Day 19 Hike in Canton Thurgau

Hiking in Thurgau (listen) was a lot of fun. As usual, I got lost and went a completely different way, but as fate would have it, I made a little friend.

Part I: On to hiking

The weather and views were perfect for hiking in Canton Thurgau. I hiked in a little area called Mammern. It was supposed to be about a 6 k hike, but, as it turned out, with my not understanding the map, nor Swiss German when I spoke with a nice lady along the way, I wound up going a bit off track. Ok, I completely missed the route, and at one point, when I thought I had made a lot of distance, I did a giant circle and ended up where I thought was the direction home :)

The hike started out with a very nice flat walk and then a drop of about 30 feet down a hill, which is where I got this nice quick shot of a stream.

Shortly after the stream the hill went up, and up, and up. It was at this point, right away, I made a wrong turn, or so it seemed and just followed the wanderweg. It was ok, because as I was hiking up (what turned out to be someone's yard) I took a look back and had this view.

As you can see, the weather was perfect, the view was perfect... it was... perfect. Below is a view of Lake Constance.

Once I got into the woods I came across a little snail. This photo is a bit blurry, but, I like the snails so I am happy to share it anyway.

From looking at the photo of the path I was climbing, it is really hard to tell that it was steep. Maybe 10% and this climb took about 45 minutes to an hour. It was long, or at least felt that way. I stopped 2 or 3 times to catch some air along the way. Once I cleared the woods I came to a very small village (maybe 4 or 5 houses) and spoke to a woman there in my broken (all 12 words of it) German and in the end, discovered she spoke a bit of English. But, the view back to her farm was very nice. Don't you agree?

While I did not know I was on the wrong path and the map I brought with me was seemingly ok at this point, I pushed forward. I came to another open field that went into a small village. As I was walking down the wanderweg, I saw a black cat in the distance. He or she saw me too and came right over. So, I pet him a bit and he followed me for about 1/2 of a kilometer, running in and out of my legs the entire time. If that cat was homeless I would have loved to have brought him home with me.. he was sooooooo friendly and purring like there was no tomorrow. I clearly interrupted his dinner as he was in the field looking for something to munch on.

As with all hikes (well, almost all), I had the chance to come across some cows again. I find them so peaceful and relaxing that I just do not get enough of them. This particular farm had an elderly lady tending to them just before I got there. I am guessing that she was at least 80 years old, and friendly too. I did not take her picture, but I wanted to.

I took this next photo because it reminded me of the Windows default background image. No, they are not the same, but the big open field just made me think of it I suppose.

These next few images are of the wanderweg signs. It was at this point that I clearly had no idea what I was doing in terms of going in the right direction. I knew I was not completely lost because there was a stream (see top picture) which ran all the way up so I knew if I just found that I would be fine. Turns out, while I didn't go the way I was supposed to, it was all well marked and I did a big lollipop kind of hike.

I should also mention, I really liked the wooden signs. This is the first time I came across wooden wanderweg signs.

There was a really well kept vineyard that I came across as I was finishing the last part of the hike.

And finally, just outside of town, there was this building that looked like a castle. Sure enough, it is a castle and it is called Schloss LIebenfels which is translated to Love Castle Rock or, Rock Castle of Love.. .Quite romantic :)

Some hiking details
Distance: 10k
Start 415 meters to 645 meters which happens in the first 2k of the hike (hence it being a long steady climb).
Total hiking time, I do not remember exactly, but my best guess is 2.5 hours.

Part II: About the Canton

Unfortunately, I do not have any pictures that I took of the canton. This area I was in was not near Frauenfeld, the capital of Thurgau. It was also very late in the day after the hike was complete so I needed to get home since it was a long drive.

But, what I can tell you is that Thurgau joined Switzerland in 1803 and is a German speaking canton. At the end of 2012, the total population of Thurgau was 254,528, which I believe to be smaller in size for population, though it is a larger canton in square meters than many others.

What I liked reading on the Wiki site is the following:
"The canton of Thurgau is known for its fine agricultural produce. Particularly, apples, pears, fruits and vegetables are well-known. The many orchards in the canton are mainly used for the production of cider. Wine is produced in the Thur valley.

There is also industry in the canton of Thurgau. The main industries are printing, textiles and handicrafts. Small and middle-sized businesses are important for the cantonal economy. Many of these are concentrated around the capital"

I like that the local handicraft is a contributor to the local businesses. This should encourage people to go and buy such things, as its clearly supporting families, and not just a supplemental income.

Thurgau is located in the upper right corner of Switzerland