Trip to Switzerland - we stayed at the Hotel Zimmer Frei in a little town called Ausfahrt
Jun 28th, 2004, 05:33 PM
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Trip to Switzerland - we stayed at the Hotel Zimmer Frei in a little town called Ausfahrt
Near another little town called Flughafen. and we ate at the Restaurant Eingang! A great time was had by all.
Nyuk nyuk. Ok, at least one person is giggling right now. I know you?re out there, I can hear you breathing!
Whew. The past few weeks since I returned have gone by so fast, and I am taking off for San Francisco this Thursday (7 am departure! What was I thinking??) so I figure I better get at least one of my trip reports started. So here are a few notes from Switzerland, I?ll write a starter report on my stay in Brittany and Normandy, maybe next week after I am back. Please let me know if you have questions in general, I hope I can help. And I?ll add in more details later if needed ? maybe even next week, I have a lot to wrap up in the next 48 hours!
First of all, let me say that I had simply marvelous weather my entire trip, but for part of one day (in France) and the morning of the next until the brume subsided. Mid 70s, the kind of blue skies you dream about on vacation, and no humidity! Another solo trip for me, however, I owe this trip to a few very persistent people ? Colonel Chilcott, whom I had stayed with 5 years ago, convinced me of the necessity of a visit back to Normandy, this year of the 60th anniversary of the landings, and friends in Germany have been urging my return for some time now ? so we decided to meet in Switzerland.
I spent about 10 days winging around northern France then dropped the car off at Orly for a short flight on Easyjet to Geneva. (I think it may have been all of 45 minutes?? Surely the preflight took longer than the actual flight in this case!) On recommendation of a few fodorites, instead of staying in Geneva overnight, I took a train right from the airport to Vevey, arriving around 11 PM. Unlike my stay in France, where it got dark well after 10 PM, it was dusk by the time I landed at Geneva at 930 so my train trip along the lake saw me looking at darkness and some lights off in the distance. Little did I know what lay in store for me the next morning!
Nyuk nyuk. Ok, at least one person is giggling right now. I know you?re out there, I can hear you breathing!
Whew. The past few weeks since I returned have gone by so fast, and I am taking off for San Francisco this Thursday (7 am departure! What was I thinking??) so I figure I better get at least one of my trip reports started. So here are a few notes from Switzerland, I?ll write a starter report on my stay in Brittany and Normandy, maybe next week after I am back. Please let me know if you have questions in general, I hope I can help. And I?ll add in more details later if needed ? maybe even next week, I have a lot to wrap up in the next 48 hours!
First of all, let me say that I had simply marvelous weather my entire trip, but for part of one day (in France) and the morning of the next until the brume subsided. Mid 70s, the kind of blue skies you dream about on vacation, and no humidity! Another solo trip for me, however, I owe this trip to a few very persistent people ? Colonel Chilcott, whom I had stayed with 5 years ago, convinced me of the necessity of a visit back to Normandy, this year of the 60th anniversary of the landings, and friends in Germany have been urging my return for some time now ? so we decided to meet in Switzerland.
I spent about 10 days winging around northern France then dropped the car off at Orly for a short flight on Easyjet to Geneva. (I think it may have been all of 45 minutes?? Surely the preflight took longer than the actual flight in this case!) On recommendation of a few fodorites, instead of staying in Geneva overnight, I took a train right from the airport to Vevey, arriving around 11 PM. Unlike my stay in France, where it got dark well after 10 PM, it was dusk by the time I landed at Geneva at 930 so my train trip along the lake saw me looking at darkness and some lights off in the distance. Little did I know what lay in store for me the next morning!
Jun 28th, 2004, 05:33 PM
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I stayed at the Hotel des Negociants, in a nice double en suite room. Big white fluffy duvet, sparkling clean room and bathroom. At roughly 80 dollars a night it was an excellent value.
The next morning was my first full day in Vevey and as soon as I rounded the corner and found myself in the main square facing the lake, my jaw dropped. I didn?t know there were big mountains encircling the lake! It was breathtaking! Before I even started off I found myself wishing I had more than just this one day to explore the area before heading off to Zermatt. Drat! Blasted employers who won?t let you take more than 2 weeks at a time! (it?s so nice to be needed, sigh). Lake Geneva is on the short list of places to go back and spend a good amount of time! So many little towns to explore ? and I only brushed the veneer of two, Vevey and Montreux (and I do mean brush ? I had to catch a 4 PM train to Zermatt).
I sauntered down to the dock (I already had the boat scheds so I had a rough outline of how I wanted to spend my day) and grabbed the one going to Chateau Chillon. My impression is that Switzerland is not only to be drunk in with the eyes, it?s for all senses! It was so crisp, and so clear, maybe low 60s, but sunny ? absolutely wonderful. It felt so good to have a seat on the boat in the sun and chug across the lake to the Chateau.
For visitors to Vevey and environs, there are nice flowered promenades along the water, from the Chateau to Montreux and farther, then as you close in on Vevey they pick up again. I have pictures on ofoto of my walk for those interested, if you care to email me or request them here. So, I strolled and took pictures.
Vevey is the home of Nestle, and there are many other things to see and do in the area ? wine trains, chocolate trains, etc. I didn?t have time to do any of that, unfortunately.
I had lunch at one of the many cafes lining the main square (nearly 50 bucks for 3 courses and a half bottle of wine, ooof! Switzerland isn?t cheap ? this was LUNCH). n.b. ? this was by far the most expensive trip to Europe, for the time frame, I?ve been on yet. Just word to the wise for those traveling ? the dollar really really has fallen, and yes it does add up. But, no worries though, I am on VACATION. I will do as I please!
The next morning was my first full day in Vevey and as soon as I rounded the corner and found myself in the main square facing the lake, my jaw dropped. I didn?t know there were big mountains encircling the lake! It was breathtaking! Before I even started off I found myself wishing I had more than just this one day to explore the area before heading off to Zermatt. Drat! Blasted employers who won?t let you take more than 2 weeks at a time! (it?s so nice to be needed, sigh). Lake Geneva is on the short list of places to go back and spend a good amount of time! So many little towns to explore ? and I only brushed the veneer of two, Vevey and Montreux (and I do mean brush ? I had to catch a 4 PM train to Zermatt).
I sauntered down to the dock (I already had the boat scheds so I had a rough outline of how I wanted to spend my day) and grabbed the one going to Chateau Chillon. My impression is that Switzerland is not only to be drunk in with the eyes, it?s for all senses! It was so crisp, and so clear, maybe low 60s, but sunny ? absolutely wonderful. It felt so good to have a seat on the boat in the sun and chug across the lake to the Chateau.
For visitors to Vevey and environs, there are nice flowered promenades along the water, from the Chateau to Montreux and farther, then as you close in on Vevey they pick up again. I have pictures on ofoto of my walk for those interested, if you care to email me or request them here. So, I strolled and took pictures.
Vevey is the home of Nestle, and there are many other things to see and do in the area ? wine trains, chocolate trains, etc. I didn?t have time to do any of that, unfortunately.
I had lunch at one of the many cafes lining the main square (nearly 50 bucks for 3 courses and a half bottle of wine, ooof! Switzerland isn?t cheap ? this was LUNCH). n.b. ? this was by far the most expensive trip to Europe, for the time frame, I?ve been on yet. Just word to the wise for those traveling ? the dollar really really has fallen, and yes it does add up. But, no worries though, I am on VACATION. I will do as I please!
Jun 28th, 2004, 05:34 PM
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At 4 PM I left for Zermatt. The train ride was beautiful, I noted that they put a little altitude map near the window, to tell you where you are heading and how far you have climbed! Those Swiss sure are proud of altitude (and the trains which eat mountains for breakfast).
Zermatt was just charming. I stayed at the Allalin and I can?t recommend this hotel enough. Lovely hotel, I had room 56 which I specifically asked for ? perfect view of the Matterhorn! The room was very spacious, the bathroom had skylights and there was also a big balcony. It seemed what a Swiss hotel room should be, with wood-carved walls and Schranks too.
Zermatt is a hiker?s paradise ? they aren?t joking around! The hostess Kristin was so sweet, she gave me some good ideas for hikes (Andre, your hiking ideas were great, but Rotherd and Blauhorn were still closed! Too early). So I decided to take the funicular to Sunegga, hike to Findeln and then Findelbach, then take the train up to Gornergrat and poke around. Have no fear, the Swiss are meticulous in their marking of the hiking trails. I also visited the hiker?s cemetery, johnthedorf, you were right, very poignant. I noticed the largest number of folks memorialized there, were 19-23 year old men. Some things never change ? who is the riskiest cohort, still?
By the way, for those with suggestions on shoes/hats ? I went to LL Bean and overdosed on hiking stuff. Shoes (Merrill), hat, goretex coat, hiking pants, socks, etc. It came in so handy! The Merrill shoes are a dream, however if you would choose to wait, the prices on boots there didn?t seem as much out of line as I though they would be.
I spent two nights there, then took off on the Glacier Express for Pontresina where I met my friends. Now that is an E ticket for sure. Absolutely stunning scenery! You go through an amazing variety of backdrops. I shall have to find the stats, but it?s staggering the number of bridges, tunnels, viaducts, etc. you pass over/through on this trip. It?s an 8 hour trip, and if you are in first class, you have the panoramic view cars (which are quite nice, but thank God for A/C because that lovely sun just shines right in! In some cases you are going literally around around around a mountain ? easier than going straight up. It was funny, a person sitting near me whom I had struck up a conversation exclaimed ? wow, there are a lot of similar looking churches in this area! Haha! (it was the same church ? we passed it maybe 4 times?)
Zermatt was just charming. I stayed at the Allalin and I can?t recommend this hotel enough. Lovely hotel, I had room 56 which I specifically asked for ? perfect view of the Matterhorn! The room was very spacious, the bathroom had skylights and there was also a big balcony. It seemed what a Swiss hotel room should be, with wood-carved walls and Schranks too.
Zermatt is a hiker?s paradise ? they aren?t joking around! The hostess Kristin was so sweet, she gave me some good ideas for hikes (Andre, your hiking ideas were great, but Rotherd and Blauhorn were still closed! Too early). So I decided to take the funicular to Sunegga, hike to Findeln and then Findelbach, then take the train up to Gornergrat and poke around. Have no fear, the Swiss are meticulous in their marking of the hiking trails. I also visited the hiker?s cemetery, johnthedorf, you were right, very poignant. I noticed the largest number of folks memorialized there, were 19-23 year old men. Some things never change ? who is the riskiest cohort, still?
By the way, for those with suggestions on shoes/hats ? I went to LL Bean and overdosed on hiking stuff. Shoes (Merrill), hat, goretex coat, hiking pants, socks, etc. It came in so handy! The Merrill shoes are a dream, however if you would choose to wait, the prices on boots there didn?t seem as much out of line as I though they would be.
I spent two nights there, then took off on the Glacier Express for Pontresina where I met my friends. Now that is an E ticket for sure. Absolutely stunning scenery! You go through an amazing variety of backdrops. I shall have to find the stats, but it?s staggering the number of bridges, tunnels, viaducts, etc. you pass over/through on this trip. It?s an 8 hour trip, and if you are in first class, you have the panoramic view cars (which are quite nice, but thank God for A/C because that lovely sun just shines right in! In some cases you are going literally around around around a mountain ? easier than going straight up. It was funny, a person sitting near me whom I had struck up a conversation exclaimed ? wow, there are a lot of similar looking churches in this area! Haha! (it was the same church ? we passed it maybe 4 times?)
Jun 28th, 2004, 05:35 PM
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So, I got to Pontresina and met my friends! It was nice to see them again after nearly 2 years. I can?t believe it?s been that long actually! We went out to eat and yapped over a bottle of wine and yummy Italian food.
The next morning we pondered over where to go. It was shaping up to be yet another lovely day, and there were so many choices! Since my friends are marathon hikers and I am not, we opted for something which was good exercise but wouldn?t prove to leave me in a heap somewhere, left out as a warning to other hikers who dared to hike beyond their lung capacity.
So we decided to take the funicular up to Muottas Muragl and take pictures, for a start. The ride and view put the fun in funicular! We chugged our way to the top and you know how you take a ton of pictures as you are climbing but each extra bit of altitude is even better and you end up deleting the lower ones for space because they just don?t compare? It was like that. From the top we could see where we planned to hike later that day! I even have a postcard of the view. We could see Celerina, St. Moritz, Sils, and the lakes! We decided to spend that day hiking the ?upper? lake that we could see from afar. (I forget the name, I will look it up) So after we got down we took off for Sils. The hike was wonderful ? and so peaceful. Just the lapping of the lake against the shore ? the trail hugged the shore. Many more pictures? I also found out this area is called Heidiland, supposedly this area were her haunts in the book.
The next day we decided to go to Zuoz and check it out. As it turned out, I took a ton of photos there! It?s an old quaint village, that seems to have a monopoly on beautiful doors, windows, and flowers! The hostess at the hotel (Hotel Post, by the way, and I also highly recommend this hotel as well ? charming, clean, good food and friendly people) told us the stream (river?) in that town led to Pontresina so we feasibly could walk back if we wanted or we could stop in any town along the way and catch a train. Which is exactly what we did ? we hiked to Bever along the river and then got a train back to Pontresina. When we returned, we decided to take the chair lift up to Languard (sp?) which was.. I am running out of words! Amazing? Stunning, gorgeous, breathtaking? as well.
As I was flying home from Zurich the next morning, after we ate dinner I decided it was time to hoof it to the train station and start the long journey home. For anyone interested, it?s doable, but a long leg ? 4 hours on a train, you get in late to Zurich, I stayed at the Marriott, at 175 bucks the most expensive place I stayed (hotels really weren?t that bad) and early the next morning left for home.
And here I sit barely 2 weeks later, poring over pictures and realizing I gotta pack it up again b/c another journey is in the offing. So I hope to have my France report up soon, then work on San Francisco?s report before? Rome?
Any questions, please ask! I likely left out useful information at the expense of day-to-day stuff.
and again, if you would like pictures, just ask, I have a little over 100 on ofoto, of this part of my trip. I still have to sort out Brittany and Normandy ones!
The next morning we pondered over where to go. It was shaping up to be yet another lovely day, and there were so many choices! Since my friends are marathon hikers and I am not, we opted for something which was good exercise but wouldn?t prove to leave me in a heap somewhere, left out as a warning to other hikers who dared to hike beyond their lung capacity.
So we decided to take the funicular up to Muottas Muragl and take pictures, for a start. The ride and view put the fun in funicular! We chugged our way to the top and you know how you take a ton of pictures as you are climbing but each extra bit of altitude is even better and you end up deleting the lower ones for space because they just don?t compare? It was like that. From the top we could see where we planned to hike later that day! I even have a postcard of the view. We could see Celerina, St. Moritz, Sils, and the lakes! We decided to spend that day hiking the ?upper? lake that we could see from afar. (I forget the name, I will look it up) So after we got down we took off for Sils. The hike was wonderful ? and so peaceful. Just the lapping of the lake against the shore ? the trail hugged the shore. Many more pictures? I also found out this area is called Heidiland, supposedly this area were her haunts in the book.
The next day we decided to go to Zuoz and check it out. As it turned out, I took a ton of photos there! It?s an old quaint village, that seems to have a monopoly on beautiful doors, windows, and flowers! The hostess at the hotel (Hotel Post, by the way, and I also highly recommend this hotel as well ? charming, clean, good food and friendly people) told us the stream (river?) in that town led to Pontresina so we feasibly could walk back if we wanted or we could stop in any town along the way and catch a train. Which is exactly what we did ? we hiked to Bever along the river and then got a train back to Pontresina. When we returned, we decided to take the chair lift up to Languard (sp?) which was.. I am running out of words! Amazing? Stunning, gorgeous, breathtaking? as well.
As I was flying home from Zurich the next morning, after we ate dinner I decided it was time to hoof it to the train station and start the long journey home. For anyone interested, it?s doable, but a long leg ? 4 hours on a train, you get in late to Zurich, I stayed at the Marriott, at 175 bucks the most expensive place I stayed (hotels really weren?t that bad) and early the next morning left for home.
And here I sit barely 2 weeks later, poring over pictures and realizing I gotta pack it up again b/c another journey is in the offing. So I hope to have my France report up soon, then work on San Francisco?s report before? Rome?
Any questions, please ask! I likely left out useful information at the expense of day-to-day stuff.
and again, if you would like pictures, just ask, I have a little over 100 on ofoto, of this part of my trip. I still have to sort out Brittany and Normandy ones!
Jun 28th, 2004, 08:20 PM
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Your header to this post brought a smile to my face. Made me remember the first time my husband and I went to Germany some 20 odd years ago. We were driving along the autobahns on day 1 and I was getting extremely frustrated and annoyed that I couldn't find the town of "ausfahrt" on my map. Kept saying to my husband it must be a really big town because we have passed three exits for it now - you live and learn. Sounds like you had a good trip.
Jun 29th, 2004, 02:49 AM
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Hi Shandy!
I was actually going to post the reasons for my title this morning - I had forgotten!
Friends of mine were stationed in Germany 20 (eep!) years ago and when I visited them in Germany, they told me that when they first got their car and were toodling around, they thought Ausfahrt must have been a pretty big town! we had a good laugh over it and their other language stories. (sounds like this is universal)
On this trip, I told my friends the story, which put us into giggles and then we started looking for other signs which could be read several ways. Hotel Eingang! Restaurant Eingang! Hotel Zimmer Frei! very funny.
I took German many eons ago, and was continually surprised by how much I did remember. I'd start conversing with someone and think "hey, where did theses words come from". I'd remember the most bizarre things (but then of course be tongue tied on the most mundane).
at any rate, glad it made you smile!
I was actually going to post the reasons for my title this morning - I had forgotten!
Friends of mine were stationed in Germany 20 (eep!) years ago and when I visited them in Germany, they told me that when they first got their car and were toodling around, they thought Ausfahrt must have been a pretty big town! we had a good laugh over it and their other language stories. (sounds like this is universal)
On this trip, I told my friends the story, which put us into giggles and then we started looking for other signs which could be read several ways. Hotel Eingang! Restaurant Eingang! Hotel Zimmer Frei! very funny.
I took German many eons ago, and was continually surprised by how much I did remember. I'd start conversing with someone and think "hey, where did theses words come from". I'd remember the most bizarre things (but then of course be tongue tied on the most mundane).
at any rate, glad it made you smile!
Jun 29th, 2004, 05:23 AM
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Hey, I recognize some of those places! Glad you enjoyed the Negociants. I agree that the view of Lac Leman from that shore is unbeatable. And impossible to capture well in a photo. Good thing you didn't ask the hostess at the Posthotel Zuoz for a bicycle!
Jun 30th, 2004, 09:10 AM
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Hi all!
I decided to just post the link here, easier that way than sending them individually. enjoy the photos!! I'll post my France report and photos next week after I return from San Francisco.
http://www.ofoto.com/I.jsp?c=eldvm1b...&y=-mbwog8
I decided to just post the link here, easier that way than sending them individually. enjoy the photos!! I'll post my France report and photos next week after I return from San Francisco.
http://www.ofoto.com/I.jsp?c=eldvm1b...&y=-mbwog8
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