You gotta love those days…

… when you blissfully get reminded that you live in a beautiful place.

Yesterday was one of those lovely days. You wake up early to go up to the mountains and a wave of happiness fills your heart. Priceless! I fell in love with the Swiss mountains 8 yeas ago and even though I haven travelling the world, they are still one of my favourite places in the whole world, the one place where I feel complete. Up there I am free. I am out of reach, spending hours surrounded by a peaceful beauty, soaking up the positive energy!

My wanderlust strongly dictates (in a good way of course) the paths my life should follow but somehow when I am in the mountains, it is quiet… So quiet, you could think it is gone… But no, I know it is not, it is simply approving, approving another way for me to be happy. Because my wanderlust is clever: it knows that the inner peace the mountains give me will be needed on the road soon, very soon.

It is such a blessing to be able to travel a lot but still have a place that you call home and that you are happy to come back to. And you? Where do you call home?

If you have a few hours to dedicate to Mount Pilatus:

• From Luzern main station, take the bus # 1 to Linde-Pilatus and walk to the gondola station (maybe a 5 min ish walk)
• From there follow the yellow signs to Krienseregg – when you come to a fork on the road, go left – both go to Krienseregg. 1h10 versus 55 minutes, it is be a bit longer but I like this way better
• Once you made this turn, follow Pilatus / Fräggmüntegg
• You should reach Fräggmüntegg within 3 to 4 hours. The trail alternates between flat and steep; sunny and shady; forest, meadow and roads.
• Along the way, there are many picnic areas where you can also grill (Talking about integration, do you have your mandatory Swiss cervelas?!)
• At Fräggmüntegg jump on the brand new gondola to reach Pilatus Kulm – alternatively you could hike up but then make sure to plan enough time
• Yeah you made it to the top, 2132 meters above sea level! Breathtaking view, isn’t it?! Enjoy a cold beer or a delicious hot chocolate! If you are lucky, you might even have some Swiss mountain dwellers playing alphorn!
• Once you have walked up to the top observatory, took the mandatory pictures, checked the paragliders out (those guys are really amazing!) and well rested, it is time for you to make your way down to the valley.
• Please please please DO. NOT. TAKE the cogwheel train right away otherwise you will miss a fantastic trail! You could spot some mountain goats! The trail down to Alpnachstadt is steep and rocky so make sure you only go down that way if you have proper hiking boots, I would NOT recommend sneakers on that trail.
• You can either walk to Ämsigen (about an hour from Kulm) and take the cogwheel train or hike all the way down to Alpnachstadt. I just love the train journey, this cogwheel train is the steepest in the world and it is seriously an experience on its own! (CAREFUL: at the Ämsigen station, you can only pay cash and you might need to stand if the trains are busy)
• Congratulations, you have conquered Pilatus! You have walked a bit less than 15 km in 4 to 5 hours. I hope you enjoyed!

Happy trails and remember: Carpe Diem!