I think that Switzerland just keeps getting better the longer I've been here. I came in the fall, thought that it was beautiful and that the golden glow of fall suited Switzerland. I returned in the "winter," and still thought that the mountains were beautiful with the snow, which was well-served by the increased number of clear days.
And now it's spring, and I think I'm delirious with the beauty of it all! I'm pretty sure that the green here deserves its own name. The plants and trees are exploding into bloom. The birds are so happy that I think they are on crack most of the time. It's been sunny and 60s or 70s F for a couple of weeks. The sky is SO blue. People are happy and out and about. It's really quite intoxicating. If this is how good spring is, I really can't imagine what summer will be like!
Today I decided to throw of the last vestiges of my cold and take a hike, especially since the weather was predicted to be 70 F and sunny (which it was!). I found this hike that was close to Zürich but also slightly more in the mountains. The village where I started and ended, Sarnen, wasn't in any of my guidebooks, which I took as a promising sign for avoiding busier trails. The hike was 20 km (possibly more since I think that I got lost) around the Sarnensee, which is one of those clear blue lakes that you only find in the mountains. The lake and surrounding mountains around were so beautiful, and I got to walk through a lovely forest and some cute mountain farms. I didn't run into many other hikers, mostly just mountain bikers. Despite copious application of sunscreen, I definitely got burnt. Since the leaves aren't really quite out, finding shade is much harder to do. But really, it was an incredible day to be out and about!
And now it's spring, and I think I'm delirious with the beauty of it all! I'm pretty sure that the green here deserves its own name. The plants and trees are exploding into bloom. The birds are so happy that I think they are on crack most of the time. It's been sunny and 60s or 70s F for a couple of weeks. The sky is SO blue. People are happy and out and about. It's really quite intoxicating. If this is how good spring is, I really can't imagine what summer will be like!
Today I decided to throw of the last vestiges of my cold and take a hike, especially since the weather was predicted to be 70 F and sunny (which it was!). I found this hike that was close to Zürich but also slightly more in the mountains. The village where I started and ended, Sarnen, wasn't in any of my guidebooks, which I took as a promising sign for avoiding busier trails. The hike was 20 km (possibly more since I think that I got lost) around the Sarnensee, which is one of those clear blue lakes that you only find in the mountains. The lake and surrounding mountains around were so beautiful, and I got to walk through a lovely forest and some cute mountain farms. I didn't run into many other hikers, mostly just mountain bikers. Despite copious application of sunscreen, I definitely got burnt. Since the leaves aren't really quite out, finding shade is much harder to do. But really, it was an incredible day to be out and about!
