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Published: July 24th 2020
Linth Canal
connecting lake of Zurich with WalenseeThe next step in the Switzerland discovery for Nui and the rediscovery for Nenad was a stay in the hamlet of Arvenbuehl located about 10 min drive up the mountain from Amden, which itself is positioned high up overlooking the Walensee. In Arvenbuehl we stayed in a chalet with innovative architectural features, very unusual for this region. No wonder it was build and is owned by a retired teacher from Seattle, USA, who runs it as a B&B. Its called 'Mountain Chalet' and has the most amazing mountain views from your bed. A cool way to wake up in the morning. Nearby is the Hotel Restaurant Arvenbuehl, who has an amazing cuisine, especially a Roeschti (a local potato dish), which will make you jodle :-)
Arvenbuehl sits at the end of the mountain range called Churfuersten, a proud section of 7 peaks with rolling pastures on one side and steep cliffs falling down into the Walensee on the other. One of the characteristics of the area is the presence of many long and mighty waterfalls. The Seerenbach Falls, the most famous of them, are a cascading set of three waterfalls of a total of 585m height. Another feature is the
town of Quinten, which is only accessible by foot or boat. It has a mild micro climate allowing to grow bananas !!! and grapes for wine production. We decided to walk there and take the boat back to the town of Betlis the starting point of the hike. Getting to Betlis itself is already an adventure, as one has to drive an extremely narrow road with tunnels of very small diameters. Nenad was very happy to have a small Volkswagen Golf only.
Leaving the Walensee we soon reached the area of the town of Sargans, from where the trek on the Mount Pitzol can be done. The area is also known for its story (and movie) of "Heidi", a Swiss mountain girl, who lived on these hills. It is called Heidiland. Sargans has a mighty castle still well preserved, which was build in the 13th century. Due to its strategic position overlooking the Rhein valley and "protecting" the trade routes between the rich German and Italian cities, Sargans was rich and influential in the early middle ages.
Mount Pitzol our next hiking target rises to over 2800m above the Sargans castle. Unfortunately the weather, albeit sunny in the
morning, changed quickly towards lunch. We had to abandon the peak ascent, however managed to finish the famous five lake hike located between 2000 and 2500m altitude. The hike is indeed spectacular in scenery. The lakes present themselves with pristine clear waters and colors. Worth the sweat we had to break to see them.
To bring Nui back to civilization, we stoped on the way back to Wil (our base camp) in Vaduz, the capital of the Fuerstentum (Municipality) of Lichtenstein, an independent nation under Swiss protection.
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