Tomorrow we're bringing Micah to the airport, and then meeting up with Guschti (Beat Hug, a friend from Waldsee) for lunch. Here are some pictures from today!
Monday, April 4, 2011
Zürich Day 1
After a morning of relaxation in St. Gallen, we headed over to Zürich in the afternoon. We met up with Christof, who dad met back about 25 years ago. Super nice guy. He showed us around Zürich, and we some some areas that I had seen before along with some new ones, and we also got a bit of history along with the tour. Lots of fun. We also went out for Cordon Bleu, which was fun.
Tomorrow we're bringing Micah to the airport, and then meeting up with Guschti (Beat Hug, a friend from Waldsee) for lunch. Here are some pictures from today!
Tomorrow we're bringing Micah to the airport, and then meeting up with Guschti (Beat Hug, a friend from Waldsee) for lunch. Here are some pictures from today!
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Day trip to Lugano
Today was quite a long day! We caught the 8:02 train to Lugano, and arrived around 11:50. Here's the approximate route:
View Larger Map
We took a very similar route yesterday, up until the town of Goldau. Where yesterday we continued onward towards Luzern, today we switched trains and headed South. The train ride went through the Urner Alps and the Lepontine Alps, however, the train windows weren't clear enough for any good pictures. Nevertheless, the view was spectacular, not just of the mountains, but also of the little villages along the way.
It's really cool to see the difference between the German-speaking and Italian-speaking regions. Obviously, you can tell because the train goes through a few big tunnels, but you can definitely notice when the architecture changes from the northern German-style to the southern Italian-style. Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures from the train - you'll have to go yourself to see it! Maybe I'll take another trip down there someday and do a better job of taking pictures. Seeing all of these mountains was a great addition to the trip, and could have even been its own expedition. The only drawback is that you can't really get out at each little town along the way to take a look around, because 1. the fast train doesn't usually stop there and 2. it would take forever if you stopped everywhere.
A lot of the little towns that we passed by probably could have been day trip destinations in their own right, provided you were up for some hiking or ready for a small bus / gondola / train / etc. detour. We saw a lot of hiking paths and bike trails that one could take, perhaps to go on a camping outing. With a few days or weeks to kill, the Alps would be an amazing hiking / biking / camping destination.
Lugano
Lugano was great. Immediately after stepping out of the train, you could feel the difference. It was really neat to go to a region where I didn't speak the language. I understood a lot more than I thought I would, which isn't to say that I understood much, but often had a really hard time replying in Italian. I definitely responded to some people in Swiss German and/or English when my lackluster Italian couldn't conjure up the right words. Regardless, it was really neat hearing and seeing Italian all over the place.
We wandered around the town for a bit, made our way down to Lago di Lugano, and then got hungry. We found a restaurant called the Spaghetti Store, which had some great and authentic Italian food, but was a little understaffed. Micah and I split a large, delicious, Italian pizza, and mom got some pasta. After lunch, we meandered across the lakefront, watched part of a regatta, got some ice cream, watched some street chess, and saw more sights. Mom had her Rick Steves Switzerland travel book, so we had a good overview of what there was to see and do. There were a few churches she wanted to see, so we made sure we saw those. We eventually made our way back up to the train station for the 17:12 train and headed back up to St. Gallen.
All in all, Lugano was great. We spent most (all) of our time in the old city and on the lakefront; I'm sure that there are a lot more interesting things to do and see once you get into the rest of the city. The weather was a little hazy, almost as if a very thin cloud had descended over the lake, so you might not see the mountains in the background of my pictures as well as we could. We think we saw Italy, but weren't 100% sure which vantage points gave a view of Italy, and which gave a view of Switzerland.
Lugano also seems like it would be an easy place to spend a few days. There was a boat ride we could have taken, and with more time, we could have made an excursion up to one of the nearby mountains. Also, I think there were a few museums that mom would have enjoyed, and it may have been neat to go down to Italy. I guess I just have a lot of ideas for next time!
View Larger Map
We took a very similar route yesterday, up until the town of Goldau. Where yesterday we continued onward towards Luzern, today we switched trains and headed South. The train ride went through the Urner Alps and the Lepontine Alps, however, the train windows weren't clear enough for any good pictures. Nevertheless, the view was spectacular, not just of the mountains, but also of the little villages along the way.
It's really cool to see the difference between the German-speaking and Italian-speaking regions. Obviously, you can tell because the train goes through a few big tunnels, but you can definitely notice when the architecture changes from the northern German-style to the southern Italian-style. Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures from the train - you'll have to go yourself to see it! Maybe I'll take another trip down there someday and do a better job of taking pictures. Seeing all of these mountains was a great addition to the trip, and could have even been its own expedition. The only drawback is that you can't really get out at each little town along the way to take a look around, because 1. the fast train doesn't usually stop there and 2. it would take forever if you stopped everywhere.
A lot of the little towns that we passed by probably could have been day trip destinations in their own right, provided you were up for some hiking or ready for a small bus / gondola / train / etc. detour. We saw a lot of hiking paths and bike trails that one could take, perhaps to go on a camping outing. With a few days or weeks to kill, the Alps would be an amazing hiking / biking / camping destination.
Lugano
Lugano was great. Immediately after stepping out of the train, you could feel the difference. It was really neat to go to a region where I didn't speak the language. I understood a lot more than I thought I would, which isn't to say that I understood much, but often had a really hard time replying in Italian. I definitely responded to some people in Swiss German and/or English when my lackluster Italian couldn't conjure up the right words. Regardless, it was really neat hearing and seeing Italian all over the place.
We wandered around the town for a bit, made our way down to Lago di Lugano, and then got hungry. We found a restaurant called the Spaghetti Store, which had some great and authentic Italian food, but was a little understaffed. Micah and I split a large, delicious, Italian pizza, and mom got some pasta. After lunch, we meandered across the lakefront, watched part of a regatta, got some ice cream, watched some street chess, and saw more sights. Mom had her Rick Steves Switzerland travel book, so we had a good overview of what there was to see and do. There were a few churches she wanted to see, so we made sure we saw those. We eventually made our way back up to the train station for the 17:12 train and headed back up to St. Gallen.
All in all, Lugano was great. We spent most (all) of our time in the old city and on the lakefront; I'm sure that there are a lot more interesting things to do and see once you get into the rest of the city. The weather was a little hazy, almost as if a very thin cloud had descended over the lake, so you might not see the mountains in the background of my pictures as well as we could. We think we saw Italy, but weren't 100% sure which vantage points gave a view of Italy, and which gave a view of Switzerland.
Lugano also seems like it would be an easy place to spend a few days. There was a boat ride we could have taken, and with more time, we could have made an excursion up to one of the nearby mountains. Also, I think there were a few museums that mom would have enjoyed, and it may have been neat to go down to Italy. I guess I just have a lot of ideas for next time!
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Mom and Micah in Switzerland - Part 1
Micah's 1st Day - St. Gallen (March 28)
When Micah first got here on Monday, he was, as expected, somewhat tired. 15 year old often do not sleep at all during 8 hour flights from the East coast to Europe. To keep him from falling asleep, with the goal of aiding his adjustment to European time and to assist him in minimizing the effect jet lag, we stopped by my work quick, and then went for a little walk. Here are some of the pictures!
Micah's 2nd Day - Austria
On Tuesday, we hung out with a friend of mine, Micha, for most of the day. In the afternoon, we headed over to Bregenz, Austria to meet up with a friend of mine who teaches English, Kiley. We saw Lake Constance, had some Austrian food, etc. We also saw the skinniest house in Europe.
Rest of the week - Zoo & Rheinfall
Eva, my roommate, luckily had some free passes to the Zurich Zoo, and coincidentally, going to the zoo was one of the things that Micah actually came up with that he wanted to do. For the first part of the day (while we were still at the zoo), the weather was perfect.
After looking at things in the zoo for a few hours, we headed up to the Rheinfall, which is sort of like the Swiss Niagara Falls. The weather wasn't super great in the afternoon, so we practically had the place to ourselves.
Also, Micah apparently likes to sleep.
On Friday, Micah went to school with my roommate Atilla, but I don't have pictures of that. During this time, I went to the airport to pick up mom.
Mom's first day - Appenzell (April 1)
Mom managed to sleep on the plane, so when she arrived, she was ready to go. Micah was still at school, so I got her set up at her bed & breakfast. After getting all of that squared away, we met up with Micah and then headed off to Appenzell, a rather traditional and stereotypical Swiss town. It's the capital of the Canton Appenzell Innerrhoden. There is also Appenzell Ausserrhoden - they got in some fight a few hundred years ago, and haven't gotten over it yet.
On the way to Appenzell, we got a good view of the Säntis, the tallest mountain in the area. From Appenzell, the view was blocked by a hill, but we could see another mountain instead.
Mom's second day - Luzern (April 2)
Wasting no time, we headed off to Luzern on mom's second day. It's a pretty neat place. We spent a while walking through the old town, and looked at the old city wall.
After touring the city, we took Atilla's suggestion and headed for a mountain. There are two main choices for mountains to go visit in Luzern, the Rigi and the Pilatus. After consulting Atilla and the internet, we opted for Pilatus. We had to take a bus ride, and then two gondola rides, but we eventually made it to the top! From up top, you can see the Lake of Lucerne, the surrounding towns, and more mountains.
Tomorrow (Sunday) we're planning on going to Lugano. It should be pretty interesting, as it's down south in the Italian-speaking region. It's a lot of fun to travel around, I don't really to a lot of touristy things around here.
I also have a lot more pictures of mountains, Micah sleeping, etc., so next time you see me, have me show you the pictures!
When Micah first got here on Monday, he was, as expected, somewhat tired. 15 year old often do not sleep at all during 8 hour flights from the East coast to Europe. To keep him from falling asleep, with the goal of aiding his adjustment to European time and to assist him in minimizing the effect jet lag, we stopped by my work quick, and then went for a little walk. Here are some of the pictures!
Micah's 2nd Day - Austria
On Tuesday, we hung out with a friend of mine, Micha, for most of the day. In the afternoon, we headed over to Bregenz, Austria to meet up with a friend of mine who teaches English, Kiley. We saw Lake Constance, had some Austrian food, etc. We also saw the skinniest house in Europe.
Rest of the week - Zoo & Rheinfall
Eva, my roommate, luckily had some free passes to the Zurich Zoo, and coincidentally, going to the zoo was one of the things that Micah actually came up with that he wanted to do. For the first part of the day (while we were still at the zoo), the weather was perfect.
After looking at things in the zoo for a few hours, we headed up to the Rheinfall, which is sort of like the Swiss Niagara Falls. The weather wasn't super great in the afternoon, so we practically had the place to ourselves.
Also, Micah apparently likes to sleep.
On Friday, Micah went to school with my roommate Atilla, but I don't have pictures of that. During this time, I went to the airport to pick up mom.
Mom's first day - Appenzell (April 1)
Mom managed to sleep on the plane, so when she arrived, she was ready to go. Micah was still at school, so I got her set up at her bed & breakfast. After getting all of that squared away, we met up with Micah and then headed off to Appenzell, a rather traditional and stereotypical Swiss town. It's the capital of the Canton Appenzell Innerrhoden. There is also Appenzell Ausserrhoden - they got in some fight a few hundred years ago, and haven't gotten over it yet.
On the way to Appenzell, we got a good view of the Säntis, the tallest mountain in the area. From Appenzell, the view was blocked by a hill, but we could see another mountain instead.
Mom's second day - Luzern (April 2)
Wasting no time, we headed off to Luzern on mom's second day. It's a pretty neat place. We spent a while walking through the old town, and looked at the old city wall.
After touring the city, we took Atilla's suggestion and headed for a mountain. There are two main choices for mountains to go visit in Luzern, the Rigi and the Pilatus. After consulting Atilla and the internet, we opted for Pilatus. We had to take a bus ride, and then two gondola rides, but we eventually made it to the top! From up top, you can see the Lake of Lucerne, the surrounding towns, and more mountains.
Tomorrow (Sunday) we're planning on going to Lugano. It should be pretty interesting, as it's down south in the Italian-speaking region. It's a lot of fun to travel around, I don't really to a lot of touristy things around here.
I also have a lot more pictures of mountains, Micah sleeping, etc., so next time you see me, have me show you the pictures!
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