First, they built the “Skyline Walk” to the already existing terrace. Because of its steel and glass structure, the grillage walkway and its angular shape, the new platform offers new and unimpeded views of the entire mountain panorama, as well as heady views into the depths.

© Schilthorn Cableway Ltd / Bruno Petroni

© Schilthorn Cableway Ltd / Bruno Petroni

But thrill seekers got an even better treat. Attached to the “Skyline Walk,” construction workers built a pathway called the “Thrill Walk” leading down into the vertical walls of the imposing rock massif. The 200-meter-long steel structure clings to the rock, then swings under the observation platform and the cable car to end below the cable car station.

© Schilthorn Cableway Ltd / Bruno Petroni

© Schilthorn Cableway Ltd / Bruno Petroni

The path includes a variety of sections and is an interplay of air, glass and grating. Meters of glass-bottom floors are followed by meters of cattle grid type of flooring, there is an 8-meter-long Nepal bridge and there is an 8-meter-long crawling area for children.

© Spot Magazine

© Spot Magazine

© Spot Magazine

© http://swissfanclub-photo.blog.jp

All that at about 2,677 meters above sea level and some 1,000 meters above Mürren… Talk about an intense mountain experience!

[Inspiration via Lonely Planet]

The post This Adrenaline-Filled ‘Thrill Walk’ Is Just One Reason to Visit Switzerland appeared first on Resource Travel.

Immediately, I was enamored with the idea, so I reached out to Snape to hear about what the project meant to him. What was it that appealed to him about traveling the country by train?

My favorite thing about traveling by train in Switzerland was that you can relax and take in the views without having to drive anywhere. The enormous windows on the train give you a near-360 degree view of everything. You can eat, stretch your legs and sit down, take photos and just take in the stunning Swiss scenery.

But is the Swiss Railway a convenience?

During the Winter, a lot of the higher roads are closed and trains are the only way to get around efficiently. The Swiss train system is known for always being on schedule to the minute.

Being known for your awesome road trip adventures, I asked Snape if it was hard to give up control of his transportation.

I was initially hesitant about traveling the country by train because I love driving and being able to stop wherever I like but as soon as I was on the trains, you soon realize that its the best way to get around in Switzerland. I took the Glacier Express a few times throughout the week, it’s known as the slowest express train in the world. The views out of the windows are breath taking. My favorite part of the week was taking the Jungfrau and Rigi Railways, both take you to mountain tops and have some of the best scenery in the world.

Based on Snape’s incredible captures, it does look like Switzerland has some of the best scenery in the world…and Snape also shows us that the best way to view it is by train.

Follow Callum Snape’s adventures on his website, Facebook, and Instagram.

The post Exploring Switzerland By Train appeared first on Resource Travel.

When I was 16 years old, I went to Miami with my family. Two days before we had to fly back to Switzerland, the famous Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajökull errupted, causing all transatlantic flights to becancelled. So we had to stay in Miami for ten more days. I got tired of just lying around, so I took my father’s camera and I went for a walk. It was my first adventure with a DSLR.

Not long after, Meyer bought his first own camera, taking it with him on every trip he went, and capturing some awesome shots while he’s there. Nowadays, no less than 90,000 followers on Instagram love to see him do that.

I never really felt much love for any job I had, and photography had always been a hobby of mine. One day, I decided to try to make my hobby my job. At that time, I had been working as an assistant for two commercial photographers in Bern, and they had taught me a lot.

Faroe Islands
© Cosmokoala

What do you seek or find in photography?

To me, photography and traveling are ways to teach myself about life. It all started with my curiosity to see how far away places look like, and how the people live there. All I do is document the things I come across. It’s all about the emotions.

Finland
© Cosmokoala

Germany
© Cosmokoala

Swiss Alps
© Cosmokoala

Meyer has officially been self employed since October (although he does plan to start studying photography and design next February), which enabled him to travel and photograph at an even higher pace. He discovered a specific interest in people and landscapes, and Resource Travel was curious to hear where that came from.

With each photograph I take, I try to tell a story. I really like images with a sense of scale, and combining humans and beautiful landscapes is my favorite way to do that. I hope I inspire everyone who looks at my work to go out and explore and enjoy our wonderful planet as much as I do. Under an impressive waterfall, for example, or on top of a mountain during sunrise.

Swiss Alps (2)
© Cosmokoala

Swiss Alps (3)
© Cosmokoala

Which of these projects has been your favorite one?

My trip to Greenland. Definitely. It was pretty challenging to plan a trip to such a remote place, and I have never been to any place that inspired me so much.

Greenland
© Cosmokoala

Scrolling through Meyer’s photography, you can see bears, cliffs, huge waterfalls and more. But the photographer doesn’t consider himself a risk taker.

Respect is everything, whether it’s dangerous animals, cliffs or waterfalls. And it’s also important to know yourself and what you’re capable of. Know what’s possible and what’s not. It enables you to see the danger before it’s too late.

Swiss Alps (4)
© Cosmokoala

USA
© Cosmokoala

Iceland
© Cosmokoala

Meyer says that he can’t wait to get his hands on the new Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, but he currently keeps shooting with his Mark III. When it comes to lenses, he ties to “keep the whole range covered,” from 16 to 400mm, his favorite being a 70-200mm F/2.8.

Playing with light, objects and elements of nature can be challenging, but this challenge is exactly what keeps me going.

Even though Meyer plans to go back to college, he will probably not stop taking pictures. So it might not be the worst idea to give him a follow on Facebook or Instagram, or take a look at his website every once in a while.

The post 22-Year-Old Swiss Travel Photographer Perfectly Combines His Affinity for Landscapes and People appeared first on Resource Travel.

I pick up my 1st class Swiss Travel Pass, courtesy of Swiss Travel System, when I arrive at Zurich Airport. The pass covers most of Switzerland, including public transportation and museum entrances in the largest cities and towns. Swiss trains are an eco-friendly way to explore the country in style. Every rail station has access to free Wi-Fi, and I am impressed to find I can plug in my laptop or phone and work as I travel. I know I am in a place where my time is valued and where trains aren’t late for more than 30 seconds. Here, public transportation is much like Swiss chocolate – premium quality and pure delight for the senses. Eating Swiss chocolate on a Swiss train doubles the pleasure.

A healthy lifestyle

My first stop is at the historic castle hotel, Schloss Wartegg. It is past midnight when I arrive in the calm, herb-scented Rorschacherberg municipality. My basic contemporary instincts are telling me to search for a Wi-Fi network before I even unpack. But there is none. I panic and try to connect with my laptop. Still nothing. My hands start to shake. What will I do with no Internet? I decide to explore the room I am in. One brochure I find tells me that the wooden furniture is made of regional materials. The mattress is all natural and the cosmetics in my bathroom are organic.

I sit on the soft bed for a moment to enjoy the silence. Coming from a big city, I’ve never paid attention to the sounds my clothes make when I move. As I won’t be able to notify my social media friends that I have arrived, I decide to look at the view outside. Lake Constance reflects the moon that seems to be somewhere between Germany and Austria.

Of course, the castle management can afford to buy a powerful router but it is their decision to create an atmosphere where guests can do a digital detox. Those of us who live in large urban areas are constantly exposed to electromagnetic radiation and pollution that has plenty of proven negative health effects. To complement this type of detox, the hotel’s restaurant also serves food that is organic and/or regionally produced. In summer, half of its products come from its own garden. Vegetables and herbs are more than organic, they are demeter. The gardener does everything according to the moon cycles, considering the garden’s ecosystem. It is an autonomous and self-sustaining organism that has individuality, rhythm, and character.

If something can’t be grown, it is bought from selected farmers from the area. Building a network of local partners is a common way to do business in Switzerland. This practice saves resources for transportation while supporting the regional and national economy.

Wartegg castle was built in 1557. Renovation works took more than 20 years to turn it into the modern, yet historic hotel it is now.

A car-free present

I take the slowest and probably the cleanest express train in the world, The Glacier Express, that will take me to Zermatt. As I travel, the train’s huge observation windows reveal gorges, valleys, passes and the eye-blinding Rhone Glacier in the Central Swiss Alps. Traveling through the glacier is as if the train has invaded someone else’s dream space. Forgetting my sunglasses is a mistake I regret.

The full train journey is a day trip that takes 7 hours. I am not a huge fan of audio guides but the one on The Glacier Express tells me interesting information, as it passes through different places. The whole experience reminds me of the famous ‘enjoy the journey, not the destination’ quote. By-line: swiss-image.ch/Christof Sonderegger.

Three-course lunch is served in all panorama cars. Those roof windows reveal a great view to the high snowy mountain peaks. By-line: swiss-image.ch/Christof Sonderegger.

The train slows down as it passed through the Oberalp Pass at an elevation of roughly 1900 m. By-lineL swiss-image.ch/Christof Sonderegger.

After a 6-hour journey, I arrive in Zermatt, home of the famous Matterhorn landmark. The village is also a great example of sustainable luxury. It all started in 1947, when the first electric car came to replace horse-drawn carriages. Ever since, motorized vehicles were never a means of transportation. Everyone who arrives in Zermatt by car has to leave it in the nearby town Tasch and board the train. It is just a 12-minute ride.

Electric vehicles maneuver around as pedestrians walk on the car-free streets. I never intended to hitchhike, but a Swiss couple stops and tells me it is not a good idea to walk to my hotel with so much luggage and orders me to jump inside their electric car. The vehicle’s back is open and I have to hold onto a metal bar, clenching my bag between my legs, as we go uphill. I fear I will fall out.

Despite its serene streets, Zermatt has great bars and nightclubs. Photo: © Leander Wenger

There is no need to take an e-Taxi as almost everything in the village is in walking distance. Photo: © Leander Wenger

Zermatt’s residents put lots of efforts to manage wastewater, recycle, save energy and use resource-saving technologies. The benefits of doing this are quiet movement, clean air and efficient buildings that preserve the environment. When I arrive at the Matterhorn-Focus hotel, I feel a little intimidated by its designer luxury, creation of the famous local architect Heinz Julen. But the owner Chris offers me a drink and tells me that the atmosphere is relaxed and informal.

The hotel’s beautiful building is made of natural materials like wood, glass, and metal. Part of it is built into the ground which makes the movement of heat economic and efficient. Matterhorn-Focus’ interior reminds me of the Herbert Wells’ ‘Time Machine’ story. For a second, I wonder if I have accidentally traveled through time.

The next morning, I get up before sunrise to enjoy the view from my balcony with a cup of coffee. I don’t have to wait for the breakfast buffet as there is a Nespresso machine in my room. The soaring sun illuminates half of the Matterhorn as the village below it is still asleep under the shadows of the morning darkness. Zermatt seems like the future when nature doesn’t need to be saved from humans. And yet, this is present. I wish for the rest of the world to wake up in this ‘now’.

The Matterhorn is famous with this shape but you won’t recognize it if you see it from its back side. Take the cable car to Glacier Paradise, the highest cable car station in Europe, to take a different picture of the mountain. By-line: swiss-image.ch/Lucia Degonda.

‘Zuri’ and its water

Zurich sounds like a dirty, boring and gray place but I decide to check it out anyway. I listen to the radio when the train approaches the station when I hear the word ‘Zuri’ several times. A city that has a short name just can’t be boring. The stereotype I had in my mind is gone when I arrive in this cute, artsy, modern and yet traditional ‘Zuri’.

Less than half a million people live in Zurich, the biggest Swiss city. By-line: swiss-image.ch/Andreas Gerth.

It is also called ‘the water city’. In the summertime, it turns into an aquatic park with bathing facilities aside River Limmat and Lake Zurich. No other European city has such a high concentration of bathing facilities. Floating in the lake with a chilled beer in hand is a super refreshing and relaxing activity for locals and visitors. After dusk, these bathing spaces transform into bars, inviting visitors to concerts, movie projections or culinary evening cocktails.

Boats are another type of public transportation in Zurich. Unfortunately, they don’t run on River Limmat during the winter, unlike the ones that cross Lake Zurich. swiss-image.ch/Christof Sonderegger

I spare a lot of plastic bottles here, as the city has thousands of public fountains and water taps from where I can drink clean water. I am also told that River Limmat’s water is drinking quality and I almost pull a glass to dip and test this theory. ‘Well, it is not like you should drink it, but nothing will happen to you if you swim in the river and the water gets inside your mouth,’ a friend of mine who lives in the city says as she stops me.

Zurich is an outdoors city with two rivers, one lake, one mountain and many gardens and parks. By-line: ST/swiss-image.ch

From food waste to biogas

Banking on the River Limmat, Storchen Zurich is the oldest and one of the most luxurious hotels in the city. Walking through their shiny entrance doors, a regular guest would never expect that sustainability is of great importance here. The 4-star hotel offers food that is cooked with ingredients from local farmers and fishermen.

I am greeted by the sales manager, Regula, who tells me that there is a special board of 6 members who come from different departments and who are responsible for finding innovative sustainable solutions. Storchen uses environmentally-friendly cleaning agents, uses recycled paper for most of its documentation and offers an electric charge for guests who come with electric cars and much more. Its tabs save 30% more water, a solution that doesn’t affect guest’s experience. But what impresses me the most is that the hotel has a system to turn food leftovers into biogas. It is called BioTrans, a giant metal blender that turns food waste into a mixture that ferments in several massive plastic drums in the basement. When I ask her how they benefit from this technology, she replies that they don’t. ‘We don’t gain anything from this system. We actually pay a company to come and take the mixture’. This company doesn’t even have to enter the hotel. Its employees use a small hole outside the hotel’s building. All done with comfort in mind.

Luxury can be sustainable

Genuine luxury is not just about great service, expensive furniture, comfortable beds, gourmet food and endless exclusive fun. We are all guests of this planet. Transitory beings, who are just passing through, leaving our marks. Hospitality businesses that realize this simple truth disprove that luxury can’t be sustainable. Giving back to our host called nature is the only way for us to keep living in abundance.

Switzerland is a country where humans, nature, luxury, and sustainability are friends. By-line: ST/swiss-image.ch

The post Swiss Sustainability: A Peek Behind the Luxury Facade appeared first on Resource Travel.

Adventure photographer Chris Burkard is in yet another unbelievable location. It seems like every other day Burkard is in some new corner of the globe, showing all of us adventure photographer wannabes why he has 1.3 Million Instagram followers and we don’t. Luckily for us though, Burkard is starting to expand his stories beyond the amazing photos we see on his Instagram and Facebook, as he has recently started a video series called “On The Road With Chris Burkard”.

The series are two minute films, mostly consisting of time lapse footage as well as aerial footage captured with a drone. They show the moving stories behind the photos that we all obsess over on Burkard’s Instagram feed. The latest installment shows a recent trip Burkard took to Switzerland where he captured photos of mountain bikers on rugged trails and kayakers on calm waters in fron of the famous Swiss Alps. The films are a fun way to feel like we are living vicariously through Burkard, who continues to live the life most of us can only dream of.

Check out more from Burkard on his website, Instagram and Facebook.

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The post On The Road With Adventure Photographer Chris Burkard In Switzerland appeared first on Resource Travel.