Here, there & everywhere
This blog is much overdue, but way back in October, before our trip to the US, G's mom & Mrs. Floss (or "The Moms") came to visit us in Switzerland! It was a whirlwind 10 day trip that spanned four countries. While we didn't get much sleep, we had a lot of laughs and some grand adventures! And they were so sweet to bring us a whole suitcase full of food (even though they went over their weight allowance on the plane!)
They landed in Zurich on Monday, Oct. 10th and I caught the 4:30 (that's a.m.) train to meet them when they landed. On our way back to Geneva, we stopped off in Bern, the charming, unassuming capital of Switzerland founded in 1191. We saw the bears, the flowers, ate some Rosti, and awed at the ogre fountain (who happens to be eating small children). We made it back to Geneva, tired from hauling heavy luggage up and down the train stairs, but after some drinks and Thai food, we were soon laughing about the day!
The next morning we were off to Barcelona. The weather was a bit drizzly, but that did not stop us from touring the city and visiting The Temple of the Sagrada Familia. We all loved the Sagrada Familia (even though it was my third visit) and we were practically kicked out we stayed so long! The Moms checked out the Picasso Museum while I wandered around and checked out the shops. After a fantastic dinner in a lively square we decided to head to the wharf and watch the lightning that was moving in. It was a beautiful night, but just as we were thinking, "Where's the rain?!?" it started to pour and pour! Even with umbrellas we were soaked! We met a nice couple from Ireland while we were undercover hiding from the downpour. It was one of the worst rain storms I have ever been in and it poured all night!
The next day we visited some more Gaudi sites, including the Casa Batllo. Since it was Sunday, there was no shopping, so we roamed around the Gothic Quarter and visited the Barcelona Cathedral (which, by the way, has a terrible WC). Mrs. Floss was the unfortunate victim of an attempted robbery, but it seems the hoodlums didn't want her dirty laundry... so no harm done! We returned to Geneva and had a scrumptious Italian dinner.
Since The Moms were still getting over their just lag, we took it easy on Thursday and stayed in Geneva. We scaled to the top of the Cathedral de St. Pierre, walked around the old town, visited Park des Bastions (and saw the longest bench in the world), and finally toured around the lake on a boat cruise with great views of the Jet d’Eau. We also toured our local haunts, including our grocery store/department store, Manor.
On Friday Gary joined us and we all hopped the overnight train to Vienna, the capital of the once-grand Hapsburg Empire on the Danube River. The four of us had our own couchee (sleeping compartment) with two double bunks. We got into town very early and found our hotel in the old city center. It was too early to check in so we started our non-stop weekend of sightseeing. We started with a self-guided tour of the city and then we were off to the Hofburg (the Hapsburg's city palace) & Treasury. We were in for a treat, because there was a live performance of Vienna classical music at the palace and Mrs. Floss was thrilled! We enjoyed the music very much, but our hunger got the best of us and we were soon in search of lunch. We ate at the Naschmarkt before touring the world-famous Vienna Opera House (Staatsoper). We then treated ourselves to ice cream on the Karntner Strasse (the lively pedestrian street) and scaled St. Stephens’s Cathedral.
For dinner we ventured out of town to Heurigen in Grinzing to experience a traditional Vienna wine garden. It was an interesting experience to be sure. Traditionally, the restaurant sits above the wine cellars, and there are these little gnats that are attracted to the wine in the cellar. Well, they are also attracted to the wine on the tables, so we had to keep a coaster on top of our glasses to keep them out. Unfortunately, that didn't work all that well, so we spent quite a bit of time picking out the gnats from our wine! Like I said, it was quite the experience!
The next day we headed to the Schonbrunn Palace & Gardens. The tour was nice and we even took a little train all around the beautiful gardens. Gary & I took a quick detour to the Belvedere Gallery to see the famous painting, "The Kiss" by Gustav Klimt. We then met The Moms at the huge Kunsthistorisches Art Museum. Before catching the overnight train back to Switzerland, we had dinner at the Cafe Restaurant Palmenhaus, which is in a converted greenhouse, overlooking the palace garden (Burggarten). Scrumptious!
On the way back to Geneva, the four of us spent a misty day in Luzerne in central Switzerland. The town sits on the edge of Lake Luzerne and has a charming old town. We visited the Lowenplatz, the Chapel Bridge (Kapellbrucke) & Mill Bridge that both span the Reuss River and we finished off our sightseeing with a walk along the Old Town Wall, which had about a gazillion steps!
On their last full day, we decided to rent a Mobility car and head into France to visit the quaint lake side town of Annecy, a postcard-perfect town, and one of my favorite in Europe. We strolled through Les Jardins de Europe and the old town. We ate crepes and did a little shopping. We tried to get into the Chateau, but it was only open to school groups that day, so we were out of luck (I'm 0 for 3 to get in!!) We also tried to go on a boat cruise, but it seems that wasn't meant to be either... we just missed TWO tours, so we figured it must be fate! But the day was still wonderful, and it was a great way to finish the trip!
In the morning we saw them off at the train station, and soon they were on their way back to the Zurich airport. We heard they had a bit of trouble with security, but eventually they made it back okay, their suitcases a little lighter, with a CD full of pictures, and hopefully with some happy memories. We certainly do! :)
Getting ready for fall in the city of Bern
Taking shelter from the rain in Spain
On the roof of Casa Batllo, the house of Gaudi
On the boat tour around Lake Geneva
The view from the Cathedral de St. Pierre in Geneva
On the overnight train to Vienna
The man of Vienna... Mozart
In Heroes Square in front of the Hofburg in Vienna
All four of us in the gardens of Schonbrunn Palace
G scaling St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna
At the Lowenplatz monument in Luzerne
Lake Annecy
In the old town of Annecy, France
They landed in Zurich on Monday, Oct. 10th and I caught the 4:30 (that's a.m.) train to meet them when they landed. On our way back to Geneva, we stopped off in Bern, the charming, unassuming capital of Switzerland founded in 1191. We saw the bears, the flowers, ate some Rosti, and awed at the ogre fountain (who happens to be eating small children). We made it back to Geneva, tired from hauling heavy luggage up and down the train stairs, but after some drinks and Thai food, we were soon laughing about the day!
The next morning we were off to Barcelona. The weather was a bit drizzly, but that did not stop us from touring the city and visiting The Temple of the Sagrada Familia. We all loved the Sagrada Familia (even though it was my third visit) and we were practically kicked out we stayed so long! The Moms checked out the Picasso Museum while I wandered around and checked out the shops. After a fantastic dinner in a lively square we decided to head to the wharf and watch the lightning that was moving in. It was a beautiful night, but just as we were thinking, "Where's the rain?!?" it started to pour and pour! Even with umbrellas we were soaked! We met a nice couple from Ireland while we were undercover hiding from the downpour. It was one of the worst rain storms I have ever been in and it poured all night!
The next day we visited some more Gaudi sites, including the Casa Batllo. Since it was Sunday, there was no shopping, so we roamed around the Gothic Quarter and visited the Barcelona Cathedral (which, by the way, has a terrible WC). Mrs. Floss was the unfortunate victim of an attempted robbery, but it seems the hoodlums didn't want her dirty laundry... so no harm done! We returned to Geneva and had a scrumptious Italian dinner.
Since The Moms were still getting over their just lag, we took it easy on Thursday and stayed in Geneva. We scaled to the top of the Cathedral de St. Pierre, walked around the old town, visited Park des Bastions (and saw the longest bench in the world), and finally toured around the lake on a boat cruise with great views of the Jet d’Eau. We also toured our local haunts, including our grocery store/department store, Manor.
On Friday Gary joined us and we all hopped the overnight train to Vienna, the capital of the once-grand Hapsburg Empire on the Danube River. The four of us had our own couchee (sleeping compartment) with two double bunks. We got into town very early and found our hotel in the old city center. It was too early to check in so we started our non-stop weekend of sightseeing. We started with a self-guided tour of the city and then we were off to the Hofburg (the Hapsburg's city palace) & Treasury. We were in for a treat, because there was a live performance of Vienna classical music at the palace and Mrs. Floss was thrilled! We enjoyed the music very much, but our hunger got the best of us and we were soon in search of lunch. We ate at the Naschmarkt before touring the world-famous Vienna Opera House (Staatsoper). We then treated ourselves to ice cream on the Karntner Strasse (the lively pedestrian street) and scaled St. Stephens’s Cathedral.
For dinner we ventured out of town to Heurigen in Grinzing to experience a traditional Vienna wine garden. It was an interesting experience to be sure. Traditionally, the restaurant sits above the wine cellars, and there are these little gnats that are attracted to the wine in the cellar. Well, they are also attracted to the wine on the tables, so we had to keep a coaster on top of our glasses to keep them out. Unfortunately, that didn't work all that well, so we spent quite a bit of time picking out the gnats from our wine! Like I said, it was quite the experience!
The next day we headed to the Schonbrunn Palace & Gardens. The tour was nice and we even took a little train all around the beautiful gardens. Gary & I took a quick detour to the Belvedere Gallery to see the famous painting, "The Kiss" by Gustav Klimt. We then met The Moms at the huge Kunsthistorisches Art Museum. Before catching the overnight train back to Switzerland, we had dinner at the Cafe Restaurant Palmenhaus, which is in a converted greenhouse, overlooking the palace garden (Burggarten). Scrumptious!
On the way back to Geneva, the four of us spent a misty day in Luzerne in central Switzerland. The town sits on the edge of Lake Luzerne and has a charming old town. We visited the Lowenplatz, the Chapel Bridge (Kapellbrucke) & Mill Bridge that both span the Reuss River and we finished off our sightseeing with a walk along the Old Town Wall, which had about a gazillion steps!
On their last full day, we decided to rent a Mobility car and head into France to visit the quaint lake side town of Annecy, a postcard-perfect town, and one of my favorite in Europe. We strolled through Les Jardins de Europe and the old town. We ate crepes and did a little shopping. We tried to get into the Chateau, but it was only open to school groups that day, so we were out of luck (I'm 0 for 3 to get in!!) We also tried to go on a boat cruise, but it seems that wasn't meant to be either... we just missed TWO tours, so we figured it must be fate! But the day was still wonderful, and it was a great way to finish the trip!
In the morning we saw them off at the train station, and soon they were on their way back to the Zurich airport. We heard they had a bit of trouble with security, but eventually they made it back okay, their suitcases a little lighter, with a CD full of pictures, and hopefully with some happy memories. We certainly do! :)
Getting ready for fall in the city of Bern
Taking shelter from the rain in Spain
On the roof of Casa Batllo, the house of Gaudi
On the boat tour around Lake Geneva
The view from the Cathedral de St. Pierre in Geneva
On the overnight train to Vienna
The man of Vienna... Mozart
In Heroes Square in front of the Hofburg in Vienna
All four of us in the gardens of Schonbrunn Palace
G scaling St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna
At the Lowenplatz monument in Luzerne
Lake Annecy
In the old town of Annecy, France
posted by Swiss Miss | 01:29
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