Ebenalp, Appenzell

We had planned to take a road trip with friends to Germany to see a castle, and we were late leaving and had to change our plans. Instead, we did something else that was on our list. Unlike the usual plan interruptions, I am so glad this one happened. 

The Alpstein are a group of mountains in the Appenzell Alps here in Switzerland, and are about an hour drive from our house. The unique look of the rolling green hills meeting with the snow-covered rocky mountains creates a combination that is so beautiful. 

The Wildkirchli are three interlinked caves in the Alpstein. There is a Cave chapel that was built in 1621, and a house built not long after where hermits lived until 1853. 

We started by taking a cable car up the mountain, with a short walk down through dark caves and along the mountain side to reach the chapel. 

After another short walk, we reached one of the mountaintop restaurants. We stopped at Mountain Inns Aescher for a drink before catching the gondola back down. 

Although there are plenty of hiking trails, we did not have this in our plans so we opted for gondola. Even still, there were so many people hiking and I think the views would definitely be worth it! By looking at a map, there are several different trails that all range in difficulty. If you're like us and want a quick afternoon trip, the gondola was only 31 CHF and totally worth it. 

Check out more pictures of this stunning view below!

+Kahli