Switzerland - Land of Magic - Not just Cheese and Chocolates!
The time had finally come to head over to Europe for a cruise that was booked a year and half ago. Since we were already going to be over there, we decided to go a little early and spend a few days in Switzerland. So glad we did.
Wow.
A M A Z I N G !
It's a magical place, and a place that you never really knew existed and believed it was real. It's real. And it's unlike anything you've ever seen. I will apologize in advance for all the pics, but there was so much to show! And these are real unedited, no filter pics! BUT they are only like 1/10th of what it really looks like in person. Photos cannot do justice to this place.
We left Salt Lake Friday evening and went straight to Amsterdam in just under 11 hours. (Of course the flights were minimal in cost- just $166 per person each way cuz we had to pay for the silly taxes).
Then another short 90 min flight to Zurich and we arrived Saturday late afternoon.
We stayed at the Hyatt Regency (free of course), at the airport which was literally across the street from the airport for 4 nights. Also at the airport was the main train station for Zurich, bus station, tram station and trolley station so it was very convenient!
Lots of leg room in Premium Economy
VIDEO: Landing and first views!
The hotel lounge had snacks every evening
VIDEO: Breakfast every morning was amazing!!!
One would think a photo of a guy exiting would be where you would exit..this was next to the door to the stairs. We were going down one floor and decided to take the stairs. Well, wrong...in Europe the guy walking/exiting is really a guy RUNNING in an emergency to get out of there FAST! Emergency Exit only! So we went through the door and suddenly the alarm started going off VERY LOUD!!!! We ran down the stairs to the lower floor and the door was LOCKED! Some emergency exit! So we ran back up to the floor where we came from and luckily the door was open and we quickly left the stairwell, still with the alarms blaring and got in the elevator fast! I'm sure we were on the camera video and the alarms rang for quite some time. Then as our trip progressed, we saw the running/walking/exiting guy symbol everywhere that was an emergency exit. Oops.
Switzerland is the only country in Europe that doesn't participate in the Euro - they use the Swiss Franc.
The next day, we spend the day walking and riding around Zurich.
Trains and trolleys and busses everywhere..all on time..efficient and clean!
Since this was mid-October, it was late fall and the tourist season was just ending.
We took a boat ride around the huge lake
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Very old seats in a very old church!
We walked up the tower which was a little sketchy
This is the tower we walked up
KFC has vegetarian chicken!
The next day was our most anticipated area. The weather was saying cloudy and rainy so we were pretty worried.....BUT although it was cool, it was sunny and fantastic! We took the train about 2 hours to the village of Lauterbrunnen which means 'many fountains'. You know that photo you see of a waterfall falling off a huge cliff? Yeah, that's this place. Lauterbrunnen sits between gigantic rock cliff faces in a magical alpine valley. There are 72 waterfalls here year round, with Staubbach Falls being the largest falls in Europe plunging almost 1000 feet down, while cows and sheep are just feeding and lounging around right in front of it, all with bells on. Every mountain around has gondolas and cog wheel railways and trains offering limitless hiking and places to explore!
This place did not disappoint!
Just about 2 hours of landscape like this - unbelievable
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We finally made it! Can you see the waterfall?
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The most beautiful and tranquil cemetery you'll ever see!
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VIDEO: Can you hear the church bells?
We took a cable car to Grutschalp, and then intended to take cog-wheel train to Murren - small villages up the mountain, and then another cable car back down the other side
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Well the train was out of service for repairs, so we hiked it -pretty short hike of 3.5 miles with eye popping views the entire way. It was amazing!
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We saw several wood piles here and in other villages, and every one was like this - neatly stacked and extremely organized
We were going to try this cog-wheel train, but were running out of time. Next time.
We made it to Murren!
And then back down another gondola on the other side of the valley
And the train back to Zurich
WOW! This day did not disappoint. Lived up to the expectations we had and even more! I think leprechauns live here.
The next day we took a train to Lucerne which is known for medieval architecture and some flower bridge that I had no idea about, but Shelley knew all about it! And so did all the tick-tockers making their fake videos.
We also went up Mt Rigi - which is a huge mountain in the area surrounded by three different lakes.
On the way - beautiful scenery again!
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Here's what the cog-wheel mountain trains look like which enables them to go up very very steep inclines
Uh.....how old is this train?????
10 minutes into the ride, green meadows with fog lifting came into view
Pretty soon we were higher than the clouds
Reached the summit! It was a little windy and chilly up there!
WOW!
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We took the gondola back down instead of the train
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Here is the "flower bridge" - Kapellbrucke - It's a covered wooden foot bridge across the river. Inside the bridge, there are several original paintings dating back to the 17th century. In 1993 however, a fire broke out and burned many of them. This is the oldest and longest covered foot bridge in the world. And so many people making their tick-tok and Insta videos. Silly.
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Here is one of the original paintings that didn't get burned
We tried making some TT and Insta videos....they didn't turn out too well
YUM
In the 13th Century, Lucerne built the Musegg Wall to provide protection for the city. Currently, there are 9 towers still standing and you can go inside them and walk on the walls. Of course we had to go find them
The clock tower had so many stairs!
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Ok now these stairs were pretty sketchy. Good thing they installed the handrail for us
Stopped by the Lion Monument built to commemorate the Swiss Guards during the French Revolution
And then there is this contraption, with the lid completely vertical. I tried standing on it, sitting on, swinging on it....no idea how to work it
Why would I want to blow dry my hair in here?
And what's this for?
What is happening???? Get me out of here!
HELP!
Our time in Switzerland came to an end.
We rode planes, boats, ferries, numerous trains and gondolas, cog-wheel trains, mountain trains, funiculars, busses and subway.
Definitely one of the highlights of all the places we've been to.
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