Travelling in Switzerland – Wangen a picturesque village

Wagen is a mix or rural and urban tiny village, where the most traditional cottage houses with colorful beams, fountains with fresh waters, horses, forests and green fields come together.

When travelling in Switzerland, you will come across amazing cities and villages. When I saw the old center of Wangen, during one of my walks I was amazed by how picturesque this place is. People are quite friendly here, always greeting me with a friendly: “Grüzi” (Swiss-German way to say Hello!). I don’t think tourists come here at all, so when I was walking around taking photos of every little thing, people were quite curious about me and their smiles seemed to double in size.

Wangen is a really tiny village, you can walk all the old center in just a few minutes, but it’s so beautiful.

Wagen city center

Wagen is very well located

Wangen is very well located, near Zurich, but far enough to have peace and tranquillity. The air is incredibly clean. From here it’s possible to move around by bike or the famous super punctual buses and trains that take you straight to Zurich.

Yard decoration

An old house and stable

Wangen is a mix of urban and rural, so it’s normal to see horse stables under the old houses. Some are now converted into garages or storage places, but you still see horses around here. This is an interesting combination, quite similar to what we find in the extreme north of Portugal, although the architecture is radically different.

Lamp detail

The Yards are a lot of fun here. People decorate them with animals,  “gnomes”, and other creatures. Since Christmas was not a long a long time ago, there are still some remains of the colorful decorations around.

One of my neighbors

Front yard decorations

 Before I came to Switzerland I had this funny stereotype of what the country should look like, and I have to admit that architecture wise, I’m pretty pleased to be surrounded by these unique old cottage houses. They’re very colorful and picturesque.

I love this traditional windows with green shades

I specially like the fountain bellow, which is one of many around town. I believe most of them are meant to be for the horses, since the shape is identical to the old Portuguese drinking spots for equines. This one though, represents the strong agricultural roots of Wangen with the statue of the peasant woman and the child.

One of the many fountains

The most beautiful post office I’ve seen so far

The local evangelic church at the back

But Wangen is not all about pretty traditional houses. Nature is always around the corner and there’s a huge forest area where people walk with their dogs, go for jogging or just take a nice walk to relax.

I’ve taken a few walks in the forest and I wish it was spring time to see it in it’s full power!

The beautiful fields and forest in Wangen

Before I came to Switzerland I heard a really funny expression: “Even the cows are happy in Switzerland”.  During a morning walk to the forest, I actually came across a couple of very happy cows getting a massage! Yes! You read it correctly! In Switzerland (or at least here) cows have a private massage machine to keep them happy, hahaha

Below you can see one of the cows receiving a massage. I couldn’t get much closer to take the photo as they started to get nervous, but hey… on my next life, I will want to be a Swiss cow (living at a Sanctuary, not a meat farm!).

Happy Swiss cow getting a butt massage

Although I’ve been in Switzerland for a couple of weeks now, I admit I’ve been seriously lazy to move as much as I usually do. Not only is the weather… colder than I’m used to, but I’m also much more comfy and cosy than I’m used to when I’m travelling. So far, my experience here has been extremely positive and rewarding, and soon, I’ll start exploring more of my surroundings, get involved with the Zurich Couchsurfing scene and enjoy the most of my short (not so short after all) Swiss immersion.

I will be travelling more in Switzerland in the nest few weeks, trying to explore small villages and cities to share it all with you.

You might also love:

Switzerland attractions – Rapperswil a medieval town by the lake Au-pair in Switzerland – a photo essay Things to do in New York: The counter culture of the Greenwich village A New York travel guide to the East Village, NY