To the top of Europe, and back again.
 

As some here will know, my DH has faced some health challenges this year, and while he was having his treatment, we talked about where he might like to go afterwards; given his love of the mountains, and the need for easy travel, it just had to be Switzerland, so Switzerland it was. We'd been skiing there many years ago, and driven through bits over the years, but never spent an extended time there during the summer. And we had never done the iconic train ride to the Junfraujoch [aka the "top of Europe" ] so that was a major goal for us both [though it wasn't without its unforeseen difficulties].

After a lot of help from my fodorite friends [ http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...witzerland.cfm ] we came up with this itinerary:

4 nights in Interlaken [mainly for the boat trips we could do but also access to other places if we liked and because DH really wanted to go there because he remembered it fondly from our skiing trip]

3 nights in Wengen [for the mountains]

4 nights in Lucerne [for boats and mountains, plus some time in the city and attending concerts at the Lucerne Music Festival which just happened to co-incide with our trip]

We also spent the night in a hotel near Geneva Airport on our first evening as we arrived quite late and wanted to have a restful night to recuperate from the journey before we set off anywhere. As it turned out that wasn't exactly what we got, as you will later discover [should you care to keep reading of course!]

As we didn't really do a lot of chasing about, I'm not going to give a day by day account but split the TR into sections - transport, hotels, and destinations, not necessarily in that order.

Anyone who wants to come along for the ride - hop on!

thumb out

I'm hitching a ride too.

Me too,

.....we leave in a week :)

Welcome back - looking forward to reading about your well-deserved trip and hearing how it went!

I am on board!

Looking forward. DH and I can not seem to find the love for Switzerland, so perhaps your travel tales will change our minds. :)

On board!

Swiss Travel Passes valid on your ride - if so I'm aboard!

Always enjoy your trip reports.

Looking forward to reading about you trip!

Day 1 - a cautionary tale of over-confidence

[ I know I said that I wasn't going to do a day by day account, but for reasons that will become clear, Day 1 is an exception].

This trip was all about making things as easy as possible, so we opted for a flight from our "local" airport ["only" 3 hours drive away] at a reasonable hour, so we left home at about 11am, dropped the car off in the off-airport carpark [great on arrival, a pain on return] got the shuttle bus [the first of many I was to take that day, though I didn't know that at the time] and in no time at all, we were at the airport. We'd paid for "Easy boarding" and Fast Track, [both worth every penny] so in next to no time we were through bag drop, passport control [where the much vaunted queues simply didn't exist] and security, we had negotiated the hazardous "Duty Free" maze, and were safely ensconced in the departure lounge.

The flight was uneventful [definitely the best thing you can say about a flight, IMO], the walk from the plane to the airport blessedly short and we were soon strolling towards the baggage reclaim area, where I managed to find a seat for DH while I found our bags. Truly [or so i thought] the baggage reclaim gods were smiling upon me as our bags came through really quickly, and in no time at all we were out of the airport building and on the shuttle bus to the airport hotel where we were going to spend the night. It took a little while to check in, but that didn't matter as all we wanted to do was to have a quick drink and snack in the bar, and go to bed.

This where we stayed:

https://www.nh-hotels.com/hotel/nh-geneva-airport

Should you ever want a hotel near Geneva airport, I cannot recommend this hotel enough. Very cheap for Switzerland, it had everything you need for a night's stay, and an excellent breakfast in the morning.

Finding our room was easy, and we were keen to change our shoes before going back downstairs so i went to open my case and it struck me that something was wrong, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. While I was still puzzling this out, my mobile phone rang, and it was a lady from the airport asking [you've probably guessed by now] if I had the right case. oh dear. No, I didn't have the right case, I had the wrong one, at least the wrong case for me.

Of course I reassured her that I was going to return to the airport immediately [after all, I wanted my own case back] and ignoring the bemusement of DH and suggesting he went to get a drink, and trying like mad to memorise the instruction for getting back into the baggage reclaim area, I lugged "not my case" back to the lift, and went downstairs to wait for the shuttle bus, which fortunately was still running. Back at the airport the instructions were spot on, and after offering the owner of "not my case" profuse apologies, and being presented with "my case" by the very kind and friendly baggage area official, me and "my case" trundled our way back to the shuttle bus stop where my new best friend was still waiting for me. What a treasure. The beer certainly tasted when I met up with DH in the hotel bar.

After all that excitement we slept surprisingly well, had a great breakfast [the best we had in Switzerland] and after checking out, got back on the shuttle bus so that we could catch the train to Interlaken, our first destination.

The holiday gods were not quite finished with me however; having accepted my credit card with no problem at the hotel, when I tried to use the same c/card to pay for our swiss travel passes [admittedly for a great deal more money] it was rejected so I had to use a different card. Then when we were on the train I got a text from them to say that they were allowing the swiss train transaction, but not the hotel! noooo! A flurry of texts later, they ended up accepting the hotel payment and voiding the rail pass one. Phew - i didn't relish trying to sort that out when I got home.

And the moral of my tale - double check the cases you are taking from the baggage reclaim. No matter how much you think that you cannot mix your case up with someone else's, yes you can. Despite a strap with our name on it being wrapped around our cases, I did.

Next - to buy the Swiss rail pass, or not to buy the Swiss rail pass - that is the question.

Thanks for joining in, everyone - your interest in our doings is greatly appreciated.

Annhig, so glad you were able to make this trip. I always enjoy your trip reports, looking forward to more!

I'm in - sorry about the early wobble with luggage - completely understand how it could happen no matter how many times you've done it.

(My father did it when he visited us one year - but he didn't realize it until he opened the suitcase to go to bed and discovered.......bras)

I'm really looking forward to this report, terrific start!

BTW, was your phone number on the luggage tag, is that how they tracked you down? Just asking because I never bother with the tag, I guess I will now...

Thanks for the timely reminders, Ann, am off to the bank today to inform of my travels and clarify maximum outgoings ...and have put very clear hotel details on and in my bag.

I'm signing on for the ride too. Just finished my own trip report so I'm ready to read about your travels and travails, hopefully more of the former than the latter.

Along for the ride annhig, I've been looking forward to this.

Following along!

That black suitcase seems like the sensible choice until you arrive at the luggage carousel to find that everyone else thought the same thing :) Don't know if that's what happened to you but has certainly happened to me...

"it was a lady from the airport asking [you've probably guessed by now] if I had the right case. oh dear. No, I didn't have the right case, I had the wrong one, at least the wrong case for me."

When these kind of things happen when traveling, it's always best to think, "Well, this will make the trip report more interesting."

Looking forward to following along on this one...

((H))

Looking forward to more of your trip report!

Been looking forward to this. Interested that you stayed at a NH Hotel. I stayed in one at Lyon airport a couple of years back and was very pleased with it.

Just caught you up. A welcome diversion from hurricane-watching/waiting in Houston! Looking forward to it...

Been away for awhile, Annhig, but I am here too. Looking forward to your report, as we,have not been to Switzerland in ten years, but will return next year, with grandchildren.

Dear annhig,

Oh, after a bumpy start, I'm hoping the trip became the rejuvenating respite that you both needed. I can only imagine your exhaustion, at the end of the day's travel and even while caring for DH, having to head back to the airport to exchange bags. But your attitude remained positive, yay! Looking forward to reading about your travels!

s

:-)

Oh, dear, what a start! Hope that the rest of the trip went more smoothly!

Looking forward to more - always love your sense of humor!

BTW, was your phone number on the luggage tag, is that how they tracked you down? Just asking because I never bother with the tag, I guess I will now...>>

sugarmaple, I always attach a card luggage tag to each case with our name, flight no, leaving and destination airport codes, and the hotel we are heading to. Up to now though, I've never put my mobile no, so I assume that they got it through Easyjet who always ask for mobile nos. I should have asked.

In the past I've been reluctant to put my mobile no on the luggage tag, but it's going on from now on.

<<That black suitcase seems like the sensible choice until you arrive at the luggage carousel to find that everyone else thought the same thing>>

You must be telepathic, sundried. It was indeed the black suitcase that caused the problem even though both cases [mine, and not mine] had different coloured straps round them, and "not mine" had a pink ribbon on the handle. I still can't believe that I was so stupid, but I think that we were very lucky to be in Switzerland, and not in what might be described as a "less well organised country" [almost everywhere else].

<<Oh, after a bumpy start, I'm hoping the trip became the rejuvenating respite that you both needed. I can only imagine your exhaustion, at the end of the day's travel and even while caring for DH, having to head back to the airport to exchange bags. >>

I don't remember being particularly tired, Swandav, but I think that I was stressed and distracted. This was the first trip that we'd made since DH became ill, and he would normally have been getting the luggage whilst I looked after the hand luggage etc. Of course I've done it by myself but I was aware that he was tired and needed to get to the hotel, instead of concentrating on getting the right s..ding cases. I can say that I was mightily relieved when I actually clapped eyes on my own case, and i returned in some triumph to the hotel. Rarely has a beer tasted better.

Another point about checking luggage - DH was originally going to put his medication in his case but I persuaded him to put it in the hand luggage. I can't tell you how vindicated I felt, even though the problem was all of my own making.

This also raises another issue which is that with very few exceptions [Columbo in Sri Lanka is the only one I know about] airports do not police the removal of cases from the airport. I wonder why there is no check, not even random ones, on whether people have got the right cases?

Thank goodness all's well that ends well - now on with the trip.

I once had a fellow passenger-in-a-hurry grab my carry-on suitcase instead of his from the overhead bin. Needless to say I spotted the mistake fairly quickly, alerted the cabin crew, and I & a crew member chased through a shortcut in the airport, positioning ourselves at passport control, where I spotted the "thief" and got my bag.

Now i tie something insanely colorful to the handle of my carryon. The rare times I check my bag, I wrap bright ribbon around the handle

Now i tie something insanely colorful to the handle of my carryon. The rare times I check my bag, I wrap bright ribbon around the handle>>

Which is exactly what the owner of "not my bag" had done, massimop! IMO this simply demonstrates the degree of stress that I was under.

The defence rests, m'lud.

The Great Swiss rail pass conundrum.

I make no apology for the fact that having considered all the many options [choosing what pass or ticket to buy on the Swiss rail system must be almost as confusing as trying to understand oyster cards and paper travel passes in London] I opted for the easiest and probably most expensive one i.e. the Swiss travel pass:

https://www.google.co.uk/search?clie...OYj38AfEwbOoBA


However, had comfort and convenience not been our main priorities, I think that the half price card [CHF 120 per month] would have been the way to go,

https://www.sbb.ch/en/travelcards-an...ravelcard.html

or possibly the Jungfrau or Berner Oberland cards [the latter covering a larger area than the former] for the first part of our trip linked with a William Tell card [valid for Lucerne and environs] for the latter part.

https://www.jungfrau.ch/shop/en/tick...el-pass-6-days

[available for 3,4,5,6 days, the 5 and 6 day versions include the boats running to and from Interlaken]

http://www.regionalpass-berneroberla...os/the-ticket/

http://www.tellpass.ch/en/summer/exp.../panorama_map/

I even tried to put the different options into a spreadsheet before we left, but the difficulty with that was knowing how much use we would get out of the swiss passes - basically the more you use it the more you save. A rough calculation persuaded me that at very least we would break even, and the convenience more than made up for the possibility that we might have spent less had we opted for a ½ price card and paid for each journey individually. We did have to pay extra for the cable car in Wengen [with a 50% discount] and the journey to the Jungfraujoch [25% discount]. but otherwise, all transport, including the funiculars etc in the Lucerne region, was all free.

Knowing that we would be able to find a nice quiet table on the boat with great views of the lake shore, or a corner seat for DH so he could have a nap and still have enough room for the luggage really enhanced the trip.

good call

Yes, I went through that dilemma. Like you, ended up with the Swiss Travel Pass. We got one for 8 days and ran around like crazy. It more than paid for itself and the convenience was well worth it. Ferries were a joy!

Thanks for the warning. I'll switch from something colorful to something sticky or uncomfortable. Might tape down the telescoping handle.

great idea massimop. or even a label - "This is not your case" in big fluorescent letters!

Ferries were a joy!>>

indeed they were, Gertie, even in the rain. On our last night there was a terrible storm in Luzern, but we'd decided to have dinner on the ferry that was offering a Jazz and Dixie night, and once we'd got on board, I think that we were warmer and drier than we'd have been if we'd been traipsing round the city looking for something to eat. We also went to Thun and back on the boat from Interlaken West in the rain; it gave DH more time to have his nap and was more restful than the train would have been and we got to see a bit of the shore if only through a glass, darkly. And of course we had drinks and food served at our table which was better than the train.

When the sun shone they were even better!

I just hopped on board!

it's getting a bit crowded, jubi, even up here in first class, but I'm sure we'll find room for you on the virtual steamer.

Day 2.

[did I say that I wasn't going to do a day by day account? oh well, never trust a lawyer].

After a good night's sleep, a very nice cup of tea made with the tea-making facilities in the room [sadly not universal in Switzerland] we repaired to the restaurant where, as i said above, we had the best breakfast of the trip. [and the friendliest staff - we'll be staying at an NH hotel again, should circumstances allow]

Then after paying the bill [my preferred credit card worked fine] we jumped back on what was to me the excessively familiar shuttle, to be driven back to the airport to get the train to Interlaken. First stop was the SBB office [very large and spacious, with lots of counters and after being directed away from the counter that we approached, a person by a machine by the door, which we had completely ignored told us which button to press to book the correct slot - not sure what other options there were besides "buying tickets" but there must have been some as there were a number of buttons to press.

It turned out that we were next so we were directed back to the counter we'd left 30 seconds earlier and in no time at all, we had spent a very large amount of money on our Swiss passes. I say "spent"; tried to would have been closer to the mark as try as we might, the system would not accept the c/card that I had used so successfully less than an hour earlier. So credit card no 2 came out, worked a treat, and we were good to go. [i won't repeat the chaos that briefly ensued with my c/card co; the good news is that they sent me a text to tell me what they'd done, and once we sorted out the confusion, they did what I asked them to do]

From the wonderful SBB app [complete with touch screen where you simply drag a line from a picture of your starting point to your destination] i knew that there was a train to Interlaken via Bern from platform 6 at 10.30 so we were able to amble towards it, find the right part of the train from the overhead signs, load the luggage into the luggage racks, and take our seats. Once we set off, the weather wasn't great, but we could see Lake Geneva on our right and we glided swiftly through the damp Swiss countryside. When we were planning the trip, we decided to put Interlaken at the beginning of the trip partly because we wanted as few problems with our return trip as possible, so as Lucerne to Geneva doesn't require a change of trains, Lucerne went last, and Inerlaken, which does, went first. The fact that I can't remember changing trains at Bern suggests that it wasn't very difficult, but if there had been any problems, my app would have told me upon which platform we were arriving, from which we were departing, and how long we had in between. And it provides a handy map of the route as you go along!

By the time we got to Bern it was wet, and when we got off the train in Interlaken it was even wetter, but it was only a short [6 minutes according to Google earth] walk to the hotel according to the directions. "Short" turned out to be a very subjective term. TBH it had never occurred to me, when I booked the trip, that DH would have so many problems with his walking only 2 months or so later. Even when he had only the lighter case to pull, he struggled to make it half way, and we had to stop for a while under a shop awning while he recovered enough to make it the rest of the way.

Fortunately the hotel was exactly where it was supposed to be and we arrived somewhat wet some 15 mins after getting off the train. DH sat down while I checked us in, and then we were taken up in the lift to our room, which turned out to be a corner room with what would probably be great views to the mountains, if it ever stopped raining.

This is where we stayed:

http://www.beausite.ch/en/diaporama/Bildergalerie

As well as a decent bathroom, [bath with over bath shower, but none the worse for that] it also had tea-making facilities AND an empty fridge, which they would stock as minibar if you wanted, but we preferred to use it to keep our milk and fruit juice cool. It was on the outskirts of the residential area of Interlaken, near the Altstadt, and blessedly far removed from the main part of the town which was full of tour groups, and very different from the Interlaken we remembered from 35 years or so before, when we had taken ourselves off on a day trip as a rest from skiing when we'd been staying in Wengen. Exploring was for later however; what DH most needed was a rest, so while he had a nap I unpacked and made a cup of tea.