#olten

I had the Tüfelsschlucht on my radar for a while, but I needed a weekend because 3-4 hours by train each way from home made it impractical for a day out. It's definitely worth the visit: a lovely stream with the occasional waterfall flows in the sometimes very narrow gorge, and the path is well maintained and comfortable. Picnic under the rocks, that's something I don't do every day!

My destination in the afternoon was half an hour by train from Hägendorf (including the 20-minute connection at Olten): Aarburg. I'll probably talk about the Woogs another time, but this is the town's signature view, with the rivers, church and fortress towering above. I've seen fortresses left in ruin, others restored and coverted into hotels or youth hostels, but this one still serves as a prison to this day! It probably would reject that term, it's a "youth village" for rehabilitating young offenders, but high fences topped with barbed wire give it away...