It was supposed to be a means of transportation, just that. However, it was so much more. Our little Swiss rail passes ended up making this particular vacation one for the books. It will be remembered as one of the best trips we've gone on. All because of that little pass, it paved the way to 2 weeks of excursions and more. All the trains, busses, trams, and metros we could possibly ride were free, or I should say, were included in our rail pass. Talk about fun! Who knew! No high car rental fees, no parking issues, no traffic! Just sit back, enjoy the scenery and relax.
We started in Zurich and stayed for 4 days. We walked approximately 8-10 miles per day during the entirety of our trip, so that along with rail travel shows just how busy we really were. I must admit that for the first 2-3 days in Zurich I was pretty jet lagged. There are parts of that portion of our trip that are very foggy in my brain. Which is why I am very glad that I took so many pictures. As I look through them my memories slowly are returning. I liked our hotel, however, even though I tried hard to get close to the train stations, sometimes we were a little further than we thought. Hauling big 50 lb rolling duffles across old paving stones isn't my idea of fun. Especially after being up for 24 hours and trying hard not to snarl and snap at anyone who got in my way!
We finally rolled in though, checked into our hotel, unpacked and took showers. We then set off on foot and hit the old city. My favorite part. Anything old with great architecture is my idea of a wonderful adventure. Switzerland is abundant when it comes to beautiful buildings, castles, and churches. One of the things I love most while traveling is finding flea markets or even farmers markets. I love walking through the stalls, looking at homemade jams, honey, fruit, and vegetables. It's even better when there are antiques and vintage items. As we were walking to our first boat ride on Lake Zurich we found a great farmers market right on the lake and met some really nice people. One vendor gave me a tote bag--he explained that his son-in-law was American and he wanted me to have the bag. We stood and talked for awhile and then headed off to the boat dock. We took hundreds of pictures, as we both took our big SLRs. The words "breathtaking" comes to mind. Sailing in front of village after village, castle after castle. One thing I loved was that the boats and trains were clean. They had snack bars and bathrooms too! What a concept. Yes, Zurich was great. From the great shopping to the sights! Now on the next city.
I was much more awake for Lucerne, and actually, it ended up being my favorite city on our trip. I had been once before years ago and couldn't wait to show my husband the famous Chapel bridge. It's a photographers dream. The shopping and food were really good in Lucerne. It has a beautiful old city. One exciting thing we did from Lucern was to take the boat ride to Mt. Pilatus and take a cog train the top of the mountain. I have a huge fear of heights so this was a very big deal for me. Would I would do it again, yes, it was worth the sweaty palms. The views were amazing and there was a gift shop at the top! Fun! And a couple of restaurants. We made a day of it and had a blast.
As it turned out, the first week of our trip was actually much warmer than anticipated, so I spent some time shopping for cooler clothes. I wasn't too happy with the weather those first few days, I was looking forward to a cooler climate and hadn't packed appropriately. One thing I'll mention right now about Switzerland that is different from other European countries that I've been to is that it is extremely expensive. Everything from clothing to jewelry, to restaurants (and coffee) was 2-3 times what we pay in the US for the same exact item. I was shocked and therefore had to readjust my budget.
We decided to add Bern to our itinerary, being that it is the capital and we had never been. In retrospect, I probably wouldn't do it again, but it was interesting. I noticed that each city we visited had it's very own unique personality. Bern was no exception. It had an old city, but also a "new" old city. Which looked just as old to me. But, what do I know! Anyway, our hotel in Bern was a bust. I hated it. So, it probably dampened my view a bit. We did tour a castle. However, overall, I wouldn't visit Bern again, once was enough for me.
On to Lausanne--the French speaking part of the country. On to not hearing German! My husband is the German translator of our family and I am the French. Neither of us is very good at our jobs though, but we get by. I felt much more comfortable once I was hearing French over the speakers on the trains and trams. Lausanne is beautiful. Just walking through the streets was enough for me. The food was better, the street names were easier to pronounce. You get the picture, it was French! We did several side trips from Lausanne, we took a boat to Vevey, which was a beautiful little village on the lake. It happened to be raining, but it sure didn't ruin the day. It's such a quaint place, and with crepes for lunch and macaroons for dessert, what's not to like. During those few days there we also took the train to Geneva. What an interesting city. Very modern, upscale and busy. However, I am glad that we just did a day trip and did not book a hotel. It was too big and contemporary for me. I was into the village life by then and didn't want to change.
There is so much more that I could write about. This vacation was amazing. 2 weeks in Switzerland, planes, trains, and boats. Old world vs new world. Lakes and mountains. Castles and tiny villages. Cows and mountain goats. We saw it all and then some. Go to Europe. I'm still dreaming about our trip. And with hundreds of pictures, I'll be able to relive it for years to come!
This trip will be our last for awhile. We are going through a big life change. My mom is coming to live with us. In fact, in just a few minutes we are leaving for the airport and on to California to pick her up. She will be with us for the rest of her life. And, I don't want to leave her and go on a vacation. That's not why I'm bringing her here. We'll have years of travel time later. After.
And that's OK. We have our memories, our pictures, and our stories. We are so very thankful for our trips abroad and are already planning more to come in the future. Right now though, we are shifting focus. Pray for us. Pray for my mom. What a life change for her. Pray for her health also.
God had been good to us. We are thankful. We have been abundantly blessed.
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