Seengen, Insel Schwanau, Solothurn, und St. Ursanne

After two unbearably hot days in Zuerich working on Zuoz, whilst the perspiration trickled, sometimes poured down my back, it was time to pack my small bag again and visit a number of wonderful friends, most of whom I have known for over 30 years, and also some absolutely gorgeous places, little secrets of the different areas, far from the typical tourist route!

How delighted I was to learn from Alice, who I met in Arthur's Pass pre- children, that we were going to spend the day at one of my all- time favourite places, Insel Schwanau, a minute island in the middle of the Lauerzer See, with the most incredible 360 degree panorama.

As we did a little round trip of the island in the little boat taxi which picked us up at the car park ( you ring a little bell from there and within five minutes the boat  arrives), the mountains and their perfect reflections in these serene waters were just breathtakingly beautiful. . How much more perfect can you get?

The only exertion of the day was climbing up the few steps to the restaurant, where I thoroughly enjoyed this sign. How true ' I have no time ( a very frequently heard phrase here in Switzerland) to hurry'.

Here time seems to stand still. Even the young couple who run the restaurant do not appear in the slightest stressed, despite taking the many orders, serving food and wine, and I believe cooking as well!  With a simple, yet delicious menu, their efficiency was really outstanding, though to be honest, in such surroundings, slow service would be most acceptable. What a mouth- wateringly, fresh salad , covered in avocado, followed by the most tender of fish fillets with a delicious sauce and potatoes. Fantastic.

If there is one restaurant to visit in Switzerland, it is on Island Schwanau! It is an unforgettable experience.

With temperatures over 35 degrees, it was tough coping away from shade, but luckily, only 10 minutes from home in Seengen is the beautiful Halwyler See with its open Badi, swimming area. It is simple idyllic - and free! It was so refreshing, and the scenery and water lilies so beautiful.

After a couple of lovely, but exceptionally hot days, I continued on to Solothurn, again to friends of thirty years. How fortunate to be able to maintain these friendships after so many years, and to have watched their children growing up!

Marcel and Christine had a special treat in store, but it did involve what was a hair- raising experience for me as we drove up a very narrow, windy road to a fabulous farmhouse restaurant high above Solothurn, 1000 m above sea level. Poor Marcel, did not realise I had such an extreme fear of heights, the top part of the road being really narrow, with cliffs on one side and sheer drop on the other! What a wimp I am. Anyway, the fantastic surroundings, the spectacular view over the Swiss Alps, and the restful clanking of the cowbells, not to mention the great company and tasty salad, soon helped me forget the trip up and the need to return on the same road. 

As we walked down to the car, the setting sun and  the silhouettes of the surrounding hills made it a truly enchanting evening. I am so lucky to have friends with such great ideas of new places to visit. I love it and am forever grateful to them.

With the heatwave continuing, a super choice for a walk in the morning was a stroll from the house to the Verena Gorge, where the hermit of Solothurn lives! It was wonderful. We were in the shade most of the way and the dappled sunlight was just beautiful, lighting up the picturesque stone bridges, built over a century ago.

Although I have been up the gorge several times, today the chapels built into the rockface were open. They are really magnificent and so fantastically cool.

The Martins Chapel, built in the 12 th century and with paintings dating back to the sixteenth century, was stunning. Services are still held here on a monthly basis

 

The little house where the hermit lives looks like a toy home, and yet he lives there all year round apparently. He obviously has plenty of time to care for his garden!

 St. Ursanne, the pretty little medieval village in the Doubs Valley, close to the French border. My next destination What a hot walk it was down from the station. As a person who truly dislikes the heat, I was proud of myself being able to manage it. The streets were deserted. Nobody ventured out in the 37 degrees. Not even this beautiful green valley was spared the searing heat.

My caravan was sadly not in the shade, but I certainly was impressed by the viaduct above it. It is probably very old, making me once again wonder how people built such things without the help of technology and all the mechanical aids we have nowadays.

As I walked along the valley to the village for dinner, I passed a popular bathing spot by the weir. It looked so good. Definitely a plan for tomorrow, late afternoon.

The village looked as gorgeous as ever, bathed in the evening sunlight.

It was really deserted, probably due to the heat, the road re onstruction going on and also the fact that most were at the river. It didn't matter. It was great to wander through and remember my first visit there, where I fell in love with this place. Not many of my Swiss friends know it, surprisingly.

The Hotel des Deux Clefs, where I stayed the first time. Nothing has changed! The owner seems as grumpy as before and the table outside the bar is still crowded with the locals who smoke!

There are virtually no cars, so the only sound is of the swallows or house martins flitting to and fro grabbing their feast of insects at dusk.

I foolishly thought that the walk along the Doubs would be cool even if in the sun it was nearly 40! How wrong I was, particularly for the first incredibly long fifteen minutes! Only sun! The great thing was, that the shade seemed even more heavenly than ever! Everything is so lush here and the greens so incredibly vivid. One advantage of the heat was that I was virtually alone on the track, though some families had arrived early to set up barbecues and seating in the shade on the river banks.

My first stop was here, after turning round. Oh so calm and restful and blissfully cool.

What a lovely lunch spot I found. I even had a well- earned nap. It is so lovely to wake to the green leaves and blue sky above, the rippling of the gently flowing Doubs and the birdsong. Fantastic.

By the time I got back to camp, the sun was at its strongest, so a lazy afternoon was called for, followed by an amazingly refreshing swim in the Doubs. It was perfect. I really enjoyed watching the guys doing the slacklining, thinking how great it would be if David were there. He would really have enjoyed the challenge, and the water was fantastic, so falling in was a pleasure, I am sure.

My table on the terrace above The Doubs was fabulous, as was my Tarte Flambee, a speciality of the region.

Back to work tomorrow, with a visit to Head Office in Basel and a stay with Antoinette, to whom I owe the wonderful opportunity to write a blog on my Ipad 😀