Fischingen Abbey to Rapperswil, 33Km
Whichever way we looked at the map, today was always going to be a hard day. All we could do was to take the earliest breakfast at 7am, spoon an extra ladle of the refrigerated muesli into the bowl, repeatedly press the cappuccino button on the coffee machine and then get started without delay.
The signs didn’t dare give the timings to Rapperswil but the first sign showing Hörnli indicated 3 hours. Hörnli is the big hill around here, some 500m above the Abbey and the climb starts at once. We set off with some enthusiasm and a fair pace. Our hearts were lifted after 20 minutes when the next sign indicated just 1 hr 30 mins, suggesting we were half way there but it proved to be the first of many signs, probably mass produced in China, all saying the same time.
It was another beautiful morning but with a slight hazy mist which deprived us of a view of Lake Constance. Never mind, we would soon see Lake Zurich. After awhile, a pilgrim bounded up the hill towards us, a German man called Walter who has walked from his home near Stuttgart and is going to Lausanne. His plan is to walk from there to Rome next year. So we three walked together and reached Hörnli after two hours. That was a miracle even though we had only travelled 6 Km.
There was a restaurant on Hörnli so we stopped for a cup of tea and the lady refilled our water bottles. There followed a perilous drop of 700m which provoked a series of pains, each one replacing the previous one with increasing urgency. Finally we levelled out (a relative term in Switzerland) and at 13.04 we saw the first Rapperswil sign, promising an arrival in 4 hrs 20 mins. Then at 15.34 we were expected in 1 hr 40 mins, a saving of 10 minutes and at 16.14 we were still on track for a 17.14 arrival. After that the timings disappeared and we finally crawled in at 17.10. My room was on the third floor and I made an exception and took the lift.
Tomorrow will be more straightforward. We are walking to Einsiedeln which is the pilgrimage heart of Switzerland. It’s another 500m climb but at least it’s uphill all the way.
Pilgrimage 
Those grey cows are beautiful and look so patient. I suppose they get lots of practice at plodding up and down the precipitous green slopes. Your description of your trek reminds me of the climb over the Pyrenees, up to Orisson (it started well enough) then down through the trees to Roncesvalles (thank goodness there were gorgeous distracting drifts of bluebells) – may tomorrow indeed be less arduous!
Grey cows are the usual Swiss cows so I expect to see quite a few in the coming days. The crossing of the Pyrenees to Orisson and Roncesvalles was magnificent. Somehow we all got over.
Fab photos. You must be exhausted. Don’t oversleep and miss breakfast – most important meal of the day!
Good advice! Early to bed and early to rise for us pilgrims
Don’t you hate how camera’s ‘flatten’ those impressive ascent/descent angles?!
Do you have a photo of the chart/guide by the rock wetterstation? Its not clear enough to read when I zoom in. I can translate from German but I’m wondering if it’s a joke; eg, ‘wet rock, it’s raining’ type of thing. 🤷♀️ 😉
I’m going to ask Sony to add a camera setting for steep hills. It must be possible. Sorry the weather station sign was lost. The photos are compressed to cope with pilgrim Wi-Fi but I’ve now uploaded a photo showing a crop of the key which you can read. Enjoy!
Thanks for the pic addition Tim.
Herr Albert certainly has a sense of humour…glad I haven’t experienced some of weather he lists! 🙈 🙊
It’s a good job you have the legs of a fifty year old, at least that’s what I recall you saying your Physio said?
He was being technically accurate but he could have been a bit more flattering. I’ll take it anyway