JULY - ONTARIO:
COVID-induced staying-in-place was becoming unbearable, so
after saying no to a trip to Ontario to visit with family and friends, suddenly
it became a yes, then while in the mood, we booked a flight to Europe to play
tourist in five countries that we have not visited.
What have we done? … so little time to prepare.
The trip to the home of my youth was great. Met a new great-nephew and spent time with
another, now five years and only one last time we met. Niece, nephew-in-law, uncle, cousin and his
family, lovely brother, and sister-in-law … lots of great cooking,
bicycling, and catching up.
Quiet time on the lake listening to loons, kayaking to the
osprey nest on an island, touring the back roads, a music festival, a flower
and a car show. Reconnected with some
friends and missed a few … another time.
Thanks, everyone, for the hospitality.
AUGUST - OCTOBER:
Cancun to Zurich - direct flight – no messing about – red
eye.
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| Our sister-in-law’s family is visiting Newfoundland, maybe they saw us wave as we passed over. |
Below is the initial plan, subject to change as always. Geography makes sense to visit Slovakia twice.
The first thing to sort on landing and after picking up
backpacks is a SIM card. SALT sells us
one that will do all five countries with unlimited phone calls within the
countries or back to Switzerland only, and unlimited data for the duration of
our trip. Whew.
Zooming along on the tram from the airport colourful flags
are visible from many apartments – one of two messages – PEACE, or NO WAR – a
nod to the terrible suffering that Putin is raging on the Ukrainian people.
Business Insider magazine identifies Switzerland as the most
expensive country in the world for tourists to visit. We know this and have a few plans for mitigating
expenses and won’t dwell on dollars with wings, but here are a few small
examples converted to CAD: one small bottle of water: $6.55, two one-way tram
rides of about 10 minutes: $18.38, $6.65 for a small black coffee in a
restaurant and $68 for a lunch consisting of one bratwurst sausage, a bit of rice and a medium-sized beer each.
What has us anxious from the beginning of this trip is the prohibitive cost of transportation and the many versions of Swiss Rail and Euro Rail passes that are available. Everywhere we search on the internet people are confused and there seem to be more questions than answers. In the end, we opt to buy a 50% off Swiss Rail pass that is good for over 30 days. We get half off on intercity and public city transportation. My final calculations show that it saved us about $1,200.
We talk to locals to get their perspectives. One says that public transportation is too expensive
for them too and that it’s cheaper for them to run a car.
On the topic of how expensive Switzerland is, a middle-aged woman tells us that foreigners think
that the Swiss people are rich, but that everyday living is a struggle for
them. On the other hand, an optimistic young shoe salesman says he grew up with the unreasonable prices, so is used to it - no problem.
The minimum wage in most parts of
the country is the equivalent of CAD 27 and in Geneva, it's CAD 31.
ZURICH
The little Gasthaus that Paul has found is in the heart
of a very multi-ethnic neighbourhood and is perfect for good take-out and street
eats as well as walking to central Zurich.
Walking about in the heart of downtown during a working day,
with all the hustle and bustle, there is an unusual sense of peace and
quiet. Perhaps it’s the electric
everything: bicycles, scooters, cars, and trams.
Maybe it’s because everything seems so organized and runs so
smoothly. There is no honking of horns
and no bumper-to-bumper traffic jams.
On the way to the meeting point for the free walking tour of
Zurich, we stroll Bahnhofstrasse, the most expensive shopping street in the
world. It’s loaded with fashion houses, jewelry
stores and of course some of the most expensive watches and clocks on the
planet.
Today Paradeplatz Square is the heart of Bahnhofstrasse, the largest financial transaction site in the country. In the 17th. century it was known as Saumart (pig market), where livestock was traded.
Some random things our guide divulges about Zurich and/or
Switzerland:
·
Switzerland has a system of direct democracy
which means that any Swiss citizen or organization can put forward a proposal
to amend the constitution, providing they collect 100,000 signatures within an
18-month timeframe. Then it goes to a
national vote, which must pass with a majority.
Government, if opposed, can submit a counterproposal. Laws already passed by parliament can also be
challenged by the public in a referendum.
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| Zurich has 1,200 water fountains, all with excellent quality drinking water and free to all |
Bunkers for All: Switzerland has
enough nuclear fallout shelters to house 100%+ of its population. The next closest countries can shelter about 50% of their population. Since 1963 it’s been the law that new apartment
blocks must construct AND outfit shelters for the population of their building. I believe this also applies to new home
construction, adding to the price of home construction, which may
partially explain the low percentage of home ownership in this country. With what’s going on in Russia today, Swiss
citizens may be thankful for the protection of the bunkers.
At the age of majority, Swiss men must choose
between compulsory military or compulsory civil service. Basic military training lasts 21 weeks with ongoing
training throughout adulthood, lasting a total of about 37 weeks in all. Civil
service is one-and-a-half times longer than military service. Service is optional for women.
An early stop is the lovely Fraumünster church on the banks of the river Limmat.
The tour does not include going inside the church
to see the five stained glass windows by Marc Chagall.
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3 of the 5 Chagall windows (from the internet). No copyright infringement intended.
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We do, however, enter the cloister with frescoes
that illustrate the legend of the deer with lighted horns that led the way to
where the church was built.
The guide led us to the back of the church where he had us
guess the meaning of symbols on the stone blocks. The stonemasons of old marked their work in
this way and the meaning of the different symbols is not clear. One thought is that it may have had to do with the completion of work for payment purposes. My father belonged to this group of skilled
artisans, but he never said if modern stonemasons carry on this ancient
tradition. I suspect today's payroll department would not be happy with this method.
Above, the Clock Tower of St Peters Church has the largest clock faces in the world on all four sides. Each face measures 28.3 feet in diameter and when the minute hand moves forward by one, it moves 1.5 feet. The tower was originally used by the city as a fire watch function, thus the window below the clock.
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| Rathaus (Zurich's Town Hall). Built 1694 - 98. |
From the fourth century onward Lindenhof was the place of many historical events. Today it's a lovely urban oasis with magnificent views over the city and the river.
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| On the right overlooking Grossmunster, one of 4 important churches in Zurich (protestant) |
RANDOM PHOTOS
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Inside a store
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Decorative store-front & close up
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Despite its size, Zurich is very walkable, and we will return to some of these places.
There is time to visit the famous Kunsthaus Zurich (art gallery), the largest and most important in the country, representing works from the Middle Ages to the Contemporary. One building remains closed for restoration following a fire. To name just a few of the artists in the collection: Monet, Munch, Gaugin, Cezanne, Picasso, Van Gogh, Matisse Toulouse-Lautrec and Warhol.
A very enjoyable day of vacation, unfortunately, things go south from there. We lost a day to an incorrect posting on a website for a free walking tour of Zurich West, a unique neighbourhood we had wanted to explore. The rest of the day is me going into every shoe store I see trying on runners, walkers, hikers ... anything to replace my eight-year-old, just-about-trash running shoes, but to no avail. Nothing fits my orthotics and weird feet. Shoes here are one-width only, not like in North America.
The outdoor stores here are like nothing we have ever seen. They are as vast as the open mountain spaces that they want to get you out in.
We lost another day to a torrential downpour of rain; we had two alpine villages on our list this day.
And now we have come down with what I am very sure is Dengue Fever. We went to an outdoor restaurant on the edge of the jungle in Tulum just before leaving on the trip and got some mosquito bites (forgot our lotion). Dengue slows you down all right. We slept away for four days. On the days we could get out, we were very weak. Nighttime was the hardest with fever, night sweats and all the muscle and joint pains.
After Zurich, we head to the northeastern part of the country, a region known as Appenzellerland and stay in a village called Gais at a farm stay.
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| View from Airbnb window |
Our Airbnb home in Gais is divided
so that 2 families live here. In the morning the neighbours let their milking
cows out of the barn to the delightful sound of cow bells around each neck.
Cows are treasured here. In the
spring they are led up into the alpine pastures first by goats, then cows,
steers & calves. The herdsmen are in traditional dress, followed by the
farmer and his cattle dog. Throughout the valley are the sounds of the lowing
of the herd, the cowbells and yodelling of the herdsmen.
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| These 3 men are on all tourist brochures & give you an idea of traditional costumes worn |
And here, the regional Apenzellerland beer proudly shows off the traditional costume of the herdsmen and the beautiful cow.In the autumn with the return of the cows from the alpine pastures, there is a beauty contest to crown the most beautiful and
productive cows. In the town of Appenzell today in the main square, we see a
large, framed picture (on an artist’s tripod) of a cow, likely last year’s
beauty queen.
While not recovered enough from our illness to do a hike that was on the list, we managed a side trip to Ebenalp and Appenzell.
Ebenalp, the northernmost summit of the Appenzell Alps is where we rode a tram high into the
mountains for beautiful views of the valley below.
Today Paul is stronger than I and so he takes a walk on the mountain while I watch a herdsman with his cows. He goes from animal to animal and gives them each a handful of something to eat from a pouch on his belt. He has a few words and a pat or scratch for each. They must be the happiest domesticated animals in the world.
Back down Ebenalp to catch the train to Appenzell
We heard people from different areas of Switzerland refer with pride to the traditions upheld by the people in the Appenzellerland region.
This little place of Appenzell with its population of 5,000 was buzzing with tourists. The beauty of its painted buildings was outstanding.
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| and here live the garden gnomes |
A sick day and a day exploring and it's time to move on to Lucerne/Luzern
We are welcomed to Lucerne/Luzern before we arrive. Once a person is registered with accommodation in town, they are e-mailed a free Lucerne visitor's card to use for the duration of their stay. It entitles the holders to use the public transportation system for free and provides reduced or free admission to certain attractions. How lovely and unexpected. This happens in a couple of other cities too.
We still have more bedtime here, but we think we are starting to get better. We know we are not strong enough to take the cogwheel train to the top of Mt. Pilatus and walk around, so instead, we walked Lucerne. What a beautiful, compact, and well-laid-out little city this is. Even I, the most directionally challenged person ever, get it.
The promenade along Lake Lucerne is simply beautiful. Lined with restaurants, little beer stands, green space, public art and more, it's a delight to walk under the shaded tree canopy. The temperature is close to 30 degrees. Lucerne sits on Lake Lucerne (Vierwaldstatter See) where the river Reuss flows out of the lake.
One thing we notice about these Swiss cities on lakes is that the geography is so steep down to the lake that there are rarely flat areas for beaches and so they have these floating swimming areas that we presume you pay to go into. It looks like a shower and changing rooms, etc. A huge open deck with loungers and umbrellas, usually a smaller deck with tables and chairs. where food and drink can be brought to you and an area where swimmers can jump off into the lake. Quite ingenious, and well-used.
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| This is just a small portion of one in Lugano. Maybe the owners in Lucerne are the same |
Our first stop is the famed Chappel Bridge (Kapellbrucke) and its water tower (Wasseturm) , constructed and opened in 1333 as part of the city's fortification. In 1993 a major part of it caught fire and had to be rebuilt. You will notice the original art panels that depict the artist's understanding of the history of Switzerland and of Christendom. Of the 158 original panels, 2/3rds. burned or suffered severe damage. These, of course, could not be replicated after the fire.
Standing on the bridge, looking off in the distance is the intriguing Chateau Gutsch (hotel) at the top of a small mountain. One can see the funicular track that leads to it.
The first view from the top allowed us to see the Musegg Wall and many of the nine towers that we had just walked around before coming here ... a great perspective.
From this second view, two landmarks that stand out are the Chappel bridge and its water tower and the twin spires of the beautiful Jesuit Church.
Musegg Wall and its nine towers are what remain of the early fortification of the city. The area is surrounded by nature and very pleasant to walk around. Some of the towers are open to the public. We are not yet feeling strong enough to walk the steep stairs to the top of a tower, where the views must be magnificent.
The Lucerne Jesuit Church is a Catholic church, the first large baroque church in Switzerland north of the alps. We admire the rococo stucco work inside the church that is then decorated with gold leaf and/or paint.
When I first laid eyes on the Lion of Lucerne, I felt like crying. To see this magnificent creature in its death throes from a spear and knowing the meaning behind it was heartbreaking. The statue built in 1822 commemorates the Swiss Guard who gave up their lives defending the castle of the King of France during the French Revolution. There is both historical and political controversy that I don't understand about the lion. I just know that this work moves me.
Another remarkably interesting statue is of a woman kneeling. When you look at her from one angle, she is very solid and in front of you. When you view her from a different angle, she all but disappears. The artist did a man that is made the same way.
RANDOM PHOTOS
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| Alte Suidtersche Apotheke - oldest pharmacy in Lucerne (1833) |
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| These beautiful towers of flowers are all over downtown Lucerne |
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| Water Fountain |
Now we are ready to move on to the Italian area of Switzerland: Lugano. The ticket sends us on a 2.5-hour boat ride down Lake Lucerne to the community of Fluelen when we get off and take a 2.5-hour first-class scenic train ride to Lugano.
The day is perfect for a boat ride.
We say goodbye to the beautiful city of Lucerne and scan its waterfront in doing so.
The boat slips in and out of multiple ports of call on the way. Many people just ride the boat down the lake and back up for a lovely day excursion.
Random photos from the water:
There is a seamless transfer from boat to train as the stations are adjacent to one another. Unfortunately, we are to be given a once-in-a-lifetime train experience: the Gotthard Panorama (first class) Express is not functioning today. We will be travelling on the same beautiful route but without the panoramic windows nor the first-class drinks, comforts, and other services.
The staff try their hardest to make it up to us. We get a beer, unlimited postcards (paid postage) that they mail for us, a pen, their undivided attention, and tour guide comments.
The scenery really is worth this trip. Staff tell us that the big tubes running down the mountains carry water. In the 1950s a decision was made to generate hydroelectric power, using natural resources, rather than become reliant on fossil fuels. Today 60% of Switzerland's power needs are generated in this way.
There is one area where the train must descend 650 meters down within 30 minutes. This is accomplished by two loop tunnels shown on the map below at #26.
The plan was to just chill in Lugano - get over this darn dengue and enjoy the "Blues to Bop" music festival that has been COVID side-lined for 3 years.
Things are never quite what they seem. There is no information on the festival, except for the dates. In the end, we learn that it's only on in the evenings at Piazza Reforma and so we need to produce some daytime activities.
This proves an easy task with the long waterfront promenade lined with benches, gelaterias and little kiosks that sell cold draft beer. Eventually, the promenade leads to the beautiful Civic Park, full of flowers, green space, beaches and lots of benches.
Finally, the Blues concert starts at about 8 and we hear two bands before ambling off home.
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| This first band from Italy was great and all their songs were in English! |
The next morning, after a lengthy bus ride, we find our way to the first of the funiculars that eventually arrive at the top of Monte Bre. The first funicular ride is short, but the second is about 25 minutes long and on a 60% slope.
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| Going up |
There are two different restaurants on top, each with seating overlooking different areas, both with amazing views of the lake, city and mountains.
After lunch finds us meandering 2 km down to the little village of Monte Bre. The path is peaceful, and we meet half a dozen people in all.
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| Coming down into the village of Monte Bre |
We land at this church with an unusual mechanism that rings the church bell.
The streets here are narrow and cobbled.
Monte Bre has clung to the eastern slope of this mountain since 1280. Today's population is 300. The narrow cobblestone streets are charming and the artistic trail winding through the homes and streets features the works of twenty nationally and internationally acclaimed artists.
The cat at this home is well-taken care of. The decorations on this wall are ramps for a cat who lives in a top apartment to be able to come and go freely.
Perhaps for this cat
Time to head down the mountain again.
Today we had thought we were well again, but what would normally be a quiet and minimally active day has exhausted us. There is no energy left to walk down to the Blues festival. Plans are made for our onward journey tomorrow to Bern.
I was amazed by the olive and palm trees here. The coldest days are slightly below freezing, and it may snow one day a month from Dec to Feb with less than an inch of snowfall. The lake obviously has a moderating effect on the temperature.
RANDOM PHOTOS LUGANO
BERN
Bern is the fifth largest city in Switzerland, with a population of ~135,000. This will be our base to travel to Grindelwald and to Interlaken.
The Medieval Altstadt (Old Town) of Bern, a UNESCO World Heritage site is a lovely place, located right behind the main train station. It's built on a hill and surrounded on three sides by the river Aare.
Here the streets flow one into the other and this compact area is tied together with bridges and beautiful Renaissance water fountains. All the buildings are sandstone, rebuilt after the fire of 1405 and lend symmetry to the whole area.
WATER FOUNTAINS
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| Fountain & closeup of its base |
Many of the buildings also have large colourful statues on their faces at about the second or third story level.
Zytglogge Clock Tower
Arriving at the clock tower just before noon, we get to witness all twelve chimes on this beautiful astronomical clock that has been working for over six hundred years.
Over the centuries there was first a tower as part of Bern's fortification, then it became a prison for women who had had sexual relations with priests (AKA: priest's whores) then it became a clock tower and a focal point for Bern as well as a civic memorial.
If you can enlarge the photo on the left, you will see 'Chronos' the bearded figure who is the Greek personification of time. He turns his head, then his arm strikes the bells that are alternated by the little elfin figure above.
KONZERT THEATER BERN (formerly Stadt Theater Bern)
The bus takes us past this theatre, and we must stop for a closer look. It opened in 1903 as a theatre and opera house. With renovations, it is now also home to the Bern Symphony and a Dance theatre.
ALBERT EINSTEIN
Albert and his wife Mileva lived in Bern from 1902 to 1909 and it was here that he invented his famous theory:
There are four different statues of Einstein at various stages of his life scattered throughout Bern. You can attend Einstein's lectures at the University of Bern with rotating topics of physics, astronomy, mathematics, and philosophy; or you can visit the Einstein Museum or the Einstein House, and finally, there are two different Einstein tours of the city to visit places where he hung out.
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| Albert and I have a chat in the Rose Garden |
ROSE GARDEN
The Rose Garden is a steep walk up from Old Town but the view over Altstadt is well worth the climb. It's the end of August now so most of the roses are spent, but it's still a delightful place. There's a pavilion with a library and a reading garden, a lovely water feature, a children's play area and room for active sports. I read that it started out as a cemetery for the lower Old Town. Presumably, the bones/graves were moved elsewhere.
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| The colour of these water lilies is very unusual |
Walking down from the Rose Garden, a nice stop is the outdoor patio of a brewery.
The parliament buildings in Bern are lovely on the outside and are supposed to be exceptionally beautiful on the inside. Unfortunately, we are there on a day when there are no free tours.
BERN MINSTER
This spire of this Swiss Reformed cathedral is the tallest in the country. Its Gothic style especially stands out as does its grand entrance.
The young woman at tourist information encourages us to visit a part of Old Town that was once the "working class" neighbourhood and has now been gentrified. The housing seems quite dense here and perhaps some of the apartments used to be factories. It's very peaceful here. There are lots of stairs to get down to it and at the far end, an elevator takes us up to a park that overlooks the area. This is the only part of Bern where we see allotments (community gardens) where people grow food and flowers.
Perhaps you can tell that we really enjoyed Old Town Bern.
RANDOM PHOTOS
Wandering about we pass a shop that is closed. It features nothing but Goth clothing and accessories. A lot of creativity in one place ... would love to have gone in. Check out the boots in the photo, bottom right - the wearer would be on their tippy toes.
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| The Aare River is a tributary of the Rhine & longest stream in Switzerland. We see people who jump in the river and just let it carry them. |
GRINDELWALD AND INTERLAKEN
Today is day ten since we came down with symptoms of Dengue
fever. We thought we’d be better now,
and mostly are, but flashes of fever with bouts of dizziness as well as
headaches and muscle pain randomly return for brief periods. We can stroll up to 20,000 steps sightseeing
now, but anything more strenuous like a hike – forget it. Grindelwald is the place to hike, but we come to admire the alpine setting.
Grindelwald is story-book beautiful with its alpine chalets
covered in blooming flowers, enormous mountains that rise straight up from the ground to impossible heights and lovely green valleys everywhere.
We feel compelled to take photos of the glaciers that are quickly receding and are putting the European water supply at risk.
Then it's a tram up to a recreational area on Mount Pfingstegg.
Paul rides the Pfingstegg summer toboggan on a track 736 meters long, with a height difference of fifty-eight meters and reaching
speeds of 45 km/hr.
Then we both rode something we hadn’t heard of before – a Fly Ride. We are strapped into a suit that allows us to
hang in a sitting position and wind our way via both wide and tight curves down the mountain and through the
forest. Some of the trees have padding on them in case you collide. The photo below from the internet is just at the start before getting into the forest, so doesn't really do the ride justice.
We had brought apples with us for a snack and went into this
green area with benches for the view and to sit a while. Cows were gently grazing but one gal knew for
sure that tourists have food, and she became very pushy nibbling at our packs,
head-butting (has horns) and reaching for our food, we had to get up and move
so she went to the next bench where a foursome was enjoying glasses of wine
and they too had to get up and move. Our
apples were finally done so she could be lured away with the cores. The rest of the herd remained shy.
The gondola ride back down to Grindelwald. Note the walking path under the gondola. In better days we'd be walking at least one way.
INTERLAKEN
Our quick visit here does this city no justice. The stop at Interlaken is brief as our ‘batteries’ are
running low. A short train ride from Grindelwald gets us here.
The first thing that grabs your attention is the incredible blue colour of the Aare River here. Sediment washed into the water from glacial melt gives it a beautiful turquoise colour.
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| A water feature at a park along the river promenade |
Skydiving is the thing
here. Tourists go up tandem with an
experienced jumper. The sky is full of them. A huge park in the center
of town is the landing area and it’s amazing how soft the landing appears to
be.
There are a lot of expensive-looking
hotels, shops, and restaurants. A
pretty city, but we are glad we didn’t elect to stay overnight here.
As we move now onto Austria and reflect on a brief fifteen
days in Switzerland, some of our thoughts, that are purely opinion and not politically correct:
-it’s very, very expensive and there are many countries in
the world that are beautiful, with similar amenities and activities on offer without
the huge price tag. We’d suggest people carefully
assess their budget before travelling.
-there is good wine to be had here for very reasonable
prices … good beer too but on the pricey side.
-the ability of everyone to speak a minimum of four
languages is very impressive.
-we didn’t find the Swiss people to be overtly friendly or
curious about travelers, they seem to keep to themselves and go about their
business.
-we didn’t eat out much, but when we did, the food was uninspired
and mostly it was over-salted. Oh, and
if you order a green salad, that’s what you get, iceberg lettuce, not even a
leaf of kale, spinach, or parsley to change up the green a bit.
-public transportation between and within cities is
fast and efficient, but expensive.
-this land is rich in water, with beautiful,
clean lakes, rivers, and streams everywhere and the beautiful water fountains
with drinkable water were both lovely public art and a welcome thirst-quencher.
-we were saddened to see so many smokers. Twenty-six percent of the nation’s population smoke. It’s hard even to enjoy a meal at outside
tables with smokers all around.
We're glad we came but we cut our trip short by over a week.
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