Second Time on the Olive Trail along Lago di Lugano (Lake Lugano)

Wednesday November 14, 2018 -- With my unfathomable inability to properly download or read a bus schedule, we once again had to resign ourselves to a Plan B, in this case a repeat of a short and easy walk we did in early Spring, but nevertheless pleasant, warm and enjoyable.

The original plan was to cross the border into Italy near Lugano on Lake Lugano (in the direction of Lake Como) to visit some Italian villages and castles on the sunny hillside there. But because the buses across the border are few and far between, taking the next one (after waiting at the wrong bus stop and watching our bus pass by not 100m from where we were standing) meant starting too late in the afternoon. But no matter, as we had just walked for 5 km around the city of Lugano, so starting from Gandria just this side of the border and walking back to Lugano (another 5 km) along the pleasant Olive Trail was just fine.

This North side of Lake Lugano has such a wonderfully sunny exposure that it is almost like being on the Mediterranean: Once again, as the flatlands in the North wallowed in fog, we were walking in short sleeves and the equivalent of shorts, just a 3-hour ride from home.

Last time we were here we learned a lot about olive cultivation, and this time we even got to see them harvesting.... bringing down the olives with toy-sized rakes. It was kind of weird....

Cattedrale di San Lorenzo, just below the train station in Lugano. We started with a visit to this cathedral

I've seen St.Peter's in the Vatican, and this is just as impressive, minus the masses of tourists!!!

Just as beautiful as St.Peter's in the Vatican!

Heading to the lake through the sloping streets of Lugano

Fine foods in Lugano

This unassuming church (Chiesa Santa Maria degli Angioli) in the middle of banks and hotels contains a famous mural painted in the Renaissance period.

This huge mural painted by Bernardino Luini (contemporary of Leornardo da Vinci) in 1529 is the most famous fresco of the Renaissance period in Switzerland

We walked along the lakefront past the palace and the park on the right, where we caught a bus to Gandria, 5 km further along the lake, and walked back again.

Just like when we were in Sicily

Walking along the lakeshore in the warm sunshine with a view to the distinctive profile of Monte San Salvatore

 

Walking through the Olive Groves of Gandria (in the background are the villages in Italy we had originally planned on visiting)

This is how olives are harvested

Olives are apparently not edible unless they are marinated

Gandria on Lake Lugano

Walking through the cool corridors of Gandria on the Olive Trail

 

This is my favourite place along the lakeshore trail

So warm we can walk in short-sleeves and no leggings

 

Along the way are public gardens called "The Olive Gardens" built on a steep hillside with many terraces and benches, where one can spend a peaceful afternoon

This has happened to us many times this year. Officially, the trail continues on the other side of the gate, which is locked. We had planned to continue upwards from the Olive Garden, but had to go back to the lakeshore path.

Lake Lugano on a mid-November afternoon.

Absolutely incredible, this is also Switzerland, mid-November

This fancy fence impressed me

This is like the Mediterranean: Palm trees, Cypress and Pine

Almost back at the starting point where we caught the bus to Gandria = 5 km (Lugano Castagnola)

Perfect timing to head home: The sun is just about to go down on Lake Lugano and Monte San Salvatore

First 5 km: Started at the train station and walked to to Lugano Castagnola. Second 5 km: Started in Gandria and walked back to Lugano Castagnola.

Mount Bürgenstock: Resort for the Exclusive Clientele since 1883

Sunday November 11, 2018-- Still mild enough here for a lovely and almost too warm mountain hike! We stayed close to home again because I slept late (very rarely does that happen!) and did another piece of "Trail no.98: Waldstätterweg around Lake Lucerne"

We took a bus up to the recently-completed luxury hotels on the top of Mount Bürgenstock, a prominent smaller mountain just a stone's throw from the city of Lucerne, and walked down to the Lake at Stansstad. The trail was steep and slippery from rain the day before so we had to tread carefully, but we were thrilled that mid-November still offered us the possibility of a hike in the mountains accompanied by the sounds of cowbells and spectacular lake views, and most of all such mild weather that we can walk in short-sleeved shirts!

So close to home and yet the only other time I was on this mountain was when I was 8 years old and visiting my Grandpa together with my siblings and Mom. At that time so long ago we walked the 2-km cliff walk and rode the vertical elevator right to the highest point (Hammetschwand) -- something I want to repeat in the summer some time, as the elevator is now closed for the season and the cliffwalk is in shadow. Back in the very early 1900's, the owner of the Palace Hotel built up here for an exclusive clientele decided to offer them a walking opportunity along the North side of the mountain, so he had the trail blasted out of the mountainside, and then built the almost free-standing lift to take the clientele up another 150m to the highest point in the city of Lucerne. Back in 1905 this created a world-wide sensation, and is still the highest outdoor lift in Europe. I'm looking forward to visiting it.

In the meantime, a brand new and more modern hotels and spas offer equally exclusive clientele rooms for over 1000 SFr. per night, and transport with a funicular (built in 1888 and the oldest electric funicular in Switzerland) from the lake on the North side for a mere 25 SFr. for a 3-minute ride... Lucky for us, we can take the cheap bus up from the other side!

UPDATE 2019: We did come back in June 2019 to walk the cliff trail, although unfortunately half of it was closed due to danger of rock slides, but we rode the Hammetschwand Lift and continued the hike from the top. Here is the link to that album: Cliff Trail Bürgenstock

From Mount Bürgenstock the view North is directly to Mount Rigi, and at the back in the bay the town of Küssnacht where my grandfather lived.

The Palace Hotel was the third hotel on Mount Bürgenstock, opened in 1903 and catered to an exclusive clientele (electricity, private bathrooms, central heating). Behind it on the cliff face, the hotel owner built the cliffwalk and vertical lift to the top of Hammetschwand.

Bürgenstock Hotel and Resort, newly completed and also for exclusive clientele!

Directly below on the North shore is the funicular station. The catamaran brings guests from Lucerne

And the funicular arrives into the hotel building. This funicular is the oldest electric railway in Switzerland, but the wagons have been renovated.

Panorama View to the North: The bay with Luzern on the left, the Küssnacht arm of lake Lucerne in the middle, Mount Rigi on the right

Newly finished hotel

In the background Mount Rigi

Below is Kehrsiten on the lake; in the back is Luzern

Heading up along the slippery trail to the West, before descending to Stansstad

This was our picnic spot with table and spectacular view....

...and just around the corner we finally hit the sunshine. It was almost too warm!!

Heading down toward Stansstad

There was some wood-cutting going on along this stretch, but not on Sunday. We had to go carefully, climb over many felled trees, and the trail with its leaves and recent rain was slippery

Lovely colours in the forests and lots of sunshine on this mid-November day

And finally, late afternoon lighting over Lake Alpnachersee and Lake Lucerne, with the mighty Mount Pilatus in the background. Our goal is Stansstad on the isthmus below.

In Fürigen on the hillside here used to be a very large hotel with its own funicular, both no longer in use since approx. 2005

So pleasant to still have the cows in the meadows at this time of year, and to enjoy the sound of the cow bells

After a long section through a forested ravine, we got down to the lake, already in afternoon shadow. Unfortunately the tower is on private property and not accessible

From here we can see the peak where we walked along the cliff (picnic spot), made our way through the forest to Fürigen, and down to lake level through a ravine off photo to the right. 

On the way back to Lucerne by train, this (unfortunately) blurred photo shows the Bürgenstock ridge and how we walked from the hotels on the left to the high point in the center, and down through Führingen, the village on the clearing.

This walk took us a little over three hours, including sauntering through the hotel gift shop and very careful treading through the forest. Normally would take about 2.5 hours.

Morschach and Brunnen on Lake Lucerne

Wednesday November 7th -- It was late in the morning when the lake fog lifted, so we started in the afternoon not far from our home to complete two missing sections on two separate regional trails that we have walked before: On the "Swiss Path" (Trail no.99) around Lake Uri (this trail was created in 1991 to commemorate the 700th anniversary of Switzerland's Confederacy)  we were missing the Morschach-Brunnen section on the East Side of Lake Uri, and on the first section of the "Waldstätterweg" (Trail no.98) around Lake Lucerne we were missing the first 4 km from Brunnen toward the West, so we walked both those sections, 4 km each.

Unfortunately the view wasn't clear and the sun disappeared quickly, but the day was mild and so we just considered this a leisurely 8-km afternoon walk along the lake, instead of a challenging mountain hike.....

From Morschach heading down to Brunnen. Across the lake is the section of the other trail that we were going to do as well.

We took a detour to the Golf Course to a rock called "The Druid's Rock" from which we got a view both to the South along Lake Uri....

...and to the North, to the city of Schwyz and the mountains called Mythen.

"The Druid's Rock" in the middle of the Axenstein Golf Course in Morschach

The rest of the trail was through forests. When we got to Brunnen, we were just in time to catch a bus out to the start of our second 4-km stretch, further West along Lake Lucerne

The town of Brunnen on Lake Lucerne

This is the short section along Trail no.98 which we still wanted to complete. Walking back to Brunnen.

It would have been easier just to make the trail along the street, as was the case closer to Brunnen, but this was way more fun, so glad of the expense!

Looking westward along Lake Lucerne to where we had started

Back down at the lake, the walk to Brunnen train station was along the road below. Across is Morschach on the hillside where we had started the other 4-km section.

Crossing the Muota River, which flows into Lake Lucerne

This old covered bridge (Wylerbrücke) on the Muota River was first covered in 1555. This one in its current state dates to 1716, although it was moved 15m upriver (in 1974) from its original location. It lies under heritage protection.

First section: 4 km from Morschach to Brunnen (1.5 hours), then by bus along the lake to where we started Trail no.98 this Spring, and walking the 4 km backward toward the train station in Brunnen, along the Muota River and the old covered bridge. This took us 1 hour.