As mentioned previously, we stayed right across from the Estates Theater. We noticed signs for a concert of Mozart opera arias and decided to check it out. The concert was in commemoration of the 218th anniversary of the first performance of Don Giovanni at this theater. We had seats in a box in the second balcony with a great view of the stage. The concert consisted of three musicians playing various woodwind instruments and one male and one female opera singer. It only lasted an hour, but it was well worth it! The music was great and whetted my apetite for [View Full Entry]

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We spent our first day in Prague walking around the New Town area and the Old Town Square. We started in St. Wenceslas Square which boasts a large statue of - guess who - in front of the National Museum. We opted not to do the museum since the weather was so nice out. Then we headed down to the Church of St. Ignatius, built in 1665 in the Baroque style. Baroque architechure included lots of gold and adornments which in my understanding was to attract people back to the Catholic Church after the Protestant Reformation. I need to do some [View Full Entry]

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We took an early morning flight from Zurich to Prague today for a long weekend. It was "The Day of the Republic" which marks the creation of Czechoslovakia in 1918 so we were a little worried that shops and attractions would be closed, but everything seemed to be up and running. An acquaintance from Prague set up accommodations for us at a guesthouse near the Castle. However when we checked in, we were met by two ladies who didn't speak English. They called the manager (who does speak English), and he explained the house was full but they would take us [View Full Entry]

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Rather than returning to Zurich from Interlaken via Bern, we went via Lucerne and spent a very enjoyable afternoon there. We started out from the train station and walked across the famous "Chapel Bridge" - a covered footbridge originally built in the 14th century as part of the city's fortifications. We headed to the Lowendenkmal next, a huge sandstone carving of a lion created in tribute to Swiss guards who died in Paris during the French Revolution. From there we wandered through the old town area and did a little shopping. We had a delightful lunch along the lakefront where we [View Full Entry]

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I like to say Jung-frau to the tune of Ya-hooooo in the commercials (it's more fun that way)! :) Today was our highest altitude day yet, reaching heights of over 11,600 feet (in the Sphinx observation tower)!! We began our journey at Interlaken Ost (East). We bought round trip tickets from there to Jungfraujoch at a discount as an add on to our Swiss rail pass (still over $100 per person). It takes about 2.5 hours each way. You can get off in any of the towns along the way to explore, but this time of year the trains run less [View Full Entry]

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Today we took the train to Interlaken, the jumping off point for excursions to the Jungfrau. We made a quick 1 hour stop in Bern and had just enough time to check out the main street and see the famous bears of Barengraben. We found Bern to be quite bustling, with lots of shoppers and businessfolk alike. Bryan told us the main street, Marktgasse, was all torn up for construction back in September however we found it to be pristine! What's the deal with the bears? Well, in 1191 Bern was founded by Berthold V who named the new settlement after [View Full Entry]

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Today we made a new friend! Monty is mixed breed dog - we think pit bull/German short-haired pointer - who lives at our hotel in Interlaken. We desperately miss our Salty boy when travelling, so it's always nice to make new dog friends along the way. We found Monty frolicking in freshly raked leaves in the yard of the hotel. He's only 2 years old but has quite a tale to tell: some Mexican backpackers found him alone last year in Mont Blanc, France (hence his name) and brought him along to Interlaken. Upon their return to Mexico, they left him [View Full Entry]

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Here are some photos taken in Interlaken over the course of our time there. It is a beautiful setting, nestled in a mountain valley between 2 lakes (hence the name). We had a great dinner one night at a wine bar called Benacus, right off the old town square. J had a fabulous selection of cheeses with nuts and fruit as a appetizer. They feature a "cheese bar" so he was able to choose his cheeses from a nice array; the chef explained each one as an added bonus. The ambience is very nice, well thought out and relaxing. Unfortunately, the [View Full Entry]

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Today we had a private tour of Zurich, courtesy of Bryan. First stop was the botanical garden. Strangely, they were featuring an exhibit on Native American plants. Go figure. Also stopped in at a great sandwich shop for lunch. J had a pizza/quiche hybrid that was quite good. The banana cream tartlette and cherry (pie?) were awesome too. Bahnhofstrasse is the main shopping street in town, lined with upscale shops. Fun to look in the windows but definitely expensive! We climbed the tower of Grossmunster, a 16th century cathedral, for a view of the city. The sun was out so we [View Full Entry]

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After our quick change of plans, we diverted to Zurich this evening in lieu of St. Moritz. Chizzy and Bryan were very gracious in accomodating us a day early. We met Tolsty the cat. The only picture we have of him is blurry, which should tell you something. The other pictures from this evening are my experiments with tripod and long exposure... [View Full Entry]

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