A Month along the Fringe: Northern Italy with a Bit of Switzerland
Feb 3rd, 2025 | 09:19 AM
#1
Original Poster
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 21,146
Likes: 83
A Month along the Fringe: Northern Italy with a Bit of Switzerland
Choosing Flights:
This trip was booked last May after monitoring plane fares for a few months. Business Class fares stayed high ($3,900), some $1,000 higher than we paid last year for the same itinerary at the same time of year, but Premium Plus finally dropped to a comfortable range, so we booked when we found flights we could live with at a favorable price - $1,582 each.
Options from our area are limited; we usually have to fly via DEN, ORD or IAH. This was made worse by some self-imposed parameters; we were okay with flying out of ORD, but wanted to avoid returning via ORD as it can be (and has been) a nightmare. I’ve recently read that ORD is the US’s most stressful airport, and I believe it.
https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/most...190851368.html
We also prefer to fly a large plane on the short flight from COS-DEN instead of the typically delayed Skywest puddle jumper, but we couldn’t avoid it this time, so we chose an 8:30 am flight, hoping we could get out before things got backed up.
Incidentally, I read this in a June 2024 Fodor’s article, which very much sums up our experience with COS:
…A very close second (to Jacksonville, FL’s airport) is Colorado Springs, Colorado, because its airport has the highest percentage of delayed, canceled, or diverted flights…
Yep. That’s certainly been my experience.
We also wanted to avoid flying the 777 due to the miserable 10 across cabin configuration and Bill would have preferred to avoid the US east coast altogether as it’s a long flight to/from DEN; but this was also unavoidable.
But, we were happy enough with the layover times, which were in the 1:45-2:00 range vs the six hour range, so this picky well-traveled couple did what we could with the choices at hand; we made the jump, knowing full well that UA would probably change things between now and departure and upset our well-made plans. They always do.
And they did. Months later UA made a time and plane change, changing our booked 737 to the dreaded 777 on the return flight from IAD to Denver, a near four hour flight. Bill hates the 777 with a passion and was given an opportunity to make a change. After a confab with a UA rep he determined there were no better options…unless he upgraded us to First Class on that leg. So that’s what he did for an additional charge of $250 each.
This turned out to be a very good thing, as I spent that particular flight puking up my guts thanks to what I suspect was food poisoning compliments of UA. Being in First Class put me mere steps from the toilet, making things much less difficult than had I been squished somewhere in back.
We intentionally chose to depart the day after US Thanksgiving hoping to avoid the insanity at US airports the week before and after the holiday.
The outbound flights (UA):
COS-DEN
DEN-EWR
EWR-ZRH
The return flights (UA):
ZRH-IAD
IAD-DEN
DEN-COS
Insurance:
Purchased $6,000 coverage through SquareMouth/TinLeg ($446).
Thought process:
I hadn’t quite worked out an itinerary when we booked flights. We knew that we wanted to incorporate return visits to Chiavenna and Domodossola. We also wanted to include a wee bit of Switzerland, while avoiding Swiss ski areas during Christmas, when many require a 7-14 night stay and prices skyrocket.
We were interested in visiting more of the Northern Italy fringe around Switzerland, motivated by our stomachs and curiosity about what some of the crazy busy summer spots would be like in December, knowing full well that lakes can be foggy and dreary in the winter, and that transport schedules would be much reduced.
Logistics led us to Lake Como, an area we’ve touched on before, but had yet to spend any quality time in, and had no interest in revisiting during high - or even shoulder - season. After much research on what to expect in the various towns around Lake Como in December, we finally chose Bellano, easily accessible by train, and meeting our criteria for quiet…yet (hopefully) lively with locals in the off season.
Having missed Lake Orta San Giulio the last time we were in the area, it was on my radar as well, and while it proved somewhat challenging to include in the off season, we decided to give it a go and hope for the best.
The big question though, was where to spend Christmas. We don’t need to be entertained, but we do need to eat, and we didn’t want a town that completely shut down over the holiday. We decided that the spa and ski town of Bormio, in the Lombardy Region of the Province of Sondrio might fit the bill.
After much waffling and research and re-arranging, we had an itinerary - or so we thought.
We’d planned to spend four nights in the Val Venosta/Vinschgau, a region in South Tyrol situated in Stelvio National Park. It took some time to get a handle on the area and choose which of the 13 or so towns/municipalities to base in.
Once we’d narrowed it down, we had trouble finding accommodation - many places were already booked (six months in advance), and many others chose to ignore our requests regarding availability, etc. So, we threw in the towel and decided to head back into Switzerland for those last few nights, shortening our long travel day from Val Venosta/Vinschgau to Zurich; especially important as the chocoholic - that would be me - wanted to incorporate a stop at the Läderach factory in Bilten on our return to Zurich, although this didn’t happen due to travel fatigue and lack of luggage space.
We studied the various towns on the route from Bormio to Zurich, and decided that Poschiavo had potential, as it isn’t a ski town. We’d been through it several times, and had spent an afternoon there a few years ago, but we’d not spent any appreciable time there. The options were promising; another ride on the Bernina Express train route, perhaps a visit to neighboring Tirano, Graubünden grub, and a handful of winter hiking opportunities. So, a quick search for accommodation, an e-mail to the tourist office and Poschiavo was under serious consideration.
The final 31 night itinerary:
Arrive Zurich
Solothurn, northwest Switzerland - three nights. Here we decided to splash out at one of Switzerland’s oldest historic hotels, Boutique Hotel Couronne, booking their ‘three for two nights enjoyment package’ which included a deluxe double room, breakfast, welcome drink in their bar, a bottle of sparkling Cremant in the room, complimentary mini bar, late check-out, and a four course meal in their14-point Gault & Millau restaurant - 776 chf
Domodossola, Piedmont, Northern Italy - four nights - Air BNB - $422.40
Orta San Giulio, Piedmont, Northern Italy - four nights - Air BNB - $526 + €8 tourist tax
Bellano, situated on the eastern shore of Lake Como, Lombardy, Italy - five nights - Air BNB $720.56 + €20 tourist tax
Chiavenna, Lombardy, Northern Italy - four nights - Air BNB - $549 + €8 tourist tax
Bormio, Lombardy, Northern Italy - six nights, including Christmas, Air BNB - $995.62
Poschiavo, Grisons, Switzerland - four nights - Air BNB - $595.33 + 22.40 chf tourist tax
Zurich - one night - Allegra Lodge - Hotels.com - $154.733 + 7 chf tourist tax
Map of route:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/BZNcNkW7wXT2mAdq9
To be continued...
This trip was booked last May after monitoring plane fares for a few months. Business Class fares stayed high ($3,900), some $1,000 higher than we paid last year for the same itinerary at the same time of year, but Premium Plus finally dropped to a comfortable range, so we booked when we found flights we could live with at a favorable price - $1,582 each.
Options from our area are limited; we usually have to fly via DEN, ORD or IAH. This was made worse by some self-imposed parameters; we were okay with flying out of ORD, but wanted to avoid returning via ORD as it can be (and has been) a nightmare. I’ve recently read that ORD is the US’s most stressful airport, and I believe it.
https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/most...190851368.html
We also prefer to fly a large plane on the short flight from COS-DEN instead of the typically delayed Skywest puddle jumper, but we couldn’t avoid it this time, so we chose an 8:30 am flight, hoping we could get out before things got backed up.
Incidentally, I read this in a June 2024 Fodor’s article, which very much sums up our experience with COS:
…A very close second (to Jacksonville, FL’s airport) is Colorado Springs, Colorado, because its airport has the highest percentage of delayed, canceled, or diverted flights…
Yep. That’s certainly been my experience.
We also wanted to avoid flying the 777 due to the miserable 10 across cabin configuration and Bill would have preferred to avoid the US east coast altogether as it’s a long flight to/from DEN; but this was also unavoidable.
But, we were happy enough with the layover times, which were in the 1:45-2:00 range vs the six hour range, so this picky well-traveled couple did what we could with the choices at hand; we made the jump, knowing full well that UA would probably change things between now and departure and upset our well-made plans. They always do.
And they did. Months later UA made a time and plane change, changing our booked 737 to the dreaded 777 on the return flight from IAD to Denver, a near four hour flight. Bill hates the 777 with a passion and was given an opportunity to make a change. After a confab with a UA rep he determined there were no better options…unless he upgraded us to First Class on that leg. So that’s what he did for an additional charge of $250 each.
This turned out to be a very good thing, as I spent that particular flight puking up my guts thanks to what I suspect was food poisoning compliments of UA. Being in First Class put me mere steps from the toilet, making things much less difficult than had I been squished somewhere in back.
We intentionally chose to depart the day after US Thanksgiving hoping to avoid the insanity at US airports the week before and after the holiday.
The outbound flights (UA):
COS-DEN
DEN-EWR
EWR-ZRH
The return flights (UA):
ZRH-IAD
IAD-DEN
DEN-COS
Insurance:
Purchased $6,000 coverage through SquareMouth/TinLeg ($446).
Thought process:
I hadn’t quite worked out an itinerary when we booked flights. We knew that we wanted to incorporate return visits to Chiavenna and Domodossola. We also wanted to include a wee bit of Switzerland, while avoiding Swiss ski areas during Christmas, when many require a 7-14 night stay and prices skyrocket.
We were interested in visiting more of the Northern Italy fringe around Switzerland, motivated by our stomachs and curiosity about what some of the crazy busy summer spots would be like in December, knowing full well that lakes can be foggy and dreary in the winter, and that transport schedules would be much reduced.
Logistics led us to Lake Como, an area we’ve touched on before, but had yet to spend any quality time in, and had no interest in revisiting during high - or even shoulder - season. After much research on what to expect in the various towns around Lake Como in December, we finally chose Bellano, easily accessible by train, and meeting our criteria for quiet…yet (hopefully) lively with locals in the off season.
Having missed Lake Orta San Giulio the last time we were in the area, it was on my radar as well, and while it proved somewhat challenging to include in the off season, we decided to give it a go and hope for the best.
The big question though, was where to spend Christmas. We don’t need to be entertained, but we do need to eat, and we didn’t want a town that completely shut down over the holiday. We decided that the spa and ski town of Bormio, in the Lombardy Region of the Province of Sondrio might fit the bill.
After much waffling and research and re-arranging, we had an itinerary - or so we thought.
We’d planned to spend four nights in the Val Venosta/Vinschgau, a region in South Tyrol situated in Stelvio National Park. It took some time to get a handle on the area and choose which of the 13 or so towns/municipalities to base in.
Once we’d narrowed it down, we had trouble finding accommodation - many places were already booked (six months in advance), and many others chose to ignore our requests regarding availability, etc. So, we threw in the towel and decided to head back into Switzerland for those last few nights, shortening our long travel day from Val Venosta/Vinschgau to Zurich; especially important as the chocoholic - that would be me - wanted to incorporate a stop at the Läderach factory in Bilten on our return to Zurich, although this didn’t happen due to travel fatigue and lack of luggage space.
We studied the various towns on the route from Bormio to Zurich, and decided that Poschiavo had potential, as it isn’t a ski town. We’d been through it several times, and had spent an afternoon there a few years ago, but we’d not spent any appreciable time there. The options were promising; another ride on the Bernina Express train route, perhaps a visit to neighboring Tirano, Graubünden grub, and a handful of winter hiking opportunities. So, a quick search for accommodation, an e-mail to the tourist office and Poschiavo was under serious consideration.
The final 31 night itinerary:
Arrive Zurich
Solothurn, northwest Switzerland - three nights. Here we decided to splash out at one of Switzerland’s oldest historic hotels, Boutique Hotel Couronne, booking their ‘three for two nights enjoyment package’ which included a deluxe double room, breakfast, welcome drink in their bar, a bottle of sparkling Cremant in the room, complimentary mini bar, late check-out, and a four course meal in their14-point Gault & Millau restaurant - 776 chf
Domodossola, Piedmont, Northern Italy - four nights - Air BNB - $422.40
Orta San Giulio, Piedmont, Northern Italy - four nights - Air BNB - $526 + €8 tourist tax
Bellano, situated on the eastern shore of Lake Como, Lombardy, Italy - five nights - Air BNB $720.56 + €20 tourist tax
Chiavenna, Lombardy, Northern Italy - four nights - Air BNB - $549 + €8 tourist tax
Bormio, Lombardy, Northern Italy - six nights, including Christmas, Air BNB - $995.62
Poschiavo, Grisons, Switzerland - four nights - Air BNB - $595.33 + 22.40 chf tourist tax
Zurich - one night - Allegra Lodge - Hotels.com - $154.733 + 7 chf tourist tax
Map of route:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/BZNcNkW7wXT2mAdq9
To be continued...
Last edited by Melnq8; Feb 3rd, 2025 at 09:29 AM.
Feb 3rd, 2025 | 11:02 AM
#2
Original Poster
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 21,146
Likes: 83
We then began to have second thoughts about our accommodation choice in Bormio - a spacious well-located apartment, but in an attic up four flights of stairs. So, when we returned from our autumn trip, I searched for an alternative. Pickings were slim at this point, but I did find a suitable alternative in the historic center of Bormio on the first floor of an 800 year old former convent in the same price range, and with only one set of stairs, so I cancelled and re-booked.
Several weeks before departure we figured out what transportation we’d need in Switzerland to see if a 30 day Half Fare Card would be of any use. But, because we’d be in Switzerland at the beginning and end of a 31 day trip, we’d either have to pay full price for train tickets on our day of arrival or on our last travel day from Poschiavo to Kloten.
We crunched the numbers and decided we’d renew our 365 day Half Fare Cards, which at 190 chf each were only 70 chf more than the 30 day Half Fare Card, and with plans to return to Switzerland within the next year, we’d be ahead in the long run. We purchased these a few days before our departure and linked them to the Swiss Travel Passes we got last year.
We then purchased a Saver Day Ticket at half fare for our travel day from Solothurn to Domodossola (27 chf each), and a Saver Day Pass for our long travel day from Poschiavo to Kloten with our anticipated, but not realized, detour to Bilten (44 chf each).
We only booked one meal in advance - Crotto Ombra in Chiavenna
To be continued...
Several weeks before departure we figured out what transportation we’d need in Switzerland to see if a 30 day Half Fare Card would be of any use. But, because we’d be in Switzerland at the beginning and end of a 31 day trip, we’d either have to pay full price for train tickets on our day of arrival or on our last travel day from Poschiavo to Kloten.
We crunched the numbers and decided we’d renew our 365 day Half Fare Cards, which at 190 chf each were only 70 chf more than the 30 day Half Fare Card, and with plans to return to Switzerland within the next year, we’d be ahead in the long run. We purchased these a few days before our departure and linked them to the Swiss Travel Passes we got last year.
We then purchased a Saver Day Ticket at half fare for our travel day from Solothurn to Domodossola (27 chf each), and a Saver Day Pass for our long travel day from Poschiavo to Kloten with our anticipated, but not realized, detour to Bilten (44 chf each).
We only booked one meal in advance - Crotto Ombra in Chiavenna
To be continued...
Feb 3rd, 2025 | 05:46 PM
#5
Original Poster
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 21,146
Likes: 83
The trip begins -
Nov 29 -
Up at 4 am, out the door by 5:15, we drove the 35 minutes to a family member’s home, parked our car, and waited for our pre-arranged Z-Trip ride to the airport.
Our full 8:30 am flight left 1:15 late; the first officer didn’t show for whatever reason, so we had to wait for a replacement to fly in from Denver. Then they had to de-ice our plane, so our well-planned two hour layover in Denver vaporized. So much for that early start.
I was surprised that our small municipal airport had a British check-in agent, and then surprised again that our flight attendant was also British.
We arrived at B67 in Denver and took the train to the A gates, arriving 10 minutes before our flight to Newark boarded, leaving no time for the lounge. I’ve learned to pack snacks for this very reason. No matter how well we plan, something always happens with United.
This flight was also completely full, many people traveling with entirely too much carry-on luggage. It felt much busier than this time last year.
Once in Newark, we had to take a bus to change terminals, which ate into our 1:45 layover, but we did have time to spend about 30 minutes in the Red Carpet Club.
Our full, seven hour flight to Zurich left 15 minutes early. It was pretty smooth, we both managed about three hours of sleep, and we arrived a bit early.
Once in gloomy Zurich we got our bearings over a coffee at Steiner Flughafebeck; 12.40 chf for two café lattes; the Swiss franc at USD $1.14.
Bill purchased tickets to Solothurn on the SBB app - 45 chf for both at half fare, and we took the 9:48 am train, a ride of about 1:10, arriving to more gloom; good sleeping weather.
The walk from the Solothurn train station to the hotel took under 10 minutes. It was too early to check in, so we pulled out jackets and thermals from our suitcases, changed in the hotel’s restroom, left our luggage, and hit the streets, zombie-like.
There was a market going on right in front of the hotel, lots of people out and about.
Solothurn
Solothurn
We wandered through the gloom and cold, noticing all the Black Friday sales. We’d noticed this in Munich last year too, so it’s not just us crazy Yanks.
We stumbled upon the deserted Jasi Indian Restaurant. It didn’t look promising, but we were hungry, so we went inside to investigate.
There was no menu; we were given a choice of thalis, so we ordered one with chicken (17.50 chf) and one vegetarian (16.50 chf), and a random glass of wine (6 chf each). Our hopes were not high, but the food was surprisingly good and generous; 52 chf total.
Thali lunch
Before long, the place was busy with several groups of old folks drinking and catching up; making it feel like the local boozer.
Stomachs full, we continued our wander, looked for and found the bakery I liked for their Nusstorten from a previous visit, closed until Monday.
We killed a couple of hours just wandering, then ran out of steam, so moved our wait for check-in to our hotel’s bar, where we had a nice Riesling, 26 chf for two rounds, Bill actually nodding off while sitting upright; hilarious, and caught on camera. He said he couldn’t remember the last time he was so tired.
Solothurn church
Läderach
Wandering Solothurn
St. Ursus Cathedral
St. Ursus Cathedral
Wandering Solothurn
La Couronne
Our lodging for the next three nights:
La Couronne, the second oldest hotel in Switzerland.
The history of La Couronne, or 'the crown', dates back more than 500 years. 'It's documented as the second-oldest guest house in Switzerland and is inextricably tied to the history of the ambassadorial city of Solothurn.
https://lacouronne-solothurn.ch/
Our room was nice, but reminded us of why we don’t like hotels - not enough space.
We eventually wandered out to find a COOP for a few snacks, worried we’d wake up in the middle of the night jet-lagged and hungry.
Needless to say, it was a very early night.
To be continued...
Nov 29 -
Up at 4 am, out the door by 5:15, we drove the 35 minutes to a family member’s home, parked our car, and waited for our pre-arranged Z-Trip ride to the airport.
Our full 8:30 am flight left 1:15 late; the first officer didn’t show for whatever reason, so we had to wait for a replacement to fly in from Denver. Then they had to de-ice our plane, so our well-planned two hour layover in Denver vaporized. So much for that early start.
I was surprised that our small municipal airport had a British check-in agent, and then surprised again that our flight attendant was also British.
We arrived at B67 in Denver and took the train to the A gates, arriving 10 minutes before our flight to Newark boarded, leaving no time for the lounge. I’ve learned to pack snacks for this very reason. No matter how well we plan, something always happens with United.
This flight was also completely full, many people traveling with entirely too much carry-on luggage. It felt much busier than this time last year.
Once in Newark, we had to take a bus to change terminals, which ate into our 1:45 layover, but we did have time to spend about 30 minutes in the Red Carpet Club.
Our full, seven hour flight to Zurich left 15 minutes early. It was pretty smooth, we both managed about three hours of sleep, and we arrived a bit early.
Once in gloomy Zurich we got our bearings over a coffee at Steiner Flughafebeck; 12.40 chf for two café lattes; the Swiss franc at USD $1.14.
Bill purchased tickets to Solothurn on the SBB app - 45 chf for both at half fare, and we took the 9:48 am train, a ride of about 1:10, arriving to more gloom; good sleeping weather.
The walk from the Solothurn train station to the hotel took under 10 minutes. It was too early to check in, so we pulled out jackets and thermals from our suitcases, changed in the hotel’s restroom, left our luggage, and hit the streets, zombie-like.
There was a market going on right in front of the hotel, lots of people out and about.
Solothurn
Solothurn
We wandered through the gloom and cold, noticing all the Black Friday sales. We’d noticed this in Munich last year too, so it’s not just us crazy Yanks.
We stumbled upon the deserted Jasi Indian Restaurant. It didn’t look promising, but we were hungry, so we went inside to investigate.
There was no menu; we were given a choice of thalis, so we ordered one with chicken (17.50 chf) and one vegetarian (16.50 chf), and a random glass of wine (6 chf each). Our hopes were not high, but the food was surprisingly good and generous; 52 chf total.
Thali lunch
Before long, the place was busy with several groups of old folks drinking and catching up; making it feel like the local boozer.
Stomachs full, we continued our wander, looked for and found the bakery I liked for their Nusstorten from a previous visit, closed until Monday.
We killed a couple of hours just wandering, then ran out of steam, so moved our wait for check-in to our hotel’s bar, where we had a nice Riesling, 26 chf for two rounds, Bill actually nodding off while sitting upright; hilarious, and caught on camera. He said he couldn’t remember the last time he was so tired.
Solothurn church
Läderach
Wandering Solothurn
St. Ursus Cathedral
St. Ursus Cathedral
Wandering Solothurn
La Couronne
Our lodging for the next three nights:
La Couronne, the second oldest hotel in Switzerland.
The history of La Couronne, or 'the crown', dates back more than 500 years. 'It's documented as the second-oldest guest house in Switzerland and is inextricably tied to the history of the ambassadorial city of Solothurn.
https://lacouronne-solothurn.ch/
Our room was nice, but reminded us of why we don’t like hotels - not enough space.
We eventually wandered out to find a COOP for a few snacks, worried we’d wake up in the middle of the night jet-lagged and hungry.
Needless to say, it was a very early night.
To be continued...
Last edited by Melnq8; Feb 3rd, 2025 at 05:55 PM.
Trending Topics
Feb 5th, 2025 | 06:09 AM
#12
Original Poster
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 21,146
Likes: 83
Thanks for joining me!
Dec 1 - First Sunday of Advent
We woke to temps of 32F, high of 39F expected.
We’d had a good sleep, the linen sheets a bit rough, but surprisingly comfy. We were up at 6 am, having to open the windows as the room was stuffy; a recurring theme with our European winter trips.
Bill tried out the faux antique capsule coffee maker while we waited for our 7:30 breakfast (we had to select a time when we arrived, 7:30 the earliest). Good breakfast, complete with bacon, always much appreciated. We were like bears coming out of hibernation.
We were told there weren’t enough guests in the hotel to warrant the buffet breakfast the next day, so we were given a list of items to choose from for a continental breakfast. Oh no! No bacon!
Today was the best weather day we were going to get, so we decided to walk to the start of the Verenaschulcht - Verena Gorge - about 25 minutes from the hotel, although we’d visited back in 2021. Here we spent three hours exploring the network of intersecting trails, no destination in mind, just wanting to shake off the cobwebs and get some fresh air.
Just outside the city of Solothurn is the idyllic Verena Gorge – a place of mystical power. There is still a hermit living there to this day. The entrance to the Verena Gorge is a pleasant 20-30 minute walk from the centre of town. The romantic route takes you through the woods along a babbling brook to the hermitage. The little hermitage building and the Magdalena and Ölberg grottoes are a captivating sight.
https://www.solothurn-city.ch/ausflu...lei-6ad6c9a49d
Verenaschulcht - Verena Gorge
Verenaschulcht - Verena Gorge
Verenaschulcht - Verena Gorge & Hermitage
Verenaschulcht - Verena Gorge
Kirche zu Kreuzen, Rüttenen
Kirche zu Kreuzen, Rüttenen
Kreuzen Restaurant, Rüttenen
It was incredibly peaceful, just us and several dog walkers. We logged 5.5 miles, followed several trails, ending up on the Mediationsweg, which led us back down to St. Nikalus church, where we checked out the cemetery and then returned to Solothurn.
St. Nikalus cemetery
St. Nikalus cemetery
St. Nikalus church and cemetery
Tree in front of St. Nikalus church
Back in town, we sought out Stadkirche, which I’d read would host a 30 minute Advent concert every day at 12:30 from Dec 1-23, put on by various musicians. However, upon arrival we discovered the Stadkirche is closed for renovations for the next year. I googled and discovered the concerts would be held at the Franciscan church instead, so with the help of Google maps we headed there, arriving to a full house.
We were then treated to a nice concert (donation) compliments of a large choir who rounded out the concert with a song we actually knew, Feliz Navidad. No one left the church, the clapping continued until they sang it again, this time with audience participation. Quite enjoyable.
Then it was back to the hotel to use our drink voucher before the bar shut down at 4 pm (Sunday). Then we headed out again to locate the Advent market for which we’d seen a sign earlier, held at the Kapuzinerkloster, in the monastery’s church. It was entirely too busy and crowded for us, so we didn’t stay long. Instead we poked through town a bit more, sought out linner (late lunch, early dinner) at an imbiss we knew from a past trip. Good kebabs - and open on Sunday - 25.50 chf.
Kapuzinerkloster, Solothurn
We’d walked over seven miles today.
To be continued...
Dec 1 - First Sunday of Advent
We woke to temps of 32F, high of 39F expected.
We’d had a good sleep, the linen sheets a bit rough, but surprisingly comfy. We were up at 6 am, having to open the windows as the room was stuffy; a recurring theme with our European winter trips.
Bill tried out the faux antique capsule coffee maker while we waited for our 7:30 breakfast (we had to select a time when we arrived, 7:30 the earliest). Good breakfast, complete with bacon, always much appreciated. We were like bears coming out of hibernation.
We were told there weren’t enough guests in the hotel to warrant the buffet breakfast the next day, so we were given a list of items to choose from for a continental breakfast. Oh no! No bacon!
Today was the best weather day we were going to get, so we decided to walk to the start of the Verenaschulcht - Verena Gorge - about 25 minutes from the hotel, although we’d visited back in 2021. Here we spent three hours exploring the network of intersecting trails, no destination in mind, just wanting to shake off the cobwebs and get some fresh air.
Just outside the city of Solothurn is the idyllic Verena Gorge – a place of mystical power. There is still a hermit living there to this day. The entrance to the Verena Gorge is a pleasant 20-30 minute walk from the centre of town. The romantic route takes you through the woods along a babbling brook to the hermitage. The little hermitage building and the Magdalena and Ölberg grottoes are a captivating sight.
https://www.solothurn-city.ch/ausflu...lei-6ad6c9a49d
Verenaschulcht - Verena Gorge
Verenaschulcht - Verena Gorge
Verenaschulcht - Verena Gorge & Hermitage
Verenaschulcht - Verena Gorge
Kirche zu Kreuzen, Rüttenen
Kirche zu Kreuzen, Rüttenen
Kreuzen Restaurant, Rüttenen
It was incredibly peaceful, just us and several dog walkers. We logged 5.5 miles, followed several trails, ending up on the Mediationsweg, which led us back down to St. Nikalus church, where we checked out the cemetery and then returned to Solothurn.
St. Nikalus cemetery
St. Nikalus cemetery
St. Nikalus church and cemetery
Tree in front of St. Nikalus church
Back in town, we sought out Stadkirche, which I’d read would host a 30 minute Advent concert every day at 12:30 from Dec 1-23, put on by various musicians. However, upon arrival we discovered the Stadkirche is closed for renovations for the next year. I googled and discovered the concerts would be held at the Franciscan church instead, so with the help of Google maps we headed there, arriving to a full house.
We were then treated to a nice concert (donation) compliments of a large choir who rounded out the concert with a song we actually knew, Feliz Navidad. No one left the church, the clapping continued until they sang it again, this time with audience participation. Quite enjoyable.
Then it was back to the hotel to use our drink voucher before the bar shut down at 4 pm (Sunday). Then we headed out again to locate the Advent market for which we’d seen a sign earlier, held at the Kapuzinerkloster, in the monastery’s church. It was entirely too busy and crowded for us, so we didn’t stay long. Instead we poked through town a bit more, sought out linner (late lunch, early dinner) at an imbiss we knew from a past trip. Good kebabs - and open on Sunday - 25.50 chf.
Kapuzinerkloster, Solothurn
We’d walked over seven miles today.
To be continued...
but no doubt being up front helped.
Feb 6th, 2025 | 06:44 AM
#18
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 27,009
Likes: 0
Melnq8 I really liked the google map you created! It helps me to visualize your route and for following along. Arrival day is always the worst with jetlag; i'm glad to see I'm not the only one who is capable of dozing off while upright!
