von-schleitheim-nach-santiago-de-compostela
von-schleitheim-nach-santiago-de-compostela
vakantio.de/von-schleitheim-nach-santiago-de-compostela
Zuletzt in Schweiz
Posts9Pictures96TravelMapStats

Leg biter and knee wigglers

Published: 15.09.2026

I thought sleepily as I aimlessly wandered along the main road. Maybe the extra trek was good for warming up, because in the 'actually' first 4 kilometers, the entire 450 meters of elevation awaited me in one go. And it was tough, as you carry your whole belongings with you. I was once again completely alone and didn't encounter a single soul. Of course, who else would be mad enough to do this? But I made good progress. Perhaps it was also because I had quit smoking by now or because I had generally become a bit sportier. I am slowly starting to enjoy the challenges. Again and again, there were tiny chapels to see by the wayside. Including the most famous one, 'es Bruustchappeli.' This small historical pilgrimage chapel houses a valuable late Gothic Madonna from around 1500. Interestingly, the little 'Chappeli' is protected by cow wire, which made me chuckle. A burglary protection for cows.</p><p> A little over 2 hours later, I was almost at the top and could nearly touch the two Mythen peaks. With a selfie, I tried to touch the mountain peak, like people do in Paris with the Eiffel Tower or in Pisa with the leaning tower. 'Tourists' have to do things like that, there are unwritten laws! At Haggenegg, I had my first meal of the day. Salad and sausages. There was a wonderful view on the terrace, and there were already some hikers who had come with the slightly distant 'Bähnli.' After the rest, I walked a bit higher to enjoy a fantastic view from the hill. There I also made my call to the monastery in Ingenbohl and requested a pilgrim bed. My overnight stay was thus secured. Then I reluctantly got my hiking poles out and was still skeptical about whether walking with poles would work for me. But right after the first few meters, I was more than grateful! 'Holy shit' it was steep. And the path felt like it went on forever! Over and over again, I could see Lake Lauerzen in the distance, and I couldn't believe I still had to go down so much. I braced my arms on the poles with all my strength to cushion the blows as best as possible and was happy that I hadn't wasted my investment. Before Schwyz, it slowly got flatter, and in the suburbs, you could really tell the villages were very proud of their pilgrimage tradition. Pilgrim information was everywhere, and the little churches with their stamps were lovingly adorned with flowers and candles. 'Welcome to Schwyz on the Way of St. James,' was written in large letters, as if they had just been waiting for me. I felt personally addressed and was happy. However, the way in Schwyz was not well marked. In the city, it was tedious to find the right path. And the further route to Ingenbohl pushed me to my limits more than the steep ascent or descent did. It led along the really ugly main road in the scorching heat. What can 5 km be like when the heat beats down on the asphalt! In the monastery in Ingenbohl, I was greeted by a nice elderly nun, got a small introduction, and was allowed to settle into my dormitory and take a shower. Fun fact: 280 sisters belong to the community, and only 15 of these nuns are under the age of 70. The average age in the monastery in Ingenbohl is over 84 years!</p><p> After the necessary shower, I quickly headed to the neighboring town of Brunnen, as later I wouldn't have been able to summon my tired bones. At Lake Lucerne, I got a burger and an alcohol-free beer. And for dessert, an Aperol Spritz that practically knocked me off my feet and hit hard in my head. It was a beautiful evening atmosphere by the lake, and I made my way back feeling bolstered, happy, and slightly tipsy. Before I slipped into my bed, I just wanted to take a quick look at the elevated Roman Catholic parish church of St. Leonard. When I entered through a side door at 8:00 PM, I was met with incredibly beautiful sounds. An orchestra with over 70 members, a choir, and 2 soloists were conducting their dress rehearsal, which served as preparation for the opening concert of the 8th Othmar Schoek Festival, which took place 2 days later. The female soloist, in particular, left me in awe. Her voice was so delicate, precise, crystal clear, yet powerful! And she seemed to sing it with an unbelievable ease, while the men added chills to the overall experience. Together with the men's choir Küssnacht and the Urschweizer Chamber Ensemble, it was a true feast for the ears. A free concert of truly high quality just for me. Like a queen, I sat in the church pew, naturally applauding as the only one. Afterwards, even the conductor was interested in my opinion. It didn't matter to me whether he confused me or thought I was an accomplished musician or if he just wanted to be friendly! A truly dignified end to the day!</p><p> Insight of the day:</p><p> Poles can save knees, and alcohol makes you drunk after exertion 😉</p><p> Definitive distance traveled: 26 km, 34,346 steps, 452 m up, 1095 m down. </p><p><br /></p>
I thought sleepily as I aimlessly wandered along the main road. Maybe the extra trek was good for warming up, because in the 'actually' first 4 kilometers, the entire 450 meters of elevation awaited me in one go. And it was tough, as you carry your whole belongings with you. I was once again completely alone and didn't encounter a single soul. Of course, who else would be mad enough to do this? But I made good progress. Perhaps it was also because I had quit smoking by now or because I had generally become a bit sportier. I am slowly starting to enjoy the challenges. Again and again, there were tiny chapels to see by the wayside. Including the most famous one, 'es Bruustchappeli.' This small historical pilgrimage chapel houses a valuable late Gothic Madonna from around 1500. Interestingly, the little 'Chappeli' is protected by cow wire, which made me chuckle. A burglary protection for cows.</p><p> A little over 2 hours later, I was almost at the top and could nearly touch the two Mythen peaks. With a selfie, I tried to touch the mountain peak, like people do in Paris with the Eiffel Tower or in Pisa with the leaning tower. 'Tourists' have to do things like that, there are unwritten laws! At Haggenegg, I had my first meal of the day. Salad and sausages. There was a wonderful view on the terrace, and there were already some hikers who had come with the slightly distant 'Bähnli.' After the rest, I walked a bit higher to enjoy a fantastic view from the hill. There I also made my call to the monastery in Ingenbohl and requested a pilgrim bed. My overnight stay was thus secured. Then I reluctantly got my hiking poles out and was still skeptical about whether walking with poles would work for me. But right after the first few meters, I was more than grateful! 'Holy shit' it was steep. And the path felt like it went on forever! Over and over again, I could see Lake Lauerzen in the distance, and I couldn't believe I still had to go down so much. I braced my arms on the poles with all my strength to cushion the blows as best as possible and was happy that I hadn't wasted my investment. Before Schwyz, it slowly got flatter, and in the suburbs, you could really tell the villages were very proud of their pilgrimage tradition. Pilgrim information was everywhere, and the little churches with their stamps were lovingly adorned with flowers and candles. 'Welcome to Schwyz on the Way of St. James,' was written in large letters, as if they had just been waiting for me. I felt personally addressed and was happy. However, the way in Schwyz was not well marked. In the city, it was tedious to find the right path. And the further route to Ingenbohl pushed me to my limits more than the steep ascent or descent did. It led along the really ugly main road in the scorching heat. What can 5 km be like when the heat beats down on the asphalt! In the monastery in Ingenbohl, I was greeted by a nice elderly nun, got a small introduction, and was allowed to settle into my dormitory and take a shower. Fun fact: 280 sisters belong to the community, and only 15 of these nuns are under the age of 70. The average age in the monastery in Ingenbohl is over 84 years!</p><p> After the necessary shower, I quickly headed to the neighboring town of Brunnen, as later I wouldn't have been able to summon my tired bones. At Lake Lucerne, I got a burger and an alcohol-free beer. And for dessert, an Aperol Spritz that practically knocked me off my feet and hit hard in my head. It was a beautiful evening atmosphere by the lake, and I made my way back feeling bolstered, happy, and slightly tipsy. Before I slipped into my bed, I just wanted to take a quick look at the elevated Roman Catholic parish church of St. Leonard. When I entered through a side door at 8:00 PM, I was met with incredibly beautiful sounds. An orchestra with over 70 members, a choir, and 2 soloists were conducting their dress rehearsal, which served as preparation for the opening concert of the 8th Othmar Schoek Festival, which took place 2 days later. The female soloist, in particular, left me in awe. Her voice was so delicate, precise, crystal clear, yet powerful! And she seemed to sing it with an unbelievable ease, while the men added chills to the overall experience. Together with the men's choir Küssnacht and the Urschweizer Chamber Ensemble, it was a true feast for the ears. A free concert of truly high quality just for me. Like a queen, I sat in the church pew, naturally applauding as the only one. Afterwards, even the conductor was interested in my opinion. It didn't matter to me whether he confused me or thought I was an accomplished musician or if he just wanted to be friendly! A truly dignified end to the day!</p><p> Insight of the day:</p><p> Poles can save knees, and alcohol makes you drunk after exertion 😉</p><p> Definitive distance traveled: 26 km, 34,346 steps, 452 m up, 1095 m down. </p><p><br /></p>
Leg biter and knee wigglers
Leg biter and knee wigglers
'Obsi' step by step
'Obsi' step by step
Pilgrim chapel at Haggenegg with a view of my lunch break
Pilgrim chapel at Haggenegg with a view of my lunch break
Beautiful view of Lake Lauerzen
Beautiful view of Lake Lauerzen
Pilgrim stamps :-)
Pilgrim stamps :-)
Monastery Ingenbohl
Monastery Ingenbohl
Asphalt in the heat is so annoying!
Asphalt in the heat is so annoying!
:-)
:-)
Cap deep down on the face. Alcohol-free beer provides electrolytes
Cap deep down on the face. Alcohol-free beer provides electrolytes
A little dream at the lake
A little dream at the lake
Stroll
Alpthal → … → Ingenbohl
26 km · Via Jacobi
Accommodation
Kloster Ingenbohl
Ingenbohl
Eat
Restaurant am Vierwaldstättersee
$$ · Dinner
Worth seeing
Pfarrkirche St. Leonhard
Brunnen, Switzerland
Attraction
Bruustchappeli
Alpthal, Switzerland
Attraction
Haggenegg
Alpthal, Switzerland

Via Jacobi September 2, 2026 Alpthal (SZ) – Ingenbohl (SZ)

Last night at 8:00 PM, I spontaneously decided to head out today. It is not common for someone to agree at such short notice to take care of my poodle lady for three days and even come to pick her up while I'm not at home. So my alarm went off at 4:30 AM, so I could start in Alpthal around 8:30 AM. I didn't sleep a wink out of excitement. I was facing approximately 20 km with 452 meters up and 1095 down. And since my knees like to protest sometimes, I set off with my new hiking poles this time, even though I had previously resisted. A friend, who had done this hike before, strongly advised me to do so. On the bus to Alpthal, I researched my route once more and suddenly realized that the bus only stops on request. The mumbling of the bus driver didn't really indicate the stops. I looked at the clock and was horrified to realize that I must have missed my stop and immediately pressed the stop button. The bus stopped somewhere in the middle of nowhere, and I had to orient myself first. It turned out that the bus was delayed, and my actual starting point was 4 km away. So I got off the bus earlier than I had assumed. The two Mythen mountains were already visible from far away in the valley. Today, I would go somewhere near them.

At a glance

Automatically extracted from the post
Length of time
1 Day
Accompaniment
Alone
Mood
AdventurousCulturalRelaxing
Highlights
  • Via Jacobi-Etappe von Alpthal nach Ingenbohl
  • Haggenegg mit Blick auf die Mythen
  • Übernachtung im Kloster Ingenbohl
  • Abend am Vierwaldstättersee in Brunnen
  • Generalprobe mit Orchester, Chor und Solisten in der Pfarrkirche St. Leonhard
Equipment
Wanderstöcke
Topics
NatureCultureEatStoryAdventure
von-schleitheim-nach-santiago-de-compostelaLike a newsletter: every new post arrives via email.
2
Answer

Switzerland
Switzerland
Travel reports Switzerland

More from the travel blog von-schleitheim-nach-santiago-de-compostela

Day 7 / July 21, 2026: Schaffhauser-Zürcherweg (Rapperswil SG – Einsiedeln SZ)

Life is! “Wohhhhow, eyes wide open!” I felt magnificent and strong upon waking up today! There were no snores last night. No wonder, my roommates in the pilgrimage accommo

First Overnight Stay

Feet swell when walking for long periods, it's just how it is!

Not my day

Today, my alarm rang at 4:00 AM. I wanted to catch the 5:15 AM train in Schaffhausen, which I did. I knew it would be very hot again today, though not as hot as 38 degrees like...

Record heat in June

I need a drinking bladder so that I can moisten my throat in extreme weather without having to put down my backpack and stay in the flow. The drink cooler bag is worth its...

Other travelers in Switzerland

Maggiatal (Avegno) September 12 - 15, 2026

Camping Piccolo Paradiso (Avegno) Location: 913 directly by the Maggia River Day 1: Beautiful weather at 25 degrees. Arrival via Gotthard (traffic dependent) Pizza in Losone, then...

One last time Patrouille Swiss

Actually, we had a pretty simple plan: to take the boat out on Lake Constance and just chill there. My girlfriend has her boat docked in Altenrhein, so it sounded like a relaxing...

The Journey

The Journey

So

Travel blogsCreate a travel blogPricesAgentic BloggingAPI & AI AgentsMagazineNewsletterAbout VakantioImprintTerms of UseData protection