mokka4

WT: No Nespresso stores here in Pennsylvania!
AND, thanks to your steady praise of Basel, I am now researching my next trip to die Schweiz, using either Olten OR Basel as my home base for a week! If traveling alone, I like a smaller town. If a friend joins me, then Basel is more likely. Either way, I plan two FULL days exploring Basel, a town I had not considered before!

robincal

Mokka4, I may have mentioned this in another post about one of your previous trips, but I find your reports very interesting. You are literally the master of "off the beaten path" places, for Americans anyway, and its so neat to find people who dare to break free from the usual sites. Keep up the imaginative traveling and good trip reports.

WeisserTee

"I walked through Luzern after dark, heading back at Schwanenplatz...OMG! 8 pm and rows of tour buses idling while hundreds (not exaggerating) of Asian tourists were frenziedly running from store to store, shopping for jewelry in the high-end shops...Ugly Free Market/Pursuit of the Franc."

That's why I like the town of Zug better than Luzern for mountain vistas in a lakeside setting.

mokka4

Thanks robin! I HAVE settled in to a certain mode of travel in the last several visits...usually one of my town DAYtrips becomes the NEXT home base. That way, there's a BIT of familiarity to start exploring each NEW region.
Then, after a 7-night apartment, I'll like to head to an entirely new area, with the 'safety net' of a hotel!
While I LOVE the Berner Oberland, there are just SO many OTHER mountaintops and lakeside villages to discover in Switzerland! Why keep going to Interlaken and up the expensive Jungfrau or Stockhorn, when Stanserhorn is so exquisite too?

I HAD wanted to use Zofingen as my base this fall, but apartment options are really lacking, hence Olten (or Basel). And the 'new' region will most likely be Lausanne!

WeisserTee

We used to take Raisin to Zofingen to see a veterinary ophthalmologist and to be honest, I didn't think the town was that great. It was nice, but Solothurn ranks much higher IMO and we'd also put Aarau above it. I didn't think it was any more special than Liestal or Rheinfelden, both of which are closer to home.

mokka4

Hmmm, Aarau was on my short list too ;-) .
Better than Olten?

WeisserTee

I've never been in the old part of Olten, all I know is the rather drab bit I see from the trains stopping there. As for Aarau, much as I like it, I don't know about making it a base for more than few days. I think Solothurn was and is the best choice for that general area (along with Basel, of course). How about Appenzell or St. Gallen or even Stein am Rhein?

Adelaidean

Mokka do not doubt your writing style, informative and easy to read
It is true that many readers just head to the TR's of the beaten path as that is where they are going.... (but maybe you have more readers than you realise as before I joined Fodors I found myself reading many posts without commenting, now I like to say 'thanks' to those who bother). Yours is all the more valuable as there are few from lesser well known areas and I have taken to my atlas again. I might build a more interesting itinerary thanks to TR's like yours.

mokka4

Thanks Adelaidean! Good to hear someone might use these hidden nuggets!

Now to my final 30 hours in Switzerland...

The Ferris wheel for the Lozaarner Maas (fall festival) was being set up along the river and Bahnhofplatz...I had been able to visit this fair both in 2012 & 2013, but this year it started just two days after I headed home to the US...too bad! My most favorite pair of earrings were purchased from a metal smith's booth there...It's similar to a very large Christmas market, with goods, foods AND amusement rides.

Back at the hotel, I watched 'Two and a Half Men' in German...too funny! I recorded a half minute on my smartphone (much to everyone at home's later amusement).
No more ants...well at least I had learned a new etymological term..Ameisen!
I'm not sure about tomorrow's easy hike around Seebodenalp...rain is forecast again.

mokka4

WT: while I have been to Zug~~especially to taste the famous Zuger Kirschtorte (specialty cherry cream torte), walked the waterfront, inspected the bird cages, climbed the tower after getting the key from the police station, and lunched, it just didn't tug my heartstrings....

You were 'right on' about Solothurn, but I've never been a hometown-repeater!
Lausanne or Vevey will likely be my 3-day 'new' exploration area, I'm liking Olten so far, but I'll keep digging.

swandav2000

ooooh mokka4, far more folks are reading this as lurkers than you can imagine!!

I am thoroughly enjoying it and having a vicarious visit to my favorite country with you! Your descriptions are detailed and concrete, so it's easy for us to imagine what you're seeing and eating! I really appreciate it!

Also love your destinations, as they are places I've only seen in passing or in print. Yes, yes, your trip reports are well regarded and very valuable for us!!

s

mokka4

Thanks swandav, it is nice to know that someone's reading!

Wednesday, October 1st~~last full day...
Up by 8:00, savored a crusty roll with butter and jam, then croissant ;-), muesli, oj and coffee from the buffet.
Rain is forecast again, but beginning mid-day, so I took a chance on an early departure for Seebodenalp.
Long lines at the TI, so I took a chance at purchasing the correct ticket (Passepartout Tageskarte-3 zones) for 7.40 CHF at the self-serve kiosk. Today's trip
included a train to Kuessnacht, a bus to the Rigi-Seebodenalp Seilbahn, then the gondola up to start my hike.

I caught the 11:00 gondola- entirely alone in the 4-seater! Rain and fog as we ascended, passing tremendously tall evergreens and fields of cows.

Eerie and totally fogged in at the top. No one else so crazy...Is it safe? Should I?Hey, I'm here, it only cost 11 chf roundtrip, and I can use the cardio!
I followed the Panoramarundweg (circular route, boasting 'fantastic views'...in the literature anyway!).
Now the rain had stopped, but DENSE fog obscured anything beyond about ten feet..sooo silent!

The path followed an easy thematic trail-the Glacier Track-with huge boulders strewn casually about. Great moody shots of empty benches under great fuzzy trees. Imagine if I really could have seen that panorama! Or maybe not-I have a specific kind of fear of heights..!
First was a simple mountain chapel in a hollowed bowl of pine trees. Spider webs in the grass and on the wooden fence glistened with dew.
Unlocking electrified pasture gates, noting signs to keep distance from mother cows and young calves....

I soldiered on to Alp Ruodisegg, a self-serve Alpwirtschaft, that I read about online and today's lunch destination.
Tables were set up on the enclosed terrace. There was a group of 6-8 rowdy pensioners, eating and going through bottles of wine. I noticed two if the men grilling outside- it was now raining pretty good and there was only a limited hood of shelter...what the heck?
Went around to the front to order, learned that with certain meats/meals, you were expected to do your own grilling...um no! What comes prepared please?

mokka4

So I ordered two beef Wienerli mit Brot und Senf +large Mineralwasser (11.50).
You order and come back for it after a reasonable length of time (they don't serve)!
Fortified myself while the boisterous oldsters continued their ?monthly wine-fuelled "committee meeting"!
Now it really started pouring rain...

I am not proud to admit that I was most ill-prepared for a hike...left my waterproof blaze orange, hooded hiking jacket in the US, so wearing non water-resistant sweater, water-logged shoes and CARRYING an umbrella..But I DID have a watertight backpack, so my back was dry ;-).
Used the rustic WC near the barn stalls (but with the modern convenience of running water), and decided to go forward on the Rundweg, instead of retracing my steps. Hey, wet is wet.

The path now descended through rolling cow pastures, with signs (in German of course) about not approaching the cows. After a bit, there were no more trail markers! What's this? A stream cascaded over rocks and led deeper and higher onto the mountain. It didn't look right, but was that the yellow blaze of a Wanderweg painted in that boulder? Before me looked like a well-trod, private farm machinery road...
A remote mountain hut! Yes! There was a man and woman inside and a sign announcing mountain cheese for sale.
I got redirected. Yes, go forward on the 'road', after unhooking the TRIPLE electric wires on the gate....See where this us going?

mokka4

So this water-soaked Wandererin carefully laid aside the umbrella to figure out the electric wires-three of them. But I wasn't quite deft enough! Before I knew it, my right knee was on the ground, and I looked around to see what nasty gnome had kicked me from behind! This was the powerful cow-zap that 500 lb wayward cattle get!
No worse for the shock, I marched onward.

At some point, this path rejoined the loop I had traveled OUT on...foggy pond with sleeping duck and all.
I was never so happy to see the familiar, simple mountain chapel near the Seilbahn!

Gondola down, bus back to Kuessnacht station, train to Luzern, in the hotel hairdrying my shoes by 3 pm...
The sky here was clearing with steadily growing sunshine! AND it was the Handiworks Market on Bahnhofstrasse--the perfect storm for my final evening!

kleeblatt

Oh, sorry to hear you got zapped above Küssnacht. The mountains are crappy in crappy weather, especially in foggy weather.

I got lost once on a hike between Rigi Kaltbad and Rigi Scheidegg. When I started the hike, there were a few roaming clouds but after 30 minutes, I was hopelessly lost in the fog. Luckily, out of the fog, a couple came with a map. I asked them if they could help me. With the help of a map and their sense of direction, I found the right path and the way back to my destination.

Best of all: the couple were American

mokka4

So funny kleeblatt!

Back out to browse the many Handwerker stands along the river. Fell for black enameled drop earrings with a pale pink crystal at the center, and, why not, a turquoise enamel pair as well.
This was from a Spanish jeweler who seemed surprised that I bartered in German!
Two pairs for less than my Solothurn jewels (and I like them better...unique)!

Finally got to explore the inside of Jesuitenkirche too. Beautiful salmon-rose colors!
Then to the Buchhaus where I purchased my beloved Schweizer Foto-Almanach (a desk calendar with lovely weekly Swiss photos for just 24.90). I order this online every year at a cost nearing $40!

On to the Manor store cafeteria. By 4:30 they had stopped serving hot meals, but I had my sights set on a salad (mittel) @ 8.90, a small Italian panini roll and the newest Rivella flavor-rhubarb (3.90).

The sun was really shining now..too bad I hadn't hiked this afternoon...forecasters the world over are just as bad!

Went downstairs in the store to purchase the obligatory chocolate souvenirs for friends and family. Wunderbar Caillier for me!
Walked to the river and joined many others sitting on bench-logs at the water's edge, while children fed the many swans and ducks. What a nice setting.
As it darkened, I headed back to my hotel, stopping at a bakery/confiserie for a Schogglibroetli (breakfast roll with chocolate bits) to have for my very early breakfast. And who could pass up just one more small box of THEIR fine quality treats;-)?

Paid the hotel bill, packed and went to bed....4:30 a.m comes early......Tschuss!

Adelaidean

An electric shock, what a horrid souvenir

We had lots of rain, too, in Germany in July last year (but our boys were stoked with the very light snowfall on mountaintop in Mittenwald, an unexpected delight).