Leaving the city of Olten the River Aare continues in a southeasterly direction and it continues to widen and gain speed adding tributaries along the way.
If you are riding the train from Olten towards our next city of Aarau you can look off to your left (south I think) and see a plume of smoke aiming towards 
the sky. Then you can see the distinctive shape of a nuclear plant.
That is the Gösgen Nuclear Plant. One of five in Switzerland. But, since the 2011 accident in Fukushima, Japan the Swiss have been working to move away from nuclear power. Just being around the Swiss for the last several years I am sure there is a plan here.
Also along course of the Aare there are more than 40 hydroelectric plants. For decades hydroelectric power has been Switzerland’s greatest source of renewable energy. The Swiss have always been dependent on foreign oil. In fact, they have no fossil fuels at all.
Back to Nuclear Power Plants!!
Hell, I lived through the Three Mile Island accident in Pennsylvania. So, I can understand how people can be concerned. There was a partial meltdown in a reactor in the nuclear plant.
Everyone was scared.
My roommate Dave, my best friend Leo and I bought three cases of beer and headed to the mountains in March of 1979 when this happened.
We saw on TV that if we were 150 miles from Harrisburg (Three Mile Island) we would be safe. After buying the beer and collecting a few other friends we stopped at a bar in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania – just 20 miles from where we lived.
We ran into a few guys and girls we knew .. went to their house and well – we basically never left town … so much for 150 miles!.
I guess beer would have helped us with the radioactivity!
Anyway, like I said earlier … you can see the Gösgen reactor from the train.
After passing this highlight you come to the really interesting city of Aarau.
This place is the capital of the canton of Aargau and is located on the right side of the River Aare and alongside of the Jura Mountains (The Swiss Plateau region).
**The Swiss Plateau is the hilly region between the Jura Mountains and the Swiss Alps.
The city was founded around 1240 AD (yeah that’s a long time ago!)
Aarau like many cities in Switzerland has a rich history. Run by this count or that viceroy then overrun by one group or another. But, it was right there on the Aare so I had to go see it!
Hey, check this out – Albert Einstein liver here in 1895.
