Travel around Switzerland (including Konstanz and Liechtenstein), June 2008

I spent two weeks travelling around Switzerland, seeing places I hadn't by then seen during my year abroad in Geneva. In this set: Basle; Lucerne; Interlaken, Thunersee, Spiez, Mürren, and the Schilthorn; St Gall; Lake Constance; Liechtenstein; and Einsiedeln.

Just in case you forget which country you’re in • One of the thousands of Switzerland soccer supporters on the streets of Basle on the afternoon of the Euro 2008 match between Switzerland and Turkey in that city.
Euro 2008 Football National Soccer Summer Supporter rhjf 20080611 1453
Someone tell these people that the Swiss flag is supposed to be square
Euro 2008 Flag Football National Soccer Summer Supporter rhjf 20080611 1456
Massed ranks • The streets of Basle were awash with a sea of red—soccer supporters getting ready for that evening’s match between Switzerland and Turkey.
Balloon Euro 2008 Flag Football National Soccer Summer Supporter rhjf 20080611 1467
On the bandwagon • Vögele, a Swiss chain of shoe shops, had cleverly handed out balloons in support of the national team, which meant that their brand was all over the streets of Basle when I was there.
Balloon Summer rhjf 20080611 1475
Shoulder-to-shoulder • The fact that both countries’ colours are red and white meant that it was often difficult to distinguish between the Swiss and Turkish soccer supporters. The fact that their team wasn’t playing that evening doesn’t seem to have perturbed a couple of French supporters, though…
Balloon Euro 2008 Flag Football National Soccer Summer Supporter rhjf 20080611 1479
They’re all writing a 300-word essay on ‘Why I should win the most all-out Switzerland supporter’.
Euro 2008 Flag Football National Soccer Summer Supporter rhjf 20080611 1483
Basking in the sun • Soccer supporters relaxing before the travails of that evening’s match between Switzerland and Turkey, in which the host team would be beaten 2–1.
Euro 2008 Football National Rhine River Soccer Summer Supporter Tourist Trees rhjf 20080611 1487
Shed • One of the large sheds by the railway sidings just inside Switzerland on the northern side of Basle. Basle is at the junction between Switzerland, France, and Germany (the ‘Dreiländereck’, or three countries’ corner), and at this point the railway connects Freiburg (in Germany) with Basle and thus the rest of Switzerland. Basle has also got SNCF railway connections, but there is no direct junction with France past these sidings—France is on the other side of the Rhine.
Brick Building Summer rhjf 20080612 1511
Dreiländereck • You might just be able to make out the Swiss flag on the flap pointing back towards the camera.
Border Clouds Flag Rhine River Summer rhjf 20080612 1521
Jesuitenkirche • The domes of the Jesuitenkirche are a recognizable landmark on the south bank of the river Reuss in Lucerne, just as the river widens to Lake Lucerne (Vierwaldstättersee).
Catholic Church Clouds Jesuitenkirche Lucerne Reuss River Summer Vierwaldstattersee rhjf 20080612 1530 featured
Inside the Jesuitenkirche
Catholic Church Jesuitenkirche Lucerne Plaster Summer rhjf 20080612 1533
Inside the Jesuitenkirche
Catholic Church Jesuitenkirche Lucerne Plaster Summer rhjf 20080612 1535
Lake Lucerne • Looking towards the Hofkirche
Catholic Church Clouds Ferry Flag Hofkirche Lake Lake Lucerne Reuss River Summer Vierwaldstättersee rhjf 20080612 1536
View over Lucerne • Lucerne as seen from the top of the Männliturm, one of the towers of the city’s battlements. Lake Lucerne is on the left; the river Reuss is on the right.
Building City Views Lake Lake Lucerne Reuss River Summer Trees Vierwaldstättersee rhjf 20080613 1565
Luegislandturm • One of the towers along the battlements in Lucerne.
Battlements Clouds Mountain Summer Trees rhjf 20080613 1582
Löwendenkmal • The lion monument commemorates the death of 700 Swiss mercenaries in Paris during the French revolution.

Here is the text of the monument:
HELVETIORUM FIDEI AC VIRTUTI
Die X Augusti II et III Septembris MDCCXCII
Haec sunt nomina eorum qui ne sacramenti fidem fallerent
[Left column]:
Fortissime pugnantes ceciderunt
Duces XXVI
[Names]
Milites circiter DCCLX
[Right column]:
Solerti amicorum cura cladi superfuerent
Duces XVI
[Names]
Milites circiter CCCL
[Bottom]:
Huius rei gestae cives aere collato perrenne monumentum posuere.

Translated:
TO THE LOYALTY AND BRAVERY OF THE SWISS
On 10th August and 2nd & 3rd September 1792
Here are the names of those who, so as not to break their oath of loyalty:
[Left column]:
…Died while fighting bravely
26 Officers
[Names]
About 760 soldiers.
[Right column]:
…Survived the battle because of the care and attention of their friends:
16 Officers
[Names]
About 350 soldiers
[Bottom]:
The citizens [of Lucerne] have put up this monument as an everlasting commemoration of this event.

The Rough Guide has this to say on the location: ‘This would be a movingly tranquil spot, with its foliage and gently rippling pool in front, were it not for the fact that it’s the single most touristed place in the entire city.’ Sure enough, when i was there, there were several large Japanese tour-groups having their photos taken in front of the monument.
HDR HDR multipleexposure Löwendenkmal Lucerne Monument Pond Summer rhjf 20080613 1594 tonemapped
Hofkirche
Catholic Church Clouds Hofkirche Summer rhjf 20080613 1600
Inside the Hofkirche
Catholic Church Hofkirche Summer rhjf 20080613 1612
Inside the Hofkirche
Catholic Church Hofkirche Summer rhjf 20080613 1614
Inside the Hofkirche
Catholic Church Hofkirche Summer rhjf 20080613 1624
Inside the Hofkirche
Catholic Church Hofkirche Summer rhjf 20080613 1628
Kappellbrücke • The Kappellbrücke is one of the most famous landmarks of Lucerne. This bridge across the river Reuss was built in the fourteenth century, and has painted wooden panels inside with scenes of the city. In 1993 the bridge caught fire and was largely destroyed; it was rebuilt over a period of years, although some of the painted panels have been completely lost.
Bridge Clouds Kapellbrücke Lucerne Reuss River Summer rhjf 20080613 1657
St-Beatus-Höhlen • These caves are underground on the southern shore of Thunersee (Lake Thun). There are streams in the cave, which lead to this waterfall which gushes in to the lake.
Boat Lake Summer Thunersee Trees Waterfall rhjf 20080614 1680
Spiez • The castle of Spiez, on the bank of Thunersee.
Alpine Castle Clouds Lake Mountain Summer Thunersee Trees rhjf 20080614 1688 featured
Alpine • Mürren in the Bernese Oberland was swathed in cloud when I went, which considerably lessened the quality of the view further up from the Schilthorn…
Alpine Clouds Grass House Mountain Summer Trees rhjf 20080615 1694
Switzerland • Mürren in the Bernese Oberland.
Alpine Clouds Grass House Mountain Summer Trees rhjf 20080615 1700
What do you mean it’s a bit rough? • Even though I could see that the summit was surrounded in fog, I decided to take the cable car from Mürren up to the Schilthorn. On the descent we could see more of the ground than we could on the way up, even though the cable car’s window was covered with rain drops.
Alpine Clouds Mountain Snow Summer rhjf 20080615 1709
St Gall cathedral • The two towers of this abbey church are visible from much of the small city of St Gall.
Catholic Church Summer rhjf 20080617 1726 featured
Inside St Gall cathedral
Baroque Catholic Church HDR HDR multipleexposure rhjf 20080618 1768 tonemapped
Inside St Gall cathedral
Baroque Catholic Church rhjf 20080618 1781
Choir stalls • A view behind the wrought-iron rood screen inside St Gall cathedral, on the sanctuary.
Baroque Catholic Church rhjf 20080618 1784
Where do we go from here? • Distances from Constance (Konstanz) to various nearby localities. Staad is of course not the same place as Gstaad—one is in Germany on Lake Constance, while the other is a famously exclusive village in the Canton of Berne. What the sign doesn’t show is distances to places in Austria—the nearest Austrian city is probably Bregenz, at the other end of Lake Constance, and about 27.5 miles (45 km) from Constance.

Admittedly it would be difficult to include Bregenz (or pretty much anywhere in Austria) on a sign that could be seen in this photo, since it would have to be pointing straight ahead from where I was standing.
Sign Summer rhjf 20080618 1812
Boats on Lake Constance • The shore of Lake Constance (Bodensee) as seen from the south-eastern German city of Constance (Konstanz), which is just over the border from Switzerland. I took the train from St Gall to Kreuzlingen (in the Canton of Thurgau, or Thurgovia), which is effectively a suburb of Constance. It was then with me the work of a moment to walk across the border from Kreuzlingen to Constance to have some lunch and take some photos (not necessarily in that order).
Boat Bodensee Lake Lake Constance Summer rhjf 20080618 1815
Lake Constance
Boat Bodensee Lake Lake Constance Sign Summer Typography rhjf 20080618 1827 featured
Sunset over toy town • Vaduz, a town with a population of about 5,300, bears the dubious honour of being the capital of the Fürstentum (Principality of) Liechtenstein. The town is very pretty, and thrives from a procession of tourists who want to see such an idiosyncratic country. For many, it seems, all they ever see of Liechtenstein is Vaduz.

Some of Liechtenstein’s industry includes the manufacture of sausage skins, false teeth, anchors, and power tools. I found no evidence to suggest that all of these are made in the same factory, however.
Alpine City Views Clouds Mountain Summer Sunset rhjf 20080619 1861 tonemapped
Malbun • Malbun is a small ski resort in the south-eastern part of Liechtenstein.
Alpine Clouds Grass Mountain Summer Trees rhjf 20080620 1907
Primary colours • Walking from Malbun to Triesenberg.
Alpine Clouds Grass Mountain Summer Trees rhjf 20080620 1940 featured
Cows
Alpine Cow Mountain Summer Trees rhjf 20080620 1953
How green is my valley • View through a valley on the walk from Malbun to Triesenberg.
Alpine Mountain Summer Trees rhjf 20080620 1997
Undulating • On the walk from Malbun to Triesenberg
Alpine Mountain Summer Trees rhjf 20080620 2022 stitched
Year-round views guaranteed • A house looking down on the valley of the Rhine. I think this house is in the village of Steinort, which I passed through on my way down from Malbun to Triesenberg. The township visible on the valley floor (in the centre of the photograph) is Triesen. On the other side of the Rhine is Switzerland (the Canton of St Gall/Sankt Gallen).
Alpine Building Mountain Summer Town Trees rhjf 20080620 2041 featured
Triesenberg • St Joseph’s parish church, with its onion dome, is the landmark of the village of Triesenberg, which is in the hills laterally between Triesen and Vaduz which sit on the floor of the valley of the Rhine. Apparently Triesenberg is remarkable because many of its inhabitants speak a distinct dialect, brought by Walser immigrants (that is to say, people from the Swiss canton of Valais/Wallis) in the twelfth or thirteenth centuries. There are several theories about why the Walsers originally left the Valais.
Alpine Catholic Church Mountain Summer Town Trees rhjf 20080620 2070
Pilgrims • A stream of pilgrims entering the Abbey church at Einsiedeln. From the banner at the head of the procession, it seemed that these people came from the parish of St Meinrad in Radolfzell, on the German shore of Lake Constance.
Catholic Church Pilgrims Procession Summer rhjf 20080621 2084
The black Madonna • The Lady chapel, with its Black Madonna, is a much revered point for pilgrims to Einsiedeln Abbey.
Catholic Church Pilgrims Procession Summer rhjf 20080621 2087
Einsiedeln
Catholic Church Cross Summer Sunset rhjf 20080621 2104
Einsiedeln Abbey • Einsiedeln Abbey in its current form was completed in 1719. It is attached to Einsiedeln library, which contains 50,000 volumes.
Catholic Church Summer Sunset rhjf 20080621 2134
Einsiedeln Abbey • Einsiedeln Abbey in its current form was completed in 1719. It is attached to Einsiedeln library, which contains 50,000 volumes.
Catholic Church Summer Sunset rhjf 20080621 2216
Einsiedeln Abbey • Einsiedeln Abbey in its current form was completed in 1719. It is attached to Einsiedeln library, which contains 50,000 volumes.
Catholic Church HDR HDR multipleexposure Summer Sunset rhjf 20080621 2222 tonemapped