Flânerie féminine: Happy Swiss National Day!

My tribute to beautiful Switzerland on its National Day: a few pictures taken on my solo hiking tours across the country during summer 2010.

If you're visiting Switzerland in the summer, you should definitely try to do at least one of its 32 panoramic hiking routes. Some routes are easy, others a little exhausting... but they are all worth experiencing!

My favorite one of all 32 routes is the one that runs through the Lavaux terraced vineyards, a UNESCO World Heritage site. But I would start in Montreux (where Freddy Mercury lived), pass by Vevey (where Charlie Chaplin lived) and end in Lausanne (where the international Olympic Committee is headquartered).

This actually happens to be my favorite route. As such, I've hiked this route six or seven times already and look forward to going back soon!

Staying in the Geneva Lake area, but heading the other way towards the Alps, lies the route from Vevey to Aigle, passing by Montreux. The route gets somewhat melancholic after leaving Montreux.

Going even further towards the Alps is the route from Aigle to St. Maurice - a very, very melancholic route, but also (or perhaps because of this) very charming. Make sure you carry along with you enough food and drinks, as you will not find many restaurants or shops on your way.

The "Toblerone Trail" starting in Nyon and ending in Gland follows a line of fortifications built during the 1939-45 mobilization. It is called so because the shape of the anti-tanks blocks recalls the Swiss chocolate brand Toblerone.

The hike from Monte San Salvatore to Morcote in the canton of Ticino is advertised by the Swiss National Tourist Office as a "classic for the entire family". But I actually found it quite demanding... though the views from the top of Monte San Salvatore are breath-taking and so much worth the exhaustion!