Coronavirus in Switzerland
#161
After the drive we had today over Rabbit Ears Pass, I'd tell you the Rockies are in a bad mood. We got caught up in a nasty spring storm and it was pretty tense crossing the pass (elevation 9,500 feet).
Very thankful that we got over Hooiser Pass (11,542 feet) before the snow got serious.
I haven't been to the Canadian Rockies but I hail from Colorado. The CO Rockies are higher than those in Switzerland for the most part; we have 58 peaks over 14,000 feet just here in CO. But, timberline in CO is 11,000-11,500 feet, whereas I'd guess its about 5,000 feet in the Alps and the Alps rise from a lower elevation, making them much more dramatic and prominent.
I live at 8,500 feet in Colorado, so going up to 11,000 feet is just a gradual climb and much less interesting than going from Interlaken at 1,857 feet to the Jungfrau at 13,642 feet,
Curious where you live scrb?
Very thankful that we got over Hooiser Pass (11,542 feet) before the snow got serious.
I haven't been to the Canadian Rockies but I hail from Colorado. The CO Rockies are higher than those in Switzerland for the most part; we have 58 peaks over 14,000 feet just here in CO. But, timberline in CO is 11,000-11,500 feet, whereas I'd guess its about 5,000 feet in the Alps and the Alps rise from a lower elevation, making them much more dramatic and prominent.
I live at 8,500 feet in Colorado, so going up to 11,000 feet is just a gradual climb and much less interesting than going from Interlaken at 1,857 feet to the Jungfrau at 13,642 feet,
Curious where you live scrb?
Last edited by Melnq8; May 11th, 2021 at 06:26 PM.
#162
Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 5,033
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I'm in CA.
Thing is as far as I can tell, the Rockies don't have the cable car and mountain trains infrastructure that the Alps do -- not just in Switzerland but Austria, Italy, France as well.
Also all the alpine lakes.
Thing is as far as I can tell, the Rockies don't have the cable car and mountain trains infrastructure that the Alps do -- not just in Switzerland but Austria, Italy, France as well.
Also all the alpine lakes.
#163
You got that right. Only in ski areas, but nothing on the scale of Switzerland, Germany and Austria.
Nor do we have fantastic bergrestaurants and wine cellars at the top of our ski areas.
Winter sports in Switzerland is a joy - groomed hiking/snowshoe trails, copious restaurants, funiculars, cable cars, gondolas.
Here it's much more difficult and often less enjoyable.
We do have alpine lakes though. Nothing on the scale of the Oeschinensee, but lakes just the same.
Nor do we have fantastic bergrestaurants and wine cellars at the top of our ski areas.
Winter sports in Switzerland is a joy - groomed hiking/snowshoe trails, copious restaurants, funiculars, cable cars, gondolas.
Here it's much more difficult and often less enjoyable.
We do have alpine lakes though. Nothing on the scale of the Oeschinensee, but lakes just the same.
Last edited by Melnq8; May 11th, 2021 at 06:35 PM.
#164
Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 5,033
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I'm sure in Aspen you can get any kind of food you want, if you can pay.
I think Thun, Brienz and Lucerne are spectacular, even if they're not high up in the mountains.
I haven't seen Oeschinensee or a lot of Lake Geneva yet.
I think Thun, Brienz and Lucerne are spectacular, even if they're not high up in the mountains.
I haven't seen Oeschinensee or a lot of Lake Geneva yet.
#165
Join Date: Nov 2008
Posts: 346
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I am interested in your comparison Mel - and I agree with it. I have been several times to Colorado (on business) and to Wyoming. In CO I went to Colorado Springs (high!!) and Aspen as well of course Denver and Boulder. I was surprised to learn how high the mountains near Colorado Springs are, simply because they looked so "rounded" compared to ours here. From a geological point of view does that mean they are older, so more eroded? I know here the alps are being formed by the African plate which is pushing up against the European plate. (One of the reasons why we have so many earthquakes in the Valais). The Matterhorn is actually on the African plate and when you are there in summer you can see that the colours in the rocks are different between those around the Matterhorn and those on the Gornergrat. Geology is fascinating!!
Back to the original topic of this thread: This afternoon the Federal Council will announce its plans for us for more opening up for the next several months. It is very likely that they will allow restaurants to have indoor dining beginning 26 May. I am crossing my fingers because the restaurants closed here in the Valais in early Nov, re-opened for about 10 days around Christmas and then Bern shut them all down, nationwide, in late December. It would be SO nice to be able to stroll over to a restaurant and have dinner...or lunch...or even just a coffee! I am tired of cooking!!
Back to the original topic of this thread: This afternoon the Federal Council will announce its plans for us for more opening up for the next several months. It is very likely that they will allow restaurants to have indoor dining beginning 26 May. I am crossing my fingers because the restaurants closed here in the Valais in early Nov, re-opened for about 10 days around Christmas and then Bern shut them all down, nationwide, in late December. It would be SO nice to be able to stroll over to a restaurant and have dinner...or lunch...or even just a coffee! I am tired of cooking!!
#166
#167
Join Date: Nov 2008
Posts: 346
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
#168
#169
Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 5,033
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/society...rland/45592192
Seems to be a catch-all of latest covid developments in Switzerland.
Seems to be a catch-all of latest covid developments in Switzerland.
#170
Join Date: Apr 2013
Posts: 4,374
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/society...rland/45592192
Seems to be a catch-all of latest covid developments in Switzerland.
Seems to be a catch-all of latest covid developments in Switzerland.
#171
Join Date: Nov 2008
Posts: 346
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
We had our second shots on 1 March. (ages: 84 and 79) This morning our pharmacist said they are going to start vaccinating at the end of the coming week... Our daughter (53) gets her first shot this week. All of this in the Valais. The vaccinations are now quite widespread. Yesterday's Tages Anzeiger said that over 1 million Swiss are now fully vaccinated...
#172
In Kanton Schwyz, anyone from 18 years old and up can get immunized but there's a waiting list. Restaurants will be opening up again with a limit of 4 people at a table inside. Outside terraces have been open for a while but we can now expect all restaurants to open again. Keep those vaccines coming!
#173
Join Date: Apr 2013
Posts: 4,374
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
We had our second shots on 1 March. (ages: 84 and 79) This morning our pharmacist said they are going to start vaccinating at the end of the coming week... Our daughter (53) gets her first shot this week. All of this in the Valais. The vaccinations are now quite widespread. Yesterday's Tages Anzeiger said that over 1 million Swiss are now fully vaccinated...
#174
Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 5,033
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Got an email this morning from Hotel desk Balances in Lucerne saying they are fully open and offering a 3-day package that I could book.
Email is in English which is interesting since Americans and UK visitors are restricted from visiting.
Guess they’re hoping to get some reservations which they can just refund later if the travel restrictions are never lifted this summer.
Email is in English which is interesting since Americans and UK visitors are restricted from visiting.
Guess they’re hoping to get some reservations which they can just refund later if the travel restrictions are never lifted this summer.
#175
Join Date: Nov 2008
Posts: 346
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I got the same email from the Balances. I see nothing strange about it being in English - their website is in German, English and French. Many Swiss (myself included) use English rather than German when communicating with a hotel in another linguistic area! If you have stayed there or have been in touch with them they would naturally send you an announcement in the language you have used to communicate with them before.
3 day package they referred to is not much use - it is for this week during the Corpus Christi holiday which is on Thursday. A bit late for people to make plans perhaps?
Restaurants opened for indoor dining for people not staying in a hotel all over Switzerland yesterday. Which is the reason for the "promotion".
3 day package they referred to is not much use - it is for this week during the Corpus Christi holiday which is on Thursday. A bit late for people to make plans perhaps?
Restaurants opened for indoor dining for people not staying in a hotel all over Switzerland yesterday. Which is the reason for the "promotion".
#178
Join Date: Nov 2008
Posts: 346
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
It is true that Switzerland is opening up for tourists but only under certain conditions and not until 26 June.
1) Travellers should be vaccinated OR cured from COVID within the last 6 months and prove it OR have a negative PCR test.
2) Vaccination certificates issued by an official agency in the traveller's home country are accepted
3) There is still a list of countries for which travellers coming here have to quarantine IF they are not vaccinated. For this list see https://www.bag.admin.ch/bag/en/home...html#858610174
Borders are to fully open for any Schengen residents on 26 June as well.
Note that there is a small list of countries with a worrying variant. Quarantine for travellers from those countries is waived if they are vaccinated. Also note that the new, shorter list of countries will appear on the BAG site in the next several days.
1) Travellers should be vaccinated OR cured from COVID within the last 6 months and prove it OR have a negative PCR test.
2) Vaccination certificates issued by an official agency in the traveller's home country are accepted
3) There is still a list of countries for which travellers coming here have to quarantine IF they are not vaccinated. For this list see https://www.bag.admin.ch/bag/en/home...html#858610174
Borders are to fully open for any Schengen residents on 26 June as well.
Note that there is a small list of countries with a worrying variant. Quarantine for travellers from those countries is waived if they are vaccinated. Also note that the new, shorter list of countries will appear on the BAG site in the next several days.
#179
Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 5,033
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
There was one report that for the first 6 weeks of this opening, an alternate to the digital green pass would be accepted.
Could that mean they would accept the US CDC cards, because Americans don't have a national digital certification of vaccination, but then after the 6 weeks, we have to hope an EU country will offer digital certificates to American tourists?
I am right now in Paris, having transited through FRA and BCN. I gave them my CDC card along with passport and they hand it right back to me in FRA and CDG, while checking my passport.
Could that mean they would accept the US CDC cards, because Americans don't have a national digital certification of vaccination, but then after the 6 weeks, we have to hope an EU country will offer digital certificates to American tourists?
I am right now in Paris, having transited through FRA and BCN. I gave them my CDC card along with passport and they hand it right back to me in FRA and CDG, while checking my passport.
#180
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 34,977
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I don't think it is quite the case that you have to present a "negative PCR test". It can be antigen, the official website says so, but only if you arrive by air. If you arrive by land, it is supposed to be PCR. I guess that's due to the time it may take to fly there from many countries, which makes the 72 hr criterion more difficult.