The last weekend of February a Siberian storm called Emma, a.k.a. “the Beast from the East”, visited Europe and, of course, Switzerland. While the storm brought very low temperatures and beautiful and rare snowy postcards to some European capitals like Dublin or Rome, here in Switzerland it brought freezing temperatures and blue skies. For a few days, we had maximum temperatures of -10º C in Zurich!!! Fountains were frozen as well as part of the Sihl river.
And what do you do when it is that cold outside?? Well, if you were asking me when I was living in Ireland, I would have said, probably, stay at home under a thick blanket with a hot cup of coffee in my hands… But something has happened to me since I moved to Switzerland… I have to go out! I’m loving so much having the mountains, forests and lakes so close that I love to go and explore someplace new every weekend. So this gelid weekend we decided to visit a new place: the Aletsch glacier. And there was one reason for that decision: it was going to be warmer at 2000m of altitude than in the city!! I’m not kidding! We didn’t go to the actual glacier. Instead, we went to the Aletsch Arena, a mountain resort with kilometers of well maintained hiking trails in winter and with good views of the glacier valley.
So we woke up very early, took the train(s) and arrived in Mörel. From there we took the cable car to Riederalp and we started walking. At first, the weather wasn’t the best for getting any sight. We were in the cloud and it was snowing… We hiked from Riederalp to Moosfluh and when we arrived there, the sky opened and the clouds started to descend, uncovering an impressive valley between the Alps. It was even warm under that sun! Unfortunately, the fog beneath us didn’t completely disappear, so we couldn’t see the Aletsch glacier. But the views from the other side of the mountain were beautiful enough to make us forget about that detail. After enjoying the views, we descended again to the valley, passing the frozen Bettmersee in our way to Bettmeralp, where we took the train back home.
I’m loving my first Swiss winter. I couldn’t be happier having all these white landscapes every few days! But I think I’m now ready for another colorful Swiss spring and I’m eager to see all the city and the countryside in bloom like last year…
For now, I leave you with some photos from this new part of Switzerland. I hope you like them!!
absolutely wonderful. beautiful. great part of switzerland, i love the mountains too, when visiting. great photography too. this truly is a place i could swap my tropical heat with – but only for a day or two.
good luck with spring arriving soon. last year i visited basel in march for a month. spring was blooming heaps earlier than in zurich, more lushes too, basel is warmer, it’s a fact, although zurich really is the town of my heart. basel has amazing parks, very recommended for a spring weekend !
Thanks a million!! That hike was very rewarding, with awesome views of the Swiss Alps!!! I couldn’t see the Glacier, but the views were worth the trip!! 🙂
I arrived in Switzerland one year ago and I remember March was an amazing month… a few rainy days but it was also warm and sunny!!! This year is not!! It’s still snowing right now and very cold… but I’m loving this long winter anyway!! I was missing the snow so much during my Irish years that now I can’t stop enjoying it!!
I haven’t visited Basel yet, but it is definitely on my bucket list!!! I hope I can visit the city soon… specially if it is a bit warmer than Zurich!! I’m so looking forward to seeing some flowers and green landscapes!! 🙂 Thanks for the recommendation!!
And thanks a lot for following my blog! I hope you like my future posts too! 🙂
Have a great week!!!
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Wow, stunning vistas. Good work!
Thanks a mil, Anne!!! It was a very impressive landscape!!! And a super cold day too, hahaha! I’m starting to need some warm and sunny days…. 😂
On that F29 aperture on the sunburst shot, was that with the Mark IV? Looks great!
Thanks a million!!! I took that one with the canon eos 1200d… and the canon 10-18mm!! That lens is really great even if it’s very cheap! I’m still looking for a nice (and not super expensive) lens for the 5d 😊
Stunning photos!!! (Though I’m not a fan of winter myself! But your shots are beautiful!) 😄
Thanks a mil!!! I wasn’t a fan of winter either… actually I hate winter in Spain… but then in Sweden I understood the importance of a good coat and I started to love the snow!! Hehehe three horrible rainy and cold winters in Ireland and this one I became a winter addict 😊!!!!! I just love these winter hikes in white forests, frozen lakes and high mountains surrounded by clouds… but I have to say that this winter is being too long and I’m already needing some flowers and colours 😊
Me too!!!🌼🌸🌱
Beautiful photos of your trip. They remind me a lot of the time we lived in Colorado back in the ’70s.
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Thanks a million, Allan!! I’ve never been to colorado, but I’ve only heard beautiful things about its mountains!! I hope I can visit that state someday!!! For now, these are the landscapes I’m enjoying in my new home… Switzerland is so pretty! 😊
Have a great week!
We’re even, I’ve never been to Switzerland and your photos of it are fabulous.
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Thanks a million again!!! 🙂 Have a beautiful day!!
Glad to find another winter lover. Your photos of the Aletsch Arena are lovely.
Thanks a million!!! 🙂
I fell in love with winter during my Swedish years… and now that I live in Switzerland I’m enjoying it more than ever!! It’s not the same a dark, cold and rainy winter than enjoying the snow in the mountains and forests 🙂
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