weberwest Loc: Ferndale WA

Today's post includes a variety of different images from various hilly and mountainous areas of Switzerland, stretching from the mountain cantons Grison in the southeast and neighboring Glarus, to the Napf mountain area in the Lucerne hinterland and ends in the Jura hills in northwestern Switzerland in the cantons Solothurn, Basel-Land and Aargau. I will provide below more specific information on some of these areas.

Image #1 portrays the hill town RIOM-PARSONZ in the canton Grison, the area has been inhabited since the Roman era. Riom is first mentioned in the year 841 and Parsonz in 1156, the large building at the right foreground of the village is the Castle Riom, one of the most important castles in the Grisons, built in 1226 - at the rear of the town rises Piz Toissa at 2657m/8717ft, topped by a crescent moon on this image.

Images #2 & 3 bring us to the the small mountain village of ELM in the canton Glarus, located in a side-valley from the major Linth valley that basically defines the canton and through which we have traveled many times, always in connection with the very scenic Klausenpass road, from the early Sixties when I did that arduous trip by bicycle through to last year. But this was the very first time we visited Elm and the Sernftal valley in which it is located. A beautiful pastoral and mountainous area that we definitely want to come back to. Elm even has a "Russian Connection" as the Russian General Suvorov stayed overnight here in 1799 on his disastrous wintry retreat through the Alps. Read more about Elm in Wikipedia via this link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elm,_Switzerland

Here a special comment to image #3: It portrays the TSCHINGELHÖRNER chain of mountain peaks in the Glarus Alps. The highest peak is the "Grosses Tschingelhorn" (2849m/9347ft), the dominant peak with a right tilt at the left in this picture. At the base left of this structure just above the green mountain slope, you can see the "Martinsloch" a 6-by-18m/20-by-60ft) triangular breakthrough or hole, through which the sun shines twice a year in March and September, illuminating for a few minutes the church of Elm. At the other side of this mountain range lies the famous skiing area "White Arena" in the towns of Flims/Laax/Falera in the canton Grison. This area is part of the Swiss Tectonic Arena Sardona and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Read more on this site from Swiss Tourism: https://www.myswitzerland.com/en-us/experiences/tectonic-arena-sardona/

Images #4 - 6 cover a spot particularly dear to my heart, as it lies fairly close to the area in which I grew up. Switzerland basically has two mountain ranges: the Alps running from East to West in the southern part of the country, and the older Jura mountains, running southwest to north at the western border of Switzerland with France. And then there is the NAPF mountain: A hilly region between the cantons Bern and Lucerne, geologically counted as part of the Swiss plateau and not of any of the two mountain ranges indicated above. It is a relatively low altitude mountain topping out at 1408m/4619 ft. The peak is surrounded by steep hills that are a patchwork of evergreen forests and small mountain farms, which I portray here in these 3 images - it is an lovely area I just love to drive or wander through.

Images 7 - 9 cover quite similar landscapes in the gentle JURA mountains and image 10 brings us to a castle located on a small rise at the southern edge of the Jura mountain.

I hope you will enjoy looking at these very rural areas basically off the normal tourist paths.


Notes
TRIP INFO: Set # 1 provides a brief introduction to this series. Please use the link below if you would like to review this intro:
https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-797460-1.html

SUMMER TRIP INFO: Set # 7 provides more information on this second trip of the year to Europe
https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-797711-1.html

EARLIER POSTS of this series: Access my topic list at UHH, the new posts are listed in reverse chronological order:
https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/user-topic-list?usernum=45105

Thanks for visiting, I recommend viewing the downloads and look forward to your comments and questions.

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1 - Grison/Surses - The hill town Riom-Parsonz, inhabited since the Roman era, first mentioned in 841, at right the Castle Riom, one of Grison's most important castles, built in 1226 - at rear a crescent moon rises over Piz Toissa 2657m/8717ft

(Download)

2 - Glarus/Elm - Alpine meadows and wooden houses typical for the area in the village of Elm, at rear a rocky range culminating with the snow-covered Piz Segnas, at the right edge in green, possibly Mount Rufiberg

(Download)

3 - Glarus/Elm - The Tschingelhörner chain in the Glarus Alps, with the "Martinshole" visible at the far left just above the green slope (see todays Intro). This area is part of the Swiss Tectonic Arena Sardona and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site

(Download)

4 - Lucerne/Romoos - The hamlet Lingeti in the hilly, rural Napf area in the Lucerne Hinterland, incongruously with a Central Asian yurt at right

(Download)

5 - Lucerne/Romoos - Farm house on Neuhus/Adlisberg embedded in the green, hilly landscape of the Napf mountain

(Download)

6 - Lucerne/Romoos - Chapel Holzwegen adjacent to the restaurant "Holzwäge-Beizli" with a long, hazy view to the Pilatus range at left, the Schimbrig mountain at the center and the Schrattenfluh range at right

(Download)

7 - Solothurn/Stüsslingen - Driving in the Solothurn Jura mountain: The Kohlholz farm below an interesting, substantially wooded rocky outcrop

(Download)

8 - Basel-Land/Oltingen - View in the northern Jura area to the small farming town of Wenslingen, inscribed in the inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites, at rear the Rheinfelderberg beyond which flows the river Rhein, forming the border with Germany

(Download)

9 - Solothurn/Mümliswil-Ramiswil - Panorama-view from the eastern part of the Scheltenpass into the heavily wooded Guldenthal valley

(Download)

10 - Aargau/Oberflachs - Castle Kasteln situated high up on a rocky outcrop built in about 1200, this is the only uniform baroque palace built in the Aargau

(Download)

weberwest Loc: Ferndale WA

For your reference:

Map of Switzerland indicating the location of the places shown in this set

(Download)

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

weberwest Loc: Ferndale WA

Thanks Bill for your thumb of approval!

NMGal Loc: NE NM

Just gorgeous.

weberwest Loc: Ferndale WA

Thank you Barbara, I can't help but agreeing with you!

UTMike Loc: South Jordan, UT

Lush green and beautiful, Joe!

weberwest Loc: Ferndale WA

Thank you Mike, that it is, except in the foggy months from November to January!

joecichjr Loc: Chicago S. Suburbs, Illinois, USA

Your shots certainly match exactly the unfathomable, incredible beauty stretching into all directions 💚💙💚 I always wonder if, when living in such surroundings, the residents are aware of their extreme great fortune to be in the center of such magnificence - or if they grow inured to it....

Bubalola Loc: Big Apple, NY

Beautiful indeed, Joe!

weberwest Loc: Ferndale WA

Thanks Joe, happy to hear that you enjoy these "green" scenes as well. And you are correct to question whether people living their daily life in these beautiful spots grow inured to the beauty. I would say from experience that you know that you have a beautiful view, appreciate it but don't think too much of it, until some unusual, spectacular mood comes up and you are shocked into the full realization again.

I had this happen quite a few times myself: Once as a youngster of some 20 years, working at a bank in Lucerne, we were on the 4th floor of a building overlooking the Lake of Lucerne every day, with the attractive Mount Rigi at rear, and the view became "familiar". Then one morning, just as I arrived for work, probably in the winter, there was this unbelievable sunrise rendering the sky totally red - and that really brought reality back to me. - By the way, I had a similar deep red sunrise experience over the same lake but from a different town in the spring of 2022 - and these images will come up in my closing set for this series in about one week.

The other time I had a similar experience was when working in Vancouver/Canada. My desk, also in a bank, was at a huge view window, we would see over the bay and the water with part of the Stanley Park at left, and the coastal mountains at the rear - again, a lovely picture - but you got accustomed to it. Then one day, the fog rolled in, totally obliterating the mountains behind, while the sun was shining on the tip of Stanley Park with its tall trees, producing another, totally unexpected, almost otherworldly vista - again waking me up to the beauty of my surroundings.

weberwest Loc: Ferndale WA

Thank you Eugene, I am happy that you enjoyed my green vista presentation today.

Vince68 Loc: Wappingers Falls, NY

More gorgeous landscapes Joe, and what a rugged looking mountain range in #3. I like the last photo of the castle as well. What a location that looks like.

weberwest Loc: Ferndale WA

Interesting also for these rugged mountains in #3 is how narrow they are, you can see that by that hole on the left side where you can see through the mountain, as I explained in the intro.

That castle in #10 is also quite interesting - I had shown it here on UHH already once in November 2021 during a series I called Switzerland in all Seasons, in that presentation, I showed a shot in the winter with snow on the ground and from a bit a different angle. Whenever I see that image, particularly that winter photo, I am reminded of Japanese castles, even though the style is not quite right, but it still gives me that association. If you or anybody is interested, here is the link to that particular post (see image #7): https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-718909-1.html

mvetrano2 Loc: Commack, NY

nice