Always make time to stop and smell the roses

Heading to the city of Zurich we had 2 options, return on the same path on the highway, or take a different route. We chose the second option which allowed us to discover more of
this postcard country. Katie drove most of the way and did very well, we feel we have graduated from L plate drivers to P plate drivers, still a little way to go until the driving comes natural like we are driving on the left.

Rapperswil is  about half way between Appenzell and Zurich and is on the edge of Zurichsee (Lake Zurich). The two main attractions are the castle and the Rose Garden, we visited both.

We had a lovely lunch where Katie was able to get a meal she was slightly craving for, a chicken salad and I had a Curry-wurst with pomme fritz and vegetables.

Wandering around this town was a joy, the warm sun, streets with no crowds and very friendly people.

As mentioned in the video we went to the top of town and walked around the grounds of the castle. It was a little surprise to see some Deer in the grounds.

The drive from Rapperswill to Zurich was uneventful which is a good thing, when in a rental car. It was then a matter of getting the Zurich Card which is recommended for tourists, it includes unlimited transport and many other discounts.

Post script;

While writing this blog in our hotel room I had the TV on mute with the news on, Katie went into the bathroom. To assist with privacy, I un-muted the TV to create background noise. Katie at this point yelled out 'Jesus' in shock.  It turns out the audio on the TV is connected to a speaker in the bathroom, so one never has to miss the action when using the facilities.

Tomorrow: On the bus, just don't fall.

Driving from Urnasch to Appenzell

Video of the drive from Urnasch to Appenzell in Appenzellerland Switzerland.

1 minute 31 seconds

Museum, museum and Mountian

We had a relaxed start to to the day, 

with a stroll in to the centre of town after breakfast. We were yet to visit the local museum or see inside any of the shops, as they keep some interesting hours. See video below...

 

After learning a little of the history of Appenzell, we headed to Urnasch to visit the Museum of Appenzell customs. We arrived and decided to have some lunch first. There was a small restaurant close by to the museum so we decided to go there. We encountered very friendly people, who didn't speak a word of English, but bent over backwards to make us feel comfortable. While they did have an English version of their menu, I think it had been some time since English speaking folk had walked through the door. Everyone wanted to pitch in to help communicate. It became quite comical. We both ordered the local speciality Cordon Bleu and it was delicious. Very simple, home cooked food done very well. Apparently I've become a beer drinker, as I enjoyed my second beer in two days. (It was called "Lady Beer" on the menu - Shannon)

After lunch, we made a quick pit-stop to the local ATM and headed to the museum. 

We were again greeted by staff who spoke no English, but were very keen to show us a film in English about their customs. This went for about 20 minutes and was quite interesting. The Appenzell people are very proud of their traditions, that are still alive and well today. Shannon and I were in awe of the elaborate festivals and celebrations they hold annually, that involves everyone in town. One of the most interesting and perhaps a little strange, was the cutting of the log. One giant tree is chopped down every two years, decorated and paraded through town by men dressed as traditional herdsmen. This all starts at 5 in the morning and they walk with the log through the streets for hours, stopping at points to receive drinks from the locals. When they reach their end point in town, the tree is then auctioned off, with money raised going to a local charity. Most people bidding on the log are builders or renovators, but sometimes town folk. Where on earth you would put a giant log I have no idea.

Convinced we had a new and quite good understanding of the rich culture of Appenzell, we left heading for the last cable car and mountain top of our visit to Switzerland. This cable car would take us to the top of Hoher Kasten, not quite as high as Santis, but being a beautiful day, we were rewarded with amazing views of the Alps and the valley below. The photos speak for themselves. Tomorrow we leave this quaint little town for the city of Zurich.

A morning in Appenzellerland

A short video of some local scenes in Appenzell.

Cheese, Church and Cable Car

Today it was time to learn about the making of Appenzeller cheese at the "Appenzeller Demonstration Cheese Dairy in Stein.  This was a real working dairy that allowed us to

get up close (well behind glass at least) to smell and taste the specialty the locals are so proud of.

One distinct feature of the Appenzeller cheese is its smell. Katie said is has a pungent aroma of dirty socks, I on the other hand think it smells like the abattoir on the Melbourne ring road close to Altona. It is however a smell that one does get used to and does in fact become likable.

We were able to get a loan of an iPad each from the center which guided us through the dairy and the process of the cheese production.  This iPad tour was included with the Appenzeller card and was well prepared and in English.

After having the tour of the dairy and a break outside in the beer garden, we were off to our next stop Ebenalp. This is the place where we saw around thirty para-gliders, learnt we aren't all that great at hiking, got to meet some of the hard working ladies of the region and saw some pretty impressive scenery.

Firstly the mountain top is accessed by cable car, and once again the cost was included in the Appenzell Card.

Within 8 minutes or so we were at the top and ready for the 12 minute walk down through a cave and then to the cliffside Guest house.

The walk down was on a goat track and actually took us more like 20 minutes, but there were many stops to look at the exceptional scenes.

Half way down is where we come across the hard working local ladies (as Katie calls them).  I do too see them as hard working, these beasts climb up mountains, where we take cable cars, they walk around on cliff faces and never fall, all in aid of making the prescious milk. They are very pretty too.

Further along the trail we went through some caves and then a cliff top church, before reaching the guesthouse attached to the side of the cliff.

The journey back up the mountain was to take 20 minutes according to the signs, but we knew it would take longer. How much longer, long enough for a well earned beer.

Ebenalp is one of the most natural, picturesque places I have ever been to and would highly recommend.

Tonight's dinner was at our apartment, and after seeing all the cows thought it best to have steak and salad.

Tomorrow, culture at the museum.

We are now living in a postcard

Appenzell, it is more Swiss than Switzerland. How can that be? well other areas have the mountains, glaciers, lakes, but this area has the iconic postcards.  It is like around every corner there are cows, green grass, a mountain range in the background and someone playing
an alphorn.

We started the morning at Schwellbrunn and were able to catch the start of the small and very local bi-annual festival.  It had all the Swiss draw cards, flowers from window ledges, pork sausage and a mini beer hall with brass band. 

We stayed and listened to the band, had a Caffe Crema (white coffee) and felt a little out of place.  All others were drinking the local beer and it was only just after 10am.  After ordering one of the wait staff come over and introduced her self, we were able to have a welcoming conversation with her about the festival. She had many (polite) questions for us too, where we were from, where we were staying where we are going. I think we made her day and will be her point of conversation to others for some time.

Next was a ride up to Mount Santis, the highest mountain in the area at 2502 meters.

We picked one of the worst days for this adventure but the brunch booking we had was only available on a Sunday.  Once we arrived at the top it was sure a disappointment, The view had been enclosed by cloud.

The brunch was ok, but again slightly disappointing. not a recommendation.

Next stop was the Jakobsbad Toboggan run at the base of Jakobsbad-Kronberg Cableway. This is included in the Appenzell Card, a card with many offers that is given to people staying in the area three nights or more. 

This is 450 meters up, and 1000 meters down with a max speed of 41km/h, we both went on it and, it is best to see the video.

After the ride we boarded the Jakobsbad-Kronberg Cableway another free ticket thanks to the card and headed for Mt Kronberg.

This was much more interesting, from the top we could see many cows grazing and doing what they do best, make milk.  From the top we could see over Bodensee (lake) and beyond into Germany.

 Up at the top of the mountain it was only 11 degrees, and with bursts of sun difficulty was had taking a selfie.

The afternoon was taken up with an attempt to find an open supermarket, fail, no supermarkets are open on Sundays in Switzerland. These are the interesting things we learn on our travels. In the end it forced to go to the BP Petrol station to buy things, like butter (4.99 swiss francs for 50 grams), bread, milk, soft drink, cheese, ham, and Italian red wine. We asked the lovely girl about the shops being closed and she replied"'everything is closed on Sundays in Switzerland". She was amused when we told her about how the Australian consumer now expects 24hr a day, everything.

Tomorrow, let's make some cheese.