Stanserhorn

This summer we decided to take a couple of long week-ends to discover Switzerland with the family. The place I absolutely wanted to visit was the Stanserhorn, the mountain near the quaint village of Stans, right in the middle of Switzerland (by Luzern, see map at the bottom). Why was this on my bucket list? Because it has the world’s only open-roof cable car!

For this trip I took my trusty Fuji X-Pro1 with the 18-55mm “kit” zoom lens. I wanted to travel light and not have to change lenses, so I took the only zoom I have. Click on the pictures for bigger versions (and more pictures in my Flickr stream).

Arriving in Stans, I was first surprised by how small the village was. Park anywhere and you’ll be in walking distance to the train station. The first part of the ascent is done in a little train; very romantic. It takes you past bucolic views with cows and lots of pastureland. You are really in the heart of Switzerland here; this is postcard country! I wondered if I would meet Heidi at the top…



After that short train ride, you get to the bottom station of the open-roof cable car. The ride is very smooth, as the cabin is securely supported by very large iron cables. Even my wife, who is afraid of heights, said it was ok for her as she adventured towards the top of the cabin. The feeling of being transported in an open-air cable car is quite amazing; you feel a gentle breeze and the time passes by so quickly; you are able to see so many things at once. The weather was perfect; it was almost like a dream!





From the top of the Stanserhorn, you get a beautiful view of the 4 canton lake below, as well as many mountain tops. We took a little walk to the summit (about 45 minutes) where we could see some marmots (groundhogs for the Americans). The kids really liked those. There is also a nice restaurant where you can eat local specialties, which came in handy after the short walk.



Overall this was a beautiful week-end and I highly recommend you visit the place if you have time in Switzerland. Going up and down is no longer than 1 hour, but take your time to enjoy the views!


View Larger Map

Villa Cassel & Aletsch Glacier hike

I had the chance to spend a couple of days in the Riederalp region, home to the Aletsch Glacier, next to Bettmeralp (see map at bottom). For me, this is one of the most beautiful region in Switzerland.

On the first day, we took the train from Geneva to Sierre and had a great lunch there before heading to Brigue. We then took another train for just a small ride to Morel, where we took the cable car to Riederalp.



The views riding up to Riederalp are already breath-taking. Rideralp is one of the few no-cars mountain resorts in Switzerland. Finally from there, we walked about 30 minutes to reach our final destination: the Villa Cassel.



Villa Cassel is a big mansion built between 1900-1902 by an english banker, Sir Ernest Cassel, which now belongs to Pronatura, a non-profit organisation working to protect the environment.



You can sleep very comfortably up there, gently soothed by the cow's bells.

View from the Churchill suite





The next day we walked all the way to the Aletsch glacier, and made a 2 hour trip on the glacier itself with the help of a guide (don't attempt this alone, you need suitable equipment). The weather was great: not too hot, not too cold.
I found this region absolutely beautiful and very relaxing. Did you know that this is the biggest inhabited region of Switzerland? And since it's not so easily reachable, there are few tourists. Enjoy the view!







All these pictures were taken with the fabulous Fuji X-Pro1 and the Fuji XF 18mm lens. I can only say great things about this camera, the picture quality is awesome for such a small form factor. My back really enjoyed the light load!

You can see more pictures on my Aletsch Glacier Flickr Set.


View Larger Map