The green, lush Val-De-Travers Valley in Western Switzerland features forests straight out of fairy tales. And this place of huge moss covered rock formations, and gnarled trees, is the birthplace of absinthe. In the forests bottles of spirits are hidden away in cold running brooks often featuring fountains where thirsty hikers are invited to imbibe of both the spirits, and the water.
In 1910, because of the rumors that absinthe made users hallucinate, production was banned by the Swiss government. And after the ban was finally lifted in 2005, a joint French & Swiss commission created the Absinthe Trail, a route that takes visitors past distilleries, and also to a handful of the historic hidden fountains as well.
Read more on Atlas Obscura.
Chasing the Green Fairy on the French-Swiss Absinthe Route (YouTube) via Munchies.com
Image Credit: A bottle of absinthe tucked away in the woods. NICOLAS GIGER