August 17, 2014

Bernese Oberland

August 17, 2014/ Andy McCulloch

With perhaps one exception, the Matterhorn, the Bernese Oberland is the pilgrimage in Switzerland for hikers and climbers alike. Despite me being woefully sick and the weather quite uncooperative, we were able to explore Interlaken before heading up to Grindelwald. From here, we were the only ones continuing on into the hills, with sporadic rain and snow making things a little unpleasant. We gained altitude and then continued over the next day on what is oft touted as one of the world's best walks: below the north face of the Eiger. Given how low the cloud was, we could have been anywhere. We continued up to Jungfraujoch which was above the clouds, and over the next few hours the weather broke and we were treated to a pretty spectacular sunset. With some perfect weather, we trekked down into Lauterbrunnen, which offers unbelievable views of the surrounding highland as well as soaring waterfalls.

May 25, 2014

Zürich

May 25, 2014/ Zürich, Switzerland/ Andy McCulloch

One could not be faulted for saying that Zurich is not really a natural excursion when on a journey from Mainz to Paris; however there are direct trains between all three cities, and it was cheaper to travel from Zurich to Paris than from Mainz to Paris, so work did not complain. I had visited Zurich previously in 2011 and my memories of the city were that it was pretty, but that it also stank of money which really put me off. Having visited Switzerland somewhat more extensively since then I wanted to give it another go, not to mention I was very keen to visit the nearby Rhinefalls, which are the largest in Europe.

March 30, 2014

Blaubeuren, Freiburg and Basel

March 30, 2014/ Germany/Switzerland/ Andy McCulloch

Once again, my work took me to Mainz, Germany. The winter was nearly over (in the technical sense) and by chance a friend from Australia was to be in Berlin for a conference, so we made plans to catch up. We had other friends in the south of Germany, so after some searching, we decided on a weekend trip to Blaubeuren; a small town with a big hole. Additionally, another opportunity for travel would present itself on my return to Paris: rather than head home directly, I would make a detour to meet up with Mia halfway between Geneva and Mainz and once again we would find ourselves in the Black Forest.

March 16, 2014

Gemmi Pass

March 16, 2014/ Gemmi Pass, Switzerland/ Andy McCulloch

With the less than satisfying Parisian winter instilling a desire for snow which had been quenched neither by a trip to the Arctic nor a week of skiing, we headed into the Bernese Alps to traverse one of the more famous passes in Switzerland, the Gemmi Pass. Sandwiched between the Rinderhorn and the Daubenhorn, the pass itself has an elevation of 2250 metres and runs between the small town of Kandersteg and the thermal spa town of Leukerbad.

November 17, 2013

Lucerne

November 17, 2013/ Lucerne, Switzerland/ Andy McCulloch

With winter slowly making its impression, the day to day life slowly evolves to follow suit. I find people here are much more personable in the winter – not to mention the arrival of rich meals and all things chocolate are very welcome additions. In an attempt to escape the permanent grey weather (which seems to call Paris home from November until March) we headed to the picturesque town of Lucerne in central Switzerland. Founded somewhere around 750 and gaining prominence in the mid-1400s, the town is one of the older cities in Switzerland and this, combined with being perched on the Vierwaldstättersee (the fourth largest lake in Switzerland) with the Alps rising sharply just to the south, make it one of the most visited towns in Switzerland.

Adventures