Day 5 – Hiking in the Alps

Posted on May 20, 2012 by Sue

image

This morning we woke up to another great day, sun shining and we decided to bag our first peak. Ok so we are switching into the lingo…..We set out with a short train ride to Wasserauen to take the cable car to Ebenalp to hike and see the caves. 1st lesson: at winds over 20 km/hr the cable cars shut down. So plan “b”. We decided to walk back to Appenzell or when we get tired stop at any town and take the train back. As we were walking, Sue noticed that the cable cars where running in the next valley. So in the next town we took a bus to the cable car and got on. At the top we decided to tackle the trip to the bottom. With winds gusting to 37 km/hr we set off. Not 10 minutes in on a rocky section after passing the 2 year old, Sue steps wrong and down she went, right into the puddle which was there. After Shawn picked her up and dusted her off, it was discovered that there was little damage. So on we pressed, it took us a little over two hours and both agree that the people we passed going up possibly had the right idea. In the end, we made it to the bottom without any further incidents, and nothing that three beer and ibuprofen won’t fix. I think we certainly earned that fondue tonight.
imageimageimage

Categories: Switzerland | Tags: , | 18 Comments

Day 4 – Travelling to Appenzell

Posted on May 20, 2012 by Sue

image

Decided it was time to skirt the rain which is coming so headed to Appenzell area which is in the north eastern region of Switzerland. Four hours by train and you are across the country doing and seeing something different. The Appenzell region is an area which prides itself on its cultural diversity. Found a hotel in the middle of town shortly after getting off the train. We quickly changed and then headed out to discover the town. Didn’t take us long before we found the bakery and the brewery. So of course we picked up some to go and went and had a picnic. Later that evening we walked up the hill to enjoy a great meal while looking over the town of Appenzell. On the way out we saw this car, so the game now is guess that car. The winner gets something special from Switzerland.
image

image

Categories: Switzerland | 4 Comments

Day 3 – Montreaux and Chateau de Chillon

Posted on May 18, 2012 by Sue

image

After another great rest and waffles for breakfast it was off to Montreaux and the Castle. We arrived off the metro to wait for the train when we ran into a couple who we had meet while waiting in Montreal. They had spent a day in Switzerland before heading to lake Como. Another 45 minute train ride along the shore with the vineyard terraced above us. The weather today was suppose to have the possibility of rain, however the day just keep getting better and better. Montreaux is a lovely little resort town right on lake Geneva. We decided to walk the 45 minutes to the castle since is was a lovely day. The 13th century castle is a maze of courtyard towers and halls, which are full with period furniture, arms and artwork. After the tour I checked on the swan which was sitting on her nest to see if she was awake yet, no luck still tucked in with her head under her wing. Then we walked back to Montreaux to find a quick something to eat. We had planned to take the boat back to Lausanne, however should have checked the schedule as we just missed the boat by a couple of minutes. Oh well, back on the train to find supper and decide where we are going next.
image

Categories: Switzerland | Tags: | 2 Comments

Day 2 – Lausanne

Posted on May 18, 2012 by Sue

image

Woke up to a sunny day for our trip to Lausanne. The trains are amazing, they run on time and no routing to a place you weren’t planning on going. Air Canada could take a few lessons. We arrived in Lausanne after about 45 minutes, we then had to take the Metro to “Ouchy” which is right on the lake. As luck would have it we walked out of the metro and crossed the street turned around and there was our hotel. After checking in we headed for the walk way along the lake which would take us to the Olympic park. Lausanne is beautiful with the blue water, greenery and flower with of course the mountains in the background. We arrived at the Olympic park to find out that the museum is closed for reno’s till 2013. However we were able to walk the ground and see the artwork and they had set up a small exhibit so we could whet our appetite. We were able to see the metals and torches of past Olympics, as well as the metals and torch for London 2012. In the afternoon we travelled to old town, to tour around and saw the castle and the biggest church in Switzerland. We were hoping for some shopping however for some reason not known to us it was window shopping only. Easy on the pocket book. Then it was down to our hotel to rest and then head out for supper.
image

image

Categories: Switzerland | Tags: | 1 Comment

Day 1 – May 15 & 16

Posted on May 16, 2012 by Sue

image

Left Edmonton at 11 a.m heading to Toronto (instead of Montreal like originally scheduled). After three and a half hours and one movie each we arrived on time in Toronto, only to find out that the plane to Geneva was being routed through Montreal. Oh well. So another hour flight to Montreal, 2 beers and an hour or so on the ground, we were FINALLY…on our way. 8 hours, 3 movies and two meals later we arrived in Geneva. On our final approach into Geneva we could see CERN, the location of the Hadron collider, which is one of the reasons for choosing Switzerland. The weather here is sunny with some rain clouds around. It didn’t take any time to locate our luggage and receive our 1st stamp in our passport. Then on to get our Swiss rail pass validated and decide whether to go into Geneva or find the hotel. The body clock won out as it was only 2 am at home, so we decided to travel into town.
Shortly after arriving there was a short hail storm followed by some liquid sunshine. We had been told that in a day you could experience all types of weather. Geneva is beautiful, clean and very quiet. Geneva is divided by the Rhone river and on Lake Geneva. We wandered around for a couple of hours before stopping for a pizza lunch. Then more wandering around before we headed back to the airport to find our hotel. After a short (3) hour nap we ventured out to find supper at a local hotel. After supper we were treated to a not so common site (according to some passing tourist) the skies had cleared and we had a magnificent view of Mount Blanc. Mount Blanc at 4807 m is located is Chamonix France and is the giant of the Alps. The Matterhorn’s elevation is 4478 m. Then it was off to bed to help with the jet lag.
image

Categories: Switzerland | Tags: | 2 Comments

A Little Over A Week Away

Posted on May 7, 2012 by Shawn

We will be leaving for Switzerland in just over a week (next Tuesday) and we can’t wait! There probably won’t be too many updates until we get there but I’ll keep everyone posted.

Categories: Announcement | 9 Comments