Felsenegg

I hope that you have some good boots on today because I will take you on one of the many hiking trails in Switzerland. And since hiking is a national sport here, you'd better be prepared. We will start in Uetliberg. To get there, we need to catch the Uetliberg train.

We need to go until the Uetliberg station.

Some of you may know already that "Berg" means mountain in German. And indeed, Uetliberg is a hill in Zurich. The road to the top of the hill is not excessively steep, it is also bike and stroller friendly.

As you may imagine, in the past, the hill had an important strategic significance. It was a fortress already in antique times. It was also a defence line during World War II.

One of the attractions of Felsenegg is the Planeteweg or Path of the Planets. It replicates the Solar system at a scale of one to a billion. First comes the Sun. It is relatively big.

When we arrived to Mercury, it took me some time to realize why they did not show a small planet but just a rock. And then I realized that the planet was there. It was just so much smaller than the Sun.

With Venus I was already prepared.

Earth came with a bonus - the Moon.

Finally, we arrive on the top of the Uetliberg hill. Let's climb up a bit more on the top of the tower.

(c) Markus Bennet, Wikipedia

Be careful not to slip! 

So finally we can admire the panorama of the city of Zurich. Quite densely packed.

And on the right hand side - the Zurich Lake. With all its tiny villages. 

If you look really carefully, somewhere around the place where the lake turns you will spot Horgen, the place where we have bathed in summer. 

The Uetliberg hill houses also the radio tower and a fancy restaurant. 

I propose we get back on the trail again. Here come Mars. Can you spot the flowing water that NASA reported to have found?

One great thing about Swiss hiking trails is that usually every now and then you can find drinking water, typically in some small fountains. 

Jupiter, the biggest planet, is at last well visible.

So is Saturn, easy to recognise thanks to the rings it has around.

The Felsenegg follows the hill along the Zurich Lake. 

If you turn back, you will notice that we have moved already quite far from Uetliberg. 

Look, there is a blue planet on the way. It is Neptune. Now I understand why the ancient Romans thought this is a god of the seas. 

I know that we still have Uranus and Pluto to complete the solar system, but I propose we turn a bit into another direction. 

But before we arrive there, I need to show you another Swiss speciality - the Hofladen are small shops run by farmers. They typically put their crops next to the house, together with a box for money. Full self-service. Very convenient when you are on the road. But requires a lot of trust. 

The reason why we left the Planeteweg is right here. 

The Adliswil-Felsenegg cable car (or gondola lift) will take us safely down to the level of Zurich Lake. 

So off we go!

I hope that you have enjoyed the time we have spent on the Felsenegg. It was altogether a bit more than six kilometers. Pretty short, compared to the total size of the Solar System. 

MySwitzerland.com

Jucker farm

Last week I have shown you the posh urban autumn. Today I will prove you that orange is the new black also in the country side. Let me welcome you to the Jucker Farm.

The Jucker Farm is located next to the Pfäffikon Lake, in the canton of Zurich.

The farm is run by two brothers (named Jucker of course) and it specialises in pumpkins.

You can see there all sorts of pumpkins. The classical orange ones.

Some that are still green ...

... and tiny red ones as well. This nice clown invites you to the "pumpkin circus".

You can see here a pumpkin tiger, jumping through a circle of burning orange.

Next to it another moment of horror, with flying knives.

Here come a magical rabbit in a hat. Reminds me of the one that we have seen in the Labyrinth of Light.

And look! That one looks just as my cousin Randy! Equestrian vaulting looks great but it is by far not a piece of cake, you can trust me on that.

Besides pumpkins, the Jucker Farm is also growing apples.

You have surely guessed that they do not grow them the easy way. Oh, no, this would be too simple. They grow them into a labyrinth.

I believe it is really a great idea - you can run through the lanes and smell the sweet apples around you.

So run my friends. See you on the other side!

Wilanów Park in autumn

It's been already quite a long time since we have visited the Wilanów Park. I have shown you then its beauty on a sunny summer day. Today I will show you the park in autumn colours, there is no better way to explain the term "golden Polish autumn".

The magic part of the golden autumn is that it is a type of natural rainbow, with red, orange, yellow, green and brown leaves that can exist on the same tree.

The Wilanów palace that we have visited last week looks like a jewel surrounded with precious gems.

 Close to the ground, the French-style garden is still mainly green.

But the tops of the trees are already covered by a sunny orange.

Wilanów Palace is located on a little hill.

In the back, it has a little lake. You can come to it by one of the many little paths.

The lake looks calm and innocent.

But do not be fooled by its calm. There were years when the level of water was higher than a horse. Or even higher than a man.

In the backyard of the palace the diversity of the Polish autumn can be seen at its best. The roses bloom as if were still in springtime.

But just next to it, the brown leaves create a most precious carpet, reminding everybody that the days are shorter and that winter is coming.

But for the time being, summer and autumn are still fighting to win their positions. Let's enjoy this sunny afternoon when autumn has stopped half way.