A perfect break from the every day work life and a great opportunity to – very literally – clear one’s mind.

It doesn’t seem like much, but the trek was actually quite steep and long…. and super rewarding!

Viewpoint 1

Peak with incredible 360 degree view

The short detour to the waterfall was definitely worth it.

I spent the weekdays in Zurich and Geneva and while out for lunch with a few colleagues – including a colleague from Hong Kong who visited Switzerland for the first time – I half-jokingly suggested that we should take the opportunity and eat a cheese fondue. To our all surprise, my Asian colleague agreed at once and so we were set to order a platter of meat, a fondue and a bottle of wine. Despite the hot temperatures and us sitting outside and in office attire, it was very enjoyable.

The following days still included a fair bit of eating, but also some more action. We engaged in an activity-filled and fun treasure hunt through the city of Berne, we visited friends and our goddaughter (who recently started to walk and kept us busy playing) and I spent a shopping day with my sister. Finally, my partner and I settled for a few days in Malbun where we opted for a hike to Galinakopf (one of many peaks in Liechtenstein I have not climbed before even though hiking was a regular activity during my childhood). I really enjoyed to be out and active in the fresh mountain air, along the way marvelling at the beautiful alpine flowers and on the top being rewarded with an amazing view over the mountains.

We also spent time together with both our families and did some Liechtenstein sightseeing. On our last day, we met with friends for a nice walk, followed by a delicious dinner and one or two bottles of wine. It was a fun and relaxing evening, a perfect end to this trip.

I very much enjoyed the days!

From our room (we stayed both in an electronic-equipped hotel room in the hip Gangnam Business District and in a traditional Korean Hanok house only a short walking distance from the Royal Palace) to shopping (stalls selling honey candy made after an old royal recipe next to top-notch shopping malls) to dinner (15 course ‘Enlightenment’ meal in a Buddhist restaurant, Korean BBQ or street food) our experiences were very diverse.

An excursion to the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone, between North- and South Korea) and a hike to the top of one of the mountains surrounding the city completed our short but excellent Korea trip.

In the early hours of the second day we then attacked the last (and steeper) part until we reached the crater rim at around 4am. At 3’000m altitude and exposed to the wind, it was very chilly and the time until sunrise felt very long. The stunning view that came with the gorgeous sunrise made me however quickly forget anything else. It was so exciting to gradually be able to see the surroundings!