Luzern, Switzerland (Lucerne)

Posted on January 17, 2012 by adair | Permalink 0

We left on January 17th for 2 days in Switzerland.  I made reservations at a hotel in Lucerne.  Of course we left at o’dark-thirty so we could get to Lucerne before noon.  The train ride was very good, and we had some nice views during our journey. After a few wrong turns from the train station we got to the hotel, which was only 2 blocks from the train station.  What should have been a 5 minutes walk became almost an hour walk. I think that I will never be appointed as a European navigator!  Lane didn’t fire me or at least he did not tell me that I was fired yet.

Our first lunch in Lucerne was on the waterfront.  We each ordered a brat and a bottle of water.  When we got the bill of 34 francs (almost $40), we were surprised since we did not even get a bun with the brat.  We then realized that we will need to be on a diet in Switzerland!   That night we were going to have schnitzel for dinner and we were told that we must go to the Pfistern House for original Swiss schnitzel.  To our dismay they did not serve schnitzel.  However, our shared dinner, 2 side salads, and 2 water totaled 85 francs (over $90).  Switzerland is absolutely gorgeous, but very expensive.

Our first day in Lucerne, we walked for about 4 hours.  The city is beautiful!  The next day we took a panoramic train to Montreux, Switzerland , which is know as the Swiss Riviera.  Montreux is across the lake from Geneva.  The train ride, which was 5.5 hours each way, took us through the Alps.  Although we were on the train for a long day, we really enjoyed the scenery.  On one part of the journey, we were on a classic train where we traveled like royalty.  The coaches were a reproduction from the 1930s Golden Mountain Pullman Express.  On the train through the mountains, I got a big surprise.  I waited until the train stopped to use the restroom.  However, my backside got very cold.  When I got ready to flush it, I realized that there is a tube the goes down to the snow on the tracks.  I was even more dismayed when I seen people standing next to the train where I had just tinkled.  After the long train ride, we decided to stay at the hotel for dinner.  We had a small pizza, 2 side salads, one beer, and one soda for 56 francs. By this time we had over spent our food budget!   

Our last half day in Lucerne, we went for a walk after breakfast.  We found the Musegg Wall and Towers that were built between 1370 and 1442.  There were originally 30 towers and there are 9 still standing.  The remaining wall is 870 meters long by 9 meters high and 1.5 meters thick.  We did a long uphill climb to see them, but it was well worth the effort.  The Musegg Wall and Towers, the Chapel Bridge, Lucerne Lake, and the train through the Alps were the highlights of the trip. 

Travel

Our 2011 Germany Vacation

Posted on January 15, 2012 by adair | Permalink 1

We spent some time in Germany with Brad, Deanna, and Nathan.  In addition to touring around the Wiesbaden area, we did a 2 day trip to Berlin and another 2 day trip to Lucerne, Switzerland.

Wiesbaden Christmas Market

Rudeshiem Christmas Market

Frankfurt, Germany

Wiesbaden, Germay

Berlin, Germay

 

Travel

Berlin, Germany

Posted on January 4, 2012 by adair | Permalink 0

We traveled by train from Niederjosback to Berlin on January 4th.  We were so exited about going to Berlin that we left the house a couple hours early.  Of course if you know Lane, he always wants to get there very early so he knows where he is going and then he is comfortable. We had an enjoyable breakfast at the Frankfurt train station before we left on the ICE train for Berlin.  While we have been in Germany, we have seen little or no sun.  Of course the day that we left Frankfurt, the sun was shining and we were not around enjoy it!  However, we excited about seeing Berlin. 

The train ride was very good.  For awhile, Lane and I had an entire car to ourselves.  When we arrived in Berlin I thought I knew where we were going.  I had written down the directions and had drawn the map that was online.  Both of these were from the hotel web site.  Of course, when we started out, I used the map and of course we went the wrong way from the train station.  So we went back to the train station and followed the written directions.  To our amazement, that was also wrong.  We made it back to the train station and asked the information desk.  The funny thing is that Lane heard something different than I heard.  So, we went the way that I understood we should go and of course that was also wrong.  By now we only had one more way to go, Lane’s way, and we made it to the hotel.  However, the hotel’s web site said that it is 500 meters from the train station, it was quite a bit farther than that.

When I made the hotel reservation, there were good reviews on Trip Advisor.  However, someone posted that it is a bare bones hotel.  They were so right!  There was one 10″X12″ picture and a 13″ TV on the wall.  There was no clock, telephone, shampoo, wash clothes, or hand lotion.  It did have two lamps, two chairs, and a table!  It also had hand towels, bath towels, and soap.  At least we didn’t have to share a bathroom!!!

When we arrived in Berlin, the weather was very cold. The wind was blowing and it was raining.  We needed to taste test the brats and ice cream on our first night in Berlin.  By time we got to the hotel, we were rather cold and wet.  The bare bones hotel did provide a free drink in their bar at 5:00 PM.  So we were curious what type of drink the hotel offered after seeing the room.  To our surprise, it was beer, wine, orange juice, or water.  Of course I had to try the beer while Lane tested the juice!   We went back to the room and were in bed before 7:00 PM.  It was nice crawling into a warm bed!  Of course, we were up very early the next morning!

The next day we had scheduled a 3.5 hour walking tour.  We were to meet at the Brandenburg tor, which was supposed to be by the hotel.  When we asked the hotel about the Brandenburg tor, we found out that it was a 25 minute walk from the hotel.  With the rain in conjunction with the cold wind and an expected walk of more than 4 hours, we changed our minds.  However, we did find that there was a City Sightseeing Tour Bus (hop on – hop off) that has 20 stops for 20 Euros.  That was an easy decision for a couple of older people!!!  We really enjoyed the tour and stayed fairly warm and dry.  We did get off at Check Point Charley so I could get a picture of Lane!  The tour was 2.5 hours and we rode it around the city twice.  I had to get pictures from both sides of the bus.  Of course, it rained off and on all day long, so I did not get pictures of everything.  Raindrops do have a way of messing up the photos. 

Berlin is a good place to stop.  There is so much to see.  I now wished that I had planned more time there AND made sure we stopped in the summer and not the winter.   


Travel ,

Wiesbaden, Germany

Posted on December 30, 2011 by adair | Permalink 0

We took a train into Wiesbaden today. It was cold and windy, but we enjoyed the day.  We got off the train and began looking for Lane’s favorite food – Weiner schnitzel.  We walked through quite a bit of the downtown area and did not see any restaurant that served schnitzel.  After stopping in a kitchen store to look around, we asked if there was a good place to get schnitzel.  He gave us directions and said that the food is excellent.  Of course we found that the restaurant was very romantic and the food was fabulous.

It was more of a challenge for us to get back home.  We were told that we could take bus #4, #14, or #27 to get downtown from the train station.  However, we were not told that not all the #4 buses did not return to the train station.  After riding the #4, we asked the driver about the main train station.  He told us that we needed to get off and catch the #27 and that the bus stop was up the road.  We walked to the bus stop and waited quite awhile…but no bus #27.  However, we did see #27 on the other side of the road going the opposite direction.  What do we do…pray first and then go into a Ford dealership and ask how to get to the train station. She sent us to the other side of the street and down the road a piece.  The bus came and we got back to the train station. Thank goodness the train ride home was uneventful! 

Travel ,

Frankfurt, Germany

Posted on December 27, 2011 by adair | Permalink 0

We took a train into Frankfurt, Germany today.  We planned on going on a 3.5 hour walking tour.  However, it took us over 1 hour to walk from the train station to where the tour started.  We decided that we should stop and have a bite to eat before the walking tour.  While we were enjoying the warmth in the restaurant, we decided that a tour bus would be a better choice.  It just didn’t seem like we would enjoy more walking in the cold wind and misting rain.  We enjoyed the “Hop On-Hop Off” Sightseeing tour and then stopped for a walk along the Rhine River and a fish dinner before returning to the train station for the ride home. We laughed when we realized that the “Hop On-Hop Off” Sightseeing Bus stopped at the main train station and we didn’t need to try the 1 hour walk back to the station!  God sure does watch out for us!!

 

Travel ,

Rudeshiem Christmas Market

Posted on December 21, 2011 by adair | Permalink 0

We spent at evening at a Christmas Market in Rudeshiem.  Although it was very cold, we stayed warm eating soup from a bread bowl and drinking Gluhwein.  The Christmas Markets are fabulous.

Travel , ,

Wiesbaden Christmas Market

Posted on December 18, 2011 by adair | Permalink 0

We went to our first Christmas Market in Wiesbaden, Germany with Brad, Deanna, and Nathan.  I’ve heard about the fabulous the Christmas Markets in Germany and everyone was right!  The food, Christmas decorations, nativity scene, music, and shops made the night very memorable. Of course, spending time with Brad, Deanna, and Nathan made the market even more special!  I had my first cup (or maybe 2 cups) of Gluhwein.  It was very good.  When we combined the Gluhwein with some bratwurst, we knew why we loved Germany!

Family, Travel , ,

Our 2011 Mediterrranean Cruise

Posted on December 16, 2011 by adair | Permalink 0

We spent 11 day on the MSC Splendida begining in Genoa, Italy on 12/5/2011 and ending at the same port on 12/16/2011.  We stopped at various ports in Italy, Turkey, and Greece.

Cruising

Genoa

Katakolon

Heraklion (Crete)

Marmaris

Ismir

Athens

Palermo (Sicily)

Rome

 

Travel

Rome, Italy – Civitavecchia

Posted on December 15, 2011 by adair | Permalink 0

Our cruise stopped in Civitavecchia and we had a tour scheduled for Rome. However, Lane was ill so we did not get off the ship.  We found that the ice cream on the ship was making him ill.  But it was that last night on board when we finally figured that out.  He had ice cream on two different occasions and was ill both times.

 

Port at Civitavecchia (Rome)

Port at Civitavecchia (Rome)

Travel , ,

Palermo

Posted on December 14, 2011 by adair | Permalink 0

We stopped in Palermo, the capital city of Sicily.  The cruise ship only had 7 hours at port.  However, Lane had to see the Doctor at 12:00 PM before we could go ashore.  Therefore, we only had 4 hours.  Of course we had to find a Post Office to mail our postcard and taste the food. We did not have much to time to see much of the city.  We really enjoyed the ice cream and the late lunch!

Travel , ,