Switzerland |

May 23, 2015
by crawfordeg 1 Comment

Switzerland Wrap Up

Wednesday I went to France for lunch 🙂 I took a boat across the lake to Yvoire (free with the Swiss Pass!), which is a tiny town right on the water. There’s not much there but all the buildings were covered with flowers and vines – it looked like a postcard! I grabbed lunch and wandered around for a few hours before catching the boat back to Nyon.

I took the train to Rolles, which is two stops from Nyon. The waterfront there had large homes with HUGE backyards that went right to the lake. It was so different from the other towns that primarily had shops and restaurants along the water. I got so turned around and couldn’t find the train station so I popped into a café to ask someone. The lady was so nice – she got her check, paid for her coffee and walked with me. She stopped a bus in the street and confirmed it was going to the train station. She then moved a barricade so I could get on it right there. The bus driver looked at my Swiss Pass, nodded his head, and said with a smile and thumbs up, “Let’s Go!” I don’t think they see many tourists in Rolles!

That afternoon I made myself at home at a tapas restaurant that had free wifi and blankets and checked emails, read, etc. until Michelle met me there for dinner. It was the perfect spot to pile up wine and good food and spend a few hours catching up!

Thursday (my last full day in Switzerland) I went to Lausanne (crazy hills!) and Geneva. These are the two biggest cities along the lake . I definitely prefer the small towns but am glad I went. I was telling Michelle about Lausanne and how I somehow ended up at a carnival. She said, “The Mexico carnival?!” Apparently, she and Chris also ended up there last year! We ended our time in Switzerland getting completely ripped off on fondue, and then taking a cab to a random (but delicious) Chinese restaurant.

Switzerland was fantastic – so beautiful and peaceful and definitely lived up to my expectations! We are on the train now headed to the Cinque Terre and can’t wait to check out that area of Italy. We have beautiful hikes, great food and wine, and relaxing beaches for the next three days!

On the boat to Yvoire, France

Yvoire, France

Fresh gingerbread

Lunch – Croque Monsier!

Great neighborhood on the water

Nyon

Tapas dinner

At tap

Goodbye Nyon!

Snacks for the train ride

Fondue

Sign in Geneva showing you how to use the sign and bench to do an 9 minute exercise routine

Watch anyone?

Geneva

Mont Blanc Bridge in Geneva

May 21, 2015
by crawfordeg 1 Comment

The Alps – Up Close and Personal

Tuesday morning I decided to get up early and head East to the Berner Oberland region. This is the area that is most famous for the Alps. Switzerland is smaller than the state of Georgia so you can cover a lot of ground in just a few hours. There are three official languages here: French, German, and Italian. We are staying in the French speaking region and the Berner Oberland is in the German speaking region. It was neat to see the names of the cities change from all French (Geneve, Nyon, Rolles) to German (Lauterbrunnen, Gimmelwald).

I wanted to get to Gimmelwald which is an Alpine village of about 120 people and sits high in the mountains. It took me about 3 hours and a few train changes, but I made it to Lauterbrunnen around 10 am. Lauterbrunnen is in the valley and the jumping off point for the other villages. The landscape is so different here than in the Lake Geneva region – you are right in the middle of the mountains!

Lauterbrunnen was SO small and this was the largest “town” I went to! The guide book says it is the “valley’s commercial center and transportation hub.” There was just one main street and some shops to buy necessities. There was a huge waterfall spewing out the side of the mountain. I saw a ton of these – there are so many because of the snow melt from the Eiger, Monch, and Jungfrau mountains. The Jungfrau is the mountain in here and had the weather been better, I would have gone to the top.

I took a cable car and then a tiny train up to Murren. It’s a ski resort in the winter but was pretty empty this time of year. It’s crazy small and just sits on the side of a mountain. I had lunch there and got the Swiss specialty, Raclette. It’s melted cheese that’s served with pickles. Since it’s a well-known Swiss dish, I had high expectations. The sum was not better than the parts – it was a plate of melted cheese with a few pickles that tasted just like melted cheese with a side of pickles. An odd lunch to say the least.

From Murren it was a 40 minute walk down the mountain to Gimmelwald. I only saw three people on the entire walk – two were mountain bikers from Lake Tahoe who were going up the mountain and were about to pass out! I can’t even begin to describe how remote it was. The only thing around me were cows, some wooden sheds that held tons of firewood and the amazing Alps. There are A LOT of cows in Switzerland.

Gimmelwald was just a collection of a few buildings. There are a few people who rent rooms to visitors. One family rents out the two rooms that used to belong to their son and daughter. It’s a no frills kind of place, and the people that are there are there to experience the Alps and all they have to offer. To get groceries or any necessities, you have to go up the mountain to Murren. However, they still get mail everyday that is delivered by a four-wheeler to a communal mailbox. It was an amazing experience to be in such a small place that’s tucked into the side of the mountains!

I stopped in Interlaken and Bern on the way back. I thought Interlaken was over-hyped, but I liked Bern. It’s the capital city so it’s busy but has a pretty river running through it. They also have shops that are down in cellars. The cellars used to store household supplies, then wine, and are now shops.

It was a fun and busy day and I’m so glad I went. I wish the weather would have been clearer so I could have seen more but it was still a great experience! The photos don’t do it justice.

Heart of Gimmelwald

Walk to Gimmelwald

Gimmelwald: That’s a kids’ playground slide to the right

Path down to Gimmelwald

Little place in Gimmelwald giving away books from previous visitors

The only little store in Gimmelwald. She sold had knitted items and gave away books. The space was no bigger than a small walk-in closet.

The poles protect the tree from the snow and then will rot by the time the tree is mature enough to not need the protection.

Resort town of Murren

Raclette – not my favorite

Cemetary in Lauterbrunnen

Lauterbrunnen Pub

There are a ton of Asian tourist and Murren has gotten in the game!

Hang gliders in Interlaken

Train ride to Lauterbrunnen

Lauterbrunnen train station

River in Bern – so blue and clean!

Bern

Cellar Shops

Swiss Chocolate

Bern has my kind of train station – good wine glasses!

May 20, 2015
by crawfordeg 1 Comment

Loving Switzerland!

I’m loving Switzerland! After an uneventful flight with a connection in Amsterdam, we landed in Geneva Sunday around 1:30 pm local time. We are staying in Nyon which is a small town about 20 minutes outside of Geneva. This is where Michelle always stays for this conference. This year she thought she may stay in Geneva, but when she found out I was coming she decided to stay in Nyon. She knew I would love it, and she was right! It’s such a picturesque town that sits right on Lake Geneva and has its own castle and beautiful terraced gardens. The mountains and towns you see across the lake are actually in France. It’s so peaceful and is the perfect place to stroll around and relax.

Sunday afternoon we just walked around Nyon and grabbed some lunch and gelato and checked out the castle. Michelle had warned me that it’s really expensive here, and she wasn’t kidding. My lunch was $50! If you go to a restaurant with table service, you’d better be prepared to pay at least $25 for an entree. Luckily the grocery stores and bakeries sell good sandwiches for a few dollars. I’ll be taking advantage of that for most of my lunches moving forward. Oh, and the wine is cheap – a major plus!

Monday Michelle had to go set up her booth at the show and I decided to take the train to some of the towns along lake Geneva. I bought a 4-day Swiss rail pass which lets me go anywhere in the country and is good on trains, buses, and boats. It also lets you get in some of the sites for free. It was $250, and I debated on if it was worth the value of if I would be better off just paying as I go. I’m SO glad I bought it. Michelle spent $70 on train tickets today and we just stayed in the Lake Geneva area. I will definitely come out ahead with the pass. Not to mention that you don’t have the hassle of buying tickets everywhere.

I started the day in Morges which wasn’t where I intended to go (wrong train) but it was great! I then met up with Michelle and we went to Montreax and the Lavaux wine region. We walked a ton and got to sample some great local wine while sitting on the bank of Lake Geneva – not a bad way to start vacation! The vineyards go straight up the hillside and there aren’t any guides/signs on where to go. Basically, you could walk through the vineyards halfway up a mountain and not really know if you are actually going to find the winery. We didn’t get very far up the mountain before we turned around and went back towards the water. We figured a safer bet was to sample the local wine in the restaurants. Our plan worked, and we got to try the wine from Cully and Lutry, the two small towns we visited.

We saw a ton and did a ton of walking – we finally made it back to the hotel at 11 pm and our legs were aching. These hills are no joke! I went to the Berner Overland region today to get up close and personal with the Alps. It was amazing, and I’ll try to post pictures of that soon!