The Train to Schwende

Here's a view from a balcony of the Hotel Alpenblick in Schwende, in the Appenzell Region of Switzerland. I remember Schwende for the sounds we find there: train whistles, church bells and of course, cow bells!

Schwende was our last stop in our tour this year. Michael and Regula were our host/hostess at the Alpenblick, a beautiful hotel that we continue to return to year after year.

Soglio Flowers

These flowers provide a glimpse of what beautful colors you'll see in Switzerland. This picture was taken in Soglio, a small town that we visited on the way back from a walk to Tombal. We all expected Julie Andrews to arrive and break out into song while visiting the meadowlands near Tombal!

Snow Capped Mountains... in July!

This picture was taken on one of our walks near Sils Maria, south of St. Moritz. A storm had blown through while we were in Morcote; the snow is probably the result of that storm. After a day in the Sils Maria area, we returned in the evening to Vicosoprano to a wonderful meal prepared by our chef, Aldo. Maybe others in the group could share the menu??

Sils Maria

We spent a beautful day in Sils Maria, a small town near Vicosoprano. The Romansche language is spoken in this area, and it's the home of Fredrick Nitsche, the philosopher. Bikes, walkers, and horse-drawn carriages are found on the streets, along with the occasional small car. Fred and Alice treated the group to a horse-drawn carriage ride up a mountain path on this unforgettably perfect day. A recent storm produced snow on the mountains; a great contrast to the bright blue sky. We had lunch on a hill before the group split into two for our choice of walks.

Thunder in Morcote

We've arrived in Morcote, on Lake Lugano in the Tocino region of Switzerland. We had heavy thunderstorms last night rumbling through, with rain this morning and the sun breaking through.

Our hotel overlooks the lake, with a view of Italy on the opposite shore. We'll probably board the morning boat back to Lugano to take in some museums or the marketplace today. We had the traditional Swiss breakfast of yogurt, meusli, breads, cheese, meats, juice and coffee with milk. Great way to start the day!

We're Off to Marcote Today

We had thunderstorms late yesterday and clouds and cooler weather today. We're off to Morcote, in the Italian section later this morning. We're expecting temps in the 90's and sunny weather during our stay.

Last night, we had a cheese and tomato fondue at the restaurant, and earlier that day, several of our group enjoyed crepes of all kinds (mushroom and cheese was the all time favorite!), and of course, at breakfast we have croissants... I'll try to upload pictures once we're in Morcote...

You Cannot Get Lost in Switzerland!

You will find these helpful signs wherever you walk on mountain trails in Switzerland. They often list the walking time that it takes to get to the next village.