Uetliberg adventure

Last weekend, we were expecting some rain, so we didn't plan any trip. Instead, we wanted to stay at home and do some chores that we're postponing for ages. Exciting, right? 🙂

Luckily, the weather wasn't as bad as expected and we are always looking for an excuse not to do those chores, so we went to Uetliberg instead. I haven't been there yet even though it's a must see place when you're visiting Zurich. I've been living in Switzerland since 2011, and last weekend seemed like the right time to finally visit it!

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Uetliberg is towering above Zurich and its lake, and it's a popular destination for visitors as well as locals. I have heard that there are amazing views over the city and the mountains, so let's see for ourselves.

I'm happy to take you on this hike with us!

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You can make it easy for you and take a train from Zurich to top of Uetliberg, but we like to complicate things, and decided to hike. We parked our car in Uitikon which is the closest parking area to Uetliberg and only two stops to the top. Little did we know that the hike will be much longer and more challenging that we expected.

We came across an information sign reading that it's about 1 hour walk to the summit. What we didn't see is that we would have to conquer an elevation gain of more than 250 m. If we would have known that we would have probably taken the train as we would have understood that this wasn't an easy Sunday walk in the forest.

Let's go!

We entered the forest only a few meters away from the parking. There were many cars, but nobody in the forest, so we realized that everyone was taking the train instead. It was peaceful and we enjoyed the fresh air. The forest reminded me of forests that we have in Slovakia and I was feeling home.

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There are many trails, but we followed the official one as the smaller and shorter ones are not well maintained and we would have to go through bushes and possibly tall grass.

The beginning of the hike was relaxed and I focused on taking pictures. I wanted to capture spring flora in Switzerland and show you some flowers and plants. At some point, I have noticed a huge ant on this plant. Can you see it?

I spent a few moments trying to take the right photo until I realized that I was standing in their nest. They already started climbing on my shoes, so you can imagine my reaction. I was screaming and jumping up and down like a lunatic. And my husband couldn't stop laughing... But I have my photo! The sacrifices that we make...

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Wild garlic was everywhere. Even when you don't know how it looks like (those white flowers) you would notice its scent. The forest smelled like garlic! We will come next year to collect it because it's more accessible than the place where we usually go.

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The trees were everywhere and you wouldn't think that you are in Zurich...

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We were suddenly standing in front of a steep long pathway. We took a deep breath and started walking up and up and up.

At the end of the pathway there were many barbecue spots and benches. It was close to the next train station and there were plenty of people having snacks and kids running around and playing in a huge playground. We realized we were in the middle of our hike and that those people came there by train as they looked too happy 🙂

We noticed that we were getting quite high as we could see Zurich between the trees. The top cannot be much higher, right? Well, it can...

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We filled our bottles with water from a fountain and continued walking, hoping that we would reach Uetliberg anytime soon. I made a mistake of checking google maps as we found out that we still had about 30 minutes ahead of us.

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It looked like we could see the top of the hill, so we must have been almost there...

I was struggling already as my hip started to hurt, and I had to push myself to keep walking.

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After a while we finally reached the last train station. We didn't expect that we would walk for so long and didn't take any snacks with us, so we were happy to see a kiosk selling food. Well, they only had fries, but at that point this was the best meal that we could wish for 🙂

With our bellies full we continued the last stage of our hike. Only a few stairs and we will be on top of Uetliberg!

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And here we are! We were standing right in front of the 187 m tall TV tower. Don't worry, this is not the last point of our trip...

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On the way to the viewing platform we were already enjoying some views. And we knew it would get better...

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There were many deer shaped street lamps along the way. They were designed by the Swiss artist and architect Bruno Weber and put in place in 1990. They look like giraffes to me, but they are deer, trust me.

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We quickly forgot about the hike when we got rewarded by panoramic views of Zurich. It was the perfect weather for paragliding and the area around Uetliberg was full of them.

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Before I moved to Switzerland I didn't even know that there was a lake in Zurich 🙂

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We saw some people pointing to the city in hope of finding their homes. If I lived in Zurich I would probably do the same...

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Can you see those white dots on the lake? These are sailing boats, and there are hundreds of them on the lake in summer.

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It was cloudy and we couldn't see the Alps, but the views were stunning anyway...

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There is a hotel and a restaurant with panoramic views, but the restaurant was closed when we visited as we came between lunch and dinner. There was a kiosk outside, however we didn't find anything that we wanted and there was a large queue of people waiting for food, so we decided to keep enjoying the views instead. The fries that we had earlier saved us.

The platform has a round shape, so you get the views from all sides. There were so many people that we were forced to walk with the crowd. It was strange as we didn't meet anyone on our walk up, but it looks like that everybody chose the train instead. We already forgot the hike and were proud that we made it!

And the views were worth it!

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The launch area for paragliders must have been somewhere close to us as they were flying only meters away and Uetliberg is far away the tallest hill.

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During the clear day we would see the Alps in this direction. We were looking directly at the mountains in the canton Schwyz.

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Of course there was the Swiss flag too!

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This was my favorite moment. They manage to somehow link their paraglids and it looked like they were forming a heart.

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We enjoyed the views and decided to go back. We walked down the stairs and planned to take the train as my hip kept hurting, but we changed our mind when we saw how many people were sitting there already. It didn't make sense to wait either as it would be full as well.

I told myself that I was strong and I could make it and off we went. It took us only about 40 minutes to get back as it was down the hill all the time. We were again alone and it was good as we needed it after we spent time in the crowds on top.

We jumped in the car and drove to a restaurant in Zurich as we were both hungry and deserved some delicious food after 15000 steps. Even though we were tired we were happy and ready for the work week to come.

Hope, you have enjoyed our trip.

Thank you for reading!

Cheers,
Martina



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42 comments
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Fascinating!!!! I am delighted!
I especially fell in love with the photograph of the staircase in the forest. The whole forest is beautiful.

Thank you so much for bringing this wonder @delishtreats !❤️

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Ouch! You guys really should have taken the train. But it's great you hiked because you got a bit of exercise.. hehehehe.... Although it was quite stressful, next time, you would know exactly what to expect if you choose the train or hiking... Lol.

Beautiful shots, well worth the hike,🥰🥰 sorry about the ants, and your aching bones.

If I ever make it to Zurich, I'll definitely see Uetliberg. Thank you for sharing

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Thank you for your kind words! 🙂

Oh, I don't regret not taking the train.. at that time I was, but looking back I'm happy that we didn't 😂 My hip is good now, so all is good!

Have a lovely day!

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That's an incredible place to enjoy the nature. If we can get these trekking atleast once a month, our medication bills and hospital visits will come to just half or much less. You're blessed to live in the vicinity of these beautiful landscapes.

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I am 🙂 Oh, we try to go to the mountains more than once a month. And this year we started gardening, so we have plenty of exercise 🙂

Thank you for stopping by!

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The road less travelled 😁 the views look like they were well worth the hike. I enjoy being away from crowds in nature but I have also embarked on many hikes that were more than I expected 😊

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I enjoy it too. I don't need many people around me 😁

Thank you for stopping by!

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A paradise in front your eyes. I enjoy a lot these soft hills full of green. They manage to look always beautiful, with sun, clouds or whatever. Great post!

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It happens that a person has been living in a place for such a long time, but the person has not seen the famous place there. I also wish to go to the places of love and one day I will definitely go there because by going to such places one forgets the tension of his life and feels a lot of light. Seeing such big beautiful trees and greenery makes one's heart very happy. You are very lucky to love this beautiful country. Natural scenes are more beautiful to the human heart, as we see that everything is more beautiful. I really enjoy your trip. Thanks for sharing.

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What a great hike! Switzerland is on my bucket list and maybe I'll stop by Uetliberg if I get the chance. 😁

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Let me know when you'll come, I can give you some tips 😉

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Wow, the view is really wonderful. From the forest to the city, they look so beautiful. Even the clouds make the perfect background, and make a lot of the pictures look like a painting. Thank you for sharing.

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I agree, I'm actually happy that it was clouded as it looked really nice 🙂

Thank you for stopping by!

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At first, I thought you were on a paragliding adventure. That would have been so awesome! But a nice hike is always beautiful. :D

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Parádní hike! Přesně vím, jak jste se cítili. Když jsme žili na Azorech, tak jsme často chodili na túry po různých viewpoints a i když to byla většinou pořádná makačka, tak jsme nakonec byli vždy rádi, že jsme tam došli po svých a nenechali se tam zavést autem jako spousta jiných turistů. Jak praví jedno anglické rčení: "The best view comes after the hardest climb." Jsem na vás pyšný :) A souhlasím, ty lesy vypadají úplně jako lesy tady u nás. Krásné husté lesy bez davů lidí. Takové mám nejradši ;)

PS: BK Opava je nový mistr české ligy! Zvládli jsme to ;) Brzy bude článek...

@tipu curate 5

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Neočakávaný hike 😂 Celú sobotu sme boli na záhrade a v nedeľu sme chceli ísť len na takú ľahšiu prechádzku a takto to dopadlo 😅 Ale ako vravíš, keď si to človek vyšľape, tak na to hneď zabudne a len sa teší, že to zvládol..

Na Azorách som nebola, ale predstavujem si to tak, že sú to len kopce a pláže, tak rozumiem, že to bola makačka 🙂

Blahoželám! 💪 Dúfam, že ste to poriadne oslávili!

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(Edited)

Podle toho, jak jsem tě tady za tu dobu "poznal", tak si myslím, že by se ti Azory moc líbily ;) Nádherná panenská příroda a minimum lidí. Všude bezpečno a nejsou to tropy, takže žádné tarantule, škorpiony apod :D Nejčastěji tam člověk narazí na kravičky ;) Fakt doporučuju...

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(pohled z terasy domku, ve kterém jsme žili)

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Nerozumiem ako ste odtiaľ mohli odísť, keď ste maly takýto výhľad 😍

No podľa toho, čo vravíš, tak by sa mi tam určite páčilo. Stefan pred pár rokmi navrhoval Azory.

Tento rok sa stále rozhodujeme, či pôjdeme na HiveFest alebo do Indonézie. Ťažká voľba.. 🙂

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...a to jsi ještě neviděla výhled z druhé terasy, měli jsme tam dvě :D

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A to nejlepší na konec: za tenhle domeček jsme platili 400 Eur měsíčně :D Vypadalo to tam kouzelně, to ano, ale pro lidi bez auta to tam praktické nebylo. Autobus do nejbližšího městečka jen párkrát za den, navíc dlouhá a klikatá cesta po útesech na pobřeží... Tak jsme po čase museli toto pohádkové místo opustit a přestěhovat se do hlavního města Ponta Delgada. Ale i tam to bylo krásné. Azory jsou malé ostrůvky, takže z jakéhokoliv místa je to na pláž, do hor nebo k sopečným jezerům a horkým pramenům maximálně třeba deset kilometrů ;)

HiveFest nebo Indonésie? Wow, paráda :) HiveFest bude letos v Mexiku, takže ať už se rozhodnete jakkoliv, konečně uvidíš, jak to vypadá v opravdové tropické exotice :) Určitě si to moc užijete ;)

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Krásne, krásne, ale máš pravdu, keď sa tam nedá ľahko dostať, tak to po čase omrzí. Oh, keď je kľukatá cesta, tak je to na prd, aj keď máš auto 😂 už vidím ako by mi bolo furt zle...

No znie to ako úžasná dovolenková destinácia. Ale dá sa tam aj normálne kúpať, či sú tam stále veľké vlny?

Najprv som sa tešila, že bude HiveFest v Mexiku, ale nie som taká nadšená tým miestom, ktoré vybrali. Príde mi to skôr ako Amerika než Mexiko. Takže neviem. Vy ste sa už rozhodli, či pôjdete?

Stefan má v Indonézii rodinu a radi by sme ich konečne navštívili. On tam tiež ešte nikdy nebol 😂

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Haha, přesně! Taky nám bývalo zle v těch busech :D Navíc jezdily fakt jen občas a dost nahodile, takže zajet nakoupit většinou znamenalo zabít tím celý den :D :/ No, s tím koupáním je to trochu složitější. Oceán je sice všude kolem, ale většinou ho vidíš jen pod sebou z útesu. Pláží, kam se dá pohodlně sejít, není zas tak moc. Vlny bývají dost velké a voda poměrně studená. Takže pro tebe by to asi nebylo, ale zase by se ti mohly líbit ty horké prameny, kterých je tam hodně. V těch se koupe parádně a jsou horké a přístupné po celý rok :) Obecně platí, že Azory nejsou typická plážová destinace jako třeba Kanáry, ale jezdí se tam hlavně za horskou turistikou a objevováním té jejich nádherné nedotčené přírody :)

V jakém městě má ten HF být? To jsem nějak nepostřehl, jenom vím, že to bude v Mexiku... Btw to jsem nevěděl, že ani Stefan ještě v Indonésii nebyl. Tak to byste tam fakt měli zajet, když z tama pochází jeho rodiče :)

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Hahahaha I also like to complicate the routes a bit, a physics professor in college once told me "Why go the shortest way if there is always a more difficult one?" Calling our solutions to his problems boring, since then I remember it a lot when I am presented with a challenging way of doing things.

The pictures are beautiful, I'm a big fan of those woods with such tall trees, the greenery looks stunning. Hahaha poor you with the ants, thank goodness it was nothing more serious than the scare, but you have to help me spot it in the photo, I tried but I can't see it hahaha maybe I'm already a bit sleepy, because I had a hard time seeing the deer in the "giraffes" too. Hahaha

I don't know if in the end I found the wonderful views more amazing or the fact that you decided to retrace the path instead of taking the train, congratulations for doing it and I understand the reason, but I didn't see it coming hahahaha.

I loved reading this and really enjoyed the pictures you shared with us. I hope the dinner lived up to your destination. :D

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This would be my life motto 😂 I somehow always attract more difficult options..

Look on the right side of the photo and you will see him approximately in the middle of the frame. Oh, I still see there giraffes 😂

I didn't see it coming either 😂 I just hate being in trains with so many people and prefer to destroy my hip instead.

Thanks a lot for your kind and thoughtful comment! There are not many of those 😉

Have a lovely day!

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This view is really beautiful, from the forest directly the view of the city is so beautiful, I like it, but what is skydiving, sir?

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Do I look like a sir to you? And BTW, I didn't mention skydiving, but I guess you can use google if you want to know what it is.

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Seeing your adventures is like a dream for me because all of them are my favorites but for that it is impossible for my baby to be young

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Great images, stunning views! I would prefer walking too. The work you do with your legs and your will makes views from the top more than just a beautiful picture.

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Waw, the natural scenery you share looks so beautiful, the beauty is still well preserved, how nice it is to be able to enjoy such a trip, it's amazing

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(Edited)

It gave me a special pleasure to go through your post, it reminds me of areas in Romania, where I have the feeling of hiking through the green forests and the city can be timidly seen behind, that is, I like the contrast between being in one viewpoint and at the base of the hill you can see the city.
Thank you for sharing these places with us.

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Switzerland has many of those forests even though we usually think of mountains when thinking of this country.

I also liked the views 🙂 Thank you for stopping by and for your kind words!

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You're welcome!
I went through such a moment myself when I planned a summer holiday in Albania.
I was nervous about this holiday because I only found out not so good things about this country, I didn't know what I would find there, I left with the idea that I didn't make a good choice.
It wasn't until I got there and saw how spectacular Albania was that I said yes, I made the best choice.
That's because I left home with a preconceived idea.
This is like a parenthesis to what you wrote in your comment.
Hugs!

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