One step. Then another. Then a third. Slowly. A few meters behind us, and around 100 meters below, a loud stream twists through the gorge. The bridge still seems impossibly long. The ropes do not look especially thick. Another step. Then one more. Somewhere around the eighth, you begin to get used to the slight sway beneath your feet. So, are we really walking across Trift Bridge? Of course. It is one of the best suspension bridges in Switzerland, and it sits right next to the spectacular...

Pilatus is not some unconquered summit or the dream of serious alpinists. At 2128.5 meters above sea level, it is hardly an impressive height by Alpine standards.

They say that it is not we who find a rock crystal, but that the crystal chooses us. It is an appealing idea, even if it means leaving the decision to the whim of a stone. Still, those capricious rocks can be given a little help. All you need to do is head into the mountains, where luck tends to favor both crystals and their seekers a little more. In Switzerland, and perhaps in all of Europe, there is no better place to search for minerals than the Binntal Valley. So let us head into the...