Welcome to Switzerland, I know it looks like a lot but most of those were just day trips or quick stops. Although Switzerland is not very big there is a lot to see there, and everything is quite a ways away from each other. I would like to say that it was a great visit and some of the sights I saw were wonderful but Switzerland was just not on my side completely. They use Swiss francs there and it is pretty expensive, and ya I’m saying that even after being in Paris which I thought was more affordable, but anyways. The interesting thing is that there are 3 main languages in Switzerland, Swiss-French, Swiss-Italian and Swiss-German, and I started in Geneva which is the French coming from France that flowed nicely and then going to Basel, which borders France and Germany, so it is both and then Zurich is Swiss-German and then after there I was going to Germany. I never got down to the south of Switzerland which is the Swiss-Italian,, b/c of course it borders Italy.
So let’s begin
Day 45- Thur. June 4
I woke up in Paris, had my breakfast and made some snacks for my train ride and then got ready. I chatted with my roommates for a bit, Nichola, and then met the other 2 girls, sisters, the one was studying in Spain and then her sister came to meet her and they were traveling around for a few months. Then I checked out and went to the Metro station, got on to head to the Gare de Lyon train station to head off to Switzerland. I arrived early so had to wait to find out what platform it was, so just chilled. Then got on and it was a 3hr 25min ride there, so I just watched some more Curb, thank god I downloaded them, they have come in handy. Finally we arrived in Geneva about 4:35pm, I walked out of the main station and walked up the road following my directions and it was easy. Found the hostel and checked in.
I was the first one to check in, there was no one else in the room so I got first pick. There was just 6 bunk beds and the lockers were in the hallway, so not bad. I locked up my things and claimed my bed and then went down to tour around downstairs. There was a games and t.v room, a picnic area as they called it, just tables to eat at and some internet terminals, and there was a cafeteria area also and they offered dinners every night for either 12 CHF or 14 CHF with a drink and dessert, and a free breakfast. Then I headed out for a walk, and got some Swiss Francs (CHF) at the bank machine and went to the grocery store. I went back and meet a young couple in my room from France, they were just here for one day. Grabbed my puter and went online for awhile, chatted with friends and tried to work on the blog. They charged 10CHF for 4hours of internet, so crazy that they can charge for the network, when it doesn’t cost them anything for me to use their password, oh well! Then I went back to the room and crashed as it was pretty late.
Day 46- Fri. June 5
Got up early enough to go down for breakfast to see what they had and pretty standard everywhere so far…..cereal, yogurts, fruit, toast, well here no toaster, just bread and jams, coffee, tea and juice, so I ate quickly and went back to my room. There was 3 more roommates, all Chinese, and the one girl was driving me crazy snorting and sniffling, annoying and gross, finally they all left and I laid back down for a little while. Just really napped for another hour or so and then got up, got ready when I went down to the reception I asked the woman of any great places to go and see throughout Switzerland and she told me a few so I headed to the tourist information to see what I could find out about these spots, I wondered down the street and got some pics along the way
thought this was kinda wild, a Bermuda bus?
This is the fountain that shoots water up over 450ft high
the swiss mountains
Got to the tourist office and I grabbed some pamphlets, asked a few questions and the best bet was to go to the train station and get a ticket for travel as like I mentioned there is a lot to see but all so far apart. So, I wondered down to the train station, and I came across a Swatch store, my favourite, so I took a look and there was one I really liked but the price was not so good, so believe it or not, those that know me for my swatches, I pasted, but I did get my watch polished. Got to the train station, and I talked with the lady and found out prices to the other locations I wanted to go and we figured out it was cheapest for me to buy a Swiss flexi pass for 3 days, it was a pass to take any form of transportation for free throughout Switzerland so I got it. Then I had to plan my 3 days of using it. But in the meantime, I jumped on the bus to head to the Swiss Museum, not really sure what it was but they told us at the hostel it was free to go through so I thought I would check it out. It was a museum of some of the Swiss History, the army, money, etc.
A few pics
swiss money (francs)
This is the view from the museum
So after that boring tour, I caught the bus to go down to the “United Nations” and I missed the last tour, oh well
this was just across the street from the United Nations
so from there I was told by the receptionist at the hostel to keep walking down and go through the Botanical Gardens and then down along the harbour, so that is what I did. There was a lot of construction going on the ground of the United Nations, and the Botanical Gardens was not so colourful but I took some pics anyways.
just random statues in the Park
a few of the fountain again but down along the harbour
was an overcast day, so pics of the mountains are not so clear.
I made my way back to the hostel and I decided to stop at the Internet Cafe just up the street from the hostel as they offered 10hr for 19CHF, so I bought that and went back. I took a quick nap and then got up for the dinner, was pasta and it was good. Grabbed my puter and started to work on my blog again, and sad to say I lost a file on my Blackberry of my footnotes for my blog, I was so annoyed and upset but nothing I can do about it now. I did however download a new program that I am hoping will help with doing my blog a lot easier. I finished the Amsterdam entry and stayed up til the morning pretty much, I finally went up to my room, it was a rain storm all night, so I figured that tomorrow would be a wasted day lounging after this late night and if it was raining that was ok.
Day 47- Sat. June 6
Got up early, and I had to check out today to change rooms, as I added 2 more nights so I could utilize my train pass with my plans. So I had breakfast and then went up to my room and grabbed all m things, they gave me my key for the locker and put everything in there and went down to the picnic area to review my blog so I could publish it. It was a pretty overcast day, the sun would pop out every once and awhile but I just stayed in. I met Kendra while I was in the picnic area, she is here on an internship from the U.S and then also met Susan, who is also doing an internship here, she is from NY. Pretty neat, you meet people traveling, or working or studying, you never know who you will meet next. So the 3 of us all worked away on our computers and then I tried out the program I downloaded and it is exactly what I needed to finally do my blog daily, a lot easier and faster, yahoo! After all that I was finally allowed to go up to my room, and when I walked in there was a girl sitting there with all of her luggage and the bed I was assigned was not made up, all the old sheets were still on it, so I asked the girl if the cleaning ladies were not in yet. She replied, that was her bed and she was moved to a new room but wanted to stay in this room cuz her friends were in here….ok I would understand if she was young but she was not, get over it! she was only going to be in the room next door to them, and she actually sat in the room all morning and part of the afternoon waiting for me to come up so she could ask me if we could trade rooms. Well, I was a bit annoyed as I barely had any sleep and I wanted a nap, so I said we could go down to reception and have them change it, I wasn’t going to just trade and if anything happened to that room or bed, I was responsible. So retarded! Well, that ruined my moment to have a nap, so I just put my things in the locker and made my bed up, changed, I met 2 new roommates, young girls from Chicago, they were traveling for a month. Then I went down, had dinner there, was salad, chicken with potatoes and mixed vegetables, was good. I checked the train schedule to go to Basel tomorrow and to book a hostel, got that all done. Then I walked down to the bank and grocery store and it was closed so I wandered down a few streets and happened to find a small store open, so I grabbed some fruit and a snack for my ride tomorrow, and here is where I bought some Swiss chocolate, was very rich and tasty. I went back and I saw Kendra and we went down to a pub down the street for a drink she had a bite to eat. They can smoke everywhere here in Switzerland, that was very odd to see people smoking inside, even France has that law of no smoking in public places, but not here yet. We went back to the hostel and off to bed, I crashed hard!
Sorry no pics at all today, as I really did nothing all day.
Day 48- Sun. June 7
So today is an adventure day in Interlaken. I went down for breakfast, made a quick lunch with some fruit and a snack and then walked to the train station to catch the train to Interlaken. I decided to take the scenic route and stop in Montreux, there is a castle there and it is a gorgeous small city, so I was told. Well the ride there was scenic…….here are some pics. The train was a panoramic train, so you could pull down the windows and take pics along the way, so cool.
some of the neat houses
beautiful mountains
I arrived in Montreux and walked down to the harbour front to find the Chillon Castle. This castle dates back to 1150, the Swiss well the Bernese, occupied this castle in 1536, so for more then 260 yrs the castle was used as a fortress, arsenal and prison.(ya, I took that info from that pamphlet), I found it after a short tram ride.
then I decided to tour around in it, there really wasn’t much in there but some interesting history, and it is all original inside, even the furniture
here are some views from it of the mountains
so that took up some time and I wanted to get to Interlaken so I could go up one of the mountain, so I finally left and got back on a train to Interlaken. It was another couple of hours to go, and we finally arrived just after 4:30, but silly me, I got off at the wrong stop so had to jump back on and go one more stop to Interlaken Ost, instead of West, gggrrr……..took up more time.
So, once I got there I went to information and asked about going up the Jungfraujoch-the top of Europe mountain, it is 11333 ft high and I really wanted to go up, but my timing was bad, so I missed it. Instead I was able to go up the Harder Kulm, it wasn’t as high only 4708 ft high and you take a tram up the side of the mountain instead of a train that goes right up. So here are the beautiful pics from up there…
After chilling out on top of the mountain, we took the tram down and I walked through Interlaken back to the train station, and well Interlaken is a very touristy area, with lots of outside things to do, and lots of winter and summer sports….I should have stayed there and that way I could have had time to go up to the higher mountain but I didn’t. So got back on the train and this time I took the quicker way back, just going through Bern, so not as many stops, but the scenery was still very nice. Here are a few more pics of the way back to Geneva.
some Para gliders, the 3 small white spots…very cool!
Got back to Geneva just after 9:30 and I was starving so I walked back to the hostel, quickly talked to a new roommate, Olivia from San Fran, and we might meet up in Prague. Then I went to see if Kendra had eaten already, chatted for a bit and then I went in search of some food, and as I suspected not much was open late so I grabbed a kebab chicken sandwich thingy, and went back to the hostel. I logged online quickly to check some things for my next stop and then off to bed. Train ride to Basel tomorrow.
Day 49 Mon. June 8 *Basel
Up bright and early, had breakfast, talked to Olivia quickly and then headed to the train station. I got there in time for the 8:14 train but silly me watched it drive away, because the sign was still showing the previous train information, so I had to wait for the 8:45, all good. Got on that train and did some work on my puter. So heading to Basel, it is north of Switzerland and it is right on the board of France and Germany, so they speak both there. I picked this small city from a recommendation of the receptionist at the hostel in Geneva.(in case you were wondering)
Ended up in Basel at 11:30, walked out of the station and made my way to the hostel, I ended up walking a little further then I had to but found it fine. It is a neat little spot, in a courtyard area, “The Basel BackPack”
there is a bar in the reception area and patio, a eating area, and then upstairs to the rooms, with fairly large showers, a self-catering kitchen, a lounge area with a computer, but free wifi, yahoo! I went up to my room and there are nice, the bunk beds are roomier then anywhere else, a nice big window, and lockers. There was 4 bunk beds and two of the top bunks were double beds, kinda neat. It was the most comfortable sleep I have had so far, comfy mattresses.
just different angles of the room
This was a co-ed room also, so there was a couple staying in one of the double beds, then 2 other girls and 3 other guys. I chatted quickly with the one girl who was from Australia, never got her name. I dropped my things off in the room and took a walk around,to see everything, and I had to add this pic of the bathroom, very interesting that they have a bar of soap on this thing in the middle of the trough like sink….lol
Then I logged online to book my hostel for the next 2 locations, and sent some emails to friends and family in Germany to update them on my arrival. And how nice the one guy working brought me a bowl of cherries, and they were good. Just when I was ready to head out for a walk there was a downpour so I chilled for a few minutes til it blew over, and finally I walked back down to the train station to inquire about what I could do with my last day of my swiss pass ticket besides getting to Zurich. I found out the price to go to the “top of Europe” and it was a bit too much, so I decided on a free excursion for tomorrow. Then I took the tram into the city and walked around there for a bit and took some pics
Munster Church
Finally I caught the tram back over the river and closer to the hostel to find some food, and I was craving Indian, and well not a good spot, there was not one Indian restaurant around. So, I went to the grocery store and got some food, and back to the hostel to eat and sorted out my things and got rid of some fliers that were not needed. I chatted with Carissa and my nephew Calvin on webcam and my beautiful niece Lola, said my name a few times and pointed at me on the screen, SO CUTE!!! Love you Lola, and Cal!!!
So finished repacking things and got rid of some things and off to bed. Sorry pretty boring day and ya, not sure why I took that ladies advice, there wasn’t much going here, the good thing was the hostel was great, I wanted to book another day to maybe go see some of the art festival that was going on but no availability. Oh well.
Day 50 Tues. June 9 *Zurich
Got up and went down to see if it was worth paying the 8 CHF for breakfast and well, not when all I saw was cereal, coffee and tea, and maybe some fruit, so no way. Went up to the room, got ready, checked out and caught the tram down to the train station, caught the 9:14 train and it was a quick ride to Zurich. Got in at 10:24, jumped on the tram there and off at the stop I had in my directions and walked up the street to the hostel. Zurich Youth Hostel
I went in and I was early to get my room so I expected that I would have to leave my pack in the luggage room but to my surprise my room was ready so I got to go in. So I went up, there was 2 bunk beds and then a separate bed, and 2 sinks and lockers, good stuff.
I left my things, and headed back to the train station to head to the Rhine Falls. It was only a 50 min ride to Schaffhausen where the falls were, then I got a bus to the falls. I walked down the hill and I could hear them, not as loud as Niagara Falls of course but these were the largest falls in Europe, for width, (+150 meters) not for height. Here are some of the pics, and it was a beautiful day out so far.
I know enough already of the waterfall….lol. Ok so I left there and got the bus back to the station, then walked to tourist information to ask where else could I go to utilize this last trip on my ticket and see something exciting, And well, she really wasn’t much help and there wasn’t a lot of time and apparently no matter where else I went it would more then like take me back to Zurich first anyways, ggrrr. I took a few pics of the town
This fountain and well any fountain in Switzerland I was informed you can fill your water bottles at anytime, the water is very clear and good to drink .
So I took the train back to Zurich and went to the information there and the gentlemen was more helpful, he suggested going to Luzern and taking a river cruise through the mountains. So, I jumped on the next train there, it was a quick ride, got there just before 6:30.and well, another downpour, crap, so I stood inside and waited for it to stop but then there was huge hail coming down I took some pics
was so weird, and while I waited I decided to get some food, I actually went to Mc.Donald’s again, Yuck. I paid 11.30CHF for a combo, craziness, and the food tastes the same, the uniforms for the staff all has Swiss flags on them and the only sign of Mc.D’s on them is a small symbol embroidered on the pants. So anyways, after the rain finally stopped, I took a quick walk to see a couple sights before the rains started back up and I had already missed the lake cruise, not impressed, would have been nice once it cleared up.
So here is the city landmark, the Lion Monument or “The dying Lion of Lucerne”
The Chapel Bridge, now this I read about it in pamphlets and then I came across something about it stating that it had once burnt and since has been rebuilt so as I am walking through it, I was thinking this is not even old, or original, but here are some pics anyways
The rest are just random pics of the town and the mountains
So after a walk around the city, I got back on a train to head back to Zurich, and well just another silly disappointment, I was looking through the local free paper and I see that Brad Pitt was at the art festival in Basel, if I only would have found a way to stay another night there and gone to the festival, would have been cool to see him, oh well. Got back to Zurich and there were 2 new girls in my room napping, so I grabbed my puter and went downstairs to do some work on it. It was pretty loud down there, as there was a pool table and fuss ball table (table soccer they call it here) and people were playing, and just people sitting at tables drinking and chatting. I ended up meeting a couple of girls, one from Maryland, she was an exchange student in Berlin and was now just doing some travelling before going home, and the other was from California and just travelling. I think I might just end up meeting someone from every state before this trip is over….lol. Off to bed for a good night sleep, as I bought a city pass for tomorrow to tour around Zurich and see what there is to see.
Day 51 Wed. June 10
Got up early and went down for breakfast, they had sugar crisps, yum, and nice to have a different cereal to choose from other then corn flakes. And all the other basics again, bread jams, meats, cheeses, buns, coffee, tea and juice. I sat down and I chatted with the girl at the table she was from T.O, but had an accent as she was Russian. She was here doing an internship for an engineering company and she actually does it in another city and was in Zurich just for a few days to see it. She mentioned that the minimum wage here is 25CHF, but for an expat or intern they get paid less then that. I guess that is fair since it is your choice to go there for your internship really, and besides the cost of living they look out for their own first I guess. Then 2 other girls came and sat down from England, they were just doing a bit of travelling also.
I finished up and went for a shower, and so annoying I forgot to mention the water runs for like 15 secs and then off, so you either have to hold it with one hand and wash with the other or just keep pushing it, I guess to save on water bills, who knows, it was like that in all the hostels in Switzerland. I headed out to catch the train to Uetilberg mountain, it over looks Zurich, it is called “top of Zurich”. I stopped at the grocery store and grabbed some fruit for lunch and jumped on the tram. Got to the station and there was like a flea market set up so i got a choco crepe again, so good! Got on the train and it stopped at one point and thankfully this man told me I had to get off as I of course could not understand the announcement letting everyone know there was a problem with that train and it was heading back to the station but another one would be arriving shortly, so jumped off and then jumped on a new one. Got to the top of the mountain, it is only just over 2000 ft high, there is a restaurant at the top and a few different paths for hiking up or down. I saw a few business men, one was sitting on a bench reading paperwork, probably nice to get out of the hustle and bustle of the office even if just for a little bit and then another couple were going to have lunch. It was a small hike to the top over looking area, and here are some pics of the view over Zurich.
I walked down this one path and I found this cool gate and then there was a man doing some work, in front of which I believe is his house, and there was few more buildings , one was a shed, so guessing he lives up there, pretty neat place to live, very quiet and beautiful view
I took a bit of a wander around the paths, and took some other pics
I found a spot to chill out for a bit and have a snack while I waited for the train to go back into town. Was a beautiful sunny day, and it was pretty peaceful up there, was really nice. The train came and went back down to town, I jumped on a tram to head over and take a ferry ride around the River, there was quite a few people but all good, I got a nice spot on the upper deck. Got comfortable, for the hour and half ride, with some nice views again, and worked on my tan a little. :)
Zurich’s fountain in the Lake, I guess all the cities in Switzerland have these fountains in the Lakes, I didn’t get a pic of the one in Basel if there was one.
Switzerland beach
Got back to dock and got off, started off on a walk around the area. Here is the 2 big churches in Zurich “Fraumunster Kirche” and “Grossmunster Kirche”. I know, more churches but that is always one of the large and interesting buildings in Europe. And one of the town hall, the train station and just a random of a bridge.
and another fountain where you can fill your bottles up
Here are some pictures of these large flower pots that are painted all different designs, I believe the pots represent the city, pretty neat. They were lined up all along the street and in each the squares, lots of them.
I walked back down through the shopping area and looked at some souvenirs and then I made my way back to the hostel. I stopped at the little Italian restaurant just around the corner from the hostel and had a bite to eat. Got back and took a nap, then up to do some organizing of my pictures and work on some blogging. Then off to bed, tomorrow is off to Munich, Germany. Sad to leave the beautiful scenery of Switzerland but not the expenses and downfalls, onto a new country for new adventures, let’s see what happens. Until then….
