Ahhh Switzerland

What is it about Switzerland that takes my breath away

The amazing vistas across the lakes

Amazing mountain passes like the old San Gotthard pass with its cobblestone surface

And party atmosphere at the top

Or village of Gletch where the Furka, Grimsel and Nufenen passes all converge

Maybe it’s the white Glacier topped mountains

Or is is the amazing biker culture that see riders of all types out enjoying the Alps

The goulash soup at the resturaunt at the top of Nufenen pass comes close

But maybe it’s the subtle heartfelt welcome that is so Swiss that makes one say ahhh

Reflecting on the Swiss Alps

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA — View from Furker pass looking across the Valley to the Grimsel

The ride down Furker Pass and up the Grimsel has to be one of the most beautiful and exhilarating rides available.

Down Furker

Past the wall of the Rhone Glacier

Through the little village of Gletsch

Then up the Grimsel

Winding up to the lake at the top of Grimsel Pass

If that is not enough

Turn around

Down the Grimsel

Then up the Nufenen Pass OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

What a day of riding it was.

In a few months I will be back in Europe

On the Mighty Breva II

More mountain passes some old some revisited.

Last stop in Switzerland for this trip

From Lauterbrunnen and Grindelwald you can see the Aletsch Glacier. Running over the mountains.

View of Aletsch Glacier from Lauterbrunnen

But, in time, it may be lost a sad loss both in beauty and the impact on the Alps.

North of Interlaken the valley runs north to the Jungfrau region and the Glacier.

Past lakes

And beautiful waterfalls

But in time as the Glacier melts the villages, the lakes, the waterfalls will in turn be reshaped.

Maloja Pass Mudslide

The Alps are a beautiful but precipitous place.

The mudslide is a reminder of the both the beauty and power of nature.

It takes my thoughts drift back to the indigenous Australians and their relationship to land.

No deity in the heavens it’s is the land that nurtures and provides. It’s the land that has wrath.

So as I sit in the Vezere a place where humanity survived the ice age. I can reflect on the power of nature.

Humanity may try to destroy itself through nuclear war or climate change or our greed and averice nature will continue.

My heart goes out to those who lost lives and property in the beautiful Swiss Italian border country.

Castles in the sky not just high Alps – Switzerland part 3

If you follow some narrow winding roads through fields of maize, past sheep and cattle quietly grazing, near the Aara River, you find the village of Habsburg and Schloss Habsburg.

The starting place in 1025 for a family that would dominate Europe and its colonies for almost a millennium- the Habsburg Family.

The Schloss Habsburg is one of the many castles that dot the Swiss countryside.

Schloss Lenzburg in sight of Habsburg tower is an impressive example.

Perched on hilltops

And on lake sides

The villages and old towns have their own special charms.

Decorated building eves and old town entrance in Aarau

Looking across the Rhine to old Laufenburg in Switzerland from Germany

My time in Switzerland, this trip, is drawing to a close but I have enjoyed amazing Alpine riding, exploring aspects of a rich history and found a welcoming motorcycle culture.