Blogs from North-West, Switzerland, Europe - page 2

La route continue... nous descendons encore et le thermomètre aussi... quoique... la première nuit nous avions 10° à 5h du matin... ce matin à 6h... comme quoi je dors mieux... 14°... La pluie est au rendez-vous mais nous irons tout de même visiter la ville de Lucerne, même si nous la connaissons par coeur... Lucerne, petite ville suisse connue pour son architecture médiévale très bien préservée, se trouve au milieu des montagnes enneigées sur le lac des Quatre-Cantons. Sa vieille ville colorée (Altstadt) est bordée au nord par le Museggmauer, un rempart de 870 m de long datant du XIVe siècle. Le pont Kapellbrücke (pont de la Chapelle), construit en 1333, relie la Aldstadt à la rive droite de la rivière Reuss. Si le pont de bois célèbre dans le monde entier est le sujet le ... read more

Bonjour à tous, C'est gagné. Je n'était pas, contrairement à d'autres années dans l'euphorie du départ. Inconsciemment ce confinement a dû nous retirer un peu d'énergie, et nous mettre en léthargie mentale, je ne suis pas le seul a ressentir cet effet. J'ai puiser le complément de motivation qui me manquait, par le fait de '' foutre le camp" de cette France qui me semble t'il, part à volo, de toutes ces manifestations, informations permanentes qui sapent le moral de tous les bons français. Après seulement une journée dans les Alpes Suisse, j'ai le sentiment ce soir de revivre. Voilà pourquoi je dis c'est gagné. J'ai quitté Lyon ce matin, traversé le Bugey, sous une bonne pluie, j'espère que ce ne sera de mauvaise augure pour la suite du voyage comme en 2014, 72 jours de ... read more

The last day had arrived and it was time to say goodbye to our charming cottage and village. We packed and cleaned, taking some last photos, and leaving some of our leftovers in the wagon outside the honesty store (apples, oranges, drinks), which were gone by the time we left. Good! We were able to lug all our stuff in one go down the gondola and to our car. Then we were on our way to Bern, with me driving. This was our last stop before getting to Zurich. My flight left that night and they left the next morning, but were staying in a hotel near the airport. Bern was a good hour drive away and, after we had picked up our cuckoo clocks, we drove along the equally scenic south side of the lake ... read more

Wednesday morning was free before out afternoon bus transfer to Basel and the Viking Rhine cruise boat. Susan and I made the most of it and, once again, Susan was the guide. She knew of the Rosengart Collection art museum. The museum is one of impressionism, cubism and modernism and displays works by Modigliani, Cézanne, Matisse, Renoir, Dufy, and Soutine, with an emphasis on Picasso and Paul Klee. The well curated collection was assembled by Siegfried Rosengart (1894-1985) and continues to be overseen by his daughter, Angela. It is said she is in the museum every day, and I am certain i saw her. A most interesting painting on display is her portrait painted by Picasso, who the Rosengarts knew very well. On the other side of the Altstadt is the Lion Monument. We took one ... read more

Mt. Pilatus, 6,982 feet (2,128 m) overlooks Lucerne. Our objective today was to travel to the peak. Yvette mapped out the route for us, a combination of boat, cog railway, aerial tramway and bus! What an adventure! Boats plying Lake Lucerne depart from the quay across from the railway station at 0:38 past every hour. We arrived in time for the 9:38 boat, the first of the day. The Lake Lucerne boats are both sightseeing craft as well as providing transportation from Lucerne to nearby communities, including Hergiswil and Stansstad. In between is a breathtaking scenic panorama. The rain of the previous day had abated and the morning was sunny, providing a clear view of the Swiss landscape and numerous villas with boathouses. Mt. Pilatus itself continuously unfolds in differing aspects as the boat rounds the ... read more