Day 111 Olten to Sursee

Before settling down to write this stuff I poured myself a cold beer as a refreshment after 12 or so hours in the hot sun. I managed to pour some of the stuff into my trainers so that will increase the interest flies have for me tomorrow.

After a day of inaction yesterday it felt great to be on the stroll once again. The weather forecast suggested that there could be rain in the afternoon but the morning was glorious.

We have seen delightful covered wooden footbridges over the rivers here. The ‘no smoking’ signs give one a lot of confidence when using these old structures.

 

The first task this morning was to find the start of the footpath. In general the markings are very good. They are also clear and frequent. This morning though we struggled to find the path we needed and wandered about quite a lot before we found it. Our breakfast was beginning to lose its effect and we were still roaming around peering at our map and hoping for the best when we saw an Italian wine shop. A bit early for a snorter you might think but we actually wanted an ice cream each. When we went in we were greeted in Italian, it was like being at home. We left the shop clutching our ice creams and feeling much more relaxed.

After a few false starts we knew that we were on the right track as it went straight up the side of a hill and into a forest.

People we see on the paths are very friendly, but always in Swiss German of  which we know only two words. On the first path of the day an elderly gentleman was feeding a deer bearing a huge set of antlers and this gentleman had a chat, but in Swiss German. He then zoomed off up the path into the distance. He didn’t look particularly fit but had a good turn of speed uphill.

I think that one could navigate on the paths without a map or compass if very vigilant. The errors of navigation we have made are usually caused by lack of attention or being diverted by chat. The signs are detailed and give distances in time so there is no excuse for errors, particularly as there are yellow diamond shaped markers painted on trees and rocks at regular intervals.

Metal sculture seems to be quite popular here.

 

As we strolled through the woods today we passed some incredibly tall trees all of which appeared to be devoid of lower branches, they looked quite imposing in an odd sort of way.

 

Much of today’s stroll has been within the shelter of woods. We have not had the sudden emergence into alpine meadows or had stunning panoramas opening out before us today but the shade was wonderful.

 

 

 

We drank gallons of water today and were very grateful for the regular appearance of delicious cold mountain water.

 

As Sursee , Lake Lucerne and some rather tall mountains appeared we decided to get stuck into our penultimate item of food, a  delicious, soggy chocolate coloured cake somewhat like a fairly cake in appearance yet larger. Today’s stroll did not get us to 3,000 ft or anywhere near but it got us nearer to Lucerne and nearer to Italy. The weather had stayed fine and sunny all day so all was very well with the world