Our first visit to this valley was in late December when there was very little snow. But, we arrived to a very cold morning with the ground frozen solid. We took a small winter hike past the 12th century abbey and up the dead-end watershed north of town called Ende der Welt - or End of the World, which sits below the Brunni area. It is a short, steeply walled valley which gives you a sense that there is nothing beyond it - hence the name.
This weekend, since the mountain trams and cable cars are not yet running, we opted for the Engelberg Rundweg - a walk of around two hours heading a little bit south, but mostly east of town along the Engelberger Aa river.
As we left town, we passed an old barn turned art project that appears to be associated with the abby in some way. We snapped a few pix before heading through a tunnel of Linden trees toward the river. We found gorgeous Spring blooms and moody clouds covering Ende der Welt. We listened to the sound of rushing water and smelled fresh hay being cut.
We passed through a small village called Eierwäldi, which seems mostly to be a camping location. There a guy was out in a field practicing his kite skiing, but without the snow. We watched as his kite danced around in front of the Titlus massif. As we headed further east, we passed the Engelberg golf club, our stomachs begging for a lunch stop. Just past the turnaround spot on the trail, we spotted a restaurant in the distance and decided to check it out. The Restaurant Wasserfall was at the base of a small waterfall and had a large, peaceful patio with ample distance built in. We enjoyed salad, trout with white wine sauce, schnitzel and pommes (fries) while enjoying the Alpen views, the sound of children laughing in the Spielplatz and the light patter of the waterfall across the road. The food was excellent and we enjoyed our break.
We stopped for some gratuitous waterfall pix and then headed back west toward town. We passed a house that featured a bit of Americana - including a flag, a mural of a grizzly bear and a model train running around the house.
Closer to town, we found farmers out cutting, turning and raking the hay while the cows grazed lazily nearby.....It all had that wonderful smell of farm combined with forest that is definitely the scent of Switzerland.
As we approached the abbey, which was established as a Benedictine monastery in the 12th century, the light was hitting it perfectly with a moody backdrop of clouds in the distance. We stopped to take it in as you could imagine the Lady of the Angels keeping watch over her parish.
Before heading home, we made our requisite stop in the Kiosk to visit the Starbucks machine. We basically know all the train stations in the country that that the Starbucks machines. They make the best machine-produced cappuccinos. Many of the Kiosks have Spetacculo machines, which are not at all spectacular. But, a Starbucks machine is always welcomed for the train ride home from a long hike. Aufwidersehen, Engelberg.
