(NOTE: If your train schedule says 9:21, it really means that the train will DEPART at 09:21. They're often on time so don't expect to catch the train if you arrive in the nick of time at 09:21 cos it would have departed. So do get on the train 5 minutes earlier to be safe.)

The cold winds will greet you upon your arrival at Appenzell AB so be sure to bring along a nice warm jacket and gloves. Follow the signboards to the Tourist Office and grab the Appenzell info book. The book is handy as it guides you through a tour of the village. There's also a brief write-up on the history of each site. The fun part is you can be Dora the explorer for the day and navigate with the map to find the different historical sites haha.






Apart from the walking tour, one of the things to do in Appenzell is to see the cheese making demonstration. We chose to see the demonstration at Hotel Hof Weissbad. Weissbad is about 5 minutes and 2 stops away by train. The return train tickets are at a hefty CHF 9.60 for 2 stops but it definitely is worth the trip as Weissbad is such an untouched beauty. Do however plan your train connections properly as you wouldn't want to miss the train back to St Gallen if you're on a day trip. Also, the trains have a frequency of about 30 mins to 1 hour depending on the time of the day so check the train schedules beforehand.

I've got a soft spot for untouched beauties and for roads less travelled. So naturally, I fell in love with Weissbad in an instant. Weissbad seemed closer to the Alps. As compared to Appenzell's town, this one has less buildings and more open spaces which means unblocked views of the mountains and the flowing rivers. Ahhh love at first sight, really.

The view as soon as you get off the train. I certainly love the open concept of the train station but it does get coldddd

As you walk out of the train station, walk down past the river and you'll see Hotel Hof Weissbad. When you meet the hotel, walk further down along the carpark and you'll see a park on your left. The cheese demonstration is in the wooden house beside the river (Photos in sequence above). Just knock on the door and you'll find this cute little man who is all smiles. You can witness the demonstration on Tue, Thu, Sat and Sun afternoons anytime between 2pm to 5pm. Also, I would have loved to stay in Hotel Hof if I could stay the night because it really exudes grandeur. Check out their website here. Rooms start from CHF 220.

Boys and toys

Time to go home ):

So on the train back to Winterthur, we met this really cute lady here. She's 88 but she's still so strong and very much healthy. Masya Allah. She was on a trip back home from a visit to her daughter's to see her lovely grandchildren. She's really adorable and kind, and even offered to pay for my coffee because she thought we were looking for change. When I got off my seat to have my coffee to-go, she told Mr D that he was a lucky man with a beautiful wife (heheheh member ni kembang lah sekejap when I found out). Before she got off, she gave us her contact details incase we needed anything. Sighhh I feel so blessed for all the beautiful people around me. May she stay healthy to see her grandchildren grow up because she was really happy speaking about them.



In summary, here's how much you need:
Return train tickets from Zurich to St Gallen - CHF 60
Return train tickets from St Gallen to Appenzell - CHF 18.80
Return train tickets from Appenzell to Weissbad - CHF 9.60

And that concludes our trip to the less travelled roads of Appenzell and Weissbad. Till our next trip!