Route description for Switzerland worth seeing

Today, again, wonderful mountain weather was announced that many hikers took advantage of. The Stossbahn brought us to the mountain station at 1200 meters. The car-free village of Stoss is also located here. In the village there was a yawning silence, only the noise of a large construction site could be heard. The hotels and guest houses were all empty. Even the cafes and restaurants were closed. We oriented ourselves according to the hiking signs that lead us to the blade stick. The Klingenstock circuit is one of the most beautiful panoramic mountain tours in Central Switzerland.

Hike: We did a great tour; From Stoos Dorf we climbed the Klingenstock and then walked over the easily accessible ridge path, which also has many vertical meters in itself, to the Fronalpstock, because on the way you have a spectacular view of over 10 lakes and countless alpine peaks in Central Switzerland. Have a cappuccino on the terrace of the restaurant on the Fronalpstock before descending. From there descended to Stoos. Fantastic view. Great tour!

Today we took it easy and slept in. After breakfast we set out on a bike tour to Brunnen on Lake Vierwaltstätter See, the city of Schwyz and the bypass of Lake Lauen.

The small village of Brunnen, then inhabited by fishermen and boaters, was founded in the High Middle Ages. In the course of time it developed into an important port and loading point for the Canton of Schwyz. In 1620, a large part of the buildings was destroyed by a devastating fire.

Switzerland owes its name and coat of arms to the town of Schwyz. In 1291 Uri, Schwyz and Unterwalden formed a union and in 1315 they drove out the Austrians with the victory in the Battle of Morgarten. The town hall of Schwyz is a listed parliament and court building. It is known for the historicist facade painting by Ferdinand Wagner from 1891. Like the baroque parish church of St. Martin and the hotel "Wysses Rössli", the town hall is located on the main square in the center of Schwyz.

The Lauerzersee is located between the Vierwaldstättersee and Zugersee. With its maximum water depth of 14 m, it is one of the shallowest lakes in Switzerland. The island of Schwanau is located in the Lauerzersee on it is a preserved chapel and castle ruins. Also an inn.

After arriving at the Womo and stowing the bikes in the rear garage, we drank our afternoon coffee with a piece of cake. It was still so warm that we went swimming in the lake afterwards. Behind our mobile home there was a stony entrance to the lake. Start: 2:30 p.m.

Then we started towards Bellinzona to our destination for the day.

From the hill of Montebello, on which Bellinzona's second Castello towers 90 meters above the city, we look down on the Castelgrande. From here ran the walls that once encircled the old town up to the walls that led down from the hill of S. Michele. Parts of this curtain wall, which protected the northern and southern flanks of the huge triangular fortress, still exist today. The oldest internal wall core comes from the 13th / 14th centuries. Century. After a tour of the castle and the outside area, we took a souvenir photo at the photo spot of the Grand Tour of Switzerland!

The Castello di Sasso Corbaro is the only one of the 3 castles with a precise date of construction: It was the year 1479. The fortress was built in just over 6 months. The name of this fortress is based on its geographical location: the Castello is located on a rocky ledge that is as dark as the feathers of ravens (the dialectal name for "raven" is "corbatt"). This is a typical Sforza castle, the masonry of which is limited to basic geometric shapes. In addition to the square inner courtyard, which is surrounded by high walls, there is also a massive main tower and the observation tower. The Castello di Sasso Corbaro sits elegantly at 230 meters above Bellinzona and offers a fantastic panoramic view

To the third castle we descended again into the old town, where the Castelgrande stands on the mighty hill. The first human settlement on the hill of San Michele dates back to 5500/5000 BC. BC (Neolithic). The first archaeologically confirmed fortress was built in the 4th century AD. Various documents from the 6th century also confirm the existence of a fortification. The Latin name for Castelgrande, Castel Magnum, appeared for the first time in the 14th century. This is also the current name.

The second night was also quiet, the parking lot was empty and there were repeated showers during the night.

Before we left, we looked for the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie in the south of the city, which originally belonged to a Franciscan monastery. The church contains Renaissance frescoes from the Lombard school, which are among the most important in the canton of Ticino (around 1510). We made it to the church in time, after which a massive thunderstorm came down, which made for a longer stay in the church. After this sightseeing tour, we continued our journey to Lake Lugano.

It was a short drive from Bellizona to the campsite here. The driveway is difficult to see if you don't follow the signs. The staff at the reception was friendly and we could choose 6 seats from the regular seats. We liked the place with the number 66, it is not far from the lake and the toilets and showers are also very close. The power distribution box was quite far away from the square, the cable drum and a separate cable (10m) were just enough to the motorhome.

The night was very quiet, we had slept very well and long. In the morning before breakfast we went to swim in the lake. The water is very pleasantly warm, but a lot of dirt and small trees from the previous rainy days have accumulated on the bank. Around noon we set off on our e-bikes for Monte Bre '. Before climbing the mountain, we had to overcome a ridge and drive through the center of Lugano. There was heavy traffic on the roads through Lugano. Thanks to the GPS, we liked the access road to Monte Bre '. Several hairpin bends had to be driven to the top of the mountain (925 m). 10% gradient. At the top of the restaurant you have a beautiful view of the city of Lugano, Lake Lugano and far into the mountains. On the descent we made a detour to Gandria, a fishing village that is the most beautiful thing on Lake Lugano. Steeply on the mountain slope with narrow streets and stairs, it nestles against the lake. We had to leave the bicycles at the top of the church, the houses are assembled and can only be reached via steep stairs and narrow streets. After the visit, we went back to the city of Lugano. On the way back to Muzzano we took the road that led around the local mountain San Salvadore. We spent the rest of the day swimming and lazing around the square.

Distance: 57 km

Hm: 1200 m

Time: 4 h

Average: 15 km / h

The morning had progressed quickly with sleep in, bathing and breakfast, so that we started the hike on the San Salvadore a little late. 11:30 a.m. we started the five-hour tour. It had already got very hot around noon (26 ° C), especially when the route had sunny sections. We were very lucky that the steep and very easy to walk hiking trail ran in the shade to the summit. A number of cyclamen bloomed next to the hiking trail. From the top of the tower you have a magnificent all-round view. The panels that tell the story of the Gotthard tunnel and the old pass road are interesting. One would also have the possibility to visit the summit with the funicular. The way back was like the way there.

Distance: 18 km

Hm: 1200 m

Time: 5:30 h

During the night we had a thunderstorm with rain. We took advantage of it again to sleep in. Irmgard went swimming in spite of the overcast sky and I set up breakfast during that time. The temperature has dropped a lot, it wasn't as pleasant to have breakfast outside as on the previous days. Many campers around us packed their mobile homes or caravans for departure. As we started to get ready to go, it started raining. It has never happened before that I had to supply the power cable and fill up with fresh water in the rain.

Costs:

3 nights Womo, 2 adults 142.- Euro

Parking lot at the San Bernhardino tunnel. The parking lot is being rebuilt, everything is still under construction around the space. The entry and exit to Bernhardino Strasse has been given a new route. We stood for a stopover, were unsure whether we should spend the night here. You couldn't drink anything but coffee, it was raining.

From Zillis Dorf we follow the sign Reischen / Thusis / Viamala Schlucht. We follow the path gently uphill until we meet the road to Reischen a short time later. There is a wonderful view of the valley and the surrounding mountains. We hike through the village with its numerous fountains and historic farmhouses. Shortly after Reischen we cross the first of many small, larger and exciting bridges. After some up and down through lush summer meadows, we come to the Davos Salegn point in the middle of the forest. The signpost sends us down the forest towards the gorge to the bank of the river of the Viamala Gorge. We walk upstairs and downstairs on the narrow, rooted forest path on the banks of the river. Finally we reach the Punt da Suransuns. With its construction in 1999, it is again possible to follow the old mule tracks through the gorge. Now we go up the mountain on the other side of the river until we meet the driveway. On the short way to the Viamala information booth. We took the many steps down to the viewing platform above the Viamala gorge (fee 8 CHF / P) to take a closer look at the natural phenomenon. We now leave the gorge and start the ascent to the Traversina footbridge (always follow the signs to Thusis). After a very strenuous stretch, the bridge over the Traversina Tobel is in front of us. When walking over the bridge we take our time and enjoy the view of the valley. The Traversina footbridge was realized in 2005 by an architecture firm from Chur. Because of the exposed location of the bridge, which has to be overcome a distance of 56 m and a height difference of 22 m and has a deep view down to 40 m depth. The bridge was our hiking destination, from here it was the same way back to Zillis to our mobile home. At the kiosk by the church at the parking lot we made a short coffee break before we went on to Chur.

The night was quiet and we slept very well. We didn't even notice a mobile home standing next to us during the night. In the morning there were five more mobile homes in the square. I woke up pretty early, I didn't want to miss the sunrise. It took a long time until the sun rose from behind the mountain peaks, it was 7:30 a.m. The daylight was already too bright to influence the effect of the sunlight. The outside temperature was 8 ° C in the morning, we preferred to have breakfast in the mobile home and then slowly got ready for the onward journey to Müstair, over the Ofen Pass.

The bikes were quickly made ready for the tour and we set off on the pass road. The first section of the pass road is very steep with several 180 ° bends. I tried to ride the ride with the eco setting on the e-bike. Irmgard drove straight away with Strd. so she was a little faster than me. Despite my eco, Irmgard had more battery capacity than me at the border crossing to Italy and didn't have to work so hard with the Strd setting. From the limit I also drove with higher battery support and had to find out that my battery was running out even faster. Then I switched to the lowest gear (derailleur) and the smallest motor support (Eco +). The last bends I tortured myself to the top of the pass. Irmgard was up 10 minutes earlier and still had 4 lines out of 10 lines on the battery indicator, I only got to the finish line with one line. On the Stilfserjoch there was a crowd like at a folk festival, cyclists and bikers. There was nothing to be seen of Corona requirements. The parking lot was also very busy with skiers. But what impressed the most was the wonderful view of the mountain peaks, Ortler. Despite the sunshine, a cold wind blew around your ears. After a long rest, we went down the same way to Santa Maria. On the descent, Irmgard's brake shoes were completely worn down on the bike, so that the braking effect decreased and caused a loud noise. Upon closer inspection, it was found that the brake pads were abraded and the brake disc abraded. Both must be replaced again. After loading the bikes into the garage, we went on to Müstair.