We stopped in Weesen, Switzerland for three nights on our way from Paris to the Dolomites. I think I picked Weesen because it was a halfway point between Paris and the Dolomites and the town looked scenic on Google Maps.
Similar to the Seine in Paris, the lake in Weesen was swollen from a lot of rain when we arrived. Parts of the walking path around the lake and access points to the floating docks were submerged. It rained for two of the three days we were there however, traveling with rain gear allowed for exploring despite wet weather.
We quickly learned Weesen boasts some of the more expensive public transit we've encountered on our journey and we spent a good bit of time traveling in Japan and New Zealand, where public transit isn't exactly cheap. The train and bus from Zurich to Weesen took about an hour each way and cost $110.00. The day we walked around the Moorlands we paid about $30 for the bus up to Amden and the chairlift to the top of the walk.
We were also charged a fee for splitting a pizza in one of the restaurants in town.
This is the outside of where we stayed. The front of the building has a wine shop and there was delicious wine in our fridge!
The Euro Cup was still in progress so we watched two games in the dive bar across the street. We also forgot (or never confirmed) what currency Switzerland uses. Arriving to a small town after 5:00PM on a Saturday often means the banks and stores are closed and we were lucky to be served beer for Euros. We watched the Swiss vs France match with the locals and despite the language differences, shared some laughs about the US performance in the COPA America as well as the ball popping incident during the Swiss match.
A quick view of the mountains before they were wrapped in cloud blankets again.
Weesen sits along the right end of the lake, not visible from this vantage point.
The one day the rain stopped we took the bus to Amden, the town up the valley above Weesen, to walk along the Amden Ridge. During the walk we saw and heard first hand why cowbells are useful and experienced them in the natural setting amongst beautiful mountains and pastures.
The beginning of the walk not too far from the chair lift.
During our lunch stop we met a Swiss cat and her two fluffy kittens! The cat Mom kept standing on my bag and lap and trying to eat my lunch. She reminded us a lot of Ween!
After lunch at some point I commented about how fortunate we were to be walking on such nice trails without a bunch of mud. About five minutes after that stupid remark we found ourselves in a field of ankle deep mud surrounded by cows and cowbells.
I did not want to play chicken with these cows.
At the end of our walking loop we stopped for giant bowls of ice cream, to counter any caloric losses, and took another expensive bus back to Weesen.
There's ice cream down the road from here!
Ryan's boots are covered in mud at this point. He's also arguing with himself about where we are and where to go.
On the way back to our place Ryan remarked how Weesen was beautiful and wondered if the people who live there are aware and appreciate how scenic their town is. I thought he sounded like an old guy complaining about young people who don't appreciate anything. I had a much darker view of the place. It seemed to me the perfect setting for a horror film or novel. A small quiet town set in the valley of the mountains along a lake. From the outside it seems nice enough but at night when the fog rolls in, it could be the setting for: "Friday the 13th, Part 17: Jason Hates Cow Bells!"
You be the judge...
