Switzerland 2015

by See-ming Lee
Switzerland / 2015 / SML Photography

In 2015, I went to Switzerland for a week to unplug. It was not intended to be a photo trip, but I took a camera anyway. Swiss Alps is one of the most magical places I have ever been. Matterhorn is quite possibly the most magical mountain I have been.

An unexpected find is Hiltl (Wikipedia) in Zurich, a vegetarian restaurant that remain the best I’ve had in my life. I ended dining there for 50% of the trip. It’s just too good. I don’t usually take photos when I eat, but I’ll try to take some next time if I’m not on an “unplug trip” in the future.

If you’re interested in the photos, they have two licensing terms:

  • Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs CCBYNCND
    • You can download the full-resolution images for free on Flickr (links at the photos below), provided you provide credits (my name, link backs) and don’t change anything.
  • Commercial terms
    • I will make some of these photos available on Getty Images.

1: Gornegrat, Zermatt, Switzerland

Gornegrat, Zermatt, Switzerland / SML.20150919.6D.34107
Gornegrat, Zermatt, Switzerland / SML.20150919.6D.34107

The Gornergrat (English: Gorner Ridge; 3,135 m (10,285 ft)) is a rocky ridge of the Pennine Alps, overlooking the Gorner Glacier south-east of Zermatt in Switzerland. It can be reached from Zermatt by the Gornergrat rack railway (GGB), the highest open-air railway in Europe.

Wikipedia: Gornergrat

  • Gornegrat, Zermatt, Switzerland / SML.20150919.6D.34107
  • Visp, Canton de Valais, Schweiz
  • Canon EOS 6D
  • Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM
  • ISO 100, 25 mm, f/8, 1/250 sec

2: Matterhorn, Gornegrat, Zermatt, Switzerland

Matterhorn, Gornegrat, Zermatt, Switzerland / SML.20150919.6D.34158.BW.C169
Matterhorn, Gornegrat, Zermatt, Switzerland / SML.20150919.6D.34158.BW.C169

The Matterhorn (German: Matterhorn, (ˈmatərˌhɔrn); Italian: Cervino, (ˈtʃerˈviːno); French: Mont Cervin, (mɔ̃ sɛʁvɛ̃)) is a mountain of the Alps, straddling the main watershed and border between Switzerland and Italy. It is a large, near-symmetrical pyramidal peak in the extended Monte Rosa area of the Pennine Alps, whose summit is 4,478 metres (14,692 ft) high, making it one of the highest summits in the Alps and Europe.

Wikipedia: Matterhorn

  • Matterhorn, Gornegrat, Zermatt, Switzerland / SML.20150919.6D.34158.BW.C169
  • Gornergrat, Canton de Valais, Schweiz
  • Canon EOS 6D
  • Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM
  • ISO 100, 38 mm, f/8, 1/800 sec

3 Matterhorn, Gornegrat, Zermatt, Switzerland

Matterhorn, Gornegrat, Zermatt, Switzerland / SML.20150919.6D.34158.BW.C169
Matterhorn, Gornegrat, Zermatt, Switzerland / SML.20150919.6D.34158.BW.C169

The Matterhorn is one of the most iconic and distinctive mountains in the world, renowned for its near-symmetrical pyramidal peak. It is located in the Pennine Alps on the border between Switzerland and Italy. The mountain stands at 4,478 meters (14,692 feet) tall and is one of the highest summits in the Alps and Europe.

  • Matterhorn Panorama from Gornergrat, Zermatt, Switzerland / SML.20150919.6D.34258-34274.Pano.E
  • Gornergrat, Canton de Valais, Schweiz
  • Handheld pano stitched with 17 full frame captures
  • 12155 × 4813
  • Canon EOS 6D
  • Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM
  • ISO 100, 24 mm, f/8, 1/400 sec

4 Rhine Falls, Zurich, Switzerland

Rhine Falls, Zurich, Switzerland / SML.20150922.6D.34396-34404.Pano.E1
Rhine Falls, Zurich, Switzerland / SML.20150922.6D.34396-34404.Pano.E1

The Rhine Falls (German: Rheinfall) is a waterfall in Switzerland, Europe.

The falls are located on the High Rhine on the border between the cantons of Schaffhausen and Zürich, between the villages of Neuhausen am Rheinfall (SH) and Laufen-Uhwiesen/Dachsen (ZH), next to the town of Schaffhausen in northern Switzerland.

Wikipedia: Rhine Falls

  • Rhine Falls, Zurich, Switzerland / SML.20150922.6D.34396-34404.Pano.E1
  • Neuhausem, Kanton Schaffhausen, Schweiz
  • Handheld pano stitched with 9 full frame captures
  • 9097 × 3337
  • Canon EOS 6D
  • Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM
  • ISO 100, 24 mm, f/8, 1/200 sec

5 St. Moritz, Switzerland

St. Moritz, Switzerland / SML.20150917.6D.33989.CR2
St. Moritz, Switzerland / SML.20150917.6D.33989.CR2

A restaurant at the top of the mountain. Nice designs.

  • St. Moritz, Switzerland / SML.20150917.6D.33989.CR2
  • Quattro Bar, Corviglia, 7500 St. Moritz, Switzerland
  • St. Moritz, Kanton Graubünden, Schweiz
  • Canon EOS 6D
  • Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM
  • ISO 100, 42 mm, f/8, 1/400 sec

6 Zurich Panorama from Felsenegg, Switzerland

Zurich Panorama from Felsenegg, Switzerland / SML.20150924.6D.34460-34474.Pano.E
Zurich Panorama from Felsenegg, Switzerland / SML.20150924.6D.34460-34474.Pano.E

Felsenegg is located some 7 km (4.3 mi) to the southwest of the city of Zürich on the Albis chain, between the municipalities of Stallikon and Adliswil. The hilltop station of Luftseilbahn Adliswil-Felsenegg (LAF for short or commonly called Felseneggbahn) aerial tramway is situated on Felsenegg.

Felsenegg includes a restaurant located at the summit overlooking the Sihl Valley and Lake Zürich to the east, and Reppisch valley, Türlersee and the so-called Säuliamt (District of Affoltern) to the west.

This panorama was taken from the outdoor sitting at Panorama-Restaurant Felsenegg (Felsenegg 1, Felsenegg 8143, Switzerland) with a city view of Zurich. You can in fact see the outdoor sitting on the left. Unfortunately, cropping it out will remove the nice horizon so I kept it in there.

Stitched with 15 captures, handheld.

  • Zurich Panorama from Felsenegg, Switzerland / SML.20150924.6D.34460-34474.Pano.E
  • Felsenegg, Kanton Zürich, Schweiz
  • Handheld pano stitched with 15 full frame captures
  • 12170 × 4809
  • Canon EOS 6D
  • Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM
  • ISO 100, 24 mm, f/8, 1/320 sec

7 Lion Monument (Lion of Lucerne), Lucerne, Switzerland

Lion Monument (Lion of Lucerne), Lucerne, Switzerland / SML.20150921.6D.34373.E1
Lion Monument (Lion of Lucerne), Lucerne, Switzerland / SML.20150921.6D.34373.E1

The Lion Monument (German: Löwendenkmal), or the Lion of Lucerne, is a rock relief in Lucerne, Switzerland, designed by Bertel Thorvaldsen and hewn in 1820â21 by Lukas Ahorn. It commemorates the Swiss Guards who were massacred in 1792 during the French Revolution, when revolutionaries stormed the Tuileries Palace in Paris.

Mark Twain praised the sculpture of a mortally-wounded lion as “the most mournful and moving piece of stone in the world.”

Wikpedia: Lion Monument

  • Lion Monument (Lion of Lucerne), Lucerne, Switzerland / SML.20150921.6D.34373.E1
  • Wesemlin, Luzern, Kanton Luzern
  • Canon EOS 6D
  • Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM
  • ISO 100, 24 mm, f/8, 1/320 sec

8 St. Peter, Zurich, Switzerland

St. Peter, Zurich, Switzerland / SML.20150914. 6D.33950
St. Peter, Zurich, Switzerland / SML.20150914. 6D.33950

Enduring parish featuring Romanesque & Gothic architecture & a large church clock.

  • St. Peter, Zurich, Switzerland / SML.20150914. 6D.33950
  • Zürich, Kanton Zürich, Schweiz
  • Canon EOS 6D
  • Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM
  • ISO 1250, 24 mm, f/7.1, 1/40 sec

9 Hiltl Vegi

Hiltl Vegi, Sihlstrasse 28, 8001 Zürich, Switzerland

No photos. I don’t take photos when I eat. It’s the best vegetarian restaurant I have eaten in my entire life. When I travel, my philosophy is generally to try a different restaurant every day — but Zurich is different. After eating here, we ended up eating here almost for every meal or the entire trip — it’s THAT good!

10 Museum für Gestaltung Zürich

Museum für Gestaltung Zürich
Museum für Gestaltung Zürich

Museum für Gestaltung Zürich

Pfingstweidstrasse 96, 8005 Zürich, Switzerland

Nice collection of works. I don’t normally take photos when I look at art. Now I wish I did.