Uster
“Where are all the people?” I thought, as I walked across the lush green park.
It was the beginning of winter and there was a nip in the air, a light mist hovered benignly above me as I walked along a cobbled pathway that cut right through a huge park and connected two parallel roads. I felt a million sparks of exhilaration explode within my being as I basked in the peaceful and beautiful environs.
A family of swans glided serenely in the clear waters of a man made stream, at harmony with their surroundings.
I continued along the cobbled path till I came to a small and picturesque wooden arched bridge, I crossed the bridge, which forded a brook that meandered happily below, and reached the road.
I crossed the road which was empty and made my way along the banks of a lake which looked magical. Its waters blended with the mist and the surrounding green vegetation to create an image that was truly mesmerizing.
I then took a left turn and after walking for another couple of meters, I reached my destination.
“Where are all the people?” I thought again. Incredibly, I had not met a single person on the way from my Hotel to my office!
Yes! I was not on a hike or a blissful vacation in fairyland. I was in Uster, a small city in the Canton of Zurich, Switzerland, for work.
This was my first day in Uster and the place had me in its thrall, I was completely smitten and fell headlong in love.
I was in Uster for three weeks and every weekday, I looked forward to my daily morning pilgrimage to the office, for the walk was nothing less than a communion with God, such was the sheer beauty of the surroundings.
A Sunday Afternoon
I woke up to a gloomy and wet Sunday. I looked out of my hotel window and could see the rain pouring down and retreated to the comfortable confines of the warm Hotel Bed. By afternoon the weather improved and the clouds beat a retreat, the sun peeped out from behind the clouds. I was on the balcony of my hotel room and looked up at the castle in the distance which perched upon a hillock. I made up my mind and soon I was walking towards the castle on a road that shone on account of being recently rain washed. I made quick time and soon reached the base of the hill, a winding road led to the summit. I was soon besides the small castle which was closed, a flag fluttered at the top and I could only wonder on what stories of royal intrigues the walls of the castle had buried in their recesses.
Besides the Castle, there was a small restaurant on the hillock where one could sit and nurse a cup of hot beverage while enjoying the view. One could see the green meadows and the villages below and the looming snow clad mountains in the distance.
As I walked in a land which seemed to have jumped out of a fairy tale, I stumbled upon a small children’s play area with some swings, The sun seemed to have cast a spell of light and the swings and their vicinity was enveloped in an ethereal glow.
I wandered happily amongst the meadows as if I was ‘Heidi’ . I exchanged pleasantries with a couple of the famed swiss cows and I breathed in the fresh mountain air and was happy to be just alive!
And then the sun went down in a blaze of colors that left me humbled and thankful for a beautiful evening. I started my descent back to my hotel, looking forward to yet another morning in heaven called Uster!
Get MORE Visitors/Traffic To Your Website!
[pinit color=”red” size=”large” rectangular=”rectangular”]
What a gorgeous place.
Your words transported me into the moment wonderfully well, and I simply loved those photos showing off a hint of mist.
I could see the beauty and feel the chill as though I was there with you!
What a peaceful place. I could wander around there for days I’m sure. Thanks for sharing and the nice pics!
Your photos really convey your words. I would love to visit this beautiful place.
Wandering through Switzerland feels sometimes like being in a fairy tale. I’m sure you felt great as Heidi in Uster 😉 Have you been around the Greifensee, too? #FeetDoTravel
How can one not fall in love in a place as lovely as this! It’s really beautiful and it’s nice to be able to walk around here too, it’s peaceful and very relaxing.
Wow I didn’t know anything about Uster before, now I really want to go. I love places with minimal people/tourists! Thanks for sharing
Such a gorgeous place each picture takes you to the beauty that Uster offers to the visitors
Looks like a lovely place to stroll and take in the casual quite atmosphere of this town. I love the small towns of Europe that are scenically beautiful and not overrun with tourists. Great read great description of what you saw and felt
I’ve never even heard of this place, but your photos have done a great job helping me familiarize myself. Look beautiful!
Always love reading about new places to explore and add to my travels. Will certainly have to look this place up in the future 🙂 Thanks for sharing your trip….
What a beautiful and quite peaceful place. I wish I can also bring my family there.
Such a gorgeous location. I don’t mind spending my life in this kind of location. Thanks for sharing it.
Love how moody it looks. That mist, ohhh…Makes me want to jump on the next flight out. Next time, next time…
Oh, that is so beautiful! Thank you for sharing it and I look forward to future editions. 🙂
Switzerland is such a lovely place. I don’t remember seeing a place which didn’t take our breath away.
Switzerland may be a bit prettier than many places, but your words reminds me that, when we take the time to look, we are often surrounded by beauty even in something as mundane as a walk to work!
How peaceful! There is nothing like spending a quiet afternoon wandering through gorgeous landscape, like Heidi.
It is not often you come across a blog post in which the photographs so perfectly compliment the words. This is one such occasion. Well done and thanks for adding yet another place to the bucket list!
It looks beautiful! I love early mornings, not that I’m usually up to see them 😛
Wonderfully descriptive account of your time in Uster. Some really great photos too!
Sam @ WhenTwoWander
Looks like a great little town. I loved Switzerland, a little pricey when I was there, but nice.
Wow, what a stunning post. I have goosebumps. I hope I can experience beauty like this soon.
Fall is such a beautiful time to visit Switzerland. The changing leaves, the fog, the wind rustling the leaves. I am happy for you that you found such a pretty place at such a beautiful time of the year. I am going home to Germany in late September/October and I am very much looking forward to having a real fall experience again, as I truly miss that living in Texas!
Sounds like a lovely city to explore. I have only been to Geneva in Switzerland. But, I was also fortunate enough to see swans when I was there. They are so majestic looking I watched them for quite some time.
Sounds like a lovely peaceful place to visit. Your writing transported me there in a flash! What a shame that the castle was closed. I love a good castle.
A great way to describe a piece of heaven. Did you ever meet the people and make friends?
I love that you write your blog posts as though you are telling a story. Not enough bloggers try to tell stories about the places they visit anymore. Uster looks beautiful and serene and you are fortunate to have been able to visit for work! It truly does seem like a fairytale world!
I must admit I had never heard of Uster before reading this post. It looks like a lovely green spot in beautiful Switzerland. How wonderful for you to get the chance to see Swiss cows and green fields! Switzerland is one of my favourite countries.
Such an interesting read.
I felt like I was in the moment experiencing the serenity.
You put so much flair on your words as you describe this place, I can tell you really fell for this place. I wouldn’t be so surprise, it looks like it is one of a kind 🙂
Gosh, it sounds remarkable there. The passion with which you write speaks volumes 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
I can definitely see why you’d describe this place as a fairytale. Your photos and words convey that. Never heard of Uster, but you certainly painted a vivid picture of it for us.
What a stunning place!! I have never been to Switzerland and although it doesn’t feature at the top of my Bucketlist, this is definitely a destination worthy to explore. Very well written as well
Such a nice walk. I feel the serene and the tranquility in your description and picture. Lucky you live there!
I think I would fall in love too! Sounds so peaceful and the perfect time of year for reflection. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again.. you are a great storyteller!
Your beautiful photos and vivid description of Uster brought a shot of nostalgia. It made me miss the European landscape.
I am not a fan of Switzerland but there is no doubt they have fairy-tale landscapes everywhere. I’ve been in India so I can imagine you saying “where is the people” with a smile 🙂
I must admit that I hadn’t heard of Uster before. Is it far from Zurich? The castle looks beautiful, is it open to the public?
Calmness at its best is what I would call it. Just love the feel of an early morning walk and being able to enjoy such picturesque places is truly a boon in itself. Uster looks really Tranquil
Switzerland is my absolute favorite country so I think no matter where you are there, it’s sure to be amazing! The greenery is amazing! I have been dying to go back in the summertime!
Uster, Switzerland is definitely beautiful! Especially how you describe it with your words. It’s amazing how some places just gives you a calm and peaceful feeling where you just let go of everything and really appreciate the small things in life.
Wow, what a beautiful place! It’s surprising there wouldn’t be more people out enjoying it. It’s nice to have moments like this where you can appreciate your surroundings and thoughts, how peaceful.
I LOVE those moments where it just feels great to be ALIVE (like the Pearl Jam song). The swingset picture stands out the most. When I saw Uster, I thought of UK, lol!
Uster looks absolutely beautiful! I am curious still why you saw no one at all there? I have also had similar experiences in small towns in Europe…and I loved them nevertheless 🙂
Sounds like you had an amazing experience walking around Uster. It’s relaxing to get out of the big city and into some nature. The trees look beautiful and colourful. Great scenery for a walk.
I’ve never before heard of Uster but it looks very tranquil! I would love to take a wander around the area and relax.
It’s not a town I’ve ever heard of before but your photos just make me want to visit. It looks so green and peaceful and seems like somewhere I could really take time out and relax. Uster seems like a hidden gem!
I am now smitten with Uster too. What a gorgeous small town with parks, a lake and a castle. That is so nice you would walk to work and have it be so peaceful. Great way to start the day! And, end it!
Switzerland is such a heavenly retreat and every location in Swiss has its own charm. We have traveled to so many places in Swiss including Zurich but Uster is something new. It looks like a serene and lovely place, the colors of falls and lush green countryside are stunningly beautiful. Thanks for sharing this wonderful experience with us.
Such a beautiful place it is, with the misty mornings. Your pictures and words are completely describing the beauty of Uster. I would love to visit Switzerland for sure one day.
What a beautiful place! So much green, it does seem incredibly peaceful. It sounds like a lesser known destination in Switzerland too. What’s the closest major city?
Yes, it is indeed! Uster is very close to Zurich. It is 21 kilometers from Zurich and about 20 minutes by train.
I can see how you fell in love with Uster! The parks are incredible and any place that’s beautiful without hoards of people is high on my list. Like you, I would love to walk around and enjoy the scenery.
Where are all the people? – Exactly same qs pops up every time I go for a walk here in Dublin. In India, we are used to so many people all around – at home, on streets that sometimes it is so peaceful to have no one around and such amazing place to explore. Uster looks beautiful ..
Uster is a really enchanting town, I had the opportunity to visit it when I went to Zurich and I fell in love with it as well 🙂 so peaceful, I could spent an entire day there and I was so relaxed
I’ve spent a lot of time in Switzerland but never made it to Uster. I regret that. Your wonderful writing creates such a moving description of that gorgeous place. I’ll definitely have to visit next time in Switzerland.
A walk in the park all alone, with time to contemplate the serenity of nature and smell the fresh air. Sounds so lovely. We all need to be with ourselves at times.