Engelberg is a small Alpine town in the heart of Switzerland. The town itself is worth your visit, but I'm not going to take you around it today. Instead, I will show you its surroundings and we will go to an ice cave too!
Last time, I told you that we stopped at the Trübsee to enjoy the snow park. We had a lot of fun sledging down the slope even though some moments were scary because it was way too steep for my liking. However, adrenaline kicked in and to my surprise I found myself sledging down the hill a few times and loving it. The kids liked it too, but they were not too happy that they always had to go with their parents because it was too dangerous for them to go on their own. Their parents promised them that we would find a spot in the valley where they could go down on their own. They are 6 and 4 years old, so they don't need a long slope to enjoy themselves.
They believed it couldn't be difficult to find a place, but I wasn't too optimistic. A lot of land is privately owned and fenced, and guess what? I was right. It took some time, but eventually we found a place and could take out their own sledge that they bought specially for this occasion. There wasn't a lot of snow, but they looked like they liked it even more than up the mountain. Finally, they could do something on their own!
I, on the other hand, enjoyed a bit of peace and quiet and walked around while they kept themselves busy. The mountain that we see here is called Hahnen. In comparison with Titlis it's rather small as it's only 2606 m above sea level, but it's a hiker paradise. You have to be experienced to be able to climb this mountain on your own, but you can also hire a guide to help you get to the summit safely. In the past, Hahnen was called Engelberg, and until today it is considered the most important landmark around the town.
We walked along the river called The Engelberger Aa. It is very small in winter, but quickly fills up as soon as the snow starts melting in the mountains. The teeth-like mountain in the middle is called Wissberg, and it's approximately as big as Hahnen, just further away in the back.
It was quiet in the valley as most people were still skiing. I must say that I needed that and enjoyed being on my own for a bit.
On the other side of Engelberg we could admire Huetstock. All of these mountains are above 2000 m above the sea level, and I'm sure that it doesn't matter which one you choose for your trip you will be impressed by the views as well as your surroundings. And you'll also be exhausted by the time you reach the top 😊
It was a great weather for various sports and we saw some paragliders too. I watched this person land, and it seemed like they landed in the exact spot of their choosing. It was impressive to watch them steer and control the paraglide with such precision. I don't know how long it takes to get down, but I imagine the total freedom and happiness on the way...
The sun was going down and we enjoyed this beautiful light theatre. At this point I was happy, and promised myself to go to the mountain more often once our house is finished...
I can't show you the kids because their parents don't like to have their photos on the internet, but here you can see how often they went down the hill. The snow was untouched when we arrived. The first couple of times they even pulled the sledge up the hill, but then they got tired, so they had their personal 'slaves' bringing it up for them, so that they can go down again. Parenthood requires a lot of patience...
Today, we will do an exception, and we will go back in time instead of taking you through over they chronologically. But don't worry, we will only go back a few hours.
The glacier cave or the ice cave is one of many attractions of Titlis. Imagine walking in a cave made of ice that is more than 5000 years old. It's difficult to describe the feeling that you have when you're there. Maybe stunned by its beauty?
The entrance is not ideal at all. There is a turnstile that should automatically let you in when some people leave. However, it was not working. We waited and waited and waited while many people left the cave, but no one was allowed to go in. In the end, some people in front of us decided to crawl under the turnstile and after a while we understood that it really doesn't work, so we followed their example. Some people crawled under, others had to jump over it as they were too big to go under. It was a bizarre situation that we quickly forgot about when we entered the cave.
The temperature in the cave is constant and as we came in winter we didn't think it was too cold, but when you come here in summer make sure to take a jacket and good shoes with you. There is a railing that you can hold onto along the way, but I quickly got used to sliding and pretended that I was wearing skates - it was a good exercise.
It looks like it was empty, but honestly, it is just good timing. Some people struggled with walking on ice, so I could slide ahead and take photos 😊
I have just realized that it's not really visible here, but there are air bubbles trapped in the ice for more than 5000 years!
I have visited several ice caves in Switzerland, and all of them have ice sculptures and interesting spots for photos, and this one is not an exception...
The cave is formed by the slow movement of the glacier over thousands of years. I thought that the opening were man-made, but from what I understand now it is all natural...
At some places you can see different levels of ice with some rocks peaking through...
It doesn't say that you cannot touch the ice, and I was surprised to see how respectful people were. I don't recall anyone touching the walls...
Don't forget that we're in Switzerland, so there must be something cultural in here too 😊
And something comical as well - protecting the nut at all cost!
Some advertisement too...
And some sculpturing...
We saw the tunnels, but let's look at some details too...
Some parts were very smooth, other parts were textured, and I longed to touch it, but my respect for the nature won over and I only admired it with my eyes...
At various places there was also a lot of depth in ice where we could see different layers going to the back with various sizes of openings...
In this light you can see it a bit better...
Smooth, textured, scratched...
The kids were overwhelmed with everything what we did that day, so they couldn't say what exactly they liked the most and only said 'everything', but I will ask them when I see them again to see if they will be able to pick something after some time.
I can really recommend to visit this place when you get a chance. You won't be disappointed.
See you next time...