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 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 1, & 2 Viva Roma! A Comedy of Errors; July 16 & 17, 2008

Hello everyone, here we are in Rome! I love this!

Larry, Dick and I arrived yesterday morning, after a long overnight flight, and the comedy of errors began! Oh, my heck! I should have known I was in for it when the plane came in to land, and we were very close to the sea. Huh? Oops! I thought we'd be arriving at the other airport! Oh, well, how tough can it be? That meant we'd have to hunt to find the train into town, but that was OK.

Then we were in a hurry to get on the train, and yes, you guessed it, I jumped on the wrong train! I kind of suspected when I saw everyone carrying suitcases getting onto the other train, but there were so many people in the aisle, I couldn't get off to check. As soon as the train pulled out, the conductor's voice came on and announced all the stops, and none of them sounded familiar. Oh dear, now should we get off, go back to the airport, and start over? I went to ask, but couldn't find anyone official. I was really worried that the conductor might come along and ask to see our tickets (which they usually do) and we didn't have a ticket to ride that train, so all 3 of us would get hefty fines. Just the perfect start for a trip to Europe!

After several stops and asking again, we decided to get off at Cittavecchia and try to transfer to the metro for the rest of the trip. After asking some more, we finally found the metro. The metro stop had a different name than the train stop (unusual) but lo and behold, I recognized where I was! So we hopped on, and it was the right line to take us directly to our hotel, and we didn't even have to transfer at the main station, and in 20 minutes we were at our hotel!

Larry and Dick and I flew over together, while Dick's brother Ron from England, and his girlfriend Edith from Paris were joining us a few hours later. Meanwhile, we had a hard time deciding which bus tour to take while we waited. Boy, did pick wrong! The bus was a double-decker with an open top and commentary in your earphones in any one of 8 languages. The ones I've had before were great, but this one was really boring. We were dying, fighting sleepy jet lag. At least it was good to sit down and be driven all around Rome to the sound of classical music!

When we 5 finally all got together, we headed for the Colosseum. Every time I go, it amazes me more! Here's a tip: the way to skip the 2-hour line for general admission is to march right around it and go to the window that sells guided tours! Hooray! Our guide was a little Italian lady that looked about 14, but she's already an architect, so maybe she knows an ancient Roman beauty secret. Anyway, she gave us lots of great info and we loved it.

By then it was too late to get into the Forum or Palatine Hill, so we went to dinner in a little family-run place near our hotel. It was so authentic Larry couldn't even eat his "roast beef." It was sliced really thin and was bright red! He was convinced it was raw, but Edith said you could tell it had been cooked, because it was brown around the edges. He sent it back to be cooked, and the owner gave him weird looks, but he cooked it brown!

The way to beat jet lag going this direction is to stay up until the regular bedtime in Europe. that means we'd been up for 40 hours straight before we went to bed, but we had no trouble at all falling asleep!

Day 8 All Day Travel, Cinque Terre to Utrecht; June 23, 2008

How many different modes of travel can one person do in one crazy long day? We decided the number is TEN different legs, because that's what we did yesterday! 14 hours in transit, oh my heck we're tired!
This was our Monday:
1. Cinque Terre regional train to Sestri Levante
Lots and lots of tunnels, because the mountains drop right down to the sea, and the train wants to travel on the flat! Tunnel through every mountain. When we get an opening to the sea, it's glorious!
2. Sestri Levante to Genoa, regional train (read, slow and makes tons of stops)
Gorgeous views of the sea and the Italian Riviera. Lots of yachts on the smooth blue sea, purple bouganvilla and flat-topped pines, and sun-drenched houses of yellow, tan, pink, and coral hues all crammed together. Red tile roofs. Genoa is the home town of Christopher Columbus, and you can understand why he loved the sea. It is so beautiful here!
3. Genoa to Milan, faster IC train. Nice airline seats, everyone has a seat reservation.
Traveling north now, through open fields and small Italian workaday towns. We try to sleep sitting up facing strangers in the seats across from us. Hmm . . . not very successful.
4. We're in Milan, let's take this chance to go see the Milan Opera House! Maybe the greatest opera house in the world. In an 1880's building, with a lovely ballroom on the second floor similar to the Paris Opera House. We eavesdropped on a lady giving an English tour to a couple in the next box. Fabulous horseshoe shape, five tiers high, red velvet draped with gold. The stage area has all been redone to make it competitive with other worldwide opera venues. Stage area is as large as the audience, and can have 3 separate sets going at once. They have over 150 feet of fly space, meaning they can raise very tall sets up into the rafters with a touch of a button. For theater people, this is way cool. I really enjoyed it because I've heard about this place forever, and I finally got to go see it!
Took the Metro subway from the train station to downtown Milan.
5. Had lunch in a huge glassed atrium in the center of Milan. Right in the center, 80 feet to the ceiling, and we found the prime table. The stores facing us were Mercedes Benz, Louis Vuitton, Prada, and us. Guess where we ate? McDonald's! Absolutely prime real estate, the atmosphere was fabulous, and the price was right!
Did our spin on the testicles of the bull in center of the atrium. Supposed to bring good luck!
Dashed back past the white marble Milan Cathedral on our way to the Metro back to the train station.
6. Took a big shuttle bus from the station to the airport: the Malpensa Express. I like the jazzy velvet seats and the footrests! Stash your luggage underneath, this is like a tour bus.
7. Checked in for our EasyJet flight to Amsterdam. This was definitely not easy! The airport was packed, there was no place to sit, they changed our gate 3 times, and it's cattle car seating like Southwest airlines. AACK! They piled us all in low-slung busses to take us out to the plane.
8. Flight from Milan to Amsterdam. Quite pleasant, only 90 minutes. Shelley wanted the aisle and I wanted the window, so we got a great lady between us and yakked up a storm. She's from Utrecht and gave us can't-miss-it directions to our hotel. Well, we missed it. Anyway, she is a translator from German to Dutch, and she edits and translates for an auxiliary services health magazine.
9. VISA cards have given us grief this whole trip. Sometimes one of ours will work. I don't think it's really the fault of America First. I think VISA International is doing wierd things, taking money from savings instead of checking, then switching it, etc. We finally got train tickets from AMS Schipol airport to the central train station in Utrecht. What a wonderful ride!
The train was new and sleek with a pointed nose, smooth and clean and fast. It was 9:00 at night, and the light was golden and it played sunset symphony for an hour as we sped through the countryside.
I love The Netherlands! The old parts of the cities look like right out of the year 1600, with tall skinny buildings and canals everywhere.
The rest of the country is absolutely like living in Tomorrowland! Fast trains link the cities, busses run on their own dedicated roads, and there are huge modern buildings everywhere. The flat ground is landscaped with many uniform rows or trees, and the green flat ground is still laced with canals.
10. Arrival in Utrecht. Finally! The station is really an upscale shopping mall, with the trains coming in underneath. We try to follow the several sets of directions we have. we walk about a mile, and finally see the sign four our hotel in an unexpected spot. Try to check iin. Confusion. Guess what? There ar two NL hotels in Utrecht! We are supposed to be at the other one!
We finally give up and have the desk call us a taxi. Mercedes Benz, nice taxi. I thought it would cost more, but it was only €7.50. We finally arrived at the correct hotel, in the center of the old city, and right across the street from the oldest church in town.
So that was our ten travels for the day! May you always have shorter travel days, and may they be as varied and exciting as this one was!