A masterclass in walking in a straight line

My poor brain!

Before I start: Who knows where the lowest point in Switzerland is? The answer will be revealed at the end.

I looked at a map to see where it would be sunny today. It was basically south of the Alps to get guaranteed sunshine. I mean they had promised us the fog would clear where I live for the past three days, and it never really happened. So, down south I went.

A bit of a later start than usual, but that turned out to be a good thing this time around. The sun had not yet reached where I was gonna be walking. It’s that thing I talked about regarding sunrise and Switzerland. You could see the sun lighting up the hills opposite – it was clearly “up” already. Just not up high enough to appear from behind those other hills.

On the map I saw that the route pretty much followed the Ticino River and it looked like a very straight route. I did not make specific plans about how far I would walk. Magadino was one option or then across the valley towards Tenero.

So, I started walking in that general direction. And walking. And walking. Nothing much was happening. Everywhere looked the same. I walked in a straight line for almost 10 kilometers. That does something to your brain. Or at least to my brain.

I started counting to 100 in random languages. Then my brain proceeded to write like 10 chapters of my next book in two languages. And I remember telling friends in voice messages what was going on.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s a nice walk. Just a bit boring. And there were NO benches. NONE whatsoever. So, it was pretty much 3h 30 of walking without a break.

When I reached a place called Quartino I stopped for a moment and tried to decide what to do. You can see me trying to figure things out in the video I made.

There were several options: walk 15 minutes to the closest station in Quartino, where there were very infrequent trains; then there was walking on to Magadino – same issue regarding trains/buses; or walk the 35 minutes across the valley where there were frequent trains in both directions. Once I saw that it was a no-brainer. Also, the sun had disappeared behind a hill again and the walk to Magadino would have been completely in the shade and just a bit icy too.

That road across the valley was super busy and long. So much longer than it looked. And straight. Oh, so very straight yet again. It made me laugh. That’s what you get for wanting to experience the Magadino plain you learned about in school. Oh well. I wanted to book-end the year with another walk in that area of Ticino. On January 1 I walked a bit further up the valley. Here’s the video I made then.

There was an airport on the other side of that main road and now it suddenly made sense that I’d seen so many helicopters and small airplanes. I knew there was an airport down there but somehow the helicopters confused me anyway.

When I got to Riazzino there was a train just arriving that was going to Locarno. I can’t remember the last time I was there. It must have been decades ago. My feet refused to do much more than just walk to the lake shore and take a couple of pictures. That was all I had left in me today.

Back on the train home I went. I had earlier walked underneath a rail bridge, and it was super loud when trains passed. Turns out it is not much quieter when you’re on the train. There were many dogs and horses along that route, and I was surprised they didn’t get spooked by the trains (especially the horses). I also saw a green woodpecker, some white egrets and a cute little squirrel that almost ran into me. It then fled up into a tree jumping from branch to branch.

Despite its straightness, I think it was the walk I needed. A bit of a reset. It did recharge my batteries - my social batteries. And my brain feels fresher. My body is like “wtf was that?” but it’s going to be okay. We have a few months to go before it turns 50. Something to look forward to in the new year.

Thank you everybody for reading, liking and commenting. It’s been quite a year and I’m just getting started.

We don’t usually say Happy New Year before 00.00.01 on January 1, so I’ll say “guete Rutsch” instead. That basically means that I hope you make it into the new year safely – no incidents, no getting stuck. I’m going to sleep into the new year, so unless I fall out of bed, I should be fine.

Thanks again – it’s been great. Hugs all around.

Lago Maggiore in Locarno - December 31, 2024

The lowest point in Switzerland is Lago Maggiore. A lake that’s only partly in Switzerland. It’s 193 meters above sea level and in a beautiful area. To be explored more next year, I’m sure.