Living the idyllic life in a small village called Wängi in Switzerland was like disappearing from the mundane and getting in touch with nature, your’s, other’s and nature itself! Walking the undulating green mountains on route to the nearest farm, which is every few metres, buying eggs at the unmanned wooded stall where the price is written on a placard, and they trust you to put the needed Swiss Francs into a bowl, and take your portion of eggs, cheese and more or just sitting at the only neighbourhood coffee shop and sipping on cafe au lait and biting into cheese cake, it’s a memory that will warm your soul time and time again.
There are village brockies across each Canton that were a quite a revelation, with interesting antiques, second hand furniture, books, fashion too. And we would walk the path, twin pram and gurgling babies in tow, to see what we could unearth there, a nice fondue pot may be or even a book of olden day Swiss cooking.
Right behind the village was a stream of the clearest water flowing with a nice jogging and cycling track into the forest, which became our routine trudge, as we enthused as the freshest of air, the clearest of water and the picture perfect vista unfolded. It was beautiful.
We also followed the cheese. Or the snow covered peaks, and landed at Appenzell, a historic canton in northeast Switzerland, entirely surrounded by the canton of St. Gallen. It was breathtaking, brrr-ing cold and a tad smelly in cheese specs and filled with Rhine-inspired alcohol! Breathtaking.
As the snow covered peaks melted into the clouds, and the rain pitter pattered in the strong and biting wind chill, the gurgling of the brook and its clear waters heartened our souls. A perfect Swiss Day to say Grüezi. Out first stop was at the cute store right near the parking lot, where you can get Alpine bitters, Rhine liquer and so much more. A great place for gifts, and then we proceeded on the cobbled streets to the quaint town that is nestled in the lap of the Alps.
Green hills, green hollows, we had the rush of the streams flowing unfettered down the mountain as company, as we sniffed the nip in the air and walked towards the cheese making part of town, that offers you a plethora of fresh cheese that you can taste and pack, for a nice bite later. We stopped at the cheese making unit, the smell was a tad too virulent for us, but the end product is beautiful, wholesome and creamy. A herbal brine, incorporating wine or cider is applied to the wheels of cheese here for curing and it's rich in history that goes back at least 700 years. There are 75 dairies that produce different recipes. You can taste, buy the cheese, but don't expect the Swiss to share anything else! The Landsgemeinden is a part of the town where democratic assemblies are held in the open air. We walked past the St Mauritius Church with its stark façade and tiled roof, sitting pretty with its stained glass windows, turrets. Olden day restaurants that serve the most delicious cheese, beer and food in the area dot the cobbled streets and there are enough and more shopping hubs in cutesy boutiques as well. Michelin starred ones sit pretty amidst the olden day wooded windows and colourful paintings and etchings across walls. Vivid and colourful, we stopped for lunch and had the most delicious crisp schnitzel stuffed with cream cheese, onions and bacon, some Goulash… even as the glugs of the famed Appenzell beer made the others totally ready to park here for the rest of the day.
The museum is also a must-visit, to take a peek into how the Swiss lived in the harsh winters when roads were few and connections, fewer. From how cheese was made, the typical traditional outfits, and the tools used in the olden days, it’s an interesting visit. For those who have the time and the stamina, a hike into the undulating green hills and snow peaked mountains is a must. The Berggasthaus Aescher - Wildkirchli is a popular hike that takes on a trial around the mountains, with the most spectacular views and a café nestled on the end of a cliff face that is perfect for a nice hot chocolate or even a cool beer! A mountain guesthouse beckons those who want to live in the clouds… though do book in advance!
Yatch it in: Driving across the undulating grass carpets of Thurgau, all along with the snowey peaks as a vista, is this pretty, watter lapped municipality Altnau. The entire village is designed as part of the Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites, and it’s as fairy tale as they come. Walk on the cobbled streets past the local church with its high tiled tower into the jetty area, where one can take a breezy stroll to the end of the jetty, where the lake in azure blue lies silently, as the sun shines brightly. Peace emanates as tourists and visitors walk past and gaze into the wide expanse, almost silenced by the beauty. This is also where many a Swiss parks his yatch and we heard it does not cost as much as say Lake Zurich or Lucerne. By their standards, yes, by ours, it’s a pretty packet. There is a quaint restaurant that has inside and outside seating that is teaming with the sun baskers even though the air is biting cold... and they will speak to you in German or French, or a mix of both, even though they might know English... that’s just their way of keeping their identities and also a hint to the English speaking to do when in Rome...
You can take a boat for a ride, or even hire one for the day if you’d like... or better still, do what we wanted to do — blow up one of those floating rafts and glide past the River Rhine in all its beauty, while sipping a Swiss beer, chomping of cheese and meats, saying Grüezi to all you pass, and be a part, after all.
