Hi mom,
to enjoy some cooler air, we visited the Säntis today.
After a 30 minute drive we arrived at the Schwägalp.
Schwägalp peak (el. 1,360 m or 4,462 ft) on the north face of Säntis, is the starting point of the aerial tramway to the top of Säntis.
We boarded.
At 2,502.9 metres above sea level, Säntis is the highest mountain in the Alpstein massif of northeastern Switzerland. It is also the culminating point of the whole Appenzell Alps, between Lake Walenstadt and Lake Constance. Shared by three cantons, the mountain is a highly visible landmark thanks to its exposed northerly position within the Alpstein massif.
What a friendly welcome.
"Grüezi" means Hello in Swiss dialect.
The panorama from the summit is spectacular. Six countries can be seen if the weather allows: Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Liechtenstein, France, and Italy.
The exposed position of Säntis results in weather conditions normally observed in the high Alps. For example in April 1999, just beneath the summit on the northern snowfield of the mountain, a snow height of 816 cm (321 in) was recorded. The daily mean temperature is −1.9 °C (28.6 °F)
Today it was 19 degrees warm and there were definitely no 8 meters of snow.
The International Meteorological Congress of Rome in 1879 declared it as a necessity to build weather stations on adequate and accessible summits. Therefore, the Swiss built a weather station on Säntis. The position of the northern ridge proved to be ideal for such an endeavour. The weather station was commissioned in autumn of 1882.
During a refreshment break
Jasper told us about a crime that has happened up here.
The so-called Säntismurder happened in the winter of 1922. It refers to a crime in which the weather station keeper and his wife were murdered. The murder was only discovered because of missing weather reports on 21 February. As a result of the missing reports, a search party was sent to Säntis, where they discovered the bodies. The prime suspect was shoemaker Gregor Anton Kreuzpointer, who committed suicide three weeks after the murder. The truth about this double murder hence remains unclear to this day.
Horrifying 
We moved on.
Time for lunch. We had fried sausage and hash browns.
A typical Swiss specialty.
Located at the peak of the Säntis is a 123.55 meter high transmission tower, which was commissioned in November 1997. The original tower stemming from the year 1955 had to be renovated several times due to the rough weather conditions before finally being replaced.
We walked from observation deck to observation deck and enjoyed everything to the fullest.
Then Jasper discovered something funny. A smiley.
She explained the reason:
On the Schwägalp on Sunday a "Schwingfest" (Swiss wrestling festival) take place.
Schwingen (from German schwingen "to swing"), also known as Swiss wrestling, is a style of folk wrestling native to Switzerland, more specifically the pre-alpine parts of German-speaking Switzerland. Wrestlers wear Schwingerhosen ("wrestling breeches") with belts that are used for taking holds. Throws and trips are common because the first person to pin his/her opponent's shoulders to the ground wins the bout.
The match takes place in a ring, a circular area with a diameter of 12 meters that is covered with sawdust.
And this piles of sawdust look from up here like a smiley face.
While we waited for the next cable car to the valley, we discovered a showcase with fossilized marine animals.
These fossils were found here on Säntis and at Schwägalp.
Millions of years ago here was a sea - incredible.
Back at Schwägalp we also found evidence of a primordial ocean here.
These are fish bones.
Unicellular organisms.
Aha, here they build the wrestling arena.
A piece of cake made the day perfect.
That's it for today - see you soon.
The WotWots
