Kartause Ittingen
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
SWITZERLAND. N° 03 A B C D F Border Road Rail SWITZERLAND 1 Mountain Water Culture 2 Basel 28 32 Zurich 3 48 26 38 Lucerne 46 Bern 4 42 50 36 Lausanne 5 Geneva 6 F R A N C E 6 18 Grand Tour of Switzerland F G H C HAMONIX –Z ERMATT SWITZERLAND An electrifying experience on two wheels G E R M A N Y 6 S WIT Z ERLAND Pure girl power 11 C HUR Alpine Circle: A trip of superlatives 12 L UGANO AND IT S LAKE Winterthur In your element St. Gallen A little taste of la dolce vita! 18 Water’s long journey to reach our taps N C H T E S T E I AU S T R I A L I E N 23 Z OFINGEN A moated bastion & city of fountains 12 Chur 26 W INTERTHUR Waterways, cycleways, alleyways 28 Z URI C H Art & architecture 32 L AU S ANNE From top to bottom 36 L U C ERNE Through the prism of history 38 A LTDORF –S ÖRENBERG Arrive and move on 42 Lugano I TA LY 18 N EU C HÂTEL A green oasis on the edge of the city 46 B ELLELAY Monastic morsels 48 L E S ENTIER Grand Train Tour A natural gem 50 All stories at a glance: Map on the last page. For more inspiration see: MySwitzerland.com The picturesque village of Gandria sits between Lake Lugano and Monte Brè. © Ivo Scholz Grüezi. elcome to my meadow. Please feel free to W settle down on the grass and watch the clouds drift by or wander around and bleat as loud MOUNTAIN as you like – no one will mind. After all, this is what Explore the Swiss Alps by we do all day when we are here. rail and bike. 4–15 I’ve just been on a bit of an adventure and visited friends on another alp. We spent the day there, munching on fresh meadow herbs, looking over at the Matterhorn and watching as strapping moun- tain bikers bring the magnificent landscape to life WATER On hot summer days, (p. 6). Simply magical! cooling off feels amazing. 16–29 Then I followed the gurgling stream down into the valley and was delighted to see how the towns are refreshed by our mountain spring water (p. 26) or play with it in style (p. 29). Along the way, I kept cu- riously watching the people as they sampled all HOUSE kinds of delicacies, because there’s nothing I like Discover the variety of Switzerland’s towns and cities. better than eating. I was particularly intrigued by a 30–39 cheese that looked a bit like a monk’s head. If you want to try this cheese, a piece is shaved off for you, with the wheel that remains looking more and more like a monk’s tonsured hairstyle each time a piece is taken (p. 48). Crazy! Why not come and discover a few corners of this PEOPLE diverse country for yourself? And then you can Be at one with nature and its treasures. come back to me, lie down in the grass and tell me 40–51 all about your adventures. I can’t wait to hear all about it. CONCIERGE Always at your service Safe travels! as you travel around Switzerland. Rosa 55–65 MOUNTAIN It wasn’t all that long ago that climbing moun- tains was a male preserve. These days however, women can discover the highlights of the Alps together with men. C HAMONIX –Z ERMATT An electrifying experience on two wheels 6 S WIT Z ERLAND Pure girl power 11 C HUR Alpine Circle: A trip of superlatives 12 Switzerland. № 03 A world of 4,000-metre peaks: traversing the Haute Route by e-mountain bike. MOUNTAIN Descent with views of Lake Moiry and the glacier beyond. C HAMONIX –Z ERMATT An electrifying experience on two wheels The Haute Route from Chamonix to Zermatt is probably the most famous ski mountaineering tour in the Valais Alps. Clever mountain bikers have now reinvented the legendary route – for two wheels. Thanks to the e-mountain bike, this adventure can be fun for everyone. limbing a mountain pass at an altitude while the four-day tour starts in the moun- C of 3,000 metres on two wheels and en- tain biking paradise of Verbier. The easi- joying the view of snow-capped 4,000-me- est option, the three-day Family & Friends tre peaks sounds like an adventure that only Haute Route, starts in Vercorin. All of the the fittest among us can enjoy. But maybe tours end in Zermatt, where a descent with not… Maxence Carron thinks otherwise. a view of the Matterhorn ensures an unfor- “The e-mountain bike opens this adventure gettable end to the trip. In addition to the up to everyone. It doesn’t matter whether or magnificent scenery, the routes feature a not you’re particularly fit, or whether you’re wide variety of trails: these range from flow- 15 or 75.” Together with Adrià Mercadé, ing single trails through the forest to alpine Carron, a passionate mountain biker from and therefore more technical sections. You’ll Fully, founded the e-Alps company and find it all here. The riders cover 35 to 50 has developed various guided E-MTB tours. kilometres per stage and overcome altitude This means the experience of crossing the differences of around 2,000 metres each MOUNTAIN Valais Alps by bike is open to anyone. day. This is where the electric motor comes into its own, making it possible to conquer The Haute Route is a multi-day Alpine the ascents with ease. crossing that was made famous in the mid-19th century by the world’s oldest A big plus point for the e-Alps tours: luggage mountaineering club, which was based in is transferred for the riders each day, so all London. The original route extends over they have to carry is what they need for the 180 kilometres, from Chamonix in France day. The e-Alps crew brings a picnic, spare to Zermatt, right through the Valais Alps. batteries and a great deal of know-how with Following in the wake of hikers, moun- them. “Our guests are really on holiday. We taineers and ski tourers, mountain bikers take care of all the details; all they have to do have now discovered this legendary tour for is pedal and enjoy the ride.” themselves. Three different versions of the Haute Route are available to riders with e-Alps: the sev- The highlights of the fifth stage en-day tour starts true to form in Chamonix, A B C D E (p. 8) 3,000 A Col de Torrent, 2,916m a.s.l. B E p C 2,000 D Zermatt Chamonix 1,000 500 0km 120km 240km C 7 THE HIGHLIGHTS OF THE STAGE between La Sage and Hotel Weisshorn A charcuterie on the Valais plate himself, Col de Torrent while the succulent fruit cake comes from Riding high his mother’s kitchen. There is also rye bread, alpine cheese and local soft drinks. A simple As the name suggests, the Haute Route takes meal – but you can’t beat it. bikers to impressive heights. The route reaches its literal high point on the 2,916-metre-high Col de Torrent. The ascent to the pass is a chal- lenge, but, except for a few tricky short sections, D everything is doable by bike and the electric mo- Grimentz tor provides powerful support for making the An idyllic, geranium-filled village ascent. At the top, often you’ll suddenly find the clouds at your feet, while the view of the The pretty village of Grimentz at 1,564 me- snow-covered 4,000-metre peaks takes your tres above sea level is a real gem. Sun-kissed breath away. wooden houses line the car-free streets, and the many geraniums in the window boxes provide cheerful splashes of colour against the dark, solid wood. A particular speciality B from this quaint Valais village is the milky Lac des Autannes white glacier wine that matures in ancient Crystal-clear mountain lake larch barrels in the cellars of the community hall, which dates back to 1550. MOUNTAIN Around 200 metres below the Col de Torrent, at 2,685 metres above sea level, the Lac des Au- tannes mountain lake glistens in the sun. When the weather is fine, you can enjoy the magnifi- E cent view of the upper Moiry Glacier and the Hotel Weisshorn 4,357-metre-high Dent Blanche from the Historic hotel shores of the lake. After the long ascent by bike, you might be tempted to dip your feet in the The day full of exhilarating fun and scenic cold, clear water – but it’s just as likely that, highlights ends above St-Luc in the Hotel rather than interrupt the flow on the trail along Weisshorn. This historic inn dates back to the lake, you might want to push on in the direc- 1891 and sits high above the Val d’Annivi- tion of the next gem: the turquoise waters of the ers, at 2,337 metres above sea level. Just like Lac de Moiry reservoir. here, throughout the entire tour you can ex- pect accommodation with its own charm: ranging from a converted barn and a his- toric boutique hotel to a log cabin with out- C door hot tub. p Picnic at the foot of the Moiry Glacier A picnic with a view With the mighty glacier in view, it’s time for lunch.