annhig

just found this - glad i haven't missed it completely!

now i must go and find that report on tibet!

rkkwan

To me, I also found the BE route more scenic and amazing. If one has to choose to ride on one, it's the BE. Or better yet, ride the whole route that's been designated as UNESCO World Heritage site - i.e. from just south of Chur down to Tirano.

A small correction. The Bernina Pass rail is not the highest railroad without using cog. The Tibet-Qinghai railroad doesn't use cog. Instead the Bernina route is the <b>steepest</b> at 7% grade, without using cog. At least according to Rhaetian Rail.

For the Bernina Express Buses, our coach (1st bus) has the red BE livery, while the 2nd coach right behind has regular yellow Postbus livery. But both are run by Postbus. And with the signature A C# <u>E</u> post horn.

Before we left Lake Como, we could see Bellagio. Even though I had been to Como before, I didn't cruise up to Bellagio. yk says that in 2003, the bus made a rest stop at that point, but our bus now runs non-stop to Lugano.

As for the traffic on that highway along Lake Lugano, it is <b>exactly</b> the same situation as on the Amalfi Coast Road. Those who've driven or rode on that will know exactly what I'm talking about. On my trip there a few years ago, it took me like 2.5 hours to get from Amalfi to Salerno (25km), averaging 10km/h or 6MPH.

BTW, I'm still wondering to this day what was the chance of our bus getting from Tirano to Lugano train station in exactly 185 minutes. Like yk said, not a minute more or less.

TravelRibbon

I have Switzerland envy! I'm enjoying your report so far as well as the gorgeous pictures.

Yes, yk, I only can spend 1 day in Geneva. It's an actual day trip from Paris. I'm leaving early and returning late. There is much to see and to do. I mentioned some of the things I wanted to do to someone at the Boston GTG and they stopped me after listing only 3 things! I guess I'll have to wait and see what I can accomplish in about 9 hours.

TR

yk

<b>CHAPTER 7 - <i>Benvenuto in Ticino!</i>

Day 8 continued</b>
The Bernina Express bus dropped us off at Lugano's train station, which is located 1/2 way up the hill. It was fairly easy to get to our hotel, Hotel San Carlo, on Via Nassa. A quick ride on the funicular down the hill, followed by a 5-min walk.

Our hotel cannot be at a better location. Right on Via Nassa, it's convenient to everything: 1 block to the lake, 5-min walk to Piazza Riforma or the funicular base station. Surrounding the hotel are high-end fashion boutiques and luxury watch stores. Since the room rate at San Carlo is quite affordable, it's not surprising that the rooms are small. I booked a "family room" which has a double + 2 twins. The room is so tight that we can barely all fit in. The only chairs are 2 small stools. Oh well, it's only for 2 nights anyway.

Double bed: http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6421.jpg
2 twins: http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6422.jpg
Bathroom w/shower only: http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6423.jpg

Right next door to our hotel is a Coop dept store with a supermarket in the basement. A few minutes' walk there's Mion that sells tons of fresh produce: http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6425.jpg

One minor issue during our 2-night stay was that the hotel's wifi didn't work. The hotel personnel tried to reboot the system, but it still wouldn't work.

<i>Hotel San Carlo
Via Nassa 28, 6900 Lugano</i>
http://www.hotelsancarlolugano.com/en/index.html

After we settled in, we went out to Lake Lugano to stretch our legs. It was close to sunset, and the golden light that the sun casts on the lake and Mount Bre is just breathtaking.
http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6435.jpg
http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6441.jpg

Dinner that night was another heavy Italian fare. We ate at Ristorante Caffè Commercianti because they have a special "fungi" menu. So we all ordered mushrooms: Mom had cream of mushroom soup, Dad had mushroom risotto, rkkwan had mushroom pizza, and I had mushroom gnocchi. Dinner was 115 CHF.

<i>Ristorante Caffè Commercianti
Piazza Dante
6900 Lugano</i>

yk

<b>CHAPTER 7 continued - Adventures in Ticino

Day 9
Lugano and environs</b>

The included breakfast at the hotel is very basic but adequate. A bread basket, juice, choice of tea/coffee, and various kinds of cheese and jams. There is also a fruit bowl that gets replenished frequently. However, there is no yogurt or cereal or cold cuts.

Today is the 8th and final day of our Swiss Pass. After breakfast, we hopped on the Lake Lugano ferry for a cruise. Our ferry's final destination is Ponte Tresa. This route departs from Lugano, heads south, then west, and finally north. Lake Lugano is sort of U-shaped to the west of Lugano.
http://www.lakelugano.ch/en/10/homepage.aspx

The weather is absolutely gorgeous this morning.
Leaving Lugano: http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6459.jpg
Paradiso: http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6465.jpg

The ferry stopped at multiple towns during this 2hr40min ride. One of the most picturesque stop is Morcote (at the "bottom" of the U).
http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6487.jpg
http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6493.jpg
http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6496.jpg
http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6500.jpg
http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6505.jpg

Approaching <b>Ponte Tresa</b> http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6514.jpg

Ponte Tresa is a town that straddles the Swiss-Italian border; the 2 countries separated by a small river that runs through the town. Our ferry docks at both Ponte Tresa piers: Italy first then Switzerland. We got off at the Italian pier - so that we could physically walk across the border! The Italian immigration officer looked at us funny, as we were taking tons of pictures on the bridge where the border lies.
Our ferry: http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6515.jpg
Looking from Italian side towards Swiss side:
http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6516.jpg
Border control building (you can see our ferry now docked at the Swiss pier) http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6518.jpg
The border line on the bridge: http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6522.jpg

Back in the Swiss section of Ponte Tresa, we got on the local commuter train and headed back to Lugano. We had a mediocre sandwich lunch at a kiosk at the train station, then took the funicular back down to the old town.

Our next stop is <b>Monte Brè</b>, located to the east of Lugano. We first took a bus towards Cassarate at the foot of Monte Brè, then changed for the Monte Brè funicular.
http://www.montebre.ch/

The bus stop in Cassarate is right in front of Villa Castagnola Hotel http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6530.jpg
where you follow a path to get to the funicular station http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6531.jpg

The Monte Brè funicular is in 2 sections; the lower segment is short, while the upper segment is much longer and very steep.
Lower segment funicular car http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6533.jpg
Upper segment http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6535.jpg

From the summit funicular station, we followed a walking path down toward the <b>village Brè</b>.
http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6537.jpg
http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6540.jpg

The village is quite interesting: houses are built with rustic stones, and the narrow cobblestone streets are studded with sculptures by various artists. (I believe quite a number of artists lives in Brè.)
http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6542.jpg
http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6543.jpg

We followed another path which took us to Brè Villagio station in about 20 minutes. Brè Villagio is one stop below the summit funicular station.

We returned to Lugano in the same fashion as we came. Since it was still early enough in the afternoon, we were able to catch another Lake Lugano ferry, this time heading east to <b>Gandria</b>. Gandria is a small town that is built right into the mountain-side. As a result, all the "streets" are steps or incline that lead you up. We spent our 45-min layover time climbing up and down Gandria, before taking the next ferry back to Lugano. http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6551.jpg

Dinner that evening is at <b>La Tinera</b>, a place where I ate at in 2003 and enjoyed. The restaurant is particularly difficult to find. I was unable to locate it the night before, but tonight, we had no trouble with the help of rkkwan's GPS phone. What we ate: one daily special (beef sausages with noodles), osso buco, prosciutto w/melon, a minestrone, and a mixed salad. For dessert, we shared 2 zabaione w/ice-cream, a dish recommended by fellow diners when I ate here in 2003. It is made with egg yolk, and involves whipping the yolk by hand until it's light and foamy. Dinner was 106 CHF.

<i>La Tinera
Via dei Gorini 2
6900 Lugano</i>

Just before we reached our hotel on Via Nassa, there is a swanky stage set up on the street for a black-tie soiree. It is the grand opening of <i>Les Ambassadeurs</i>, a Swiss chain that sells luxury watches and jewelry. Beautiful people in beautiful clothes were streaming in and out of the flagship store, sipping champagne and eating hors d'oeuvres. Too bad we weren't dressed nice enough to crash the party.

[<i>09:25-11:04 FERRY "Ceresio" Lugano to Ponte Tresa, Italy

11:40-12:05 S S60 Ponte Tresa　to Lugano FLP　(FLP, meter gauge)
Regional S-bahn type train back to Lugano, passing the airport at Agno.

3 funicular rides (1 at train station; 2 at Monte Bre)

Bus Line #1

16:05-16:32 FERRY "Morcote" Lugano to Gandria

17:15-17:35 FERRY "Milano" Gandria to Lugano</i>]

Ingo

So we agree on the BE. ;-)

Great photos and trip report.

Your day in Lugano was quite busy! LOL I remember standing on top of Monte Bre on a hot summer day and looking down at Lugano and the lake ... fantastic (except for the heat). I thought the village Bre was cute. And Morcote ... love it!

yk

<b>CHAPTER 7 continued - Adventures in Ticino

Day 10
Leaving Ticino for Heidiland</b>

Since our Swiss Rail Pass has expired, our plan for the next few days is to rent a car and tour the NE section of Switzerland plus neighboring Liechtenstein. These areas are not as easy to get to by train or public transport anyway.

We had an hour to kill in Lugano in the morning, so we hiked up the hill to take a look at Lugano's Cathedral. There was a service going on when we arrived, so we didn't stay long.

rkkwan & I then and we took a bus to the Europcar outlet to pick up the car, while Mom and Dad waited for us at the hotel. The whole thing was PITA. First, our car wasn't ready at our requested time (11am). Since the company assigns a particular car to each customer, they can't just give us a different car even if it's available. When our car finally showed up 30 minutes late, the cigarette lighter/car charger doesn't work. This is a problem for us as we need to plug in our GPS. We were told to bring the car around to the garage so the staff can look at it.

It took 3 people and 30 minutes to locate and identify the blown fuse. If we had known this was the problem, rkkwan & I probably could have fixed this ourselves in 5 minutes.

Finally, we were ready to go after a 1-hr delay. We arrived at <b>Bellinzona</b>, the capital of Ticino, around lunch time. Bellinzona is famous for its 3 castles: together with the fortifications, they are a UNESCO World Heritage site. What's unique about Bellinzona is its geographic location. Situated in a valley, it is surrounded by mountains on all sides. The valley is the major crossroads of both St Gotthard and San Bernardino passes. The 3 castles and the fortifications form a chain across the valley floor, controlling all traffic passing through it.

But first, it's lunch time. A Migros supermarket is conveniently located next to Castelgrande and the parking garage. Inside the supermarket is a take-out counter that sells pizzas, sandwiches, and pastries. Our lunch was 22 CHF.

<b>Castelgrande</b> is the largest of the 3 castles, located on the valley floor (the other 2 are situated on the hill). The castle grounds and its ramparts are open to the public for free, while the towers and the castle museum charge admission. We didn't have time for the exhibits, so we just wandered around the grounds (which is huge).

http://www.bellinzonaunesco.ch/caste...stelgrande.asp
http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6558.jpg

Looking up the hill at the other 2 castles
http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6562.jpg

Looking down along the ramparts http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6566.jpg

Our lodging for the next few nights is located at Walensee, towards the NE part of Switzerland. To get there, we have to get through the <b>San Bernardino Pass</b>. Normally, one can take the autobahn which cuts through the mountain via the 4-mile-long San Bernardino tunnel. But we (specifically, rkkwan) decided that we should climb up the mountain the old way, using the original road. This translates to lots and lots of hairpin turns on either side of the pass (2066m). At the very top, we stopped briefly for a photo-op.

rkkwan at the summit: http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6570.jpg

The weather was not pleasant that day with low clouds, so essentially, we were driving through clouds. It was cold and windy; I suspect it was around freezing with the windchill. There is a lake at the top, and that's where we saw the <u>strangest sight</u>: a woman was sitting on a bench next to the lake, eating lunch, with a suitcase on her side. How did she get up here (no other cars around)? What is she doing here, at freezing temperature? Our guess is, perhaps she took the Post Bus here and is now waiting for the next bus? We know that the Post Bus definitely goes over the pass, as we saw one on our way down.

We made a quick stop in a small village called <b>Zillis</b>. The St Martin's Church in the village is famous for its ceiling: 153 painted wood panels dating from the 12th-century. Inside the church are hand-held mirrors so we can view the panels without cranking our necks.
http://www.myswitzerland.com/en/dest...um-zillis.html
http://www.zillis-st-martin.ch/hauptseite.htm

Church exterior: http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6572.jpg
Ceiling panels: http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6573.jpg

We arrived at our apt rental in Unterterzen just after 5:30pm.
http://www.interhome.de/holiday-apar...0.1/EN-DE.html

I wouldn't have found this without help from several Fodorites (THANK YOU - you know who you are). I rented from interhome.de. They are easy to deal with; in fact, since I used the .de website, our price was quoted in Euro. The total price (after conversion) is lower than if I had rented from interhome.ch, which lists rates in CHF.

The apartment is wonderful. With 3 bedrooms, it's nice to have so much space to spread out, especially after 3 nights of rather cramped accommodation. The onwers are very nice but not intrusive. They live in the lower-level of the same house. They have a dog and a cat, but the dog is so well-trained that we never hear him bark. The apt looks exactly like the photos on the rental webpage. Kitchen is well-equipped (a real kitchen, not a tiny kitchenette!). The owners have a laptop hooked up in the living room for our use. Wifi is available as well.

The view from the apartment is quite wonderful. Unterterzen is on the southern side of Walensee, and we can see the lake and the steep mountains on the north side of the lake.
http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6666.jpg

DonTopaz

What a delightful report and commentary!

Lugano is one of my favorite hideaways. There's apparently a law in Switzerland that every city must by on a lake that's surrounded by mountains, and Lugano is no exception to the rule. What sets it apart for me is the seemingly impossible combination of Swiss and Italian cultures: they would seem to be polar opposites, but somehow it works. (I'm sure that at least one of the OPs would understand if I referred to it as <i>Recondita Armonia</i>.)

And now I also have some insight as to why, in a different thread, rkkwan was so well-informed about the best way to pick someone up who is arriving at BOS and heading toward the southern suburbs -- I'd have thought the info he provided was very local knowledge.

rkkwan

I know it was definitely a blown fuse. But I am not familiar with VW, so I'd rather have Europcar's guy deal with the problem. It'd have taken me a few minutes as well since 1) the fuse box location is different from Japanese cars; 2) the fuses were only numbered on the fuse box cover, but not the actual description, for that one has to refer to the manual; and 3) that manual is like a binder and not a book and is in German.. Hahaha.

Driving up St Bernadino Pass was fun. I had long planned on a driving trip to hit all the famous Alpine passes. This was a little appetizer for me.

The dog of our rental owner is a full-sized Berner Sennenhund (Bernese Mountain Dog). And they also have 14 huge Blue Pomeranian ducks that they've raised from ducklings.

rkkwan

rizzuto - I lived in RI for 3 years and since yk has lived in the Boston area on and off for a long time, I know the Boston area pretty well.

yk

<b>CHAPTER 8 - NorthEast Switzerland

Day 11
Multi-country day</B>

After a week of clear blue skies and warm weather, the rain clouds rolled in overnight. We are definitely glad that we now have a rental car and aren't lugging our suitcases onto trains and trams for the next few days.

Soon after we finished breakfast at the apartment, we heard lots of noise on the street outside. This is what we saw (short video clip; hope it loads for you): http://s406.photobucket.com/albums/p...t=MVI_6576.mp4

Our first stop was <b>Bad Ragaz</b>, a famous spa resort in Heidiland. http://www.spavillage.ch/en/welcome.cfm The reason we are here is because Dad visited Bad Ragaz almost <u>50 years ago</u>, in 1962. He was visiting a friend who's from here. The friend had a pilot license, so he took Dad up for a spin on his plane from the tiny air strip in Bad Ragaz.

With the help of GPS, we found the air field. Needless to say, Dad was happy as a clam to be back. The town center of Bad Ragaz is quite charming too, even in the rain. Not surprisingly, there is a flower clock.
http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6578.jpg
http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6580.jpg

We then took the road (Rt 28 I think) that enters <b>Liechtenstein</b> at its southern end. This is the only road that cuts through the country from S to N. A couple of miles before we reached the border, we came across this http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6587.jpg

At the actual border, there is no gate or building; just a couple of signs and flags, and a stone marker. From the border, we can see <b>Gutenberg castle</b> in the town of Balzers - straight out from the pages of a fairy tale.
http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6590.jpg

<b>Vaduz</b>, the capitol of Liechtenstein, is quite small and not particularly charming. All the tourist attractions are clustered within a few blocks. The only exception is Vaduz Castle, perched on the cliff above the town center. The tourist office happens to be offering a traditional dance show, so we watched it for a while. One can get a Liechtenstein stamp in your passport at the TI for a fee, and the TI sells all sorts of stamps.
Traditional folk dance: http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6595.jpg

Along the tourist stretch, there are only a few restaurant to choose from. Most are quite expensive, except for Burg Brasserie where we ate. Although the name and decor is French, they serve Italian fare. We had a couple of pastas, bratwurst, and soup. Lunch was 70 CHF.

<i>Brasserie Burg
Städtle 15
9490 Vaduz, Liechtenstein</i>

After lunch, we checked out the Postal Museum which we found quite enjoyable. http://www.landesmuseum.li/d/postmuseum.asp
http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6599.jpg

We returned to our car and continued on the main road heading north. It didn't take long before we reached the northern end of Liechtenstein; over the border is Austria. We rejoined the autobahn and headed for Bregenz.

<b>Bregenz, Austria</b> is right on the eastern end of Bodensee (Lake Constance). The only thing I know about Bregenz is its famous summer opera festival (Bregenzer festspiele). http://www.bregenzerfestspiele.com/en/

What's special about it is the setting: the operas are staged at an outdoor arena with a <u>floating stage</u> right on Bodensee! It presents a new opera production every 2 years; for 2009 and 2010 the opera was Aida which I have read about and saw photos of. In case you don't know, I'm an opera fan, so of course I wanted to visit the venue. Despite pouring rain, I had a great time there. As a bonus, the Aida set is still being disassembled, and you can clearly see the main pieces.
http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6602.jpg
http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6605.jpg

A few miles north along Bodensee we reach Germany. http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6609.jpg

The very first town we reached on the eastern end of Bodensee is <b>Lindau, Germany</b>. Lindau is actually a small island, connected to the main land by bridge. Despite crappy weather, I cannot believe how charming and picturesque Lindau is! It's definitely a place I'd want to return again, in better weather I hope. To me, Lindau is sort of a cross between Stein am Rhein and Rothenburg ob der Tauber.
http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6610.jpg
http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6614.jpg
Old City Hall: http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6619.jpg
Old and New City Halls: http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6620.jpg

Many of the shops and restaurants in this summer resort town have already closed up for the season. But we were able to find a cafe for some cake and coffee. Food is much cheaper in Germany. Dad finally got his wish for German-style cheesecake, while rkkwan had a delicious apple strudel with ice cream.

<i>Eiscafe II Cappuccino
Bürstergasse 1
88131 Lindau, Germany</i>

We took a walk to the lake side to look at the sheltered harbor entrance: flanked by a lion on one side and a lighthouse on the other. http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6626.jpg

As we all pretty cold and our shoes were soaked, we called it a day and returned "home" for dinner.

rkkwan

I mentioned it in a response to a recent thread on Liechtenstein, but will repeat here. The best place to "view" the whole country is probably from the south-bound service area on A13/E43 on the Swiss side of the Rhein, between exits 8 and 9. There, you can see Vaduz Castle clearly, and the beautiful mountains behind it.

Tears_of_Tearney

It is just a crying shame that when you got off the train at Wilderswil you did not proceed to Schynige Platte.

Schynige Platte is probably one of the most beautiful places in all of Switzerland.

Oh, what a missed opportunity.

Liz, Fred, and Tearney

tod

Still reading your report with great enjoyment YK & RK!
This is definitely a plan to follow - maybe at the end of your report you would give us a short note of anything you would change/not go for in retrospect.
You are obviously great planners and do your research thoroughly, but even then sometimes one realizes things could have worked out better if only we had..........

gracie04

You write the best trip reports EVER! Really enjoying reading this.

Johanna

yk

tod & Johanna, thanks!

Tears of Tearney, oh well, there's always the <i>next trip</i>, right?

To those of you who are still reading this, I'll try to wrap this up tonight/tomorrow.

yk

<b>CHAPTER 8 continued - NorthEast Switzerland

Day 12
Appenzell & St Gallen</b>
Fortunately, the rain has stopped. Although it is still overcast and chilly, there are no more heavy downpours. We first visited <b>Appenzell</b>, a traditional Swiss town up in the hills. It is very lovely with its distinctive architecture - very different from what we've seen on our trip so far.
http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6627.jpg
http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6633.jpg
http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6636.jpg
http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6641.jpg
http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6631.jpg

Apart from the world-famous Appenzeller cheese, another well-known local food is the <i>biber</i> (gingerbread with nuts and honey filling). We had some earlier on our trip and we found it quite similar to Chinese moon cake.
Window display of decorated bibers:
http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6630.jpg

At a bakery shop in Appenzell, we bought a <i>birnenweggen</i> - some sort of a pear bread. We also found a cheese shop and bought a small chunk of Appenzeller extra (2.80 CHF/100gm).
Birnenweggen: http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6667.jpg

We then left for <b>St Gallen</b>, famous for its Abbey and library of St Gall. It is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site due to its library collection. The city of St Gallen was very, very quiet on this Sunday. All shops, as well as most restaurants, are closed. We wandered around for quite some time before we found a sandwich place that's open. We had a couple of sandwiches and quiche for 30 CHF.

<i>Vögeli-Beck
Spisergasse 25
9000 St Gallen</i>

The <b>Baroque Hall</b> of the library is open to visitors. It is not that large - but of course lined with old and rare books. There is a replica of a 16th-century globe (original is in Zurich), and around 8 display cases showing some of the rare books. The library reminds me of the library at Melk Abbey.
[No photography allowed inside the Library.]
http://www.stiftsbibliothek.ch/site/...Actual&lang=EN

After the library, we stopped inside the Cathedral next door, then got some roasted chestnut from a vendor on the street before we picked up our car.

Cathedral exterior: http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6650.jpg
Chestnut: http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6653.jpg

We drove to <b>Rorschach</b>, a small town on the Bodensee shore. According to my [Frommers] guidebook, Rorschach has some old houses and oriel windows. Well, that was a huge disappointment! True, we did find what was described, but the town was far from charming. At least we had a better view of Bodensee today than yesterday.
http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6659.jpg
Bodensee: http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6655.jpg

When we arrived back in Unterterzen, we stopped by the lake side for a walk. <b>Walensee</b> is reportedly the cleanest lake in Switzerland. I'm not too surprised given how little settlement there is around this lake.
http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6664.jpg

<b>Day 13
Rapperswil</b>
Today is our last full day in Switzerland. We packed our luggage and said goodbye to our lovely hosts in Unterterzen, then drove towards Zurich. Along the way, we stopped at <b>Rapperswil</b>. Because we took the "scenic route" by mistake, we only had 20 minutes to spare in Rapperswil.

Rapperswil is a lakeside resort on the eastern end of Lake Zurich, and is famous for its roses. We didn't see too many though; perhaps it's late in the season. With so little time, we were only able to visit the <b>Rose Garden</b> that belongs to the Capuchin monastery.
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yk

<b>CHAPTER 9 - Zurich

Day 13 continued</b>
The reason we were so rushed in Rapperswil is that we had to return our rental car in Zurich by 11am. We arrived at the location just when the church bells were ringing for 11AM.

rkkwan & I then walked to our hotel - we had already dropped off our parents + luggage there.

We ate lunch at a Chinese Dim Sum take-away place near the Hauptbahnhof. Food prices in Zurich are even higher than the rest of Switzerland. A rice plate was 15 CHF. We shared 2 rice plates and a "dim sum platter".

<i>"Dim Sum Take-Away"
Corner of Bahnhofquai and Walche Bruke</i>

I know Zurich doesn't get much "love" here, but truthfully, I like the Zurich old town a lot. IMHO, Zurich is worth at least a half day for sightseeing. The old town area around Lindenhof is very quiet and quaint; with narrow streets lined with cute, independent shops and boutiques.

Vies of Grossmünster from Lindenhof:
http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6688.jpg

We headed South for St Peter's, which has the largest clock face in Europe, then Fraumünster (famous for its Chagall stained windows). No photography is allowed inside Fraumünster, but you can have an idea of the Chagall windows here: http://www.fraumuenster.ch/index.php...pper&Itemid=78
http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6696.jpg
St Peter's from across the river
http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6712.jpg

We made a short detour to the upscale Bahnhofstrasse, and gawked at the Luxemburgerli on display at Sprüngli.
http://www.spruengli.ch/index.php?lang=en
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Eventually, we reached the lakeside, and not surprisingly, we came upon yet another flower clock.
http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6700.jpg
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We crossed the Limmat River over to the east side (nice spot for photos on the bridge): http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6704.jpg

and stopped for a photo-op at Zurich's Opera House. http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6707.jpg

Just 2 blocks away is the Stadelhofen train station, designed by Santiago Calatrava. http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6710.jpg

We made our way back North to Grossmünster, where it recently installed stained windows designed by Sigmar Polke.
http://www.grossmuenster.ch/polke.html

then back to the hotel passing by the Rathaus and several guildhalls.

Our Zurich hotel is <b>Hotel Leoneck</b>. I've stayed here in 2003 and quite like its location. This time, I booked a family room for 4. I was a bit apprehensive after our cramped room in Lugano, but here, the room is quite spacious. One half has 2 twins plus a work desk. The other half has a double bed, a coffee table plus 2 chairs. There is a sliding door which can be opened/closed between the 2 halves.

Section with 2 twins: http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6683.jpg
Connecting door between the 2 halves of the room: http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6684.jpg
Section with one double:
http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6685.jpg
Small but clean bathroom: http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6686.jpg

A huge bonus about Leoneck's location is that <u>tram #10</u> runs in front of our hotel, and it goes directly to the airport. There is a stop right at the hotel's front entrance. It's the most convenient and economical way to get to the airport.

The major downside of the hotel, is also the tram line. The street has a sharp turn so all the trams screech as they go pass. You really have to be a sound sleeper not to be disturbed by the noise. Although the trams don't run at night, it starts running around 6am.

<i>Hotel Leoneck
http://www.leoneck.ch/en/index.html
Leonhardstrasse 1
8001 Zurich</i>

Our final dinner in Switzerland was sort of a disaster. We saw a place (in Niederdorf) advertising cheese fondue and other traditional Swiss dishes. We went in, only to find it a bar instead of restaurant. The owner said yes, they have fondue, then disappeared. He was half-drunk anyway. Although we wanted to have fondue, we didn't want it for all 4 of us. We were planning on ordering fondue for 2, then 2 other dishes. But apparently, the bar doesn't has its own kitchen, and the owner/bartender gets all the food from a different restaurant nearby. By the time the owner reappeared, he had already placed 4 fondue orders with the other restaurant.

Apart from the drunk owner, there were several other drunks in the bar.

So, we all had fondue and called it a night. It was not bad, but not really something I want to eat as my entire dinner. The upside of this "mistake" was that the bill was suprisingly cheap - only 67.50 CHF total.

<i>Gräbli-Bar
Gräbligasse 1
Zurich 8001</i>

A couple of night shots of Zurich:
http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6713.jpg
http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...0/IMG_6717.jpg

<b>Day 14</b>
We checked out of the hotel fairly early, then took tram #10 to the airport. The fare is 6.20CHF per person; the ticket machine takes coins only. The ride to the airport was just over 30 minutes.

rkkwan and our parents "guested" me into the Swiss Lounge at the Zurich airport. It is very nice - spacious, airy, and good breakfast spread. They had an uneventful flight back to Houston (via EWR), while I found out my ZRH-JFK flight on AA had been cancelled. Eventually, I was rebooked on ZRH/LHR/JFK, arriving at JFK 7 hours later than originally scheduled.

In case you're wondering, yes, my final destination for my return trip was JFK. I stayed in Manhattan for 3 nights with my friends and saw 2 operas at the Met, before taking the el cheapo Megabus from NY to Boston.

Ingo

A great trip report, thanks for taking the time (both of you). You covered quite a lot of ground in Switzerland (and neighbouring countries) and brought back many good memories. I also like Zürich a lot. Btw, I stayed across the street from Leoneck (Comfort Inn Royal) and had a room off the street which was very welcome as I am a light sleeper.

Too bad about Rapperswil! It is a delightful small town and good for at least two hours to stroll, even better to take more time. Sorry about Rorschach, next time try Arbon instead.

Thanks again!

Oh, and the pics are fantastic!

Centralparkgirl

What a great trip! What are you planning for their 45th or even 41st???