There are so many interesting places to visit in Switzerland that every time I have the opportunity to go exploring the country, I jump at the occasion. For this latest adventure, I literally crossed the whole country from west to east to visit Saint Gallen for a fun-packed 24 hours of sporting, cultural, and musical activities. In terms of watches, I needed an all-rounder, something that could cope with everything from paddle boarding to the opera. The Omega Seamaster 600m Planet Ocean Master Chronometer was the perfect contender with its 600-meter water-resistance and elegant sporty design, I couldn’t have chosen a better timing partner.
Wake-Up Paddle
My 24 hours of fun started early with a Wake-up paddle, which is exactly as it says, you wake up and paddle for an hour or so and then enjoy a hearty breakfast. This great concept is organized by PADL Bodensee on the shores of Lake Constance with breakfast put on by the Hotel Wunderbar. After an initiation on land, I was let loose in the waves. Normally, I am a fair-weather paddle boarder – bright sunshine and flat water only – but the wind and waves made it all the more exciting, even if it made taking pictures of the Omega Seamaster too risky to even try! The wind also made the water feel much warmer than it probably was, so a quick swim afterwards felt amazing.
UNESCO Abbey Library
After breakfast, I headed for the UNESCO Abbey Library. This isn’t the first time I have visited this UNESCO World Heritage Site, but I could go back time and time again and never get bored. The Abbey Library is one of the oldest and most historically important collections of books and manuscripts in the world with works dating between the 8th and 15th centuries. Examples of manuscripts with their beautiful calligraphy are on display in glass cases, which are mind-blowing when you consider they are over 1,000 years old. Watch lovers will also enjoy a large earth and celestial globe from the second half of the 16th century that depicts the world as we knew it in the day,.
The library was founded by Saint Othmar, who also founded the Abbey of St. Gallen. The monastery was destroyed in a fire in 937, but the library survived. The current library hall was built in 1767 in the Rococo style and has an upper balcony that runs around the room, although not accessible. However short your stay in Saint Gallen, you definitely have to squeeze in time to visit this World Heritage Site.
Textile Museum
From the library, it is only a short walk to the Textile Museum, a multimedia exhibit that traces the history of linen and cloth-making in the city. The textile industry in Saint Gallen dates back to the Middle Ages and its linen was referred to as “white gold” thanks to its exceptional quality. From the 13th century onwards, linen production employed tens of thousands of people in the region and so much linen was laid out in the fields to bleach during the summer months that Saint Gallen became known as The White City. From the 18th century onwards, the city started working with cotton and later embroidery. Textiles are still a huge part of the city and many Swiss fashion designers are based here, making shopping here a must.
This summer (until 18th September 2022) visitors can also enjoy a temporary exhibition about Japanese textile innovations from Sudo Reiko, whose innovative approach breaks the boundaries of traditional textile manufacturing, paving the way for new methods of sustainable production.
Open Air Opera
I finish my 24 hours in the city with a trip to an open-air opera. Inspired by Friedrich Schiller’s drama, Giuseppe Verdi’s opera Giovanni d’Arco was first performed in 1845 and tells its own version of the legend of France’s national heroine Joan of Arc, the peasant girl who led the French army to victory over the English occupiers. This dramatic performance is a must for those visiting this summer.
Omega Seamaster 600m Planet Ocean Master Chronometer
Throughout my touristic adventures, the Omega Seamaster performed perfectly from morning to night. It looked elegant at every turn thanks to its blue ceramic dial with Arabic numerals and blue ceramic unidirectional bezel with its Liquidmetal diving scale. The timepiece comes in a 43.5mm stainless steel case with patented extendable foldover clasp, 600-metre water resistance, and helium release valve, for those who want to take it deeper than paddle boarding. On the inside, the Omega Calibre 8900, with its Master Chronometer status, is as reliable as it gets, giving the assurance that this timepiece will function flawlessly where you take it. I couldn’t have asked for a better timing partner for exploring Saint Gallen. The only thing missing was perhaps another tour of those watch hands to discover more!
Special thanks to: www.st.gallen-bodensee.ch and www.padl-bodensee.ch
