A Helvetic Hike, With Dessert

Today was a quintessentially gorgeous Sunday in Switzerland: the sun shining, families pushing baby carriages and riding bikes along the river, church bells calling the faithful to worship.  And yet, the first hints of fall are unmistakable.  The morning air has a distinct chill to it and the tips of tree branches are starting to take on a faintly yellow tinge.  My magazines are arriving with brown-and-orange covers, full of nut-and-spice recipes. Pumpkin and apple displays at the grocery store are getting more and more elaborate by the week, and restaurants are slipping their fall menus into place: venison, boar, chestnuts, lingonberry jelly, and rich mushroom sauces abound. 

And yet, I just couldn't let summer go without one last hike!  A few weeks ago, on a day just as beautiful as this one, Matt and I drove to the Vierwaldstättersee (aka, Lake Lucerne) in central Switzerland and caught the ship in Brunnen. Our destination was the Rütli, a meadow on the other side of the lake accessible only by water.



The Rütli meadow is perhaps the most historic and symbolic place in all of Switzerland, considered by many to be the heart of the country. It's where the three founding cantons of Uri, Schwyz, and Nidwalden swore an oath of mutual defense on August 1, 1291.  Over the next centuries, the nearby independent cantons and tribes joined the pact, eventually resulting in today's Switzerland.  In 1991, for the 700th anniversary of the founding of the Swiss Confederation and with the Rütli as the starting point, a 35-kilometer long path around a U-shaped section of Lake Lucerne was designated The Swiss Path, or Weg der Schweiz. 35 kilometers is quite an intimidating distance for the casual hiker, but fortunately the path is divided up into 8 very manageable chunks that can be accomplished at different times and on different days.  The ships provide an excellent means of transport between towns should you decide not to make like Maria von Trapp and start at the very beginning.





The meadow is a 10-minute walk uphill from the boat dock on a well-signed gravel path.





For one of the most meaningful places in Switzerland, arriving at the Rütli can feel somewhat anti-climactic. Though it affords beautiful views of the lake, a shady spot to picnic under a large tree, and a very small museum consisting of dry information placards, it is, after all, just a meadow. The land was officially purchased for the federal government in 1860 with money donated by schoolchildren across the country, with the stipulation that it never be built upon. There are no actors in costumes, no tour guides, no interactive displays, no monuments or anthem playing or other ostentatious shows you might expect in other countries. A simple flag pole is all the patriotism you'll find on most days of the year, with the exception of August 1st, when it's the site of traditional fireworks and a speech by one of the seven federal councillors.



The first section of the Weg der Schweiz is an hour-long climb from the Rütli to the town of Seelisberg, perched on a cliff almost 400 meters above the lake. Each Swiss canton is assigned its own representative stretch of the path in the order it joined the confederation. The length of each stretch was determined by the population of the canton in 1991 - each person counted for 5 millimeters of path. 



We passed Uri, Schwyz, Nidwalden, and were well into Luzern by the time we reached Seelisberg. The divisions were marked along the way by carved stones.



Once in Seelisberg, we refreshed ourselves with cold water from a fountain and the hard-earned view, both across the lake...



...and down on the Rütli.



After Seelisberg the path wound inland for a little while, through grassy fields and past the small lake (seeli) for which the town is named. And no, that's not a bird, plane, or spot on my lens - it's a cable car!



Further along, the trail leveled out through a forested area perfect for picnics and leisurely strolls. A signboard provided casual visitors with information about the Weg and each line of the Lord's Prayer with a short commentary was mounted on a series of plaques along the path as food for contemplation.





As we emerged out of the forest into the sunlight, the path began a long descent back down to the lake. Along the way we passed offers of a place to spend the night - in a pile of fresh straw at a farmhouse! This is a very popular pasttime here in the summer and really deserves a blog post of its own. Until I get around to writing it you can visit this particular farm's website for more information, or find out about all the other farms all over Switzerland offering nights sleeping in straw here.


Three hours and 8.8 kilometers after leaving the Rütli, we rounded a corner and came upon the tiny village of Bauen nestled in an inlet.



Almost the first building we encountered was the one I was looking for. Surprisingly given its out-of-the-way location, Restaurant Zwyssighaus is a well-known stop in this area for gourmets. The kitchen was not open until later, but they were still happy to serve us one of their special desserts (which, of course, is all I really wanted anyway). The elderflower-caramel custard with marinated local apricots and blackberries was just heavenly, as was the pretty view from their outdoor terrace.





The food is not the only thing that makes this restaurant special - it is also the birth-house of the composer of the Swiss national anthem, Reverend Alberik Zwyssig. A monument to him stands just out front.



With our last bit of energy from the custard, we walked 50 more meters to the Bauen dock and caught the last ship back to Brunnen at 17:24 - if you are tempted to stay for dinner after your hike, you will be staying the night as well. The other 26.2 kilometers just will have to wait for another day!