Aarburg |
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22 August 2026 - Erlenbach
This weekend was the Riverside Festival where I finally saw Alestorm live in concert. And they were everything I hoped they would be! Aarburg is also a cool little town with a castle on a rock in the middle. And, of course, it's on the Aare river. I didn't find a spot to swim in that swift river though. It also poured rain during the festival yesterday, so I was already soaked and didn't really need a swim. I camped there and fortunately got to set up my tent yesterday during a break in the rain. It's a good tent that I picked up in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port when the one from the California Walmart I had been using finally broke. I expect it will house me across France next month as I complete the Chemin Saint-Jacques there. Alestorm is just pure - a combination of piracy and metal that just don't take themselves seriously. They sent giant inflated rubber duckies to bounce around the crowd during their concert, which, when significantly inebriated as I was, can catch you off guard.
This morning I explored the town and circumnavigated the castle. Seems quite large from the exterior, but sadly they only give tours at 2PM. And I didn't feel like waiting around 6 hours. One would think they could have coordinated with the festival better, as the rest of the town did. There was even a "Route 66" old car show to go along with the music. I'm always pleasantly confused about Europeans' embrace of Americana. They even had Confederate flags!
So on the way home today I had the typical train connection on Olten, but instead of making it I decided to go exploring. They have a nice wooden bridge over the Aare which leads leads to an old town that dates back over a thousand years. Definitely worth a walkaround.
