This is first part of two routes, following the way of St James, (Jakobsweg) from the banks of lake Constance to Geneva, Switzerland.

I set off on an early Monday afternoon, cycling along the banks of the great lake, stopping to see a couple ships leave the dock at Rorschach. The day was cool but sunny and I felt in a positive frame of mind for the cycle to St Gallen.

Next stop was the Corn Exhange building, now serving as a museum. The building was built in the 18th century and became a major hub for grain merchants in southern Germany. Then I continued up into the hills of Appenzellerland cycling past fields of green pasture some ringing with the sound of cow bells. Then for a further few miles, arriving at the St Gallen hostel for 4pm. The next morning I walked down into the city old quarter and was struck by the abbey, towering above and buildings. I had heard about the St. Gall library next door and went in to explore. Some of the old documents used by the monks  were on display, and art and craftmanship was quite something to see.

Then I continued through the rolling hills, seeming to get higher the further I traveled. On the Tuesday, the morning was misty with low cloud covering the Appenzellor hills and low mountains. I took a route to a high up village of Hemberg, with the cloud giving way to sunshine on the top. Then decending through villages, including Wattwil and Ulisbach down to lake Obersee. The sun was fully shinning, and light reflecting on the surface made it appear a sparkling greeny blue colour. There was the sound of the train passing by and cyclists appeared out of nowhere, many elderly with ebikes and high viz sports kit on.

The following day I rode along the lake to Rapperswil, over the road bridge to the otherside, then up into the mountains. Through a tiny village named Egg to the lake, Sihnsee. Over the lake via the road bridge, heading westwards, the impressive abbey of Einsiedeln appeared infront of me. This was on a similar scale to St Gallen, though in a rural setting, and after looking up from the courtyard eating a cone of Italian pistachio icecream and wondered if this was Italy? It continues as a Benedictine order and I noticed a few monks walking about and chatting to tourists. Continuing on for another couple hours, arriving in the alpine town of Schwyz for the overnight stay at the backpacker hostel.

The setting was high up in the Muota valley, with towering mountains from all sides. The town is the capital of the canton (as in county) and has an interesting museum on the history of Switzerland. The formation of Switzerland happened gradually over the centuries after the Roman empire ended. There was a building of small communes and cantons, and due to its location, away from the major European centers, deciding to form the country, mainly of rural communites, with local autonomy. Some murals depicting this are painted on the townhall in the central square.