Monday, April 4, 2011

C is for Creux du Van

I lived in Switzerland for four years, and in those four years I explored the country extensively.  One of the places I visited frequently, because I lived relatively close by in Lausanne, was the Jura Mountains.  Everyone knows the Swiss Alps, but the Jura is the other prominent mountain range in Switzerland, running along the France-Switzerland border from Basel to Nyon (roughly).  And one of the most singular sights in the Swiss Jura is the Creux du Van:

 
I have read that it is the Grand Canyon of Switzerland (though that is normally reserved for the Rhine Gorge), but the Creux du Van is not a canyon at all; rather, it is a concave rock face or a cirque.  If you look at it using Google Maps, its dramatic shape is quite evident.  It sits in the canton of Neuchatel, in the Val-de-Travers (home of absinthe), and the pictures I took do not do it justice.  The hike up and down are strenuous (about a 700-800 m change in elevation, at times quite steep), though not too difficult -- we started and finished in the village of Noiraigue, and ascended past la ferme Robert and through forests to the top.  On the way down, we followed le sentier des quatorze contours, a series of switchbacks that quickly drops you back down to where you started.  If you live in Switzerland or nearby France and have not done this hike, or if you are going to be in Switzerland and want to do something other than hit up the Hard Rock Cafe in Interlaken, I highly recommend it.  The Val-de-Travers is a pretty neat place unto itself, where you can purchase absinthe, and visit a wonderful restaurant called La Truite that serves incredibly fresh truite au bleu, homemade absinthe ice cream, and local rosé wines.

For more info and some high quality topographical maps, check out the following links:

7 comments:

  1. This was a very interesting post. What a beautiful part of the world to explore. Happy to meet you through the A to Z challenge.

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  2. that was a very informative post, I love learning new things

    stopping in from the A to Z, nice to meet you
    http://baygirl32.blogspot.com

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  3. I'm visiting from the A-Z today and I see we have more than a few things in common...I grew up in a suburb of Phila...brother graduated from Drexel (my dad worked there but on the business side, not academia) and I spent six years in the UK living the life of ex-pat wife. Yes, it's a category all its own and the best job ever!

    I love to read about interesting places and am writing travel posts, more or less, for my challenge posts. Oh, and I also know my sandwiches : ) I'll look forward to visiting again.

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  4. Hi Adrian .. good to meet you .. loved the picture of the geographical feature .. Google Maps is on the blink .. I'll have to look another time .. interesting blog .. cheers and hope to see you around .. Hilary

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  5. It is vast and impressive. I like the picture you've posted.

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  6. It is a very nice hike, and a great view from the top. The best part of this particular day, however, was seeing a herd of Alpine ibex on our way up :)

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  7. My thighs never hurt so badly after descending those switchbacks... but it was well worth the view of seeing all 3 countries at the lookout!

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