Jun 19, 2018 - Lucerne, Switzerland

Our flight into Zurich arrived pretty much on time and after picking up our luggage and going through Passport Control, we walked across the street to the train station. Our timing was perfect as there was a direct train leaving in about 15 minutes. We arrived in Lucerne around 11:00 and left our luggage at the hotel while we explored the immediate area, made arrangements for a music/meal for Thursday evening, had lunch and visited the Tourist Information where we purchased our 3-day Tell Pass which will get us on any train, bus, ferry,...

Jun 16, 2018 - Passage en Suisse

Bonjour les amis et Familles, Avant de parler de la Suisse ... quelques mots sur mes derniers km en Autriche, il y en a eu quelques un à la verticale... encore, bien oui!!! Dans un super centre d’escalade à Innsbruck. 1 an et 12 millions d’euro...WoW pour ceux qui grimpe, c’est le nec le plus ultra!!! Je ne pouvais résister, j’y ai grimpé, super hauteur et tellement de murs, de voix. Il reçoive le Championnat du monde en sept. Wababadoudou!!! Passage en Suisse !!! De Innsbruck, j’ai remonté le fleure Inns (pour Innsbruck) sur plus de 200...

Jun 14, 2018 - Bern to Basel

Switzerland has many a reputation: for being expensive - yes; for being politically neutral - yes 'I'm Switzerland' opined Bella in Twilight when being fought over by her two brooding male protagonists. There is also much misunderstanding about where the country stands in terms of its position in Europe. It is part of the Schengen but not part of the EU. They speak French, Italian and German, sometimes in the one sentence Confused? One thing they always excel at though is precision in terms of public transport - trams and trains run on...

Jun 12, 2018 - Welcome to Switzerland

After being generously escorted to Chiassi (the traditional border between Italy and Switzerland) by my home exchange host, Salvatore, I burst into the station, not to dirndl clad Heidi like Swiss people, chocolates and cows but a somewhat dirty station, and the only toilet was (gasp)– a filthy squat toilet! After landing back to reality, I put my extra 20 minutes to good use and sought an ATM to extract Swiss Francs from. Having already spent approximately 10 times more in public transport online for Swiss trips than you would in the rest...

Jun 12, 2018 - Brussels to Zurich

Day 25. Brussels-Zurich-in air to Hong Kong 12/6/18. Tuesday. Overcast, cool 11-19 degrees I’m getting really good reading and typing without my glasses! We checked out and left our luggage at the hotel and walked to St. Catherine’s, another big, old church, quite plain interior but beautiful in it’s simplicity. A mass was being said and it was nice to just sit and listen to the rhythm. Lunch for the last time sitting outside and watching the world go - very relaxing and nice to reminisce the last 3+ weeks in Europe. We nearly didn’t get...

Oct 19, 2017 - Zurich (In Transit)

@@@@@@@ KAPOORS ON THE ROAD This flight was the first we had ever taken on Swiss Air. Anil and I love to make lists relating to our travels, and now we were able to add Swiss Air to our list of airlines we’ve flown. It was a short hop from Gatwick To Zurich, and we were very comfortable of course, but it was the attention I was given once we landed that left a memorable impression. I had requested a wheelchair because of my twisted ankle and cane, and the man who met us at the airport was so kind and attentive. He whisked us through the...

Oct 15, 2017 - Last few days in Switzerland

15 - 17 Oct 2017 Sun Lovely sleep in! Cleaning of my panniers Discussions with Terry on potential multi day hikes for next year, GR5??, cross Switzerland by the Via Alpina?? Late afternoon walk in the Jura above L'Isle, to try and find some Erratic rocks (glacial deposits). The autumn colours are magnificent at the moment Mon Headed into Morges in Beni's car to see if the shoemaker/repair man could fix my handlebars bag which is fraying a little. Just like the guy in Cavaillon, he recommended to lightly singe it... which he promptly did...

Oct 14, 2017 - End of bike trip. Return to Switzerland

An early start today then off to the train station. Train to Avignon and then next train to Lyon. Whilst waiting for our respective trains we ate the last of the picnic food and then had a farewell ice-cream! I caught my train to Geneva and David returned his hire bike then caught the Eurostar to London. My goal was to get to Geneva in time to see Sarah ice-skating in a national competition. I fortunately timing didn't quite work out. She skated earlier than expected. 𯘫 But I was able to see my dear friend Celine Caught on the train to...

Oct 8, 2017 - Berlin to Zurich

It rained all night & I felt like sleeping in until my check out time. However, I did get up and the rain stopped over breakfast. Walked to the Reichstag building without getting wet (about 25 minutes) and went on my free tour of the Bundestag. It was quite interesting but there was a group of Israeli tourists who were being really obnoxious, and I think the guide was fed up with them. She was making comments such as "Well, your country's not very big". The Bundestag was not in session so close after the German elections and they were...

Sep 27, 2017 - Relaxing days in Switzerland

I had 2 lovely relaxing days in Switzerland, between adventures. First day I washed and cleaned and froze my things to kill any bed bugs / bed bug eggs that may have gotten into my bags after we were bitten in a Gîte during the walk, many days earlier. Although we had no further bites or any evidence of bed bugs, on arrival in Switzerland I immediately quarantined ALL things in the garage (as Sandra and Terry had done when they arrived) and changed into clothes from the bag I had left there before the walk. Luckily Terry has a big deep...

Sep 7, 2017 - Avenches to Bern Day 11 & 12

Day 11: To Bern via Ancient Rome Final Tour Day-Travel to Bern and dinner We'll begin our day with a time-travel visit to the village of Avenches. Two thousand years ago, as ancient Aventicum, this was one of the largest cities in the Roman Empire. A short drive catapults us a thousand years ahead to Bern, the country's present-day capital and our final stop. After a guided tour of the city center, we'll sit down with a local for a cultural Q&A session on all things Swiss. Tonight, we'll gather for a farewell dinner together, where we'll...

Sep 5, 2017 - Lausanne & Lake Geneva Day 9 & 10

Day 9: Gruyères and Lausanne 3 Hour Bus Ride, Tour of town and dinner This morning we'll take a scenic drive to Lake Geneva, tracing a route so spectacular it's been given the name "Golden Pass." We'll pause in the storybook town of Gruyères to test our French and see if a cheese by any other name would taste as sweet. After lunch, we'll continue on to pretty and progressive Lausanne, where we'll tour the town with a local guide and sample more of the region's delicacies at dinner together. Sleep in Lausanne (2 nights). Bus: 3 hrs. Walking:...