Mario Botta's "Fiore di Pietra" and a Hike on Monte Generoso

Wednesday May 15th, 2019 -- Best weather today was again in the southern part of Switzerland, the last nice day forecast here for the next few days. 

We had never been to Monte Generoso, so that was our plan for the day, with a 3-hour hike across the border into Italy. Apparently, many other people had this idea, as the cogwheel train that runs for 40 minutes up the mountain was jam packed full, and a whole group of at least 30 other people had to wait for the next run (only once per hour). Totally unexpected for a Wednesday, but well... the weather.... everyone wants to profit from a rare nice day.

The train up to Monte Generoso (the only small-gauge railway South of the Alps) was closed for a couple of years as they built the "Stone Flower", another of Swiss architect Mario Botta's unusual creations. As he put it in an interview, it grows out of the steep rock face as a natural extension of the landscape. It looks weird in the otherwise barren alpine landscape up at 1600m altitude, as do most of his creations. 

Most people come up here simply for the view and to eat something at the restaurant and to maybe walk to the look-out point. Very few continued to hike as we did. I was thrilled because for just one hour it was like being high up in the Alps, with narrow mountain trails. And the views were spectacular, the air so clear, we could see all the way to the highest peaks in the Swiss Alps (Dufour Peak) in the Monte Rosa Massif to the West, as well as to the Matterhorn. Dumb thing was, although far and wide the sun shone on all the rolling hills, there was just enough cloud to cast a circle of shade right where we were walking. And it was COLD! But hey, a chance to hike again.

View of the Monte Rosa Massif to the West on the ride up Monte Generoso. Those are the highest peaks in the Swiss Alps

The little Monte Generoso train that goes up the mountain once every hour. The ride takes 40 minutes. 

Mario Botta's "Fiore di Pietra" (Stone Flower), completed in March 2017, took two years to build. We walked first to the look-out point at the top of the peak behind it.

The new restaurant "Fiore di Pietra" as seen from above

View from Monte Generoso: Lake Lugano and the mountain on the left is Monte San Giorgio, a UNESCO World Heritage Site

Zoomed view: Highest peak in the Swiss Alps (Dufour Peak) and the tip of Mount Matterhorn showing from behind what is probably the Mischabel Group

My favourite peak: Mount Finsteraarhorn, the highest peak in the Bernese Alps

For a moment I considered going up the next peak over, but it is a Via Ferrata, and there are ladders to descend on the other side. 

The rock formations were kind of cool

We did end up taking the more challenging route off the peak of Monte Generoso

Here's where our trail continues, a real mountain trail for a change, minus the snow!

In the back, the peak of Monte Generoso. We took the more challenging shortcut down, whereas those other people walked the easier trail below

Most of this landscape is in Italy

Another view of Lake Lugano and Monte San Giorgio to the West (Switzerland). This is the view from the spot where we had our picnic lunch. By now the sun was gone and a cold wind had picked up.

And the mountains in Italy to the East. 

And so exciting, the first gentians

The Italian Alps to the East

Signage is different in Italy

We've seen cows being driven to pasture, but never horses! This was a first. 

A lovely herd of horses heading out to summer pasture at the Alpe d'Orimento

Heading down the Breggia ravine southwards back to the Swiss border. Up at the arrow is where we started

Entering the Italian village of Erbonne

The small Italian village called Erbonne, right on the border before we passed back into Switzerland.

A look behind us at the village of Erbonne as we head down to the bridge. It is so nice to see the new and fresh greens of Spring here! Especially compared to the bare mountaintop and the leafless trees in the forests we descended

Crossing the border back into Switzerland

Typical Swiss-Italian trails

At our destination in the village of Scudellate. Looking South into the Muggio Valley. It is hard to believe that a bus (actually a van) comes up that road below to this and another village high up on the hillside

Village of Scudellate. Seems to me every village has a resident crane

Checking out the village of Scudellate before catching the van-bus down to Muggio.

There's the bus to come pick us up and take us back to the valley (we were the only guests). The hairpin turns are so narrow that the cars have to back up each time to make the turn

Back in Muggio, waiting for the connecting bus out of the Muggio Valley. A glimpse back up to Monte Generoso, with the "Fiore die Pietra", our starting point on the left, and Scudellate, our detination on the hillside.

Across the valley, where we have not yet been...

It took us a good three hours, probably more, to walk this. The downhill was very tiring. And we were disappointed that we missed the turnoff into the actual path and ended up following a minor path down through the forest. The map for the trails across the border are not as exact as in Switzerland.

Chemin des Narcisses (Narcissus Trail) in Les Avants near Montreux

May 14, 2019 -- With this generally cold and unpleasant weather we have been having lately, we lucked out on Tuesday and Wednesday this week (Wednesday's hike to follow) with some sunshine, especially on Tuesday.

A long-planned excursion with my dear former work colleague Bernadette was quickly organized for this day trip to Montreux to go see the famous fields of blooming narcissi, at the height of their bloom looking like huge snow-covered fields. We had been planning this trip for a year now, so were both thrilled that it all came together. The trip to this part of Switzerland, Les Avants above Montreux, took us 4 hours each way, but time passed quickly with good companionship and it was totally worth it. 

The walk in itself was pretty short, less than 5 km on lovely forest and mountain trails, but there was field after field of flowers at each turn, and some very nice views over Lake Geneva and the "Dents du Midi" Alps in Canton Valais, that we took a long time making our way back to the starting point, namely 4 hours instead of the regular 90 minutes!

As it turns out, there were still many flowers not yet open, but had we waited a week longer, the blooms would have been finished... The status of the blooms are checked daily, and the bloom forecast is uploaded on a special website so you can plan your trip.... 

www.narcisses.com

Picture this over a much larger field....

All along the way by train from Zurich to Lausanne we had crystal clear views of the Alps, but this view as you emerge over the UNESCO World Heritage Lavaux Vineyards above Lausanne and Lake Geneva is one that I have always loved....

The Lavaux Vineyards above Lake Geneva near Lausanne

Ascending from Montreux to Les Avants on the small-gauge cogwheel train... views of "Les Dents du Midi" in Canton Valais across Lake Geneva

In Les Avants, we took the funicular up to Sonloup, the start of our 5-km walk

Looking down at Les Avants from the summit station of the Sonloup Funicular

At this point the air was still clear and the views were great. Clouds moved in later.

After about 1.5 km through the forest, we finally got to the first view point at the top of Mt. Cubly. There was a Seniors Hiking Group up here this day as well.

View of Lake Geneva, too bad it was hazy. The mountains on the left are in France

 

Normally they don't want you to go into the fields, but this one was not marked off limits, and we were careful not to step on the flowers.

It was nice to get up close and we were careful not to step on the flowers

These white flowers with their little round noses are so pretty

In some places the flowers are so thick it looks like snow cover

View toward the Dents du Midi mountain range across a field of narcissi

This is looking East: "Rochers de Naye" and "Dent de Jaman"

We went slightly off the track to look at this pretty field from below. And since no one was home, we climbed the hill to sit at the farmhouse for a snack

Coffee break on a borrowed bench at a French-style farmhouse

The trail is easy to find as it's marked everywhere with the narcissus pictures

One short uphill climb was the only "strenuous" part.

Some very nice views along the way

The building on the left is a former palace hotel in Caux, now a hotel management school

Heading back toward Les Avants, the distinctive peak of the "Dent de Jaman" (literally translated as "Tooth") ahead of us

The last field before we get back to Les Avants. Someone had mown all around the edges so we could get up real close.

Like snow

 

Wonderful backdrop

Back in Les Avants for the train ride back. We went a different way instead of returning via Lausanne

On the way back we returned via the Sarine Valley to Gruyère and Fribourg. This is Montbovon

This is the castle of Gruyère

And the pretty Fribourg landscape before reaching Bern

We took 4 hours for this short walk, because we spent so much time admiring the flowers