Showing posts with label la Suisse. Show all posts
Showing posts with label la Suisse. Show all posts
Monday, December 27, 2010
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Zurich zorta... And home sweet home!
Yesterday morning, we checked out of the hotel, grabbed a pastry for
breakfast, and caught our train to Zurich. All was fine until we got
into the train station (which was huge) and we needed to put our bags
in a storage locker. We eventually found them but you needed exact 5
Swiss franc change, which I didn't have, to use them. So I put my last
20 bill in the coin machine and was given 3 pieces worth 5 francs
(these didn't fit into the locker) and some smaller change equalling 5
francs. I put this money in the locker, never doing this before, I
didn't realize I needed to open the door first- so it ate my money.
The coin machine only took bills... So I had to find change elsewhere
for my too large 5 Swiss franc pieces. I asked a lady at the nearest
pastry stand but she wasn't very nice/helpful, saying I needed to use
the machine. Ugh. At this point, I was having a minor meltdown because
my bag was heavy, I had just lost 5 francs, and Lindsey was already
set with her own bag in a locker. I wad tired and frustrated... and I
saw that it was raining. I decided I was ready to just go home.
breakfast, and caught our train to Zurich. All was fine until we got
into the train station (which was huge) and we needed to put our bags
in a storage locker. We eventually found them but you needed exact 5
Swiss franc change, which I didn't have, to use them. So I put my last
20 bill in the coin machine and was given 3 pieces worth 5 francs
(these didn't fit into the locker) and some smaller change equalling 5
francs. I put this money in the locker, never doing this before, I
didn't realize I needed to open the door first- so it ate my money.
The coin machine only took bills... So I had to find change elsewhere
for my too large 5 Swiss franc pieces. I asked a lady at the nearest
pastry stand but she wasn't very nice/helpful, saying I needed to use
the machine. Ugh. At this point, I was having a minor meltdown because
my bag was heavy, I had just lost 5 francs, and Lindsey was already
set with her own bag in a locker. I wad tired and frustrated... and I
saw that it was raining. I decided I was ready to just go home.
So I went to the ticket counter and asked to exchange my ticket. Of
course my tickets were bought in France, so it wasn't going to be a
fair trade... I couldn't decide what to do, so I told Lindsey I needed
a minute to sort myself out and that she should just go ahead... I
didn't want to hold her up from seeing the last of our Swiss cities
just because I was having a moment.
I went and used what little money I still had on my cellphone (it's a
pay-as-you-go phone) to call victor even though I knew it was 3:30am
his time. He thankfully woke up, told me that whatever I decided to do
was going to work out and that I just needed to do what I felt was
right at the time... And I wanted to go home. So I went back to the
ticket office, the man gave me a new ticket, made a note on my old
ones that they weren't used so I could get a refund when I got back,
bought a magazine in French and hopped on the train. Best decision I
ever made! The train ride was quicker than the other one, I only
changed once (instead of twice), and as I pulled away from Zurich the
sun came out and I had a beautiful trip home watching the alps go by.
When I got home, my apartment was finished...but dusty, so I had to
sweep up before making myself dinner. I got to talk to my dad and went
to sleep early. I slept forever, got up do to laundry and mail
postcards, talked to my mom for an hour and went grocery shopping. I
love being able to go to Switzerland or to go on other europpean
adventures, living in France, experiencing a new culture and
language, etc.- but if I go too long without talking to my parents,
boyfriend, family and friends, I go a little nuts... I'm very
fortunate to have such a wonderful support system, just gotta remember
to use it:) Thank you for being there for me!
I know I didn't get to see Zurich like I had hopped and planned, but I
think had I pushed myself, I would have made myself sick. I've been
feeling off all day so I need to just get back into a routine for a
few days before my next big trip with my dad and steph.
So I'm sorry I can't report anything too exciting about Zurich, but I
did figure out how to write a real post using my iPod!!!
Reste cool and joyeux fetes!
Sent from my iPod
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Lucerne-another beautiful Swiss city!
We left Interlaken at 8:05 this morning, changing trains in Bern again, and were in Lucerne by 10am. Walking to the hotel, we passed through an open air market and saw very famous Chapel bridge/water tower. The sky was kind of gloomy, but it was a neat first look at Lucerne. We eventually checked into our hotel (our backs were aching from our overflowing packs), were upgraded to stay in the fancier sister hotel (still not as fancy as the one we stayed at in Geneva, but definite upgrade from hostel status in Interlaken!), and we were able to go straight up to our room.
We headed out for a little guided tour in Lindsey's book, but I started to feel sick ( I think I had just let myself get too hungry).... so I went back to the hotel to eat and lay down for a minute. I felt much better after eating (had a sandwich and carrot cake, yumz). I went on a little tour for myself, listed on the map the hotel gave us. I went and walked on the outside of the old city wall, with huge watch/clock towers still in tact. I think that was probably my favorite part.... no one was up there, it was all snowy because the wall shaded the area from the sun, and I could see great views of the Alps. I could also see cow tracks:)
I went through the wall gates and back into the old city, towards the Lion monument. It is a very sad lion, carved into the side of a rock. It is sad because it has a sword piercing it... and it commemorates the honorable Swiss Army members who were killed protecting the king during the French revolution... Despite the meaning, just looking at the lion made me want to cry.... guess I'm a little sensitive at the moment, but.... anyway.... I ran into Lindsey at about the same time and walked to another church together... went inside and then went our separate ways again because we were sort of on different parts of different tours.
Lucerne has a ton of little fountains with natural mountain water. It also has several neat buildings with paintings... and of course it has the 2 covered bridges. The mill bridge is under construction... so we didn't really get to see that, but we could walk through the chapel bridge, which still has some original paintings, despite a fire in 1993(?).
After walking around, seeing the 3 major churches (the Jesuit church, the Fransican church, and the Renaissance-y church), I went back to shower. Once it started to get dark, we went out to see the lights and to get dinner. I had passed this restaurant that was very decorated for Christmas earlier and we ate there.... I had pumpkin soup and a chicken salad sandwich... which was something my sensitive tummy could handle today!
After seeing lots of lights, we came back and now I'm writing to you. I'm writing fast, not because it costs money, but because the computer with a keyboard is by the smokey bar. Unfortunately, smoking isn't against the law in restaurants/bars here like it is in France... People can also smoke pot here (in Switzerland, not just Lucerne), legally.... and that's kind of a disgusting smell to pass by every once in while.
Otherwise, I've quite enjoyed Lucerne. It's still near the Alps, so it has a pretty backdrop. It also has fountains, a big lake, and neat covered bridges....what's not to like?
Although tomorrow we're headed to another neat Swiss city (Zurich), I'm getting excited to go home and to sleep in my own bed.... and because I'm very close to seeing my dad and friend Steph. I keep thinking about all the things my family does for Christmas.... decorate our house with a plastic Santa and snowman and candy canes, I make way too many cookies, we drive around looking at Christmas lights in the neighborhood, we watch A Christmas Story on repeat on Christmas Day....but... guess I shouldn't complain too much... I am in la Suisse!
Reste cool and I'll be writing from Lyon the next time I write you!
Miss you!
We headed out for a little guided tour in Lindsey's book, but I started to feel sick ( I think I had just let myself get too hungry).... so I went back to the hotel to eat and lay down for a minute. I felt much better after eating (had a sandwich and carrot cake, yumz). I went on a little tour for myself, listed on the map the hotel gave us. I went and walked on the outside of the old city wall, with huge watch/clock towers still in tact. I think that was probably my favorite part.... no one was up there, it was all snowy because the wall shaded the area from the sun, and I could see great views of the Alps. I could also see cow tracks:)
I went through the wall gates and back into the old city, towards the Lion monument. It is a very sad lion, carved into the side of a rock. It is sad because it has a sword piercing it... and it commemorates the honorable Swiss Army members who were killed protecting the king during the French revolution... Despite the meaning, just looking at the lion made me want to cry.... guess I'm a little sensitive at the moment, but.... anyway.... I ran into Lindsey at about the same time and walked to another church together... went inside and then went our separate ways again because we were sort of on different parts of different tours.
Lucerne has a ton of little fountains with natural mountain water. It also has several neat buildings with paintings... and of course it has the 2 covered bridges. The mill bridge is under construction... so we didn't really get to see that, but we could walk through the chapel bridge, which still has some original paintings, despite a fire in 1993(?).
After walking around, seeing the 3 major churches (the Jesuit church, the Fransican church, and the Renaissance-y church), I went back to shower. Once it started to get dark, we went out to see the lights and to get dinner. I had passed this restaurant that was very decorated for Christmas earlier and we ate there.... I had pumpkin soup and a chicken salad sandwich... which was something my sensitive tummy could handle today!
After seeing lots of lights, we came back and now I'm writing to you. I'm writing fast, not because it costs money, but because the computer with a keyboard is by the smokey bar. Unfortunately, smoking isn't against the law in restaurants/bars here like it is in France... People can also smoke pot here (in Switzerland, not just Lucerne), legally.... and that's kind of a disgusting smell to pass by every once in while.
Otherwise, I've quite enjoyed Lucerne. It's still near the Alps, so it has a pretty backdrop. It also has fountains, a big lake, and neat covered bridges....what's not to like?
Although tomorrow we're headed to another neat Swiss city (Zurich), I'm getting excited to go home and to sleep in my own bed.... and because I'm very close to seeing my dad and friend Steph. I keep thinking about all the things my family does for Christmas.... decorate our house with a plastic Santa and snowman and candy canes, I make way too many cookies, we drive around looking at Christmas lights in the neighborhood, we watch A Christmas Story on repeat on Christmas Day....but... guess I shouldn't complain too much... I am in la Suisse!
Reste cool and I'll be writing from Lyon the next time I write you!
Miss you!
Monday, December 20, 2010
Snow-capped mountains and blue skies:)
Hello from Lauterbrunnen. I'm sitting at an adorable internet cafe, sipping a mocha latte, catching up on some emails, the blog of course, and enjoying the snowy mountain view.
This morning we got up at 6am to head to the train station to catch a train from Interlaken West to Ost, then a train to Lauterbrunnen, then the post bus (figured out it has something to do with the mail system), then up the schilthorn cable car. Unfortunately, today is too windy to go all the way to the top, where our panoramic view and James Bond breakfast awaited us.... but we did go up to a cute little town called Murren. We walked around, stopped for some breakfast pastries, and enjoyed the gorgeous mountain views. On our way down, we stopped in Gimmelwald, an even smaller town, just about when the sun and blue sky started to peak out. Gimmelwald had a large cow stable, and so the whole town smelled like ... well, you know... But it was still quite cute:)
Apparently it's a Swiss law that cows have to be walked a few times a day during the winter. We didn't see any cows, but we did see cow tracks, cow bells, and natural spring water fountains, where people and cows alike can drink from.
These little towns are so amazingly beautiful, no cars obviously, so we walked in the snow covered streets. I'm already tired and it's only 11am from all the work it takes to walk in the snow!
This afternoon we're going to do some exploring of Interlaken. Tomorrow we head to Lucerne!!!
ps this is some of my new Swiss German vocabulary: thank you= merci (but said a little differently than in French), morgen=mornin', offen=open. I think I've done fairly well adjusting;)
Miss you all! Only 5 days til Christmas!!! do you have all of your Christmas shopping done???
This morning we got up at 6am to head to the train station to catch a train from Interlaken West to Ost, then a train to Lauterbrunnen, then the post bus (figured out it has something to do with the mail system), then up the schilthorn cable car. Unfortunately, today is too windy to go all the way to the top, where our panoramic view and James Bond breakfast awaited us.... but we did go up to a cute little town called Murren. We walked around, stopped for some breakfast pastries, and enjoyed the gorgeous mountain views. On our way down, we stopped in Gimmelwald, an even smaller town, just about when the sun and blue sky started to peak out. Gimmelwald had a large cow stable, and so the whole town smelled like ... well, you know... But it was still quite cute:)
Apparently it's a Swiss law that cows have to be walked a few times a day during the winter. We didn't see any cows, but we did see cow tracks, cow bells, and natural spring water fountains, where people and cows alike can drink from.
These little towns are so amazingly beautiful, no cars obviously, so we walked in the snow covered streets. I'm already tired and it's only 11am from all the work it takes to walk in the snow!
This afternoon we're going to do some exploring of Interlaken. Tomorrow we head to Lucerne!!!
ps this is some of my new Swiss German vocabulary: thank you= merci (but said a little differently than in French), morgen=mornin', offen=open. I think I've done fairly well adjusting;)
Miss you all! Only 5 days til Christmas!!! do you have all of your Christmas shopping done???
Sunday, December 19, 2010
It's All German to Me....
Yay! I get to update! I'm using the hostel computer, which costs a whopping 5 swiss francs per 30 minutes, so I'm going to type fast!
Today, Lindsey and I arrived in Interlaken on time and just in time to check into the hostel before the front desk people (well bar/restaurant managers) left for the day. Apparently, they're having a holiday party tonight, so we're on our own! The hostel btw is called Happy Inn. At the moment, it is very loud and I'm having a hard time concentrating... but overall, it's a very nice, and yes, happy place:)
To get here, we had to change trains in Bern, which is about the time we realized we were no longer in France-land, or a French speaking territory. However, the German hasn't held us up much at all as everyone seems to speak German, French, and English.
The weather was fairlz nice, sunny and chilly.... but not snowing like it is supposed to do tomorrow. So we decided to hold off on touring Interlaken (a city between 2 lakes... as the name sort of alludes to) until tomorrow and we went straight to Lauterbrunnen. Lindsey has a nice Rick Steve's tour guide of Switzerland that told us to take a train from Interlaken to Lauterbrunnen and then a train up to Wengen and then a cable car up to another place to do a hike. The hike pass was closed.... so we didn't end up going up the cable car (which would have cost 40 swiss francs anyway), but we did hang out in Wengen for a while. Lauterbrunnen was beautiful, placed in a small valley between huge pointy and snow capped mountains. But the train to Wengen basically took us straight up a mountain, giving us spectacular views of Lauterbrunnen. Once we arrived in Wengen, we noticed that besides the cable car, taking tons of skiers up the mountain, the resort town had a huge natural ice skating rink. We took a chance on seeing how much, but it was miraculously all of 9 swiss francs to rent skates and to use the rink. I greatly enjoyed our little skate time in the mountains, while little kids played ice hockey and Lindsey skated circles around me (she used to figure skate, like for real.... ). With everyone carrying skis, snowboards, or sleds, I was becoming jealous of all the winter sports I was missing out on. But, my urge to play in the cold has been fulfilled.
We took several trains today, but honestly, being able to get out of the cold and see the amazing views was awesome. I can't think of a better way to see this area! Tomorrow, we will hopefully be going up to the Schilthorn, a very very high peak. If we get to the cable car before 8:55, (after getting from Interlaken West to Interlaken Ost, to Lauterbrunnen, and then Schtechleberg by post bus... Idk what a post bus is, but that's what we're taking!), then we get a 25% discount and can catch the James Bond breakfast!!!! I'm fairly excited about this breakfast, even though the panoramic restaurant we will be eating in will probably be blurred with snow... but who doesn't want a breakfast that James Bond would eat? Afterwards, or in case of a plan B, I'm not sure what we will be doing... but there are several little peaks, well large peaks, cable cars, hikes, and funiculars we can take. There is also a casino.... jsut saying, maybe for a plan Z? hehe....
Ok- I have 5 minutes left... so I should go check my online banking. Switzerland is a rich country for a reason.... they're making plenty of money off of me :( / :)
Reste cool:) or however you say it in german.... danke shay?
Today, Lindsey and I arrived in Interlaken on time and just in time to check into the hostel before the front desk people (well bar/restaurant managers) left for the day. Apparently, they're having a holiday party tonight, so we're on our own! The hostel btw is called Happy Inn. At the moment, it is very loud and I'm having a hard time concentrating... but overall, it's a very nice, and yes, happy place:)
To get here, we had to change trains in Bern, which is about the time we realized we were no longer in France-land, or a French speaking territory. However, the German hasn't held us up much at all as everyone seems to speak German, French, and English.
The weather was fairlz nice, sunny and chilly.... but not snowing like it is supposed to do tomorrow. So we decided to hold off on touring Interlaken (a city between 2 lakes... as the name sort of alludes to) until tomorrow and we went straight to Lauterbrunnen. Lindsey has a nice Rick Steve's tour guide of Switzerland that told us to take a train from Interlaken to Lauterbrunnen and then a train up to Wengen and then a cable car up to another place to do a hike. The hike pass was closed.... so we didn't end up going up the cable car (which would have cost 40 swiss francs anyway), but we did hang out in Wengen for a while. Lauterbrunnen was beautiful, placed in a small valley between huge pointy and snow capped mountains. But the train to Wengen basically took us straight up a mountain, giving us spectacular views of Lauterbrunnen. Once we arrived in Wengen, we noticed that besides the cable car, taking tons of skiers up the mountain, the resort town had a huge natural ice skating rink. We took a chance on seeing how much, but it was miraculously all of 9 swiss francs to rent skates and to use the rink. I greatly enjoyed our little skate time in the mountains, while little kids played ice hockey and Lindsey skated circles around me (she used to figure skate, like for real.... ). With everyone carrying skis, snowboards, or sleds, I was becoming jealous of all the winter sports I was missing out on. But, my urge to play in the cold has been fulfilled.
We took several trains today, but honestly, being able to get out of the cold and see the amazing views was awesome. I can't think of a better way to see this area! Tomorrow, we will hopefully be going up to the Schilthorn, a very very high peak. If we get to the cable car before 8:55, (after getting from Interlaken West to Interlaken Ost, to Lauterbrunnen, and then Schtechleberg by post bus... Idk what a post bus is, but that's what we're taking!), then we get a 25% discount and can catch the James Bond breakfast!!!! I'm fairly excited about this breakfast, even though the panoramic restaurant we will be eating in will probably be blurred with snow... but who doesn't want a breakfast that James Bond would eat? Afterwards, or in case of a plan B, I'm not sure what we will be doing... but there are several little peaks, well large peaks, cable cars, hikes, and funiculars we can take. There is also a casino.... jsut saying, maybe for a plan Z? hehe....
Ok- I have 5 minutes left... so I should go check my online banking. Switzerland is a rich country for a reason.... they're making plenty of money off of me :( / :)
Reste cool:) or however you say it in german.... danke shay?
Saturday, December 18, 2010
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