Blogs from Switzerland, Europe - page 307

Hi All, Well Anna and I headed off to Geneva for the weeekdn where we were catching up with good friends of ours from NZ. Steve, Sarah, and little Caleb had been travelling through Africa on a mission trip and in between that and heading to America for some training we were able to spend 2 great days with them in the beautiful city of Geneva. Friday night was again a great reminder of having London as a base. Leave work as normal and jumped on a plane at 8pm and 1 hour 15 minutes later we are in Switzerland. Very cool. After a bit of a catch up Friday night we were up nice and early and of course greeted by a gorgeous morning. After a few hors chatting which I think Steve and I ... read more

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 were able to watch the swans. There are swans living in basically all the Swiss lake cities we've visited, but Lucerne had the most. We counted a group of over 60 swans! We wish we'd ... read more

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 waitress told us a new owner is taking over in January and has big plans to change the menu and the decor. We say if it ain't broke, don't fix it!! The town of Interlaken ... read more

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 the first animal that he killed in the next hunt (a bear). The coat of arms of the town also features a bear. Brown bears have been kept in pits in town since the early ... read more

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 were able to see the Alps in the distance and the suburbs along the lake. Zurich has a fantastic public transit system. Trams run all over the city at very regular intervals. You always seem ... read more