Have you heard of St Gallen? It’s a city in northeastern Switzerland, tucked away south of Lake Constance. It’s quite off the beaten path; one visit to the city and you are absolutely charmed!
Post Davos, our group of 30 divided into specialist groups, and the food group happily headed to St Gallen, which incidentally is quite close to Zurich, a train ride away literally!
Our first morning in St Gallen saw us heading out explore the legendary the Bratwurst sausage & how it’s made at the butcher’s shop Schmid. The famous St. Gallen’s variety, known as “St. Galler bratwurst,” is most popular across Switzerland & is a must have.
Eat it in a burli roll or plated with a hearty potato rostii, or like Ken who hunts food, have it with curry! However, the rule is, NO MUSTARD!
That done, it was time to wine! We stopped by at The Haus of Wine in the village of Berneck, where 19 wine growers showcase their wine under one roof. St Gallens wine stands up to some of the best wine in the world, but only very limited quantities are produced. It was before noon, and I think we tasted the best of each vintage before noon!
Light headed & happy, Mount Santis, the highest mountain in the northeast of Switzerland, was our next destination! It stands tall at 2502 feet, about an hours scenic drive from St Gallen. The views from the top are absolutely breathtaking and on a clear day you can see five other countries: Germany, Austria, Liechtenstein, France and Italy! It was quite overcast the day we visited, but there were other treats waiting for us!
Yes, the sweet folk had arranged a delicious sit down lunch especially for us, the food bloggers. We started off with Appenzeller Alpenbitter, a local specialty dark liquor brewed using 42 types of herbs. It’s very popular from the region as was the Mac & Cheese with bratwurst. Interestingly, it was served with an applesauce on the side, and the pairing was great. Schlorzifladen Special Cake was served for dessert, was delicious, and gone in no time!
It was a day of extended eating! Back to the hotel, quick showers and we hit the old city for a very inspired dinner at an almost 500 year old city castle, Gaststuben zum Schlossli. Headed passionately by Ambros Wirth, the proud St Gallener, regaled us with his great sense of humour, throwing open the doors of the kitchen to us.
His stories kept us entertained, with wine, cheese and finger food freely flowing. At the restaurant, hospitality, history & culture are seamlessly woven together. Produce from the region in offered on an extensive menu, and interestingly they try and include local produce that have been nearly forgotten like St Gallen blue potatoes, and medlar, an ancient forgotten fruit from the Roman times.
It was the most excellent meal, where conversations flowed as easily as the wines. Happy & well fed, we tumbled back to catch the bus to the hotel. We were quite knackered.
The next morning was mostly ours to explore. The traffic free old city with its cobbled streets and colourfully painted oriel windows was absolutely charming.
We spent one morning by the farmers market, leisurely coffees with local bakes at a traditional Swiss bakery, devouring Luxemburgerli, more coffee, chocolate shops, cake shops, patisseries…
Afternoon saw us hop on the self service funicular, The Mühleggbahn, that runs up the hillside from the old town for a picnic by the pond.
Light eats, local wine, fruits, dips, dried meat & such deliciousness later, we spent another hour just wandering the streets of the old city which are charming beyond belief.
The old city houses St Gallen Cathedral, a gorgeous 18th century baroque cathedral. The Abbey with the oldest library are a designated a World Heritage Site, and have just recently been opened to public. The beauty, art & ambiance is indescribable.
Hungry again, I grabbed a coffee gelato while @Kenhuntsfood hunted down a curry bratwurst! We then raced to catch the @swisstravelsystem 4:02 back to Zurich where a special private @flyswiss aircraft awaited to take us for our own flight over the Swiss Alps! {See it in Switzerland story highlights}.
This is just so pleasing! Everything in Switzerland works like clockwork, and everything there is ALL heart! Thank you Swiss International Air Lines, Swiss Travel System, Destination Davos Klosters and Switzerland Tourism .
We had the best time ever!