I started this post long before the trip to Europe.  And finishing it now in the depth ob November.  Do not linger here.  Jump right to the first day in Zurich.

Use links bellow to navigate directly to your favorite days and destinations.

Just look at a phenomenal rainy weather in Zurich in  August 2010.  It is drought and scorcher in Moscow, but it is cold and rainy in the middle of Europe.

I found a real topographical map of entire Switzerland – http://map.schweizmobil.ch/?lang=en This site is amazing in many respects.

First, it has a complete topographical coverage for the entire Switzerland as detailed as 1:25000.

Second, it allows to switch between pure topographical and pure satellite map image.

Third, it allows you to print pages that you need.  It will generate a custom PDF under your careful instructions.

Fourth, it has an exceptional distance  measurement tool allowing to measure an exact horizontal distances along the waivy roads and trails.

For Italian coverage and trip planning I found one German site (Lago_di_Lucendro) and Italian site (Escursioni Girovagando) about visiting St. Gotthard Pass area.

Also, I found a very good online translator – http://translatorbar.com/, so I can read, what people are saying in those German and Italian travel sites.

Using these tools, I was able to figure out, where to park the car, where to go, and what to see.  The whole trip will be almost 4 hours of walking.  It is close to highway and high enough to enjoy the mountains.  Wonderful, wonderful round trip from the Passo del San Gottardo (2111m), to Lago di Lucendro (2134m), to couple of other lakes to Passo d’ Orsirora (highest point of the trip – 2528m), and back to lake Lucendro again.

Navigate through the List

1. 01 Preparation for the Swiss Trip in August 2010 (2017/07/25)
2. 02 August 14-15, 2010: Zurich (2017/07/29)
3. 03 August 16-17, 2010: Luzern - Bern - Fribourg (2017/08/02)
4. 04 August 18-19, 2010: Fribourg – Montreux (Nabokov) – Geneva (2017/08/06)
5. 05 August 20, 2010 - Wake in Switzerland, Eat in France, Sleep in Italy (2017/08/10)
6. 06 August 21,2010: It’s a Mountain Time – Rifugio Monzino (2017/08/14)
7. 07 August 22, 2010: Genova – Columbus and Paganini (2017/08/18)
8. 08 August 23, 2010: Camogli – San Fruttuoso – Portofino and Back (2017/08/22)
9. 09 August 24, 2010: From Mediterranean to Lake Como and Bellagio (2017/08/26)
10. 10 August 25, 2010: Around Bellagio - Pescallo, Regatola, S. Giovanni (2017/08/30)
11. 11 August 26, 2010: Back to Switzerland - Airolo (2017/09/03)
12. 12 August 27, 2010: St. Gotthard Pass and Lake Lucendro (2017/09/07)
13. 13 August 28, 2010: Seewen - Rapperswil-Jona - Winkel (2017/09/11)
14. 14 August 29, 2010: The End - From Zurich to Boston (2017/09/15)