not too hot, and the hike not too long, so we got home early for a change, which was actually intentional as the weather forecast predicted thunderstorms in the afternoon.
Interesting side note: Urs' mother was born in Bürglen, and he remembers coming up this valley with his grandmother when he was small, but he remembers it as much more level....
At Schattdorf this is the cable car you take up to Haldi. We were lucky with bus connections, so we didn't have too much of a delay to start with our NEW PLAN |
Up on this plateau you get a nice view over Altdorf and Lake Uri (Urnersee). You can actually do a very nice 7-km round tour up here, which I have done a few times already. |
Right behind my left shoulder on this photo is the Surenen Pass to Engelberg, a crossing we did on Aug.23, 2017. Right now there would still be too much snow for that. |
After an hour from leaving the cable car station (and 20 minutes steep downhil) we reached the bottom of the Riedertal Valley |
Great set-up for the goats! |
The Riedertaler Chapel |
The Riedertaler Chapel (16th Century), filled wall-to-wall and ceiling-to-floor with gothic frescoes. |
This was a serene and comfortable place for our lunch break |
And then we had this visitor who would not go away. I think he even followed us when we continued on the hike later. |
Cute butterfly, totally interested in us, or the salt on our hands... |
You can actually feel the tongue, it tickles |
Heading on to Bürglen, walking North out of the valley |
Another look back up the valley |
Arriving in Bürglen, alledgedly the birth place of Wilhelm Tell, although no one is sure if he really even existed. But definitely the birthplace of Urs' mother. |
Pretty church in Bürglen |
Gasthaus Adler (1574), recently renovated |
Our 7 km hike from Haldi to Bürglen, turned out to be a decent substitute for the other, 3-hour hike we had planned |
The hike actually took about 2 hours 20 minutes because of the rather steep section into the valley |
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