My first author reading in Switzerland and answers to questions that didn’t get answered

Around mid-November, a message landed on my WhatsApp: “Hana, if you have a moment, call me. Jarka.”

At first, I thought it was about some Czech school thing – Jarka is the driving force behind the Czech School St. Gallen, and we know each other from the annual Czech school conferences (for those who don’t know – I am active in the Czech School Bärn myself). But the reason for her phone call was completely different! She asked me if I would like to come to St. Gallen and do a reading for my book “Die 44 schönsten Familien Wanderungen“. Yes, I immodestly admit, I was very, very flattered. And of course I was happy to oblige.

When she wrote to me again in February and offered me three dates, I naturally went for the closest one, at the end of March. First of all, because I was really looking forward to my premiere, but also, honestly, the other dates were already in the hiking season, and by then nobody might be curious about my presence.

Even though the reading was not until three o’clock in the afternoon, I got on the train early in the morning. Not only because it takes almost two and a half hours to get there, but also so that I would have time to take in the historical gems of St. Gallen, about which my friend from St. Gallen, Sarka, had raved to me. And she was the one who guided me around the city that day (but more on that in the next post).

So at three o’clock, slightly nervous, I stood before my audience at the Stadtbibliothek Katharinen. The nervousness stemmed mainly from half of the visitors being children of various ages, and I was shivering with dread that I would bore them. But then again, I was fresh out of a six-month experience in a Swiss kindergarten, so I consoled myself that maybe I could give it a go.

Thank you so much to everyone who came and for allowing me to share my experiences and favorite places.

The talk included free discussion and space for questions. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to all of them, so I promised to follow up on the blog with answers to everything you were wondering about.

So here they are.

(Note: some of the questions were similar, so I’ve combined them. The answers also contain links to my older articles, so click through.

Have you been to all the places you write about in the book?

Yes, I hiked all the places. This is a really big plus of the hiking guides from Wandermagazin Schweiz/Rothus Medien. All the authors have really done all the routes that appear in the books.

Where’s the best playground?

In addition to the well-known playgrounds in the Berner Oberland at Allmendhubel and Männlichen, there are other beautiful playgrounds, e.g.

Elm is a beautiful mountain area in the Glarus region, southeast of Zurich. At the top of the cable car, you will find a playground and lots of trampolines next to the restaurant. A short, themed trail “Riesenwald (forest of giants)”, has activities along the route.
Mooraculum Söreneberg – this large playground in central Switzerland has many interactive play stations to educate children about nature, especially the endangered peat bog. There are water games, swings, slides, climbing things, obstacle courses, and places to roast. There is a short themed trail with 18 stations and a longer trail about the Grosser Moorrundweg (in my book).
Globi Playground in Engelberg Brunni – this huge playground near the middle station of Ristis has climbing structures, slides, swings, trampolines, and lots of waterways to play on. Highlights include a bobsleigh track and a themed treasure hunt trail with Globi and Globine (also in the book :)).
Wolli’s Adventure Park in Sunegga Paradise Zermatt – a playground with views of the Matterhorn, Lake Leisee, lots of play and water features, and there is also a picnic area.

What is the most beautiful lake?

For me, the clear favourite is Lake Oeschinensee in the Berner Oberland. But as I said at the talk, unfortunately, it’s one of the places that suffers from overtourism, and since this year, reservations are required for gondola time slots. My favorites are also Thunersee and Schwarzsee lakes. I have a blog post on the 15 best trips to the lakes with tips from my readers.

Have you been to any museums?

Yes, before the talk I visited the Stiftsbibliothek, where I liked it (and I will write about it). We also enjoyed the Mühlerama with the kids, where we could bake our bread with self-ground flour. Of course, the various cheese or chocolate museums are popular with them, and parents might appreciate the wine museum. Anyway, I also have a blog post about the best museums for kids.

I wonder if I’ll come across a marble run on a trip

Yes, two trips with marble tracks are even in the book! There are lovely marble runs in Charmey in the canton of Fribourg, also at Hasliberg in Bern Oberland, and also BoBosco in the canton of Ticino.

What is the most beautiful hike in the book?

Oops, that’s a tricky question, it’s like asking me which of my children I like better. I like the hikes that “blew my mind”. That is to say, they have captivated me with something – beautiful views, like on the Klingenstock to Fronalpstock ridge, or some interesting place on the route, like the prehistoric caves in Simmental.

Where did you like it best? What did you like best? Where is your favourite place to go back to? What is your favourite place in Switzerland? What is your favourite trip?

I have to combine these several questions from Iva, Veronika, Katka, Sofia, and Amálka into one, because there is only one answer – I like it best here in Emmetal. When I want to go on a spontaneous trip, it’s not far and the sight of “our” gently rolling Emmental hills always caresses my soul. But there are many reasons why I love Emmental. It’s beautiful here in every season, and now in spring,I’m most looking forward to seeing the crocuses blooming in the meadows and pastures on the Rämisgummen.

What is your favourite snack?

One that I don’t have to prepare. Of course, when we go on a hike, I prepare snacks for everyone so that they are mostly hearty, but maybe some munchies for reward and motivation. Or we bring things to barbecue if we know there will be a nice picnic spot along the trail. I like to reward myself at the end of a hike – preferably with a local specialty, like the famous snow meringue with whipped cream at Kemmeriboden-Bad.

How long was the longest hike you have made?

The longest route I have taken here so far was almost 14 kilometers. And surprisingly, it wasn’t in the mountains, but between Baden and Brugg in the canton of Aargau. It was a stage of the “Habsburgerweg”.

Is there a long slide for kids somewhere?

Long slides and toboggan runs are a nice “side” activity when you want to motivate the kids with a reward after a hike. Together with my readers, we’ve put together the best places to find these toboggan runs. But keep in mind that each track has its own rules regarding the minimum height and age of children. Usually, children over the age of 3 can ride with an accompanying adult (or a person over the age of 8 or 12).

What was the most fun experience on the trip? What was the most interesting/inciting thing that happened to you while traveling? Which of your routes was the most fun #funfactor?

Probably the funniest and most curious moments on our hikes are taken care of by the animals because many of the summer trails go through pastures where cows graze. And when a big animal like that blocks your path and there’s nowhere to turn, you’re in for a treat, like on our hike from Pradaschier to Brambüesch in Chur.

We would like to go on a trip with animals, legos, or cars. Can you recommend something?

And trains wouldn’t be enough for you? I can’t serve with cars, but if you don’t mind riding miniature trains, I can only recommend Swiss Vapeur Parc in Le Bouveret on Lake Geneva. I have plenty of animal trips on my blog – you can get inspired by this article, which was again created with the help of my wonderful readers.

Where can you ride horses, donkeys, or llamas?

Switzerland is mostly an agricultural country and you can find horse or llama farms at every turn (don’t ask me why llamas are so popular here!). I think you can just ask at the nearest farm – and if they don’t offer horseback riding, I’m sure they’ll refer you to some friends of theirs. As for donkeys, our son was once invited to a lovely birthday party right on a donkey farm in Seeberg in Oberaargau.

What do you do when the kids get tired?

That’s the million-dollar question. When hiking with kids, you need to remember that even a journey can be a destination, and sometimes it’s unnecessary to go all the way to where you were originally headed. Just in case, though, I’ve previously posted an article on the blog, 10 tips for saving your sanity when hiking with kids, so check it out.

What should not be missing in the backpack of a small hiker?

It depends on what your little hiker can already carry. But in principle, I pack “their” stuff in their backpacks – their drink bottle, their pocketknife, a small toy when needed, and maybe even a spare change of clothes.

What are the 4 things you always carry?

If I ignore the obligatory trio – wallet, mobile phone, keys – I am definitely not a minimalist in packing. Apart from the mobile phone, I have a small tripod, a first aid kit, a “buff” – a loop scarf that can be used as a headband or hair elastic (not that I would use this feature 🙂 ), of course enough water and food, power bank, spare t-shirt and socks, sometimes headphones (when I go on a trip alone), sunscreen, sunglasses, small multifunctional towel and many other things that I can’t list off the top of my head.

What is your AHA travel experience?

AHA moment that my husband and I repeat over and over again when we are in the canton of Wallis and driving through the Rhône valley, that it is a river that is also in Switzerland – because we were taught in high school (yes, we were both taught by the same geography teacher) that the Rhône is a river in France (such a holy trio of Rhône, Loire and Seine, remember?). The same goes for the Rhine (it springs in Switzerland) and the Inn!