We stayed in the Appenzell District for two nights during our trip to Switzerland and used it as a base for touring the greater area, including our hike up to Ebenalp and to the town of Chur. The name is a bit strange for a town in that it makes you think of a larger region or district, but that's actually what the small city itself is called.
I don't know if city is the right word though. The town is small. Very small. It has only about 7000 residents, which is all the more surprising once you learn that it's actually the largest city in the province (or Canton as they're called in Switzerland).
The town is set within a pictuesque landscape of rolling hills that are a rich emerald green. Hiking is the main recreational activity in the region and you kind of get a sense of that when looking around at all of the hills surrounding you.
It also sits along a small river that passes through the city and has a walking trail next to it that makes for a nice stroll in the evening. The water was moving quite fast when we were there due to all the rain that we have been getting. This spring and summer have been exceptionally rainy in many parts of Europe.
The town is known for being very traditional despite its newly refurbished look and still follows many customs to this day. One such custom is an annual ceremonial decent from the mountain that takes place each autumn. During it, farmers lead their cattle and goats down the mountain where they had been grazing all summer. The farmers dress up in traditional garb and place flower wreaths and decorative bells around the necks of their livestock and then parade them through the town in celebration. We were there in the summer so we didn't see any of this, but there are pictures and artwork depicting the event in many of the shops and hotels.
The town is small but it was quite bustling while we were there. Most of the buildings were shops, restaurants and hotels, so it definitely had a touristy sort of feel to it.
To me it felt like a central hub for the surrounding area, a place where rural residents and local farmers might go for dinner on occasion and where tourists stay in the evening after venturing out during the day to hike one of the many mountains of the area. That's exactly what we did and given that most of the buildings are hotels, I assume that that is what many others do as well.
We stayed in the Adler hotel in the heart of the city and it ended up being our favorite hotel for our entire trip. You can see it in the photograph below. It's the yellow building on the corner.
We absolutely loved our room. It was newly renovated but still managed to hold a lot of traditional character and charm that felt very Swiss. Don't mind the lumpy bed in the photograph, I believe that our dog was burrowed in under the covers that morning. He loves sleeping under blankets.
Besides being an amazing hiking location and having some interesting customs and traditions, Appenzell has a few other claims to fame.
For instance, there is a local brewery in town that brews some pretty awesome beer that you can find being sold in restaurants and shops throughout various parts of the country. I even drank a bottle on the mountain at the Wildkirchli restaurant!
It's also home to Appenzeller Alpenbitter, a liqueur brewed from 42 herbs and spices. I read online that it has a similar taste to Jagermeister, only better. I didn't actually try it though so I can't confirm that. I've learnt my lesson not to buy speciality alcohol from every place that we travel to. What ends up happening is I get a liquor cabinet full of alcohol that never gets drank. Nothing ever tastes as good at home, once the excitement of a vacation has worn off. It's better to drink regional alcohols while on vacation, if you're in the mood for it and not bother bringing them home with you. It's that way for me at least.
Something else that is pretty neat in town is the cemetery located behind the main church. Each tombstone is completely different giving it a very eclectic feel to it. Some of the tombstones were plants or shrubs and some even looked handmade. I got the impression that you could use anything as a marker in there. My favorite was a stained glass tombstone. It was very cool.
I've never seen a cemetery like that before.
Overall I really enjoyed our stay in the Appenzell District. It's a very small town with not a whole lot to keep a person occupied for a long stay, but it's still a great place to use as a base camp to do some hiking in the area. Since hiking is the main draw to that part of the country, the Appenzell District is basically the perfect place to stay if you plan on making your way there.