Planning this trip with Anne took a long, long time, as it turned out to be during the ski holidays in Switzerland, working in musty cafe's with great pastry but still, windy tea gardens,(firuzaga cay bahcesi) add to that a huge dose of patience for those of us( me) who are slower at planning things then others..yet still manage to find some interesting places to stay the night-like a quick trip to Austria, which turned out...wait and see. The idea for the trip started with Anne commenting that it would be good to see Geneva before she takes her class there in May. Well it took off from there, I'm always willing to travel, and Switzerland with mountains and snow, seemed ideal. Besides which, I'd heard from Shane, as well how beautiful, but expensive (;0) it was. I love traveling by train and we found the panaromic train lines as well as Swiss flexi passes which allow for a certain number of days travel within a month,which were surprising affordable.(however a note of warning the web page is not so clear about a few important points, and it is best to get the booklet!) It stated free travel within the city buses and metro, but its very difficult to prove that and half price the days you aren't using your voucher, but it was only between the first and last day of your travel dates, so if you use them back to back..ahh well..sorry...however, staying in youth hostels, gives you a free travel card for the days you stay, which worked out great. Luckily I had gotten a Youth Hostel card from England,(which worked for both of us) thanks Shane for the tip, I got it renewed with some difficulty in Austria though!!
Important web links:
http://www.swisstravelsystem.ch/ And our itinerary:
- 2 days in Geneva SBB local train to Lausanne.
- 1 day in Lausanne,next day local train to Montreux catch the panoramic train (Golden Pass line)to Interlaken.
- 2days in Interlaken (traveling to the famous Jungfrau region, and walking around between both lakes, Brienzersee and Thunersee.
- Next day traveled to by Luzern by Golden Pass to catch the Pre-Alpine Express(Voralpen express in German)to Romanshorn on the shores of Lake Constance, same day traveled by regular train (which was no longer the SBB trains but Rhaitische Bahn ) to Feldkirch,Austria, spent the night there.
- Moved the next day by Liechtenstein bus line number 36 through Liechtenstein to Brig, in approx.45mins. From Brig, took RBahn to Celerina (located 5mins from St. Moritz).
Spent the night in Celerina and in the morning went to St.Moritz and took Glacer Express to Zermatt, (approx.7 hours). - From Zermatt took the train back to Visp and then to Montreux.
- Spent 2 nights in Chamby 10min suburb from Montreux center and took the train to Geneva airport from Montreux.
Our adventure begins on arrival in Geneva, which is a big and very organized city. Did I mention that it is also a bicycle city with loads of bicycle lanes, this was true throughout most cities. If anyone has traveled to Germany, then they know how detailed and efficient they are, in all matters from recycling to train times. Yet in this case Switzerland can be considered the anal retentive student in class who pays attention to every minute detail. This can best be demonstrated with this picture below:
Approx.trans. The sly dog can train the master.
Versions of these cartoons can be found all over Switzerland, and they really are put to use. I admit to laughing at the cartoons. After leaving the train station we found the Hi hostel with little difficulty, having seen the sign of the little house and tree. It turns out there are two hostels one Hi and the other City. The hostel was quite big and comfortable, not very esthetic but practical and clean. The prices were reasonable including breakfast and wc in the room. We went out for a walk the first night, and came upon a restaurant right across the train station. Les Brasseurs, which happens to be famous in North of France. It has the appearance of an english pub, with a non smoking room thankfully. But, of course, there was a wide variety of beer, and one table sported a long glass tube filled with beer, approx.5Lt. We had the house beer, which was nice and light for me and of course pork. Warning in advance!!Having been deprived in Istanbul, our menus throughout Switzerland consisted on basically pork and cheese products. We had what is called "flammekueche" a very very thin dough with toppings (like a pizza but better), bacon,ham, mushrooms, cream, raclette cheese, onions, we had two! Mmmm. Okay, after which we discovered Migros and other supermarkets which made life a little more affordable,practical and interesting as well. The bread is excellent, as well as the cheese and jambon. However, the cheese for those who are interested is around 15-20CHF a kilo, bread around 3 CHF,charcuterie around 15-20CHF a kilo as well, ready made salad in packets around 3chf, and Apfelschaft with mineral water which I love, around 1.70 a bottle. Thankfully water was drinkable from the tap and that I like mineral water otherwise like Sweden normal water is more expensive. So onto Geneva. The trams and bus lines are pretty easily manageable and with a free travel pass from the Hostel, very practical. We took a tour of Geneva on foot, by the train station the Basilica of Notre Dame, after seeing the one in Paris not very awe inspiring. A famous geyser which was interesting but for a few minutes.
The old town was very short and had some interesting architecture, some 16-18 th c. buildings mostly turned into restaurants, but the highlight was not the United Nations and its sculpture of a huge Broken Chair, signifying all those poor civilians who live in mine infested territories, but Carouge a little village a few km outside Geneva, it was pictoresque and quaint. It has music festival in the spring. We also visited CERN for Anne's school trip. Not being scientifically inclined I assumed I would be bored, however it was surprisingly interesting. The interactive materials made the information received much more stimulating. The amount of effort that was invested in discovery was both fascinating and frightening. If these scientists in the early 50's could see where all their investigations and discoveries led this world, would they be appalled or consider it a part of the way of the world? I couldn't help searching through all the men scientists for a woman, and lo and behold there was one. She was named Alice and they named the first Electromagnet after her. This was a quite big achievement. (I leave the interpretation up to you, the invention of the magnet, or naming it after the first woman scientist, or even the fact that there was one!) I also found out through an experiment playing a computer game how many atoms and protons etc my body mass has. Uh hum..having added a few kilos, I won't mention any details! We also visted the Botanical Gardens which I am sure in spring would be magnificent. They even had a small zoo..and guess what we saw...Bambi (as even my little buggers call deer)and PEACOCKS!! I never saw them before and they DO make the most horrid sound! Sorry no pictures! However, after two days in Geneva I was ready to move on, they had an interesting neighborhood behind the train station which had a very significant modern architectural appearance. Three architects designed the buildings with no straight lines, in a Gaudi style, but the guidebook says "smurflike cartoon appartments", which they appeared to be.
But now...on to Lausanne.
Truly my favorite city in all that we have seen. The guidebook called it Switzerland's San Francisco, only having heard about San Francisco I can only make an assumption, however yes I think it would be. It had a different "air" about it. There was a sense of community and integration between the cultures. The streets were narrow and some crossways built higher then others so, that you have two levels of stores and an elevator to take you down, as well as streets running above and below. Some houses were old from the 16th to 18th century, some were from the 1960's all in a melange of architecture which worked. There was even a long wooden staircase dating from apprx.16th century which connected the higher and the lower markets. Ingenious, especially as this was the pilgrims route for St.Jacques de Compostela. On the hill is a church, which contains a door used until the 18th c.for pilgrims to enter easier,and cross through. Quite a beautiful Gothic church containing interesting sculptures of saints in contrapasto( their bodies are in movement form) which were undergoing a highly technical restoration, whereas Anne was more interested in the new high tech organ! As we had only that afternoon in the city, we found a nice walking map showing the major sites in approx.2hrs. Luckily the weather was nice, and we even got a free concert at one of the churches...and I got a scare. Imagine walking up to the door, about to open it and slowly the door opens...you peer inside only to see a thick curtain and hear someone playing Bach on the organ, but! no ones behind the door! Very high tech, automatically opening door! After we walked around we headed for the youth hostel, which unlike Geneva wasn't in the city, but we decided to walk to the bus stop in Ouchy, a lakeside resort, to catch the bus to the next town. Unfortunately this city is built on hills! and I was still carrying our backpack...and we had bought food as well. Laughing, (now), it's amazing how much room you need, we used every little space available. And Shane remember breakfast at Sundsvall's and how convenient your polar jacket was, well luckily I had mine as well!!!!A nice walk, through beautiful old early 20th c houses, very ornate stone buildings. Once we arrived at the hostel, built near the old Olympic training grounds and the Olympic administration building no less,(a black glass monstrosity) we were in for a shock. A rectangular block building...grey, ahh what is this an old bunker?? But, once inside the rooms, built around a courtyard open to the elements, its minimalist style was sympathetic, grey concrete floors, a wc like the ones in Flogsta, a thick concrete shelf built instead of a headboard (very useful,painted white) and a tv (luckily they had a few french channels to watch), amazing it was like a four star hotel! Ok, the price was more expensive then the other youth hostels, but for one night it was heaven! We took a walk around the lake and the training grounds, they thought of everything the athletes could want, and now its free to the public. There was even a small bar in the hostel, very chic and comfortable, where we had a beer. Unfortunately I didn't get a chance to try Swiss wine! I couldn't find any affordable ones. So, the next day after breakfast we head to Montreux to catch the Golden Pass train to Interlaken.
It was our first panaromic train AND it was filled with geriatrics!!! A 50 year old would be a teenager! Ok there were one or two others beside us, but it was a laugh. However the trip was amazing. The windows go up to the ceiling so the view is breathtaking and airy. Especially after we got on a few normal trains you realize the difference! Interlaken is a must see! Especially for anyone who is a nature lover. Here we stayed in a small hotel, called Falken Hotel. It was reasonable, in the city center which is really a 10 min walk from either bahnhof, its better to walk then take the bus. Interlaken is between two lakes, the Thunersee and the Brienzersee.
Interlaken is a beautiful quiet city, which inspired many famous people including Lord Byron, who stayed here. If you ignore the few modern monstrosities, like a very tall cement building (a hotel) and a restaurant named "Hooters" right across from this view, well then its idyllic. I had a fun time explaining the meaning to Anne, only to come across a nice picture hung on the door!
We accidentally walked all the way to the Brienzersee, we took a walk through the forest behind, and followed a trail led by a "man and his dog" in the snow, it became a bit of a lark to see how far we could follow them-tracks in the snow of someone you don't know, I enjoyed their company and was sad not to find them. Though it was a very big dog, judging by the tracks, we went on without them, making our own tracks to follow. Beautiful, amazing, awe inspiring, silence, crunching of snow underfoot..and the views of the mountains. This was Schynige Platte.
We went higher and higher climbing around little trails, small waterfalls, and we even got our first glimpse of wild deer, ( I did wonder if anything else was around besides deer!) so after a few hours of climbing and following the "wanderweg" signs we found ourselves near Brienz.
view of Lake Brienzer behind.
Other than the view of the lake it has nothing to offer, the bus back to Interlaken ran every hour, and well, we decided to walk back, it took about 40 mins but the wind cut like a knife. So we were quite happy to be back in our little hotel room with a hot shower!
We planned upon going to the top of Jungfrau Mountain, but when we arrived at the train station, the visibility was very low due to fog, and it was quite expensive by train to go to the top. We therefore opted to go to Kleine Scheidegg which has a view of the Eiger Mountain, and is 2061 meters, and JungFrau was 3400 meters. Yet, it was still amazing...
As we started our walk we followed the Eiger Run, the longest sledding trail. It was seperate from the skiers with only the lone hiker or two, so the silence was complete. Once in a while there would be a shreak as a sledder hit a rough patch or a steep hill but otherwise quite peaceful. The mountains were our friends, coming up all around us.
At times we came upon a train line, snaking upwards,(we opted to keep walking to the town of Grindelwald rather than taking the train, we had time, later we realized it was good we started around 9am. (Yes, we had a breakfast at 7:00am and left right after..so not a trip for those who like to sleep!)
At times it felt as if you were on top of the world, and so tiny and insignificant! How could we possibly NOT keep walking!
I understood why people yodeled in order to communicate. Walking through the snow, most of the time following a trail, it feels as if you are the only people left in the world. The birds keep you company, and there were many different varieties, at times the route took you on top of the trees, there barks almost covered in snow.We saw many little varieties of pines trying to grow through the snow, so hardy yet so gentle!
The clouds enhanced our imagination, sometimes on the mountain tops, sometimes behind, sometimes covering it entirely!
After approximately 4.5hrs of hiking, sometimes very near the skiers we finally made it to Grindelwald, where we shared a warm apple strudel and hot chocolate, before heading back. Looking at the mountain we had a great feeling of accomplishment and awe, with aching but happy muscles we made the trek back home by train. That night we ate out, I had sausages and plain"rosti", which is made with grated potatoes. Anne had one, which was superbe, made with bacon, ham, creme, onions and cheese..mmmmmmmmm. The last night we walked towards the Thunersee, but before we made it the sun set, and we had a beautiful view..
Next day, trip to Luzern, which I'd suggest visiting though we only had 30 mins before the train left. It looked like an interesting place. We caught the Pre-Alpine Express (Volparen in German) to Romanshorn on the shores of Lake Constance. It was a panaromic train, and we passed through some beautiful landscapes.No pictures, Romanshorn, was surprisingly dull and uninteresting, we had a picnic lunch on the shore, ran into a few more covered Turkish families which I seem to attract like magnets! Off we were on regular trains to Brig, and from there to Feldkirch Austria. It only took 20 mins to cross the border, although we arrived at night, and there was not a soul around, at 8pm...we managed to find our way to the hostel, 15 mins away. We were in for a surprise!!! It looked like something out of Shakespeare!It dates back in the old manuscripts till 1362! We appreciated it better in the light of day. Inside was a complete renovation everything was restored to its old appearance, using a lot wood, oak i imagine. It was very inexpensive compared to Switzerland and I'd recommend it, although breakfast was extra it was very good. This used to be a leper colony in the form of an infirmary, which cared for their "spiritual and secular welfare" , it was also where travelers who couldn't afford regular pensions would stay, and they housed the mentally disabled as well. It continued as a hostel/infirmary 16 to the 18th c where old people who paid into the system could go to retire.So, it was restored to its original purpose in 1985 as a hostel! .
We took a short walking tour and it was a beautiful old city, far more interesting then Romanshorn. There was an old Jesuite college that was attended by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, now a music conservatory. Lots of old churches,interesting frescos on the Rathaus. The importance of religion can be seen and felt throughout Switzerland,and here. An arsenal, powder tower and a mill gate are some of the attractions, as well as a 6 storey gate tower built end 14th c.
Backerei-Vendor a little old Austrian lady, selling the most amazing!!!Marzipan croissants!!in this bakery.
Okay after we boarded the bus, we knew the time of departure, but wanting to be sure, it was the bus, we tried to ask him, and all we received was a very strange look, along with a few grunting noises!! Now, I know the difference between not understanding English, we had a few hand signs and mix of languages, this was just plain "I don't give a f..." so we had a good laugh, and blamed it on the Liechtenstien people. Sidenote:It must be difficult living in a country where most people forget it even exists!! and its rarely mentioned in the history books, except now it seems to be in the news more, some scandal with their banking methods and Germany. Most of the youth we saw, Swiss or Austrian, or Liech.. seemed a bit lost in terms of identity. They all sported the same low baggy pants, piercings, sweatshirts. We passed through some suburbs in Switzerland, where I knew by the look, driving of vehicle, just overall attitude that they were middle eastern or turkish. And god help me, it became a game, to find them,everywhere even in Feldkirch there are Doner Kebap places!!!! In this tiny village there were
2!So, onto Celerina, it was basically uneventful, we arrived in Celerina, why? Because the train for the Glacier Pass left from St.Moritz, and everything there (affordable) was completely booked months in advance. However this was quite convenient and even better. This was still stylish and the most we paid for a room in the entire trip, in Euro no less! However the hotel was an old Brewery, De Alte Braurei, and yes there was a bar with beer, but we didn't partake. I asked for soup, wanting something warm, and it was awful! Full of salt, and three pieces of tortellini in broth, which I was charged 6CHF for..sigh, that and paying 4CHF for a small bottle of water, was the most pissed off I'd gotten about anything. Normally I didn't mind. But I felt cheated. Also good point to remember, for someone who grew up in New York, and Istanbul, stores and restaurants close early!!! by 7 stores were closed. By 9pm the restaurants as well almost.
So, our trip on the Glacier Express.. and filled again with retirees -a lot of french! and a wonderfully funny old italian couple, carrying, no not a dog, a cat but a parrot!! A big green and red parrot, who spoke a bit and enjoyed a very comfortable traveling case. Good for them!!!
We are now on the Rhatische Bahn, but on a panoramic wagon. Once past Luzern there is a noticeable change in the language, from French to German. Near Celerina, though it was Italian as well. The fresco's on the walls of the houses were in Italian, in Celerina.
Sights from the Glacier Express.
Near Chur the oldest town in Switzerland, 5000 yrs.
Ruins but..amazing on the edge of the mountain.
13th C.castle Ortenstein
Disentis village dominated by Monastery 17th c.
View on Andermatt founded by the Walsers in 12th c. (shane any idea?)
Oberalp pass (2033m), between Andermatt and Brig. The Rhone valley. This area is a must see! (map marked)
Matter Valley between Brig and Zermatt
Jesus...pray for us.
Glacier near Randa before Zermatt-In 1991 some of the rocks fell and destroyed a few houses in the village below!
Back to Montreux, we stayed at Les Charmettes, a guesthouse run by the nun's of St. Vincent de Paul (Anne's school belongs to this congregation). They were very very nice, and it was good to be in a family setting. We spent two nights with them, and got a tour the next of the environs the next day.
Chillon Castle on Lake Geneva, Montreux (Byron's Poem, the Prisoner of Chillon).
after some rain an amazing rainbow-the colors and size was magnificent, but no pot of gold.
What I will do for cheese!!!
A cheese factory in Gruyere, lucky for me the sister was fond of cheese as well! We got a tour, and a free sample, 4,500 kg of milk to produce 12 rounds of cheese at 35 kg each!
WOW...very good gruyere by the way
..so our trip ends almost full circle.
