Week 3 in Switzerland

Big Hi to You All

Hope all is going well for everyone and that you South Australians are getting out and about enjoying the late summer weather.

We are having some awesome weather here in Switzerland as well. Temperatures have been in the high teens and low 20's all week making it ideal for getting out and about exploring the area where we live. The warmer weather has all but melted the snow fall from last week with only a few patches remaining on the hills above 1000m, but the Alps in the distance are still covered giving a stunning back drop to the country side. The alpine meadows are coming to life with a kaleidoscope of coloured spring flowers, while streams burbling from the melt off give a lovely sound track to add to the experience and walking about through all of this makes the senses come alive.

Last Sunday we joined the multitude of Swiss who use the day to indulge themselves in what seems like the national passion. Pack up the sandwiches, thermos, the kids, dogs, Grandma etc and off they go. Take a train, bus, car to the base of a selected peak, walk to the top and immerse themselves into the place.

Our selected peak took us up to 1100 metres worth of stunning mountain scenery where many others were stretched out in the sunshine picnicking, brushing up on a tan, admiring the scenery etc. We encountered all ages from 7 months to 77 years who greeted us with a cheery "Gruezi miterand" along the steeply rising walk trail to the summit. It was great to be a part of it all.

The climb took it's toll on Phil both physically and emotionally. Her knee blew out which made walking on the steep trail a real slog - especially the return down hill. Also, I promised to shout her a glass of wine at the restaurant / cafe when she reached the summit. It was closed. Oooops - Not Happy!

On the way down Phil had to use a stick to take some of the weight off her knee and the drop in elevation of over 400 metres in less than 2 kms was a very painful experience despite some drugs. Her knee was very swollen by the time we got down to the railway station. It even looked painful.

We came across a sign that read with a very bold ACHTUNG!!!! Below it was a picture of chooks which initially made us piss ourselves laughing, before continuing on with trepidation and fear of rampaging killer chooks. Thought it prudent to behave ourselves in case there was a chilling cry of "Hans - release der rooster". We had seen plenty of Achtung signs with pictures of vicious looking Rotties and German Shepherds, but CHOOKS - This was a first!

As we had an hour to wait for the next train we wandered / hobbled over to nearby cafe / pub where Phil was administered more pain relief in the guise of a 1/2 litre of DunkeL Bier. The place had a number of other walkers waiting for the train relieving their aches and pains with their preferred bevvies. The owner must do very well on Sundays dishing out pain relief by the litre.

Walking down the aisle to a seat on board the train was a bit of a challenge in avoiding an injury from the plethora of pointed trekking poles sticking out at all angles. If the train was involved in a crash, more people would have died from impalement than from the actual crash itself.

We also took advantage of the weather and a chance to give Phil's knee a rest with a very pleasant 2 hour boat trip on Lake Zurich to Zurich itself. It was wonderful zig zagging the lake to pick up / drop off passengers while watching the mountains, small villages, homes of the rich and famous etc slowly glide past as we putted along on the silk calm lake in the divine sunshine.

When we got to Zurich, we got our bearings and meandered through the cobbled streets up to the Bahnhof / Train Station. Now this place is SERIOUS Girl / Credit Card territory. Phil reckons it has more elite brand names per square metre than the Champs Elysees in Paris and that statement comes from a woman who knows the shopping turf. Geez it was pretty impressive. All that bling scattered about was enough to make her forget her knee woes for a while. She ended up with a stiff neck and eye strain instead. Fortunately, for our savings and the avoidance of a credit card melt down, the shops were closing by the time we got there.

I must admit though, it is done very well in Zurich. All this modern bling is set in the old part of the city and the old buildings have not been replaced by so called modern architecture. Wandering through winding cobbled alley ways and lanes and along the canal is a great urban experience that kept both of us amused. We had to cut it short though as some traveler tension was starting to creep in and we needed to catch the train back so we could link up with the bus back "home", but we will be back to check it out in more detail in the very near future.

We did a few things in and around the town Wald as well. Went off for wander to check out a few shops etc and came across Werner's Wunderbar Wursts in the next town over and a cheapo market in part of an old disused textile factory. This place was huge. Back in it's hey day of the late 19th / early 20th Century it was the mainstay of the town. In fact there were a number of textile mills here and wandering about the small canals that led water to the mills is quite interesting. Other parts of the mill have been converted into a hotel, gymnasium and condo apartments.

Got invited to lunch at a small restaurant owned by a German mate of our hosts parents Inge & Fredy and it was another of those 3 course gastronomic feasts that seem the norm. Thankfully we went off for a small walk to settle it down bit before resuming up at their place for a vierie which is the Swiss terminology for afternoon tea around 4 o'clock where Inge dished up waffles & cream liberally laced with Swartzvald Kirsche (Black Forest Cherry Schnapps).

The afore mentioned travel tension was the indicator that we needed to spend some time apart, so Volker took off up into the hills again to walk off some of his tension while Phil took the opportunity to have some time out to put her knee up, read a book and enjoy the sunshine for her relief. By the time he got back from some awesome scenery and a hard slog, it was all OK. Phil had cooked up a great meal and with a wine or two we started planning our next adventures.

There is something to be said for scaling a peak, feeling pleasantly knackered while lying in a meadow of flowers and patches of snow listening to a stream nearby. Add a dose of being bathed in warm sunshine, watching eagles circling about amongst snow covered peaks - and well - you wouldn't want to be dead for quids hey! Very therapeutic.

And - to finish off our 3rd week in Switzerland we took off on a train to the Swiss / German border on the Rhine River to check out what is supposed to be the biggest waterfall in Europe. Not sure what we were expecting, but Niagra Falls dimensions it was not. It didn't dampen the enthusiasm though as they were still pretty impressive complete with a restored medieval castle / schloss to add to the overall impact which Niagra Falls doesn't have - so there!

It was interesting to watch a boat take passengers out to a small island in the middle of the falls, drop them off and let them walk up the stair case to the top of the island to get a very close up experience in the middle of the falls (maybe propose to the one you love or throw the one you don't off etc. Just for the record neither happened to us as we didn't go out there).

Anyhow - it was a great day out watching the countryside and small towns pass by from the luxury of the train, doing the absolute tourist bit and just catching our breaths after what has been a pretty full on week all round. Also, there is the coming week to get ready for.

Friday night is going to be party night down at the Rapperswill Volkmusik festival complete with yodelling and oompa bands. Phil is keeping an eye out for a dirndl (traditional dress) so she can fit in with the festivities while I flatly refuse to even think about leather pants with braces despite the peer pressure. We will let you know how that went next blog.

Phil's sister and brother in law are coming down from Paris to pay us a visit for a few days next week as well, so we are looking forward to a busy week sharing more of the sights and Swiss culture.

And that's it. Have a great weekend where ever you are.

Best wishes and lots love.

Philomena & Volker xxx