TravelStream™ news feed for member njbeaglemom on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/njbeaglemom en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Sat, 18 Jul 2009 09:25:38 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/njbeaglemom/6/1247531048/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/njbeaglemom/6/1247531048/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/njbeaglemom/6/1247531048/tpod.html Sat, 18 Jul 2009 09:25:38 -0400 Switzerland and Paris

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Paris, Île-de-France, France

Had the designer stores on the Champs-Elysses sold new feet, I think we all would have bought a pair. Keith and I decided next time we are bringing a pedometer. We must have walked miles in Paris, not to mention most likely 2000 or more steps.We had a few places we wanted to see today, so we got an early start. Our first stop,&nbsp; Montmartre and the Sacre- Couer, required us to transfer to two different Metro lines. Our stop, Abbesses, is Paris' deepest station, at 98.5 ' below ground. Why we walked up the stairs instead of taking the elevator I'll never know. I think at that point we were bound and determined not to wimp out. Once in the right part of the city, we walked toward the Sacre-Coeur.The basilica is located at the summit of the <i>butte&nbsp;Montmartre&nbsp; the highest point in the city. It was built in memory of the 58,000 who died in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71.The guide book said that priests still pray in shifts for the atonement for the deaths during the war and for the massacre of some 20,000 Communards by government troops. It is Romanesque-Byzantine and reminded me of the Blue Mosque in Istanbul, but less clunky and without the minarets. We climbed the stairs and went inside.You can't help but notice the mosiacs, especially <i>Christ in Majesty, which is among the largest in the world. No picture taking was allowed, but I found a picture of the mosiac on the internet and have included it. We skipped going into the dome (more stairs) and went next door to visit the small church of Saint-Pierre next door, which is the only building left from the original Benedictine Abbey founded in 1133.&nbsp; We then did the Fodor's walking tour, which took us down the market street, where chickens were roasting, <i>boulangeries and&nbsp;<i> fromaggeries were showing off their wares and where, had we been hungry at the time, we could have gotten just about anything we wished. Our walk also took us to the Montmartre cemetery.Many famous artsy people are entombed here (I won't say buried, because all around us were crypts), among them the composers Berloiz and Offenbach, artist Edgar Degas, Alexander Dumas and Emile Zola. After our walk, we had lunch is a brasserie and went back to the Metro to The <i>Musee d'Orsay. As we were riding, a man with an accordion got on and started playing. He was young and Elizabeth and I thought he looked rather like a gondolier with a striped shirt. He played 2 songs and then came around looking for handouts. We were getting off, so we don't know how he faired. We had saved the Musee d'Orsay for a "if we have time" place. One could go to Paris and spend the entire time of their visit just in the museums. I like museums, but after about 2 hours I get "museumed out" and am ready for something different.&nbsp; The Musee d'Orsay is a converted train station,which opened in 1986 and focuses on art from 1848-1914. It houses an extensive collection of Impressionist paintings, among which are <i>Bal du moulin de la Galette by Renoir<i>, a Van Gogh self portrait<i>, 5 of the<i> Rheims Cathedrals paintings by Monet<i> and<i> Cezannes, Degas'<i> and&nbsp; <i>Whistler's Mother. We had to wait in line for tickets (Elizabeth was free) and paid for 3 audio tours. We looked at some of the Romanticism paintings on the first level and then went upstairs for the Impressionists. I LOVE Impressionism, but think the Cubists and Surrealists are out of their minds. This is my soap box comment for the day: There were clear "No flash photography" signs everywhere and I haven't railed against any other country's tourists, except to mention that they like to take pictures of themselves with whatever it is they are seeing, but.....when the sign says "No flash photography" don't go and take a picture of a Van Gogh self portarait with flash! Are you nuts? That's a priceless painting. Have some respect. Off the soapbox.When we had had enough of the museum, we took a break with a couple of drinks and then got on the subway again and got off at the Centre George Pompidou stop. This center is contemporary art, which some of it is okay, but most I find not my style. Twisting a piece of metal into some shape and calling it a "Dancing Girl" when it looks like a bent paper clip just doesn't do it for me. But, to each his own and if you like Modern Art, go there. We didn't, but used it as the landmark to start our walk of the area and to go see the Place de Vosges. It is the oldest planned square in Paris. Here, in the red bricked houses that surround the square, famous people once lived --in No. 6 Victor Hugo ( a museum) and No. 21 Cardinal Richelieu.Most of the homes are now shops and restaurants. It is a pretty square, with four matching fountains and a statue of Louis XIII. We sat in the shade and rested our feet. We then walked to a small cafe where we had dinner. We weren't that hungry since we had a big lunch, but it was after 7 and needed the break. Keith and I had <i>escargots in mushroom caps and Elizabeth had a salad. Keith had some cheese and Elizabeth and I had chocolate cake. We got back on the Metro, changed trains and then who should appear again but the same accordion player! He played the same 2 songs. I would have given him some change, but didn't have any, We then went back to the hotel and packed our bags for our trip home. I will blog about that, as something interesting happened at the airport.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/njbeaglemom/6/1247531170/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/njbeaglemom/6/1247531170/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/njbeaglemom/6/1247531170/tpod.html Sat, 18 Jul 2009 09:19:21 -0400 Switzerland and Paris

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Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

We had paid for a roundtrip on the AirFrance bus and decided to take the 9:30 bus to the airport. Our plane was at 1:30, so we figured that would be plenty of time. The check-in area was a bit confusing --we went to the wrong area at first, but we were pointed in the right direction and checked in. We went toward the gate, only to be stopped by a crowd. We assumed it was a group traveling together and skirted around it, only to see 2 soldiers up ahead brandishing weapons (we'll say they were M-16-like for dramatic effect). We never knew exactly what was going on, but we figure someone left some package someplace and they were checking it out. At one point, they had us back up. Eventually we were given the okay and went through security. The terminal was nice, with your typical shops and such. We didn't get to go through a hamster tube, though.We didn't have to take a bus this time. We were in the back of the plane and it worked out well, because we were in a row with a 2-3-2 configuration and had a lot of leg room. My video screen was slightly off to one side, but no complaints. The food was just as good with champagne and wine etc if you wanted it.Elizabeth and I had to opt for the fish, as the option was curried chicken again, and I refuse to eat anything curried --can't stand the stuff. I watched <i>Quantum of Solace again --it wasn't any better the second time around. The plane landed on time and we went through customs. We had to go through the bag X-ray, as we had declared some Swiss chocolate and a can of escargot. I had forgotten about the cute tubes of mustard and mayo, but that wouldn't have mattered, as they were the same as canned. A couple of foreigners tried to skip the declaration line, but got caught by a beagle sniffing for stuff. When asked what food they had, they said none; when pressed, they said "cheese." The agent told them that cheese was food. I'm not sure what the other lady had, but it was food related. The beagle sniffed our bags, but since we had something canned, he went on. Christopher came and picked us up.To close this blog, I just want to add a few things I forgot. They recycle bread in some restaurants, so be on guard. In 2 different restaurants (one in Switzerland and one in France) we saw the waiter take bread from one table and place it on another. If you have a lot of end pieces in your bread basket, ask for new. Swiss wines are pretty good --you can't get them here, as they consume 99% of what they make. Keith says Swiss beer is good as well.&nbsp; Swiss chocolate is cheaper here than in Switzerland, so we only bought a few types that I knew I couldn't get here and some Swiss hot cocoa mix that Elizabeth liked. If you want a relatively inexpensive bottle of Coke or Coke Light, go to a COOP. It is a grocery store and a bottle of coke was only 1.30 CF ($1.20 US). We even got a small bottle of Bailey's Irish Creme at a COOP for what a glass in a hotel bar would have cost us.&nbsp; The COOP is also a good place for souveniers.As for Paris, as Elizabeth said, it is NYC without the monuments. Some of the people were rude and some were nice. A "bonjour" goes a long way, as does "merci."Au revoir and merci for reading. :)
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/njbeaglemom/6/1247526591/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/njbeaglemom/6/1247526591/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/njbeaglemom/6/1247526591/tpod.html Wed, 15 Jul 2009 06:35:40 -0400 Switzerland and Paris

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Paris, Île-de-France, France

We're home. I'll be finishing the blog over the next couple of days, correcting some typos I see I've made and uploading more pictures. Thanks for reading so far and I'd love to hear your comments. If you don't want to register to comment here, an email will do. :)Louis XIV,The Sun King, ruled for 72 years, from age 5 to 77. He didn't need a PR agent -- he WAS one. If ever there was a man who epitomized the pomp and glory of France, Louis XIV would win with no contest. In 1670, Louis decided to create a place to house and care for the veterans of his wars and the Hotel de Invalides was born. It is classical in style, with a 643 foot facade that, when approached from the equally imposing Pont Alexandre III bridge, gives one the sense of its grandeur and importance. Its gilded dome rises into the sky. This dome, inspired by St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, is part of the <i>Église du Dôm, or royal chapel.<i> &nbsp;Part of Les Invalides is still used as a hospital to this day. The rest is an Army Museum housing, among other things, a Renault tank, a dragon mask, the sword and armor of Francois I and, believe it or not, Napoleon's stuffed horse,Vizir. Under the dome, are tombs of some famous French generals and Napoleon's brother. The highlight, though, is the tomb of Napoleon Bonaparte. He is buried in his favorite uniform and he rests in five successive coffins - made of tin,mahogany, lead,lead again and ebony. These are within a sarcophagus made of red quartzite and resting on a green granite base. His 8 famous victories are inscribed on the floor around the tomb.He is guarded by 12 statues. Nearby, under a statue of Napoleon in his royal robes, lies his son, Napoleon II. Maybe I'm jaded, but I couldn't help but think it was a bit TOO much. After all, George Washington is buried in Mount Vernon, in a gated tomb --simple, really, considering his importance to our country. Jefferson has a small obelisk. I'll leave it to you to decide.After our visit here (we walked through the WWI and WW2 display), we walked back to the Pont Alexandre Bridge and headed for the Place de la Concorde. Change the traffic noise to crowd noise and you can get a sense of the place where people went to witness the beheadings during the French Revolution. Today, a 3,000 year old Egyptian gold capped obelisk stands in the center. Normally, you can take a close up look at it, but with Bastille Day looming, there was a temporary stadium erected, which was a shame, as it blocked the famous view of the Champs- Elysses and the Arc de Triomphe at one end, and the Louvre at the other. We took a photo and then turned into the Tuileries Gardens, where we had lunch. After lunch, we took the walk of the Rive Droit recommended in our Fodor's guide and went and saw the Opera House. The walk took us back to the Place de la Concorde, so we took the Metro up a few stops to the Arc de Triomphe.The Arc wasn't built by Loius XIV, but by Napoleon as a symbol of his military might. No one can say that Napoleon had a self esteem problem. It was actually finished by Loius Phillipe. There is a nice view from the top, but we didn't do it for several reasons -1) You had to pay and we had already seen some nice views, 2) there was a long line and 3) we were tired of climbing stairs. There is a neat statue on one pillar called <i>La Marsailles, which has the winged figure of Liberty calling on the French to defend nation. There is also a tomb of the Unknown Soldier and an eternal flame under the Arc. We then walked down the famous Champs-Elysses. I'll tell you Elizabeth's opinion of it. "It is just like New York City." Unfortunately, she is right. Walking down the Champs-Elysses on a July Saturday afternoon is like walking down 5th Avenue in NYC.We were tired at this point and our feet hurt, so we went back to the hotel for dinner.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/njbeaglemom/6/1247378193/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/njbeaglemom/6/1247378193/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/njbeaglemom/6/1247378193/tpod.html Tue, 14 Jul 2009 19:44:52 -0400 Switzerland and Paris

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Paris, Île-de-France, France

Versailles –just the name makes one think of grandeur and pomp and ceremony. Once an old hunting lodge, Louis XIV transformed it into a royal residence, seat of government and a home for French nobility. Another word of advice: If you go to Versailles in the summer, do yourself a favor and buy your tickets online ahead of time. It will save you the 30 minute wait in the ticket line. I had meant to buy them ahead, but forgot.We took the Metro to the Invalides stop and transferred to an RER train that went to Versailles. A short walk brought the chateau within view. Chateau is an understatement- Versailles is a palace. We bought a combo ticket that allowed us to see the Chateau, the Grand Trianon, Marie Antoinette's dwelling and the gardens.&nbsp; It included an audio tour. Elizabeth was free, but we got her an audio tour as well. As we walked through the State Apartments, the grandeur was evident. The Hall of Mirrors has been restored –236 feet long, with 17 arched windows-- it is just jaw dropping. Words can’t describe it. I am glad I don't have to clean those mirrors. The whole place just oozed wealth and importance. The gardens were lovely, but at 250 acres, there is no way one can see it all, even if all of it was accessible. Fountains are found in hidden groves and statuary lines the walkways. We walked down to the Grand Trianon, which was basically a retreat for the King, so he could "get away from it all." Nearby is the Petit Trianon and Marie Antoinette’s dwelling. Here she had her own little dwelling. Behind it, she created a little hamlet and farm, where she played at being a milkmaid. The farm has sheep that are the direct descendants of sheep that were there during the time of Marie Antoinette. &nbsp;Maybe if she had paid more attention to the world around her rather than sipping tea in some made up village, the chateau wouldn’t have been stormed in 1789 and she may have kept her head on her shoulders.We took the train back, and while on the train, we were unfortunate to be sitting behind a group of loud mouthed American college students. They were noisy and taking turns playing the game where you have to say that “Never have I ever &nbsp;done________.”&nbsp; Needless to say, the things they were saying were crude and pornographic. I was about ready to turn around and tell them that I would appreciate it if they would take their foul mouths elsewhere and out of the listening ability of my minor daughter, when Keith turned around and asked them where they were from. They said they were Yale students. I said to Keith, loud enough to be heard, “That explains everything.” They thought it funny that Yale students had such a bad reputation.&nbsp; I’d like to say, Thank-you, Yale, for producing such wonderful examples of Americans to the world. You and their parents should be so proud.We splurged and went and had dinner on the 56th floor of a nearby office building. The view was wonderful—we had a great view of the Eiffel Tower.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/njbeaglemom/6/1247292623/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/njbeaglemom/6/1247292623/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/njbeaglemom/6/1247292623/tpod.html Tue, 14 Jul 2009 19:39:53 -0400 Switzerland and Paris

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Paris, Île-de-France, France

If you ever come to Paris in July, or any other busy month, a word of advice: When you go to Notre Dame, go first thing in the morning and do the towers first. If you wait until you have gone into the cathedral, the line gets pretty long.We ate a quick breakfast and hopped on the Metro for Notre Dame. This Gothic beauty was first started in 1163 and not finished until almost 200 years later. It would be the largest cathedral ever built, until surpassed by those at Amiens and Rheims. It was damaged during the Revolution and it was Victor Hugo, author of <i style="">The Hunchback of Notre Dame, who was, in part, instrumental in starting a campaign to restore Notre Dame. Today it stands as the symbol of medieval Paris.The whole is a sum of its parts, from the flying buttresses and gargoyles on the outside, to the rose windows and Pieta on the inside. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.We then stood in line for the tower.&nbsp; We climbed into the North Tower, then the Chimera Gallery 46 meters above the ground. Here, gross mythical monsters stare out at Paris. From here, we went into the South Tower Belfry, to look at the Emmanuel Bell. This is the largest bell, weighing in at 13 tons. It is only rung on major Catholic feast days.&nbsp; From the top of the South Tower, you have Paris spread out before you.&nbsp; When we had finished, we had climbed up and down 387 steps.We then went to the Left Bank and Latin Quarter. We grabbed a sandwich in a little sandwich shop. We took a walking tour of the area, then went back to the Pont Neuf bridge (the "new" bridge is actually the oldest) and took a one hour boat ride on the Seine.&nbsp; Touristy, yes, but it does give you an excellent overview of the city and where the major sites are and some interesting facts about each site. Afterward, we went to Saint-Chappelle . Saint-Chapelle was built between 1242 and 1270 to house the relics that Louis IX acquired, among which is supposedly the Crown of Thorns that Jesus wore. (The relics are now in Notre Dame—we didn't pay to see them)&nbsp; The church stands within the confines of the Palace of Justice. What makes this church worth visiting is the upper chamber where, on 15 stained glass windows, 1113 scenes are depicted from the Bible, starting at Genesis and going through Christ’s resurrection. The last window depicts the Apocalypse.&nbsp; From Saint-Chapelle, we got an ice cream cone and took the Metro over to the Eiffel Tower. It was built for the 1889 Exposition and was the subject of great controversy. It was saved from demolition in 1910 and has over 6 million visitors a year. It needs repainting every 7 years. You can wait in line and take the elevator to the second landing, then transfer to another elevator that goes to the top, or you can take the cheaper and quicker option—climbing 669 stairs to the same landing. We opted for the latter and climbed. &nbsp;We had to wait in line for the elevator to the top, but once there, the view is spectacular. You have Paris laid out in all directions. Once done, we took the elevator back down to the second landing and walked down the rest of the way, as we thought it would be quicker. It was now 9:00 and we hadn’t eaten. People eat late here and it doesn’t get dark until about 10 PM. We just picked a café at random and ate. Elizabeth and I shared a chocolate crepe for dessert. When we were through, we walked back to the Tower and got a spectacular view of the Tower all lit up. It was well worth the late dinner to show Elizabeth the Tower at night.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/njbeaglemom/6/1247292249/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/njbeaglemom/6/1247292249/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/njbeaglemom/6/1247292249/tpod.html Tue, 14 Jul 2009 19:36:37 -0400 Switzerland and Paris

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Paris, Île-de-France, France

We had to have our bags outside the hotel room by 5 AM and downstairs by 5:45. We didn't have time for breakfast, but we had some Swiss Francs to use up and had planned on eating something at the airport. It can take anywhere from 60-75 minutes to get to Zurich airport from Lucerne, so we were stuck with an early departure from the hotel. We checked in and then went and had coffee (tea for Elizabeth) and croissants. &nbsp;The plane was on time and it was a quick flight to Paris.We took a bus from the Air France Terminal at Charles DeGualle airport into Paris. It dropped us right across the street by the Gare Montparnasse station. Our room wasn’t ready, so we checked our bags and hopped on the Metro and went to the Louvre.There is one interesting thing I am going to put in here, as this is the first place we went. ANY person 18 years of age or younger, regardless of citizenship, gets into every Paris museum for free, with proof of ID. Also, the admission prices are very reasonable. It is 8 Euros regardless of the museum. (One was 8.50)&nbsp; We paid the fee and then went and paid for 3 audio tours of the museum. The Louvre has several tours to choose from—we chose The Masterpieces and the history of the Louvre. The first one took us on a tour of three of the museum most famous works. The first was the <i style="">Venus de Milo, then the <i style="">Winged Victory of Samothrace (Elizabeth couldn't remember the name and nicknamed it <i style="">The Winged Victory of Some Other Race) and then<i style="">, the Mona Lisa. It was very crowded with hoards of people. The thing nowadays seems for tourists to not take a picture of something and then be done with it. They have to take a picture of themselves with the thing, so it becomes, "This is me by the Venus de Milo" and “This is me in front of the Winged Victory.” It makes it hard to get a clean shot. I really don’t want a picture of Aunt Ann from whatever country in my photo. The second tour we took, that of the history of the Louvre, was to me the more interesting of the two. I didn’t really know the complete history of the building-- that it started out as a castle and then was expanded. When the excavations were done for Pei’s famous pyramid (more on that in a minute) they found the original castle walls and they are part of this self-guided tour. We also got to see Napoleon’s apartments and an amazing room that had every surface covered with artwork. As for the pyramid, I don’t care what the experts say –it’s ugly and, to me, ruins the ambiance of the place.&nbsp; After we had had enough of the museum, we went to a café where we had a lovely few of The Louvre and had dinner. Incidentally, it would take 3 months to see all 35,000 pieces of artwork in the Louvre –at least, that is what we were told.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/njbeaglemom/6/1246939200/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/njbeaglemom/6/1246939200/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/njbeaglemom/6/1246939200/tpod.html Tue, 14 Jul 2009 19:32:55 -0400 Switzerland and Paris

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Lucerne, Lucerne, Switzerland

Lake Lucerne is a lovely town. Tauck arraigned a walking tour of the old town. In 1330, the Chapel Bridge was built as a defensive bridge. On the rafters are paintings that were, at that time, our equivalent of a sponsor. Prominent families or guilds would pay and have their painting hung. The paintings were there for 400 years and then 100 years ago, there was concern about damage and they were replaced with copies and the original removed. In 1993, a fire destroyed part of the bridge. It was rebuilt and the town wanted the originals put back up, as the copies had turned pink! No one knew where they were, though, but they were finally found in one of the old guard towers and replaced in the bridge's rafters. The Jesuits built a church near the end of the bridge. Rococo in style, it is a beautiful church, with pastel colors. The marble pillars that you will see when I am able to post some pictures aren’t really marble—they are stucco, made to look like marble. As we continued our tour we saw Mint Alley, where coins were first printed in Lucerne and many guild buildings – building painted on the outside to let people know what business was there. The theater guild had masks on theirs.After lunch, we went and saw a few of the things that the guide didn’t show us and then did some shopping. We had to be ready for a 5 PM lake cruise to a hotel across the water for dinner. &nbsp;It was a little rainy, but we saw Mt.Pilatus and some very lovely homes. Dinner was good and the hotel had a man who entertained us by playing the accordion. He even played the <i style="">Anniversary Waltz since it was our anniversary. The boat ride back was shorter (since we did a direct route) and I got some lovely sunset pictures.I will upload pictures and maybe add some more text when I can. For those of you who don’t know, we are now in Paris until Monday the 13th. We were hoping to surprise Elizabeth by just walking to baggage claim instead of going on a connecting flight for home, but she saw the flight schedule a few days into the trip and, although it was a surprise, she had advance notice.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/njbeaglemom/6/1246852980/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/njbeaglemom/6/1246852980/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/njbeaglemom/6/1246852980/tpod.html Tue, 14 Jul 2009 19:30:49 -0400 Switzerland and Paris

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Lucerne, Lucerne, Switzerland

When we left Grindenwald for Lucerne, the rain finally caught up with us. It was a bit rainy the day before, but it was late in the afternoon and not really a nuisance. The rain did create some neat cloud effects on the hillsides and I took a few pictures of that through the bus window. Today our final destination was Lucerne, but we went there via Interlaken and Bern. In this area, the Aare River forms a "middleland" with nice rolling hills and farmland.&nbsp;&nbsp; Interlaken wasn't a destination, but we did get to see the huge Grand Victoria Hotel, where Mark Twain once stayed. We got to Bern, the capital, around 10 AM. The story goes that the man who founded Bern said he would name it after the first animal that they killed, and since it was a bear, it was named Bern. The famous bear pits are here, but no bears—the last one died a couple of months ago and they are building a new bear park for the new ones.&nbsp; We watched a historical overview movie in the visitor’s center and then took a walk to the town clock to watch it strike. It is the original clock. After that, it was lunch and some shopping time. We only had time to go see the Cathedral after lunch, so no shopping here.We made a stop at a cheese making plant on the way. This plant made Emmenthal, which we would refer to as Swiss Cheese --the cheese with the holes. We arrived in Lucerne about 4:30 and went straight to the Lion Monument for a group picture. The Lion monument is a memorial to the Swiss Guards that were killed while defending the King during the French Revolution.&nbsp; It is sad—a great lion felled, with a broken spear in its side; under one paw is the French shield with its fleur-de-lis and beside it the Swiss shield.&nbsp; It is cut into the side of a hill, entirely from sandstone.Afterward, we checked into our hotel. We had a wonderful view of Lake Lucerne. I haven’t said much about Tauck, the tour company that we booked the trip through. Tauck was recommended to us by one of Keith’s doctors. So, when Elizabeth picked Switzerland, we decided to give them a try. All the hotels they use are top of the line –the Hotel Schweizerhof in Lucerne, for example. They guarantee a view when there is one. Here we had the lake, as in Montreux and Lugano. We had a wonderful of the Eiger Mountain in St. Moritz. Breakfast was included and most of our lunches and dinners. Dinner this night was a la carte and we could have had lobster if we wanted. Non alcoholic drinks are included and sometimes wine was as well.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/njbeaglemom/6/1246766400/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/njbeaglemom/6/1246766400/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/njbeaglemom/6/1246766400/tpod.html Tue, 14 Jul 2009 19:27:44 -0400 Switzerland and Paris

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Jungfrau Region, Swiss Alps, Switzerland

I must say that if I had to give an award to the day that had the most varied experiences, this would be the day. We started off the day by taking a train from Grindenwald to Kleine Scheidegg and changing trains to the Jungfraujoch. This train takes you up the mountain to the highest train station in Europe at 11,333 feet, and at the last part, takes you through a 9 km tunnel—all through solid rock. Once there, we rested for about 20 minutes to get used to the altitude and then went to the ice palace. It was as though a Zamboni had gone haywire and went around in circles. We were walking through a smooth tunnel made of compressed snow and that tunnel was inside a <i>moving glacier. In nooks cut into the walls were ice sculptures – a very cold art studio, if you like. Once done, we went through a door and up an elevator&nbsp; to the outside and we were literally standing on snow. The view was awe inspiring –the Eiger, the Monch and Jungfrau mountains were there rising out of the clouds. We could see people walking on the glacier. We then returned inside and went to the Sphinx Terrace. (It is called that because it looks sort of like a sphinx) We boarded an elevator that took us up 105 meters in 15 seconds. Here was an observatory and weather station. The clouds were beginning to come in, but we still got some great pictures. We then went back down and walked outside in the snow and treated Elizabeth to a short dog sled ride. We didn't have any time to send an email from the Top of Europe or a postcard, as we had to rejoin the group for the train back down. We could have stayed as long as we wished, but we had another thing we wanted to do, so went with the group back down to the Kleine-S station. Here we parted company and after a quick lunch at a restaurant, we boarded yet another train to Wengen. This was a picturesque ride through some countryside that took us to a little town. Here we walked around and got a wonderful view of the glacial valley below. Our main reason for coming to this town, though, was to ride on the world's longest cable car. It takes from the town of Wengen to Mannlichen Ridge Station. The view would have been spectacular, had not clouds rolled in and totally obscured our vision. We had seen a lot on the way up, though, and continued down the other side of the ridge via another cable car. This let us off in Grund, about a 5 minute train ride to Grindenwald. We were going to walk, but it had started to rain, so we used the rest of our return ticket from the Kleine-S train and rode back to Grindenwald.How often do you get to stand at the highest rail station in Europe and then on the same day ride on the world’s longest cable car? That would have been enough adventure for anyone, but our adventures weren’t through for the day. These weren’t in any guidebook and can just be put down as interesting stories we will remember about our trip. The first occurred as we were walking in Grindenwald souvenir shopping.&nbsp; We were looking for T-shirts and had just bought some and decided to check out a restaurant for dinner. All of a sudden, something flew right at me and landed on my face—it was a bee and it stung me on my eyelid. A nice waitress gave me some ice and I walked back to the hotel holding a dripping ice cube in a napkin. I exchanged the napkin for a wash cloth and sat in the bar of the hotel with Elizabeth and Keith while we watched an Alphorn demonstration. It was interesting, but I really couldn’t enjoy it as my eye hurt like crazy.&nbsp; We walked back to that restaurant we were checking out—Uncle Tom’s hut—and sat down outside and ordered some pizza.&nbsp; I had had enough excitement for one day and was ready to just enjoy the evening (hurting eye and all) when across the street came some loud cheers and noise. Some kind of event was going on at a civic center across the street. We ignored it, but soon a bunch of teenagers came spilling out and making all kinds of noise. Some were talking, some were loudly goofing off, some were splashing water on each other at the fountain. Noisy, but ignorable.&nbsp; I said we were sitting outside. Imagine a porch of a cabin, with bushes next to the railing, with flowers and such. There was a window hanging in the space next to us, attached to the cabin and roof with a chain. &nbsp;Elizabeth and I were sitting with our backs to the cabin and Keith was facing us. His head was in line with that window. All of a sudden we heard something whiz by and a loud "Pop" and something fell into the bushes. We thought it was fireworks, but then Elizabeth noticed that a corner of the window was broken. One of the kids had thrown something across the street and had hit the window. Had his aim been a little higher, he would have shattered that window and the glass would have been all over Keith’s head. We told the waitress and she went and talked to the adults in charge. It turns out the kid threw a carrot. Did I mention these teenagers were Americans? Please, teenagers, do us all a favor. You want to know why people in foreign countries don’t like Americans? (The Swiss love Americans, by the way) The answer is because jerks like you do stupid things and break antique windows and then we all get a bad reputation. You should be ashamed of yourselves.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/njbeaglemom/6/1246680060/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/njbeaglemom/6/1246680060/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/njbeaglemom/6/1246680060/tpod.html Tue, 14 Jul 2009 19:21:42 -0400 Switzerland and Paris

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Grindelwald, Swiss Alps, Switzerland

We checked out of our hotel in St. Moritz and went to the train station to board <i>The Glacier Express. It is the slowest express train in the world –it only averages 25 miles per hour. Had we taken the train all the way back to Zermatt, we would have passed over 291 bridges and through 91 tunnels. We only rode it for 4 ½ hours and passed through plenty of tunnels and over many bridges. The Swiss made spiral tunnels to help overcome some of the challenges of the altitude. These spiral tunnels would have us entering in one direction, only to exit going the opposite direction! The scenery was spectacular! There were cows on the hillside, waterfalls, raging rivers, gorges and trees. There were tiny villages and rolling hills. A few of the highlights were:&nbsp; 1) Passing over the Landwasser Viaduct at kilometer 63, between Chur and St. Moritz. This is a world famous piece of railway. It is 65 meters high and follows a curve with a radius of 100 meters. It is possible to take a picture while crossing it, but it is being repaired and was covered with scaffolding. I took a picture of it in the brochure instead; 2) seeing the headwaters of the Rhine River, and 3) Just seeing the different landscapes that we passed. We ate a picnic lunch on board and debarked at Andermatt. Andermatt is the country's last line of defense. Here at a military station, 1000 men can live for 1 year. As we left Andermatt, we listened to the William Tell Overture, as we were entering Uri Canton, or William Tell country. Here in 1307, as the story goes, Tell refused to bow to the hat of Gessler and was forced to shoot an apple off his son’s head. Tell later killed Gessler and freed his people from his tyranny. We passed over the Susten Pass and stopped to look at the Stein glacier before heading down into the valley. We passed the town of Meiringen that is famous for two things: the first is Meringue and the second is Sherlock Holmes’ story, <i>The Final Solution. &nbsp;Those of you who have read Holmes will recognize the story in which Doyle killed off Holmes in a death match with Professor Moriarity at Reichenbach Falls.We actually had to deal with rain at this point, but really couldn’t complain, as we hadn't experienced any except for brief evening thunderstorms a couple of times. We arrived in Grindenwald just before dinner and got our first look at one of the three mountains in that area, the Eiger. Since it was July 4th, the hotel gave us a little reception before dinner and had hung an American flag in the lobby to great us. Pictures soon. The words on the computer are all in German and I am having trouble figuring out what is what.<i want="" on="" the="" screen.="">
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