Our Post-Conference Journey begins with a drive from Ascona into the heart and beauty of the legendary Swiss Alps, through winding mountain passes and charming landscapes. We first arrive in Interlaken, between the emerald waters of Lake Brienz and Lake Thun, where we will spend two nights in its medieval atmosphere, surrounded by dense forests, alpine meadows and glaciers. In the morning, we will take the scenic mountain train to the peak of the Jungfrau and gaze out on the grandeur of the snowy Bernese Alps. After lunch, we will visit the wondrous Trümmelbach Falls, Europe's largest subterranean, glacier-fed, waterfall, located in the Lauterbrunnen Valley. It was here in 1911 that J.R.R. Tolkien was inspired to imagine Rivendell, the magical realm of the elves in The Lord of the Rings. A century earlier, Goethe had also been inspired by the valley’s high waterfalls to write his poem, “The Spirit Above the Waters,” sometimes considered the first expression of the holistic worldview in modern times.

The following morning we head to Lucerne, the beautiful and historic medieval city on the shore of serene Lake Lucerne. We will sail across the lake, a place where the stories of the Swiss hero, William Tell, were first heard by Goethe (and continued to inspire the Schiller drama that followed and the well-known, stirring, Rossini overture). After lunch in a lakeside village, we will return to the city for a walking tour of this evocative and charming city.

After a night in Lucerne, we then travel on to Dornach, just outside Basel and near the northern border of Switzerland, where we will spend the final two nights of our Post-Conference in a lovely medieval monastery-turned-hotel.

It is in Dornach that the impressive Goetheanum was built under the direction of Rudolf Steiner, both as a way to honor Goethe and to serve as a sacred site for the articulation of the deepest spiritual mysteries. Volunteers from all over Europe worked on the original structure throughout the First World War but, tragically, it was burned down at the end of 1922 in an act of arson. However, a new Goetheanum rose on the same hill not long after and today the great auditorium serves as the main center of anthroposophical wisdom, Biodynamic agriculture, Waldorf education and the many other fields where Steiner’s esoteric and holistic genius continues to inspire cultural and social renewal. We will learn about Steiner’s legacy from deeply informed presenters, and take a tour of the building which will include explications of the profound art in the great auditorium.

We will close our Post-Conference Journey with an afternoon and evening in nearby Basel, with its evocative medieval Old Town on the Rhine and art-filled public spaces before our journey concludes the following morning.