Summer in Switzerland – Einsiedeln and Hoch-Ybrig

It was my first visit to this area, right in the heart of Switzerland. I’d passed by Einsiedeln – best-known for its Benedictine Abbey with the black Madonna – but I’d never actually set foot in the place.

It was a lovely day when my friend and I arrived, but clouds were gathering and we decided to do our walking before they gathered too vigorously. Off we set in the bus to Hoch-Ybrig, where there are a multitude of chairlifts and trails. (We started out at the yellow-labelled lift on the right, and did a series of up, down and along hikes and rides to end up at the yellow Hoch-Ybrig station on the left.)

Going up in chairlift 1. By this time, the clouds were monopolising the sky, but rain wasn’t forecast so we weren’t (too) worried.

Our walk was a mix of cute cows, large hairy centipedes and a steep slope down to the valley.

Up in chairlift 2. By the time we arrived at the top we were beginning to wonder if the weatherman had been right in his rain-free prognosis…

A quick coffee, and down we went, and decided to return to Einsiedeln to see the Abbey. It was spectacular. (And the weatherman was right; the sun was splitting the skies back in Einsiedeln.)

You weren’t supposed to take photos inside so I didn’t, there are some fabulous ones on Google Images. In the distance, we heard the Salve Regina echoing around the abbey as the monks sang, so it was an atmospheric end to the day.