Since we left a month ago, Milano has gotten some pep back in her step! Here’s proof, before our Freccia Rossa train back to Torino departed.
Luzern – The Latern City
The fourth largest city in Switzerland and split by the Reuss river on the Vierwaldstättersee, or Lake Lucerne, lies Luzern. A pretty little city with ample bridges and pedestrian streets, where one can easily spend a few days relaxing and enjoying the fine Swiss hospitality of the people here, who speak a dialect of German called Alemannic. I found it impossible to understand and difficult sometimes even when they spoke High German, their dialect’s influence on their pronunciation being that profound.
Hotel Ameron
Our hotel was rather well situated. A block or two got us to the train station one way, the other we can cross the famous Kapellbrücke, or Chapel Bridge. So, it is an excellent place to start a tour of the city.
The Chapel Bridge
The first, and most conspicuous point of interest to see, is the Kapellbrücke. Restored in 1993 after a major fire, some of its paintings survived and can be enjoyed with a casual walk across it to see its namesake church, Saint Peter’s Chapel, or just to get to the other side.
The above is a slideshow of the bridge and its adjacent water tower, or Wasserturm, but the tower has nothing to do with holding water. Rather, it is named so, because it is standing in water. It has had several uses in the past, but recently it now has a tourist shop located within, which is currently temporarily closed due to lack of tourism in the area.
The Spreuer Bridge
This Spreuer Bridge also spans the Reuss river and has a more interesting structure adjacent to it, a turbine house and assembly for generating electricity. It is no longer in use, and was closed in the 1970s due to high maintenance cost and difficulties finding parts.
The bridge also contains the similar paintings as can be found on the Chapel Bridge, along with a small altar celebrating the Madonna.
The water from the Reuss picks up speed rapidly after this bridge, as it is confined to a smaller space for the turbine to use. The rapids are swiftly moving and create quite a noise. Unfortunately in the video below, I thought the bridge was the Chapel bridge at the time, since it does have a small chapel or altar within it, so please ignore that comment.
The Musegg Mauer
The Musegg Mauer, or wall, is a long and imposing edifice of the city. It climbs the hill rapidly on the side of the Spreuer Bridge, starting at the Nölliturm, and ends almost at the other side of the city before Zürichstrasse, with the Dächliturm. The towers are arranged as seen below, some of which, like the Wachturm, can be visited.
Here is a short slideshow of our walk around the wall, up the Wachturm and along the top of its wall for some way.
Using the legend provided above, you should be able to identify each tower by its unique shape.
Luzern The City
The rest of the city is geared toward shopping, eating and tourism. It is clear that some shops have fallen on hard times have closed, others are temporarily closed or are opening on modified schedules. Here are some views as you walk through the city.
One thing to note, the city is full of interesting looking doors and cornices. If you keep your eyes open you may see a few things you likely not see elsewhere.
The Lion Monument
Hidden across the Zürichstrasse and in the same area as the Glacier Garden, is the Lion Monument of Luzern. A carving out of solid rock in a very quiet and tranquil place in the middle of a city.
So, if you are looking for a relaxing spot to end your day of walking the town, this park will provide the quiet you need. It is open to the public for free, however, for the Glacier Gardens, there is a fee of 12CHF per person.
Restaurants
The Rathaus Brauerei
If you are hungry and need a bite to eat while walking around, or just need some good Swiss food, the Rathaus Brauerei may fit your needs. It has customary Swiss fare at a reasonable price. They even have expresso and a good selection of wine and beer to wash it down. We had soup, water, wine a large mixed salad, an order of Wurst with Sauerkraut, expresso and Sambuca, all for the reasonable Swiss price of 63CHF. I say reasonable, because all food in Switzerland is expensive. By the way, they have great mustard here, enjoy!
Well that’s it for what we call a whirlwind tour of Luzern. Normally, we like to stay awhile in a place to get the real feel for it, but it was more of a waypoint for us on our way back to Turin. We were glad we stopped by to enjoy what it had to offer, even though it was still very quiet due to the affects of the pandemic.
Bis nächstes Mal, Tschüß!
Interlaken Ost To Luzern
Just a quick post on the train ride from Interlaken to Luzern. We took the regional railroad service from Interlaken Ost to Luzern, a daily service that runs at about thirty minute intervals during regular hours.
Leaving Interlaken
The trip is divided up into about two parts, one before the Brünigpass and one after. Here is a quick slideshow of photographs taken before the pass.
Here are a few videos climbing the mountain up to the pass. The regional train on this route is a bit bumpy and swerves alot, so if you are inclined to have motion sickness, it is best to take it before you leave Interlaken Ost.
Arriving In Luzern
Once over the mountain there is a slow descent and the train will stop several places before arriving at the main train station in Luzern.
And here is a final video of the train traveling along the Sarnersee before we entered Luzern.
That’s it! The overall trip takes about two hours, due to the stops and the windy tracks. The train had to repeatedly re-engage the rake, or cog wheel, system as it went up and over the mountain. It seem to disengage at each stop then re-engage when leaving, which tended to slow us down some.
I hope you enjoyed this short traveling version of our post. Next post will be about Luzern.
Grindelwald – Jungfraujoch
Departing from Grindelwald once again, we find ourselves heading through the Kleine Scheidegg to our ultimate destination – Jungfraujoch, the Top Of Europe, or so they say.
Jungfraujoch
The Jungfraujoch experience is a collection of tunnels accessed by the Jungfraujoch rack rail directly under the saddle or “Joch” of the Jungfrau. However, most of these tunnels are actually under the south side of Mönch and provide access to the glacier, the observatory, as well as other necessities for people to visit. It all starts with a train ride.
As you can see from the price on our tickets, they are not inexpensive, so get a travel pass if traveling by family or small groups. As a couple we probably could have saved some money, but we wanted to remain flexible since we slow travel and never know what we are doing one day to the next.
With the exception of the glacier stop, which by the way you can only view going up (so get out if you want to see it), all other exhibits in the Jungfraujoch can be visited in any order.
The Eiger Glacier
The first stop, while on the train, is the Eiger glacier. Since our hiking trip from Kleine Scheidegg showed us the bottom of the glacier, we thought it only fitting to see where it begins as well. It is a five minute stop, so you must hop off and hop back on once you are done.
In the photographs above, you can just see where the glacier drops over the edge and descends rapidly. From there, you can pick up the view of it from below (see our previous post on Kleine Scheidegg).
Jungfraujoch – Glacier
While you are still inside the complex, the first glimpses of the glacier are impressive. Here are some photographs while we were still winding through the corridors trying to find our first tour.
Jungfraujoch – Museum Exhibits
There are a few museum related exhibits on the lower floor the include dioramas and other artifacts in glass enclosures. They all make for interesting reading.
Jungfraujoch – Ice Palace
The ice palace, or palast, is a corridor and rooms with ice carvings in them. It is cold, kept at a constant minus six degrees celsius, so you will need to bring something warm to supplement your apparel.
Here are also some videos of walking through the ice tunnel. The floor is actually not as slippery as one would think, probably due to intense cold temperature they keep it at.
Jungfraujoch – Alpine Sensation
The Alpine Sensation is a mixture of museum and distractions for children. It still offers enough to stop and take a look at some of the interesting exhibits and information they have on the history of the Jungfraujoch. However, if you take the moving walkway they may be more difficult to read.
Jungfraujoch – The Sphinx
Though not completely sure why it’s called The Sphinx, probably a mixture of the astronomy dome and the platforms resembling that form from a distance, it offers outside panoramic views of the glacier and the surrounding peaks. Bundle up though, it’s cold outside!
Here are some remaining still photographs in a slideshow.
This concludes our trip to Grindelwald and the surrounding areas. We really enjoyed the hotel, the town, the hiking, the air and of course the mountains! We hope to return one day with our children. But until then, on to Lucern, our next stop on our trip.
Grindelwald – Kleine Scheidegg
At two thousand or so meters above sea level and little Grindelwald, is the small train interchange of the mountain pass at Kleine Scheidegg. Three separate lines run from here and it becomes a busy little beehive in the morning hours, less so in the afternoon, at least during summer.
We purchased our tickets in Grindelwald station not thinking much about passes, which is actually a mistake, but live and learn. In any case, to get there you take the rack train, or cog train, from Grindelwald.
The way up takes about thirty minutes and there are about three stops along the way, including Grindelwald Grund, to pick up passengers who drive to take the train on a day trip. Since I forgot to take a video going up, here is a short one on the way down.
Note: Investigate getting a multi-day pass that includes the Jungfraujoch and traveling in the area. Especially if you are traveling with family or a group, this may save you serious money. The Jungfraujoch is an inclusive train/experience, so it will be a bit pricey, so any discount you can get may relieve the sticker shock.
Kleine Scheidegg
With the Hotel Bellevue, where Clint Eastwood stayed during the shooting of The Eiger Sanction, a movie based on the novel with the same name; Kleine Scheidegg is a collection of hotels, cafes and train lines to other parts, including Jungfraujoch and Lauterbrunnen.
The Eiger Glacier
Next to the imposing Eiger, the Eiger glacier drains its icy contents between itself and the Mönch, while Jungfrau sits idly by, to the right of both.
The hike from the train station up to the glacier is about an hour and can be quite demanding at time. There is loose gravel and some tricky places where you ascend. But it’s all worth it in the end, the views are amazing. Here is a slideshow of the sights that we saw on our trek up.
Restaurants
I hope you enjoyed our trip to the glacier and the area around it. We actually did eat at a small place here, it’s not much to look at, and at the time they only had window service because they are still in reduced operations.
Restaurant Eigernordwand
This little restaurant has very limited room inside and outside, so first come, first served, as they say. The menu is rather simple, but the food is very good. Like other places around and due to its location, the prices are on the high side, especially for window-only service.
If you are traveling during virus restrictions, keep in mind that you have to remain flexible. So prices notwithstanding, we still enjoyed it and felt that we had a decent lunch when we left.
Our day trip ends with a short video of us pulling out of the Kleine Scheidegg station. Patti and I both agreed we have to visit during winter, to get the full feeling for this beautiful place.
Grindelwald – Oberjoch
If you are looking for things to and have the time, the way to probably see the area around Grindelwald is with a package, like a three day pass. There are others to choose from and some can save you some serious money, if you plan correctly. Since we were kind of flying by the seat of pants, this being a rather long excursion for us, we decided to go the à la carte, even though we kind of knew what we wanted to see.
Grindwald First
Though included in several packages, you can purchase this tourist package separately. It cost us 62CHF per person with no discounts, which they constantly asked us for but would never tell us how you can obtain one of them (is that not typical Swiss).
However, we enjoyed ourselves thoroughly. The alpine air, the walks and especially the views. Here is a slideshow on our way up the mountain Schwarzhorn for our amazing views of the Grindelwald Valley and the surrounding moutains.
Here are also a few video clips of our ascent up the Schwarzhorn and to the Oberjoch ridge and Grindelwald First.
The Bachalpsee
After the Grindelwald First, and yes that actually just covers the walk around the Oberjoch cliff, there is also a nice hike to the Bachalpsee. It is signed as a fifty minute walk, but if you are with children and others, you may want to add ten or twenty minutes to your round trip time, just for talking and other diversions, like picture taking.
The above slideshow details our lazy day trek to the Bachalpsee, a very nice walk to an alpine lake. A bit rocky along the way, but you can make it with a good pair of tennis shoes or sneakers.
That’s it for now, will be back tomorrow with more travel adventures.
Grindelwald – First Impressions
We have been in Grindelwald for a day and it’s one of those unique places in the world, that have almost a storybook feel to it. Well, at least by visiting it, you can understand how this can happen with its majestic mountains, windy scenic roads and bucolic country feel.
We arrived by train from Interlaken and made the modest trek up a steep incline to our accomodations, the Hotel Alpenhof. One can make an argument that everything here is on a steep incline, and they would be right.
The hotel is what you would expect for typical alpine accomodations, rustic with that scenic charm and a commanding view of the mountains, especially the Eiger. Above is a slideshow of our charming suite and a few shots of the overview we have from our balcony.
Grindelwald – A Stroll Down Mainstreet
The town of Grindelwald is not quaint, but rather a mixture of alpine tourist shops, restaurants, bars and cafes, and the odd monument. It is surrounded by the pastoral countryside, which is dotted by working farms and alpine cottages and houses. Since pictures are worth a thousand words, for this first blog on Grindelwald, a slideshow of walking the length of mainstreet, all the way out of town towards the Grosse Scheidegg, is noteworthy.
Finally, a few videos you may enjoy.
Interlaken – Stepstool To The Alps
After our stay in Offenbach, we headed to Switzerland using Germany’s ICE service. We of course experienced the customary breakdown, or what they like to call a Technische Störung, a German euphemism for someone committing suicide on the tracks, or just the Deutsche Bahn not being able to run a railroad. We have actually not ridden an ICE that did not have an issue, and from the comments we heard from the other Germans, they haven’t either.
We arrived in Basel SBB too late for our connecting train, so after waiting a further half an hour, we finally made it to our destination, Interlaken, our stepstool to the Alps. Interlaken is a small city, sitting between two rather large lakes, the Thunersee and the Brienzersee.
We stayed at the Hotel Interlaken, a four star hotel half way between the train station and the center of town, and handsomely situation across from the main park. Though it worked out well because of the rain, you should not worry about the location of any hotels in Interlaken, the city is not large enough to be too far away from either the Interlaken-West or Interlaken-Ost train stations.
Interlaken – The City
The actual city is what I would call confused. It appears, it does not know its identity, or what it wants to be. It appears to be conflicted between being a tourist town, a normal town for residence, or just a waypoint on someone’s map (train stop).
It has both expensive hotels, restaurants and casinos, and then less fortunate areas within a block of one another. Several areas look destitute, some historic (like around the tourist museum), others more disconsulate – where stores have actually closed.
Unfortunately, while we were there, all it did was rain for two days. But, I would rather have it rain in Interlaken, than in Grindelwald, which was our ultimate destination on this trip. To be fair, we were using it as a rest stop anyway, so no fuss, no foul. In any case, we got one day, the day we left, to get some amazing photographs of the mountains without clouds surrounding them.
As for recommending any restaurants in the area, we cannot. There are a lot of closed restaurants, an affect of the virus. The ones that are still open are fine, overpriced, like all food in Switzerland, but none remarkable. Hopefully others that travel behind us may have better luck when the city recovers a bit more. Now, on to Grindelwald, the Eiger and the Jungfrau, Tschüß!
Koblenz – City Of Two Rivers
Situated between the confluence of the Moselle and Rhine rivers sits the city of Koblenz. The city, having been repeatedly bombed during the war, has been rebuilt and in some sections in the old style.
We began our whirlwind tour of Koblenz in Ehrenbreitstein, the location of the Fortess that overlooks the two rivers.
Festung Ehrenbreitstein
The Festung Ehrenbreitstein, or Fortress Ehrenbreitstein, is located atop of the hill across the Rhine from Koblenz, with a commanding view of both. There is a very nice park there, called the Festungspark, which includes an overlook of the rivers and several walking paths.
The fortress itself is about a half of a kilometer away from the parking for the park. But, there is also parking for it as well, if you continue to drive past the park. The problem with the parking is it get’s rather full quickly, and there is also a charge. But there is ample parking along the access road, so avail yourself of that if the parking is full.
The fortress has several interesting floors of exhibits, dedicated to the buildings history and its uses. The exhibits go back to the Roman times and there are several examples of Roman currency, pottery and other tools. Additionally, there are more modern examples of cannon and other military weapons. Here is a short slideshow of some of the exhibits.
Koblenz – Parts Of The City
We were not able to see all of the city, due to some constraints on our time, but we still saw enough of it to get the feeling it’s a very vibrant city.
Historical Koblenz
There are plenty of tourists and with numerous cafes and restaurants, there are no problems to sit down and have a drink or something to eat.
There are also stark differences between the old and newer sections, one trying to hold onto the past by cobblestones and fachwerk houses, the other marching into the future with malls and boutique stores, supplied by a seemingly busy bus network.
Deutsches Eck
The Deutsches Eck, or German Corner, is the point at which the confluence of the Rhine meets the Moselle. There is also a large park here and several landmarks to visit.
It is also the launch point for several Rhine river boat tours, including the familiar Viking River Boat Cruises. We enjoyed our day in Koblenz, it holds many interesting places to visit, too many for a single day tour. But even with one day, there is plenty to do and enjoy.
Our next stop is Switzerland and the Jungfrau area, until then, stay safe!
Obertraun, Sankt Gilgen – The Better Alternatives
Having stayed in Salzburg for about three days, we were eager to explore other areas within the beautiful Austrian countryside. After discussing our options with our daughter Ericka and her boyfriend Gabi, and having heard so much about the little town of Hallstatt, we decided it might be a good idea to try and pay it a visit.
Hallstatt
From Salzburg, about a hour’s drive away or so, is the tiny town of Hallstatt. Billed by Rick Steves, and many others, as the place to see in Austria, the so called quintessential Austrian town – hemmed in by mountains on one side, the Hallstattersee on the other and a stream dividing it – it must have been, back in the day. I stress, must have been, because it is no longer, thanks to over-tourism.
It is much like Venice now, spoiled by the hords of people that descend upon it daily and ruin its quaint charm, it is nothing but a hollowed-out tourist trap. Do not bother going, unless of course you are willing to do the Covid-elbow-rub with thousands of others. It is so overrun, even in times like these, that they have parking attendants, much like they have in the US at a state fair! It is so bad, people park along the sides of the roads for kilometers and walk in, perhaps for up to an hour. Therefore, after several U-turns and mulling it over for ten minutes or so, we didn’t think it worth the risk, nor the increased burden on the town. We gladly passed it by…
Suggestion: With the exception of major cities, here is something you may want to try. If you have paid for a travel book, circle everything in it on a map, and just don’t go there. Part of traveling should be discovery, not necessarily traveling on someone else’s footsteps. Unless it’s large city, like Rome or Paris, I am sure the people in these tiny little towns – who have been targeted by the tourism industry – will thank you, if anyone still lives there.
In our travels, we have been in some seriously one horse towns, and though some may be considered down right boring, we have never regretted visiting any of them.
Obertraun
This tiny little place is not in anyone’s book and consequently, is nothing to look at, but it has fantastic views. It has a beautiful park where you can walk and enjoy the day, you can even make arrangements to go swimming, boating or paddle-boarding.
Additionally, there are ferry rides that can take you to other places along the lake. At the time we were here, they were running a reduced scheduled, so you may want to have alternate plans, if planning a visit soon.
Sankt Gilgen
Another quiet little gem is the small town of St. Gilgen, or Sankt Gilgen. It is on the road to Salzburg along the Wolfgangsee. We spent a quiet afternoon here, eating lunch, walking and talking and enjoying the town, almost tourist-free.
This little town seems to enjoy mostly local tourists, probably from the surrounding countryside, eager to get out and relax in the beautiful waters of the Wolfgangsee. There appears to be a host of things you can do on the water, as well as cycling, camping and just sunbathing.
After our initial disappointment with Hallstatt, we were glad we made the day-trip to see these two unexpected surprises in the Austrian countryside.