It is unbelievable that today was the last day of our crazy journey from Amsterdam to Switzerland. I am happy to report that my suitcase is looking better and better with each stop we make!
This morning came far too early (due to our schedule as well as loud city noises!) so at breakfast everyone looked a little bit like zombies. We began with a quick walking tour around Lucern (or for locals, Luzern) to see the authentic Swiss shops and the famous lion statue. Next, we dropped off 7 of our tour group in the city center and the rest of us traveled up to Mount Pilatus. This journey to the top consisted of a cogwheel train up, exploring some fascinating hikes on the top, and going down via cable car and gondolas. My favorite was doing the “Dragon: Part II” hike—there was a short hike through the dragon caves (along with the legends of the dragons) which ended with either a quick skip back to the station or a seemingly short hike up. We took the high road and it took no time at all to realize that it was all hiking STRAIGHT UP. At one point, people were trying to go both directions on the steps, but they were so steep and narrow people going up had to hold on for dear life to the sheer cliff face to stay on the steps! It was a great, albeit slightly nerve-wracking, experience. After our time on the top, we drove back to Lucern’s city center. We stopped by a local brewery, where we had our second to last authentic Swiss meal and tried the beer brewed on sight. Then we toured the Swiss shops and I realized I would never be able to even breathe near the watches/jewelry there. The cheapest watches were around ~150 CHF but they went up to 75,000 CHF!!!! Note: CHF are stronger than USD right now… ! Needless to say, I left without jewelry. I was able to pick up some souvenirs at a store around the corner though. Sleep deprivation + great hiking exercise left our party exhausted by the mid-afternoon, so we all returned to the hotel to pack and nap. At 7:00, our whole tour group met up for our big farewell dinner. It was at this gorgeous restaurant in town that was built in the 1300’s! It was a nice way to end our adventures. It will definitely be interesting to make it back home to the quiet where I am not constantly around 31 other people! (or riding a bus semi-constantly) It also means that it will be a bit more boring as well, but I think I’m okay with that. This has been an incredible journey with memories that will last a lifetime. Let’s just hope I can have this much excitement in November when I take off to Jordan and Israel…. J
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Today, like many days before, was incredibly jam-packed. After a quick breakfast, we got on the bus and drove to Bern, Switzerland. Our tour consisted of a walk through the delicate rose gardens, bus tour, and city walk. While we were there, we saw the famous Bear Park (giant pits in the city that contain live bears…), interesting statues/fountains, and saw a giant clock production. The clock was from the 1500’s and showed 10 different stats about the day (i.e., time, day of week, zodiac signs, angle of the sun to earth, rotation of the moon, etc).
Next, we took a short drive to a rural Switzerland farm. There we were greeted by the sweetest family, who own the farm, and had a homemade lunch. Now, I love food and have eaten quite a bit of great food in the last few weeks, but this lunch topped it all. We had thick-cut homemade bread, organic salad, local beef and potatoes, and a smattering of dessert “tastes.” These tastes included a buffet table length of traditional desserts for us to try. INCREDIBLE. Then, bellies completely full, we said goodbye to our Swiss friends and headed off to Trummelbach Falls–these are 10 breathtaking waterfalls inside and out of a mountain and caves. It was astounding to say the least! It was in the 80’s outside, so the cold inside the mountain caverns was a nice relief. Our last stint on the bus (which went by quickly because almost everyone fell asleep…) took us to our hotel in Lucerne, Switzerland. 90% of our tour group took off for a dinner and a show, but our family decided to take in some local cuisine. On our way to finding the restaurant, we encountered a man performing solo opera. Our final destination was at the Swiss Fondue House–a seemingly tiny restaurant with a charming facade that housed only the best Swiss cheese and chocolate for fondue. After today, I think I can die happy having eaten all of the amazing food Switzerland has to offer Although it’s relatively early in the evening, we are all going to get rest. Tomorrow is going to be an absurdly early rising time and lots of crazy adventure. This morning we grabbed breakfast before walking to the railway station. We took the train high into the alps, where we got off to take in the view. It was shockingly warm; I couldn’t even wear my coat the entire time! There was still a bit of snow up there, but it was an incredibly stunning day.
On our way up, we had only a few seconds glimpse of these beautiful waterfalls just after a train station stop. So, with the insistence of adventure from our party members, on the way down we got off the train and started walking in the directions of the waterfalls. This sounds like a boring tale, but in reality there were NO sidewalks, so we waited for the two trains to pass, walked directly next to the tracks, and onto rickey old wood slats (which sunk every time you stepped on one!) holding us up from a huge drop. It was terrifying but exhilarating. At least we didn’t die and still got pictures! Once all of us were down from the Matterhorn, we grabbed a bite to eat at the infamous little Brautworst stand. At around 1:00 PM, we walked to the main train station and got a train to Täsch railway. This took us to our hotel on the edge of Lake Geneva, in Montreux, Switzerland. We landed here on a day where there is a MASSIVE jazz festival, so we ate a great dinner, listened to live music, perused the items in the tents, and had a twilight walk down the promenade. Day 12 consisted of yet another jam-packed 24 hours, generally alternating between Switzerland and Italy!
Bright and early we set out on the road again (cue Willie Nelson). We passed by the pristine Lake Maggiore, and after a couple hours we hit Stressa, Italy. Much like Lugano, Stressa was tourist central; the hotels were extravagant, the statues were bold, and the shops were plenty. After several hours relaxing (and eating delicious Italian cuisine), we set off towards Zermatt. To get there, one must take high and windy roads through a surplus of construction. We saw waterfalls, post-avalanche areas, and small farms high in the mountains. At one point, we stopped at the Passo del Sempione, or Simplon Pass. As we were taking picturesque photos, a huge storm rolled in, dousing everyone in sight. It was actually incredibly beautiful in the rain–but it did remind me of being home!! We also got the opportunity to try true Swiss hot chocolate. It is just as delicious as it sounds. Since you cannot drive all the way up to Zermatt, we parked the coach and took a quick 10 minute train ride up to the city. Here there are only tiny electric carts to move luggage effectively for the tourists. With our bags dropped off, we set out for a couple hours to explore this tiny villa. Although it was pouring rain, we got to see the inside of an old church and picked up some (AMAZING) chocolate Matterhorns. Just as the Swiss Alphorn players began their melodies, the rain cleared up and there was a semi-clear view of the real matterhorn. Tomorrow supposedly there will be clear weather for our adventures up a little bit higher in the Alps! After a calm morning (I was overjoyed to be able to eat with some kiwis and chat about all sorts of things!) we all climbed back onto the beloved bus and our adventures were underway. It was eerily foggy, and at one point we could only see a lone fisher boat floating in the misty abyss.
The fog opened up right before we drove through the infamous Maloja Pass. Just a word of advice–if you have ever had issues with motion sickness, do NOT take this road. The switchbacks were insane and exemplified by our oversized vehicle. After crossing the border into Italy, we took a quick food and bio break. Throughout the entire we drove back and forth between Italy and Switzerland–their border crossing was merely slowing down the bus and exchanging of common greetings. It was just as beautiful as the previous days have been. Our final destination for today was Lugano. You can tell it is definitely a tourist town, but if you can ignore the mass amounts of designer stores and hotels, you can get an incredible view. Since almost all of our tour group left for a dinner cruise, the rest of us had hours to walk around and get lost in the cobblestone alleys of Lugano. We saw a modern art exhibit of bright blue plastic snails (don’t know…), ate in a tiny below ground wine cellar restaurant, and stumbled accidentally onto this amazing “secret garden” type park. All in all a good day’s work! It’s hard to believe that in five short days I will be dragging my suitcase across the globe and landing in America! I have mixed feelings about it, but am determined to have a ridiculously good time with my remaining days! Can you say…..Switzerland?! After a refreshing sleep from last night, we woke up early to grab breakfast before beginning our journey into the true heart of Switzerland.
We had a quick ‘jaunt’ around the city center of Zurich (where the ruins from the insane festival were being slowly removed) where we saw churches, expensive shops, and of course a university where famous people, such as Tessla and James Joyce, went to. Construction was underway throughout the country due to its limitations at other times of the year (i.e., snow and ice). Shortly after our adventures began, we made our first stop at Isler, a tiny homey chocolate shop. There we donned very trendy plastic aprons and set out to make chocolate cows (no joke). The owner’s young son diligently helped us make all the correct artistic decisions! The owner let me know if I ever wanted a job there she had an opening! I may take her up on it… Unfortunately, we were on a hot bus all day and our cows are now slightly droopy…. We then ventured via our huge motor coach through sweet little villages, country sides, and up never ending windy roads.We even made a stop in Lichtenstein! I am proud to say that I got a sticker for my suitcase there, as well as my passport officially stamped. You never know what adventures will find you. By the time we reached the summit at Julier Pass (the area where Julius Cesar traveled through and there are still remnants there), it was raining and crazy windy. Somehow it still managed to be completely breathtaking! From our descent, we saw more picturesque landscapes, a bit of rain, and drove into the gorgeous city of St. Moritz. Although the tour guide SWORE there was “nothing but hotels” here, we dropped off luggage and headed out for an excursion around the lake. The rain had worn off so the lake was calm and awe inspiring. Only one incident occurred during our walk when my walking companion “E” decided to push me into the lake. Okay, so more she made me go several rocks into the lake and one tipped and I got doused on one foot. Still, definitely worth the trip Today we woke up in the Industrial Sector of Switzerland! It is crazy to think that our boat adventures have already finished, and that our party has gone from 12 to only 7.
After packing up and breakfast, we got on a motor coach which took us from Basel to Zurich. Once we were outside of Basel, the scenery was beautiful but it also reminded me a bit of being back home. Next was the exciting process of checking in, and as we were deciding what to do, we were told some crazy news. Once every THREE YEARS there is huge holiday in Zurich, meaning that the 2-3 million people came from around the world to visit. This said, we opted on not going out into the chaos, and just explored the area around the airport. It was surprising to see that the airport had a huge shopping mall attached where you could also do your dry cleaning, grocery shopping, and dining. We all claim to be “boat-lagged,” meaning a big excuse to take naps in the afternoons. Once the clock struck 6, we went to a welcome meeting and had amazing foods–salads, pesto minestrone soup, chicken and veggies, and finished off the meal with…. a swiss chocolate cake! We all intend to establish a new baseline for weight loss. AFTER the trip of course Today we were back on the side of Germany! Our day began a little earlier than before, because we got onto a motor coach to do a tour through the famous Black Forest!
After about a 45 minute scenic drive through the countryside, little towns, and heavily forested areas, we arrived at a wood shop that primarily dealt with making cuckoo clocks. In addition to viewing the woodwork, we were able to try insanely delicious Black Forest Cherry Cake with a cup of coffee. They gave us the recipe but I’m pretty sure there is no way I’d make it as well as on our trip today! We made it back to Breisach, Germany just in time for a quick BBQ/Grill lunch on the sun deck (beautiful weather today!!) before taking a nap. The reason for the nap is that during lunch we decided to take a hike up to an amazing cathedral (locals/guides reference “ABC”–Another Bloody Church!) as well as the ruins of a castle. Although it was a rather steep hike up for both areas, it was well worth it from the view! The picture on the left is the view from the cathedral looking out towards the castle ruins while the picture on the right is the opposite! It is hard to believe that tomorrow we will be disembarking off the ship, saying goodbye to a few of our traveling companions before the rest of us stay another 8 days in Switzerland! It’s beginning to feel like the mornings and the afternoons here are completely different days! It might not help that today we woke up to our boat docking in France.
My day began with a Skype call from one of my favorite people, so I was stoked and ready for our guided tour of Strasbourg via canals. It was interesting to see how the different all of the buildings were. Funny story though..we took a route to get to the area called “Little France.” Although it sounds romantic, this was actually named after Syphilis. Our final stop of the morning was for a guided walking tour around the main sights of Strasbourg. Although I swear the longer we go on this trip the more each of the cathedrals look alike, we did get to go through the Notre Dame Cathedral and it was beautiful. We even got to hear the organs playing! In the afternoon, I was lucky enough to go down part of the Alsace Wine Tour. We drove through miles of beautiful countryside at the foot of the Vosges Mountains. We not only got to do a really fun (and sophisticated!) wine tasting of local wines, we also got to tour a cute little town called Obernai. My favorite sight was the Hansel & Gretel house–cute and creepy at the same time. PART I:
Another early morning and we hit the ground running–or at least walking. A local guide met us at the dock in Mainz, Germany, and we did a quick tour of the town (~1,000 people live there). The first thing we noticed was the variety of architecture. Due to wars, disasters, and natural elements (i.e., erosion, etc) the buildings had been fully or partially rebuilt in different eras. After walking around some of the major highlights, we stopped in at the Gutenberg Museum. In the upstairs floors we looked at original copies of bibles and hymn verses–done by hand and also by the printing press a bit later (unfortunately no pictures). In the basement area, our tour guide walked us through the parts of the press and showed us the entire process ending with the beautiful copy of printed paper. By lucky happenstance, it ended being given to my aunt. Next, we went back to the Mainz Cathedral. Just like many other cathedrals in Europe, it was stunning. I found it interesting though that they had to replace the windows in the 1960’s, so the stained glass has a unique feel. Personally I prefer vivid colors for stained glass, but the (mostly) grey glass had a calm appeal. At the bottom, each of the shields of the bishops (over 80 in this church) with their names were made. PART II: We sailed quickly through the Rhine towards our second stop of the day – Heidelberg, Germany. We stopped in Gernsheim and took a bus to Heidelberg. It was fun because we were on a “mini” autobahn. Somehow we–the huge tourist bus–seemed to be passing an awful lot of cars though…. We were fortunate to be able to visit and see the inside of the Heidelberg Castle & its courtyards. I learned that far back in history the palaces were competing for prestige, and after a long battle between kingdoms, the Heidelberg Castle became the castle with the largest wine “keg”–it holds over 55,000 GALLONS of wine! Talk about a party there! Also, this castle had a moat. In the winter time, the people would collect water in the moat, let it freeze, then go ice skating. During hunting seasons, they would lower the gate so animals would wander in, trap them, and then “hunt” them in their own moat! At the end of the evening the women rejoiced and the men became depressed because there was an hour and a half of shopping time in Heidelberg square. Regardless of the good beer, delicious pastries, and beautiful city-scape, I think I wouldn’t mind living there for a while! We officially ended our tours in Speyer, Germany, but we had little time before we set out for Strasbourg. A few of us will be going on a beautiful vineyard and wine tasting trip tomorrow, so looks like it’ll be another great day! :) |