Appenzell, Schwende River
Beckenried to Schwende
On September 4, 2023 we repositioned from Beckenried on Lake Lucerne to Schwende in the Appenzell regions which the Swiss refer to as Appenzellerland. The region marks the start of the Alps with a large outcropping known as the Alpstein. To get to Appenzell, we chose the Voralpen Express route which led us on a 4 hour train trip through Arth-Goldau and across Lake Zurich at Rapperswil to Herisau. From there we only had a few minutes to transfer to the quaint Appenzell Railways train. The Appenzell Railway runs all the way to Wasserauen, but we stayed one stop short of the end of the line at the super small village of Schwende.
Alpenblick Hotel, Schwende
We stayed 4 nights at the Gasthaus Alpenblick in Schwende. The hotel has lovely views over the Appenzell farmlands and the Alpstein. We also paid for a set 4 course meal each evening, which was promptly served at 6 pm. The location was picturesque, but I do have one complaint about Appenzell during the unseasonal fall heat. The smell of cow manure made evening walks and balconies untenable. Even on the peaks reached by gondolas, you could smell the spreading of fertilizer in preparation for winter. Not my favorite.
Appenzell Tourism Pass
Schwende Village, Switzerland
When you stay at a hotel in the Appenzell area, Appenzell Tourism provides transportation betweedn Appenzell and any other destination in Switzerland. Additionally the hotel provides an Appenzell transportation pass that loads on to your phone. The tourism pass includes trains and buses in the Appenzell region plus rides on the gondolas at Ebenalp, Hohen Kasten and Kronberg. These passes are very convenient. What a great holiday perk in Appenzell.
Hohen Kasten
Hohen Kasten, Appenzell
On our first full day in Appenzell, we took a one stop ride on the train from Schwende to Weissbad. We then boarded the bus for an 8 minute ride to Brulisau where the Hohen Kasten gondola starts. Similar to riding the bus around Lake Lucerne, you are responsible to have your ticketing in order and bus driver’s don’t check this. The Appenzell tourism pass on our phones meant that we didn’t need to do anything other than picking a seat on the bus. The gondola at Brulisau takes about 10 minutes to reach the Hohen Kasten summit. The attendant spoke for almost the entire ride, giving a detailed account in German of what we were seeing. Don’t expect to hear an English narration.
The views over the Alpstein peaks were magnificent with perfect morning lighting of the mountains. The views to Lichtenstein, Austria, Germany and the Bodensee were hazy and less impressive. I loved our trip to Hohen Kasten.
Gonten Alpabzug, Cow Parade
Gonten Alpabzug, Switzerland
After Hohen Kasten, the day was still young, so we decided to head to the gondola at Santis next. On our route we were surprised by cow parade or Alpabzug which we could see from the train window as we approached the village of Gonten. We hopped off the train and dashed to the road side to see the procession.
In the fall, Swiss farmers herd their cows from alpine pastures back to their valley farms for the winter. Young girls in traditional dress lead the procession as they herd their goats. Then the men and women, also in traditional dress, herd the cows right down the main road. At the back were a couple traditional farm machines. As the group passed various restaurants, small glasses of beer were presented for the men. This Alpabzug represented only one small herd of cows, but we enjoyed it immensely.
Kronberg Gondola
Kronberg, Appenzell
After following the Alpabzug for quite a while, we decided to skip Santis that day. We were only about a 15 minute walk from the gondola in Kronberg, which was included in our passes. We rode up to the restaurant at Kronberg and had lunch. Kronberg sits at a lower elevation than Santis, which we could see above us. We could also see a trail through the meadows and forests that led to the Santis gondola station, but we didn’t have enough time left in the day for that. So, we retraced our route back to Schwende after lunch.
Ebenalp
Berggasthaus Ebenalp
The men weren’t done with excursions when we got back to Schwende on our first full day. The two of us continued one more train stop to Wasserauen and rode the Ebenalp Gondola. Then we made the short hike up to Berggasthaus Ebenalp where we watched the numerous paragliders below us. We also peered down into the Seealpsee below.
Aescher Restaurant
Next we hiked down toward the Aescher, the famous restaurant built into the cliff edge. Locals told us the Instagram crowds for Aescher had finally diminished significantly this year. The craze had finally faded.
The path was steep, uneven and the weather was very hot. By the time we reached the cave, my friend decided not to continue. I scramble through the cave, past the cave-like open air church and down the steep path to the Aescher Restaurant. Then I quickly took a couple pictures and scrambled back up to my waiting friend.
I was exhausted and overheated from doing too much effort in a very short period of time. My friend outpaced me on the way back up to the gondola station. We then took the Ebenalp gondola back down to Wasserauen and the short train ride back to Schwende for supper. Too much for one day!
St Gallen
Gallusstrasse, St Gallen
The hot, humid sunny weather continued on our second day. We used our rail passes to head to the town of St Gallen. From the train station we walked to the Red Plaza where the streets and seating are all painted red. Then we continued on to old town St Gallen, examining all the historic oriel window boxes along the pedestrian streets. We also listened to the amazing acoustics of the organ at the St. Laurenzen Church as they rehearsed for a ceremony that evening.
Abbey Library of St Gall
Abbey Library of St Gall
After touring old town St Gallen, we visited the famous Abbey Library of St Gall. After paying your admission, you have to put on large slippers over top of your shoes. This means that everyone in the library is quietly shuffling about as they view the library. From the library, we proceeded to the Abbey itself.
We finished off our visit to St Gallen with one of my favorite lunches on our entire trip to Switzerland. At the Chocolaterie am Klosterplatz, my wife and I shared an Eisbecher (ice cream sundae with cream topping), a Schokoladenrahmschnitte (chocolate cream Napoleon) and an extravagantly delicious Schoggigipfeli (chocolate croissant). Amazing!
Santis
Santis View to the Alps
On our last day, we headed to the gondola at Santis. Santis is the highest gondola in Appenzell at 8,200 feet. First we took the train from Schwende to Urnasch. Then we caught a very full accordion bus to the Santis Gondola station. The bus to Santis is included in the Appenzell card, but the gondola is not.
Ebenalp from Santis
The facility at peak at Santis has multiple floors and many viewing platforms both inside and out. Although the weather was clear, the view was hazy and clouds were building quickly on the Alps. We enjoyed our viewpoint over hikers traversing the steep rock cliffs below. We chatted with a 66 year old women who just finished her solo hike up to the peak at Santis. After lunch, clouds began to form in the valley and soon obscured the peak. When we reached the valley floor on our descent, the peak at Santis was completely obscured. Although I felt lucky to have enjoyed the view at Santis, I guess it was just too hot and hazy to meet my expectations.
The next morning we parted paths with our friends and we headed to Konstanz on the Bodensee.
