Sander has been living in Switzerland for several years and also enjoys working there as a physiotherapist. In this post, he shares what a typical Swiss weekend looks like for him!
It was another one of those weekends in September in Switzerland. Great weather and time to go into the mountains. On Saturday we set out for Einsiedeln. Today the cows and goats returned from the Alp (Alpabfahrt), to prepare themselves in the stables for the winter. Quite a happening, with the cows and goats quietly walking their laps through town. As if it were their own carnival. Along the side of the street are stands to buy your beer with possibly a Bratwurst or piece of cheese.
Einsiedeln is a typical Swiss village in Canton Schwyz with 14,000 inhabitants. It is known for its imposing monastery, the most important building built in the Barock style, in Switzerland. There is also a black Madonna under the monastery.
From the village we made a small hike up the mountain behind the monastery, only to have a fantastic view of the Sihlsee. Actually, this is a reservoir, with a 33-meter-high and 124-meter-long dam holding back the water of the Sihl River. With an area of 10.72 km2, it is the largest reservoir in Switzerland.
Highly recommended to visit once if you want to get to know an authentic place in Switzerland.
Sunday we left early in the direction of Kandersteg to go via ferrata. With mountain boots and a rented via ferrata set (a harness with 2 carabines), to climb one of Switzerland's most spectacular via ferrata routes. Via ferrata is a mountaineering sport, which allows you to push your own limits.
You follow a constructed course of hooks with attached steel cables in the mountains. In these you can secure yourself with your carabiners. Several times we crossed the waterfall that came down here. Fantastic views also we had the other way towards the Oeschinersee.
3 hours of climbing and demanding the utmost of your concentration and courage this hike. The route varies from easy sections, to challenging sections. You can also cross part of a gorge by zip-lining to the other side. If this is too risky for you, you can walk across a "bridge" to the other side.
After much climbing and scrambling, you will arrive at the top of the mountain. Here you can enjoy a snack and drink in the alphut with fantastic views. Then we took the gondola down. From here we went to the other side of the valley to hike up towards the Oeschinersee. A very beautiful mountain lake, where we hiked a route up the side. Again the sheep came down from the Alp by the hundreds with their shepherds. A cool sight to see so in the middle of the mountains.
We just managed to catch the last gondola down and made our way back home. A day that felt like a weekend away, so much we had seen, experienced and enjoyed nature.
This was a weekend how I prefer to experience them in Switzerland. Active in the mountains and fantastic nature along the way!
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If you would like to embark on an adventure like Sander and work as a Physical Therapist in Switzerland, please contact us, or take a look at the public vacancies.
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