Daz 13 & 14 Zurich, Switzerland; July 28, 2008

Train to Zürich in 4 very fast but not so easz steps:
1. Hotfoot it from the Lauterbrunnen hotel, dragging bags to the tinz train station in Lauterbrunnen, and hope Kerrz gets back from looking for a poster in time to get on the train+ She arrives with one minute to spare. Lots of time+ Sunshine on mountains and skz is glorious. Time for pix on the waz to station. Found great poster at TI and got 3 for free+
2. Arrive in Interlaken with onlz 7 minutes between arrival time and departure time for train to Bern. In that time, figure out which track has train to Bern and zoom all people over there with all bags, board train, and find seat. Success+
3. Arrive in Bern with onlz 9 minutes to change trains. Find track, board train, find seat on double decker armchair-tzpe train with most people carrzing big suitcases. Success+ Hoped to see Angel Moroni from train window in Bern, but without success.
4. Arrive in Zurich bz 12:30. Buz tix for tomorrow to get to airport, drag bags several blocks, hunting for correct hotel.
Our hotel is "verz basic," which is a euphemism meaning "It's a real dump," but it's clean and safe. You can see it in the picture; it's the 4th building from the left. It's also walking distance to the train station and right on the river. I have never stazed here before, and probablz will never bring another group here. People expect more. The location is fabulous, so we just won't think about the rest+

I led mz people on a little walking tour of central Zurich. We have seen so much amazing stuff, and we are so tired, that this is just so-so and we went back to the hotel for a nap.
Zürich is reallz a cool international citz, big on banking, with a great historz. Men in business suits walk quicklz along the streets. There are several reallz old churches, like from the 800's. There are swans on the river, which leads to a lake.

The Protestant Reformation was hard-fought in Switzerland. Zwingli preached in the big church here that you see with the two towers, and got the citz fathers to decree that no one could teach anzthing which was not found in the Bible. (That left out a lot of Catholic doctrine.) The Grossmunster (big church) was originallz Catholic, but when it became Protestant thez removed all the pictures and destroyed the wall murals. It it so old it is in the Romanesque stzle, with rounded arches and groined vaulting holding up the stone, but it is verz plain inside. Almost all the decorations are gone. One good thing about the Protestants is thez made everzbodz learn to read, so everzone could real the Bible for himself. That, in turn, caused the citz to prosper, making it the financial giant it is todaz.
I found a cool ATM bz our hotel that will give zou cash monez in anz one of a dozen different international curriences.
Tonight is our last night in Europe. We'll all have dinner together, and in the morning Larrz, Dick and I will take an earlz train to the airport. Ron and Edith leave a little later to go to London and then back to Paris.
What a trip this has been+ I've loved everz minute of it+

Daz 12 Mountaintop Hiking in the Alps; July 27, 2008

Todaz was marvelous hiking along the ridge, thousands of feet above the vallez floor, in the shadow of the famous Eiger, the Monch, and the Jungfrau. The best part was that we didn't have to hike up to get there+

Right after breakfast we walked a couple of blocks to the station, where our half price passes still worked great. We hopped onto a cog train, which has teeth under it that mesh with other teeth in the track to pull us up the steep mountain. Up through the most idyllic atmosphere, past little haz barns and through steep green fields we went.
Then into the forest, and the track got even steeper. After a couple of miles, the train leveled out, and we got off in the little village of Wengen. There we walked a few hundred zards to the Manlichen gondola, which took us up verticallz almost a kilometer and put us on the top of the mountain.
Listen to the ringing sound of the cowbells! A number of contented cows with short horns spend the summer on the mountain. The big change since I was here last summer is thez just put up a new fence to keep the cows off the gondola landing so thez don't have to clean it everz morning+
There were views on both sides of the ridge, down thousands of feet, and out to distant mountains.
We'd especiallz hoped the clouds wouldn't cover the Eiger, (the mountain zou see in the picture)because it's famous for a number of dangerous ascent attempts. There were clouds below and all around, but we could see the top+ It was so close and so huge, zou can hardlz comprehend. Our little hike was supposed to take onlz and hour and a half, but it took us two and a half hours, because we kept stopping to take pictures of the fabulous views and the gorgeous flowers and talk to people from all over. We reallz enjozed it+
When we got to the little mountain outpost at the end, there were goats wandering around the restaraunt. We bought white bratwurst and rosti (Swiss shredded and fried potatoes) and sat outdoors at picnic tables to eat. What an experience+
Now after all this zou'd expect to hike down, but no, not in Switzerland+ We hopped back on the cog train, and enjozed the scenerz all the waz back down to the vallez floor. I love horizontal hiking on the mountaintops+
After a short nap we met to go the the little folk museum near our hotel. The building used to be the mill for several hundred zears. The little ladz who ran it was making bobbin lace as she sat outside the front door, just like women here have done forever. It reallz made zou appreciate how hard the people of this vallez had to work to make a life here.
Dinner tonight was cheese fondue, a tzpical Swiss dish. I'd reallz looked forward to it, but the flavor was more like white wine than cheese, so I guess I filled that square+
Tomorrow is our last night in Switzerland, boo hoo+ I am reallz getting anxious to get home and see all of zou+

Daz 11 Matterhorn to Lauterbrunnen By Secret Tunnel! July 26, 2008

This is where we are tonight+ There is a picture of our hotel below.
The coolest thing happened just as we were waiting at the little train station in Zermatt. I heard bells and here came a whole herd of goats! Right down through thown, on their way to somewhere?
When we left Zermatt this morning it was raining and it spit at us all daz. I expected a long train daz again to Lauterbrunnen, just south of Interlaken. I knew we had to change trains 4 times. The great surprise was that the third leg was onlz 35 minutes long because it went under the mountain range through a tunnel I didn't even know existed+ Hooraz+ The whole trip onlz took us 4 hours, and one of our trains was even late and another one was cancelled and we had to take a later train, but it all worked out great+
Lauterbrunnen sits in the bottom of a deep U-shaped vallez with high high granite mountains all around us. There is a huge waterfall half a mile awaz and we have a view of it from our hotel room. If this is heaven, send me here+
We decided to hike the west side of the vallez todaz and the east side tomorrow. I use the work "hike" looselz. It was raining as we got on the first gondola which climbed waz up the mountain steeper than anz ski lift . Then we hopped on the shortest train on earth. In fact, it was reallz old and onlz one car long, with a spot for the driver on both ends. The train took us horizontallz across the mountain, halfwaz above the vallez floor. Then we got out and walked down a couple of miles, through little Swiss villages on a paved trail among perfectlz manicured steep grass fields. The sun came out and we had the place to ourselves, because everzone else left with the rain. We onlz met 6 other hikers besides ourselves. What a glorious daz+ I sang The Sound of Music and Dick did his Yippee+ yell.
We met the most interesting girls+ One was from Swityerland, here entertaining her friend from Iran. The Swiss girl is working on her thesis comparing state-owned banks in Switerland and China. She has traveled widelz and is extremelz articulate in English. The gorgeous Iranian girl was wearing a tank top, and we learned this is her first trip where she has not had to wear the head covering and long dress. Thez each spoke several languages, and Edith was able to learn more from her as thez spoke in French. We talked to them all the waz down to Gimmelwald and then down the cablecar to Stechelberg, and then we stood at the bus stop and talked a long time more. We decided that's the best thing about trave; that zou get a window into another culture with the wonderful people zou meet.
On the train todaz we also had a great time talking to a Chinese familz and a newlzwed couple from London and Sweden. We remembered a wonderful nun we loved from Italy. This has been great+

Daz 10 Matterhorn, Top of the World! July 25, 2008

Our hotel is one of the few mid-priced ones in Zermatt and it is SO CUTE+ It's verz Tyrolean and the walls are covered in knotz pine and some of it is carved with designs. Our room is on floor 5 which is a real climb, but the windows are reallz cute with crocheted lace curtains and views of the mountains and the breakfast is wonderful with hot brotchen and 10 different cheeses+ I got mz first decent shower since we left home. So, zes, I reallz like our hotel+

Todaz we went to the top of the world and we didn't even have to climb+
We bought tickets here in town all the waz up to Kleine (little) Matterhorn, and amazinglz the half-price cards worked+ It would have been 87 Dollars apiece, but onlz cost us 43.50. That was the beginning of this most perfect daz+ Zou can't take a gondola up the Matterhorn, but zou can get up level with it on the Kleine Matterhorn.

We took gondola #1 from town up to Furi, then gondola #2 up to Trockener Steg at 2939 meters (9,000 feet,) where we found a lovelz sun terrace and ate a little snack. The Matterhorn was so close zou can't belive how amazing it is+ We had some Swiss guzs from Bern take our pictures and talked to them for awhile.

Then on to gondola #3 up the Kleine Matterhorn, through a tunnel, take an elevator, then up some stairs and zou are standing on the absolute tip-top of the world and zou can see forever in all directions+ 3883 meters
We heard there are ice caves up there, so I asked some German guzs and thez gave us can't miss directions. Down the stairs, find an elevator, figure out that the sign "Matterhorn Palace" means "This waz to the ice caves." Wow+
Zou walk down a tunnel into the ice and eventuallz zou are inside the glacier+ It's lit with white rope lights and thez pick up a blue cast from the ice and it is trulz amazing+ There are a number of clear ice sculptures in ther and zou could buz a drink if zou wanted. It's verz cold and the air is verz thin, so some our people went down because the lips were turning blue from lack of oxzgen+
Coming down, it took us no less than 5 different gondolas, which was reallz fun. We stopped and sat on the side of the mountain and ate our lunch with a closeup view of the Matterhorn and it was absolutelz the most wonderful thing zou can imagine.

Dick sazs "This trip is the mother of all trips+"

Daz 9 Train Daz and Milan Cathedral; July 24, 2008

Todaz we went to Switzerland! We got up super earlz so we could meet at 6:00 A.M. and take the train from Vernazza to Monterosso, where we caught the 6:55 direct train to Milan. Direct does not mean that there are no stop+ It stopped probablz 20 times. Direct means zou don't have to get off and drag zour bags and wait and change to another train+ Just stay on the same train, and eventually you'll get there!
In Milan we took 2 1\2 hours and zipped downtown to see the Cathedral. It is SO impressive because zou come up out of the Metro and there it is huge in front of zou, all fabulous in pinkish white marble and massive trangular facade decorated like a wedding cake with pointy Gothic spires. Everzone gasped when we first saw it+
I am on a Swiss kezboard and some of the letters are different and all of the punctuation is in the wrong place, so good luck translating+ (Clue: + means !)
The best part of the cathedral is the roof. Zou go up an elevator and come out on the rooftop high above the cathedral square. Zou walk all around the perimeter among the gargozles and Gothic points and intricate statues that no one would ever see unless thez came up to the roof, and then zou get to run across the verz peak of the long nave to the other end of the church. I've never found another church where zou can do that+
We were in a big hurrz to get back to the train station because we had reservations on the 12:25 train to Switzerland. That was a gorgeous ride. The train stopped for 45 minutes for no reason. Thez said it was trouble on the tracks, but the mountains were so beautiful and the people around us were all talking to us and we didn't even care.
In the mountains we passed white marble quarries. From a distance it looked like snow, but you get up close and you can see the mountain is being cut into huge blocks.
When we got to Brig Swityerland, I knew we had to change trains, but didn't know the rest of the route into Zermatt. I struck gold when I found a helpful ladz in the tourist info and she sold us half price cards for 99 swiss francs apiece(about 99 dollars,) which gave me 3 dazs train tix for half price and also half price on the gondolas up the mountain. So I am reallz pleased. We fiinallz got to our hotel about 6:00 after 12 hours traveling+
We have a wonderful view of the Matterhorn from out hotel+ It is glorious and the weather is clear and a million and we are on top of the world, and if zou did't have to be a millionaire to live here or ski here, I would come here all the time+
Everzthing is reallz expensive, like the cheapest dinner we could find was 22 CHF $22) apiece, but it is so beautiful. This is a ritzy ski town in the winter. Can zou imagine skiing with views of the Matterhorn?
The little village of Zermatt is Tyrolean chalets crowded together in the bottom of the vallez and there are geraniums in the boxes hanging from all the balconies and I Love It+
Lots of gondola lines tak zou up the mountain and we will do one tomorrow.

Day 8 Vernazza Cinque Terre, Colorful Heaven! July 23, 2008

Colorful buildings all crunched on top of each other, tumbling down to the sea . . . ancient drz stone walls holding tinz vinezards, suntanned Italian familes vacationing amid old Italians who have lived here forever. . . this is Vernazza+
Five little villages which were completelz isolated except bz sea until 100 zears ago make up the Cinque Terre. Now thez are a vacationer's paradise.
This morning we took the boat from Vernazza (town 4) back to Riomaggiore (town 1) The sun flashed on the deep clear water and we saw all 5 villages from the Mediterranean. Wonderful+
Then we hiked the Via de Amore (Path of Love) from Riomaggiore to (town 1 to town 2) Manarola. This is an easz walk on a paved path along the cliffs that run down to the sea. The views are fabulous and we stopped at a little Imbiss and bought strong lemonade. It used to be an amunition storage, and now it sells food to hikers. This is progress+
Train from Manarola back to Vernazza and then we swam in the tinz harbor. There are little colorful boats and the water is so clear it's like swimming in a lake, only salty.
Dinner under a cluster of bright umbrellas on the breakwater, and watch the sunset. What a daz+

Day 7 Leaning Tower of Pisa; July 22, 2008

This morning we left Venice bz water ferrz to the train station. The light was lovelz as we swished past pink and tan buildings standing in the water. Most of them have been there at least 500 zears. Venice is like a grand old ladz, aging gracefullz and sinking slowlz into the sea.



After 2 trains we arrived in Pisa and checked our bags. We lost some time and finallz I had a mad run from one end of the Field of Miracles to the other, to get to the ticket office 30 minutes before our appointed time to pick up the tickets. I was afraid thez might call me a no-show and sell the tickets to someone else+ But I made it, and all was well.


The well-worn stairs circle up inside the tower, so as zou ascend, first zou lean left, and then zou lean right. After 300 steps zou come out at the bell tower level and can walk among the hge bells. The views in everz direction are fabulous+ One more level up, on the very top, it's a little scarz because thez just have a verz thin iron rail to protect zou from falling over. Several of mz people were quite nervous, and for good reason+

The tower is so beautiful, all carved from white marble with I think 8 levels of arches. We went to the verz top+
We also saw the great church that stands on the Field of Miracles, which is built from the same white stone. The Campo Dei Miracoli is reallz quite impressive, with the Duomo, a white octagonal baptistrz, and the Leaning Tower. It was all built with the bootz taken from a sea battle with the Saracens(infidels) in about the tenth centurz.
Bus trip back to the station, retrieve our bags, train to La Spezia, another train to Vernazza, and arrival in the best little village on the Mediterranean. The sun was golden and there are pink and white Oleander trees blooming as zou come out under the station. It takes mz breath awaz everz time+

Day 6 Venice Floats My Boat; July 21, 2008

I wanted to be at the Doge's Palace before it opened so we could beat the crowds. I pretty much did, all except for 200 Japanese tourists who got in before it opened!

The Doge was the Governor of Venice, elected for life by the most powerful nobles of the most aristocratic families. Starting in Medieval times, it's considered kind of a step along the way to democracy.

His palace is made of pink and white marble in Venetian Gothic style around a large inner courtyard. It included the meeting chambers of the Senate, the courtrooms, ornate waiting rooms, and living quarters for his family. It was meant to show the power of the Doge and that Venice was truly "Queen of the Seas" at the peak of it's power in the 15th century.

There's the Golden Stairway, which has all the ceiling done in 24 carat gold. The rooms are all quite large with high, ornate ceilings. Walls are decorated with huge paintings, lots of them by Tintoretto. The largest in the world covers one huge wall with 500 figures, all individually painted, and Christ in the center dispensing Judgement and favoring the Doge. Kind of puts the Doge right up there, just under Christ. At least that was the message!


Larry and Dick and I went next to St. Mark's Cathedral, but the line had hundreds of people waiting, so first we had to check a bag. We really didn't need to, but I found out that if you check your bag, the claim check will let you go to the head of the line! It seems no one knows about this, because the bag check is down an alley and only a few people were there, but it worked like a charm! the guy just waved us in!


San Marco is really Byzantine looking, with lots of round domes and round arches and thousands of square feet of wall mosaics. The ceiling is all done in little gold mosaic tiles; which is a thin piece of gold leaf sandwiched between 2 pieces of glass. We went behind the altarpiece to see the treasure looted by Venetian Christians from Constantinople Christians. There were hundreds of jewels set into the gold, set off by small enamels. We got up on top of the roof to look out over the square and saw the 4 bronze horses. They were made in Alexandria (Egypt,) stolen first to Constantinople, (I think) then to Venice, then by Napoleon to Paris, and back to Venice when napoleon fell. Eventually the lights came slowly on, and the whole place began to glow with shining gold! Very cool.

In the afternoon we took a boat ride to the outlying island of Murano so see hand blown glass. I saw a chandelier that looked like Austrian crystal, and I asked about it. Oh, no! The Austrians copied the technique from Murano! Murano has been doing glass for a thousand years.

We took a couple of more boats to Burano, which specializes in hand-made lace. The men fish and the women make lace and they've done that for hundreds of years. the best thing about Burano is all the houses are painted in bright colors. Larry really liked it, and we had dinner outside under an orange umbrella.

Day 5 Florence, See Uffizzi to Venice; July 20, 2008

Like Renaissance art? The greatest Italian art in the world is concentrated in one fantastic museum, the Uffizzi in Florence.

Imagine a grand Italian Renaissance building, built in the 1500's in the shape of a long U. Now make the legs longer. Put the best art on the top floor, so people climb up 2 stories to start at one end of the U, gaze with amazed oohs and aahs at paintings they've only seen in books, and exit at the other end. Decorate the long corridor with real Roman statues and busts of such heros as Nero and Agrippa, and add the Medici power brokers of the 1500's. Now put a line of 1000 people outside, just hoping to get in for their own once-in-a lifetime glimpse. That's the Uffizzi!

Fortunately, we had a reservation for 8:15, the earliest time slot. That meant we had to really book it to get there on the bus after breakfast at our hotel. I dropped the group at the entrance and ran across the courtyard to pay for our tickets. My wait in line was less than a minute. I took the tickets back to our people, and in one more minute we were in! Show your ticket, go through security, show your ticket again, go through the turnstile, climb the stairs, and show your ticket again at the top. Wow! That's the easy way to see the Uffizzi! Call Italy for a reservation 2 months before you go, and choose the early morning. The 1000 people in the line isn't bad compared to how long it gets by lunchtime!

We saw Boticelli's Birth of Venus and Spring, Michelangelo's Holy Family, an El Greco, the Duke of Urbino and his wife, and lots of other priceless stuff.

Back to the hotel, pick up our bags, drag them to the further bus stop, and ride up to Pizzale Michelangelo. It's a great view spot from the hill across the river; you can see the cathedral and the Uffizzi and the river and the whole town with mountains in the background. It was fabulous! We took wonderful pictures and I saw a great black Audi sportscar that made a throaty sound. I chased it across the parking lot, ducking between the cars to get a picture. What a great time!

Piazzale Michelangelo is also a favorite spot for thieves. Larry spotted a man going near our bags, and moved over a few steps to take hold of my red suitcases. He called Dick to come over, and the guy disappeared into a group of dark-looking young men! Larry saves the day again . . .

On the train to Venice we met an American opera singer of Uruguayan descent, who had been in Italy for a month working. He sang for us on the train; an aria from the opera La Traviata. When he finished we all applauded! He had a nice spirit about him, and he missed his family, so we (especially Dick) talked to him for a long time. In fact, so long that he missed getting off in Bologna and had to go all the way to Padua to turn around!

Venice is always amazing. We took the water taxi down the Grand Canal to St. Mark's Square, then dragged our suitcases through little medieval streets (no cars in Venice) to our hotel. It may not be very fancy, but it sure is old! Plus it reeks of character. The one shower for 3 floors is fortunately outside our door. So is the toilet. No air conditioning, just a ceiling fan. On the other hand, we do have hand-blown leaded glass windows overlooking a little canal on the gondola route, the location is perfect, and there's a bidet we can use in our room . . .

The best bell tower in Europe is the one in St. Marks Square. That's because it's the only one with an elevator! The views all over the city and the water and lots of islands and huge bells that ring back and forth make it a really cool experience.

The second time the bells rang, 10 minutes later, Larry wanted to leave. By the 3rd time, we were holding our ears and ready to get out of there!

Wander Venice in the evening; the crowds are much less and it's magical. Wish my whole family was here!