THE STREETS OF MONTREAL

Posted on September 30, 2014 by Elaine-iaK's Travels

Given the worn-out condition of my legs after a full day of sightseeing during my free day at Masters Swimming World Championships (and a rotten race time in my 400 IM the following day because of it), we decided to save most of the remainder of our sightseeing for after the completion of Worlds. We had already signed up for a walking tour after my morning race, though, so what the heck. You only live once, right?

Off we went to meet our guide for an afternoon walk through Old Montreal, the Old Port, and the underground city. It was a beautiful day for a walking tour, and we thoroughly enjoyed hearing about the sights along the way.

We were most fascinated by the underground tunnels that connect shopping malls, apartment buildings, condos, offices, museums, universities, seven Metro stations, two commuter train stations, a bus terminal, and the hockey arena. Whew! In all, these air conditioned and lit tunnels are spread over more than 12 km (4.6 square miles)! Many are so wide they have shops on both sides of the passage.

Colorful paint added life to this otherwise bleak hallway connecting the underground city to one of the Metro train stations.

Winters are so brutal in Montreal that 500,000 people use the underground city every day to escape the cold and snow. During our stay in Montreal, the weather was too gorgeous to spend much of our time down there.

Our last full day in Montreal was spent exploring the Mont Royal neighborhood and surrounding area. My camera got a lot of use that day, and our legs put on some miles! To see more photos of Montreal, visit: www.ExquisiteCards.fototime.com .

103

106

122

MONTREAL, CANADA (BETTER LATE THAN NEVER!)

Posted on September 20, 2014 by Elaine-iaK's Travels

Where has the time gone? So much has happened since visiting Montreal and competing in the FINA Masters Swimming World Championships in early August! After World’s, we visited Quebec City for a few days of sightseeing and then flew back to the States to compete in the U.S. Masters Swimming National Championships. Next, it was time to gear back up to compete in the Southside Seals Pentathlon on September 13 where I competed in my first Ironman. Nothing like racing a 400 Individual Medley, 200 Freestyle, 200 Breaststroke, 200 Backstroke, and 200 Butterfly (saving the hardest for last) in just over two hours! Then, on September 19, I raced a full slate in the Georgia Senior Golden Olympics so I could qualify for Nationals that will take place in the Twin Cities in July 2015. My race times were slow; however, competition was light, so I ended up with two gold and three silver medals.

ElaineKrugman-2Gold,3Silver

Our travels are still on my mind as wonderful memories, though, so I thought I would share some of them with you.

Back in Montreal, Day 2 of competition at World’s didn’t include any of my race events, so it was a day off for me. Most swimmers would choose to relax and stay off their feet given that opportunity; however, we wanted to see Montreal and it was important to me to make this an enjoyable trip for Bruce as well.

Our day off from the pool started with a Metro ride to the Marche Jean-Talon, a wonderful market that was so much more than just produce stalls. It was an experience.

Most of the remainder of the day was spent exploring the streets of Old Montreal where it felt like being back in France. From the architecture dating back to the 1600’s to the horse-drawn carriages, it was hard to believe we were still in North America. The gas lamps, flower baskets, sidewalk cafes and French-speaking locals gave Old Montreal even more of a French feel to transport me back in my mind to France.

Riding the Metro trains around Montreal was an efficient way to see the city, and swimmers were given a free 9-day pass to see the sights. Family members were sold passes at an excellent discount, so Bruce and I took advantage of it throughout our nine-day visit. The condo we rented through http://www.homeaway.com was located downtown just a couple of blocks from a Metro station, so it was very convenient. Since the Parc Jean-Drapeau Aquatic Complex was located at one of the Metro stops, we used Metro for getting to and from the pool each day of competition.

Everywhere we went around the city, we saw other swimmers and their families wearing their World Championships credentials around their necks. It was to be
expected given the 9,000 athletes in town for the five Masters aquatic events, including swimming, open water swimming, synchronized swimming, diving, and water polo.

What I didn’t expect, though, was to run into my own teammate on a crowded train during our day away from the pool sightseeing! On our way back to the condo, we were just about to board a train when I noticed that some of the cars were more packed than others. We made a quick decision to run up ahead to board a less-crowded train, and there was Ed Saltzman, Georgia Masters team relay coordinator, standing at the car door with a grin on his face. Ed had all of the team’s t-shirts with him, so he quickly dug through his backpack trying to locate mine. Wait! “What station are you getting off at, Ed?” When we realized we were hopping off at the same one, we breathed a sigh of relief and took care of business in the station instead. What a fun way to end our first day of sightseeing in Montreal!

20-EdSaltzman

The view from our condo in downtown Montreal.

MY FAVORITE RACE MEMORY AT WORLD’S

Posted on August 12, 2014 by Elaine-iaK's Travels

Our week in Montreal was a whirl wind of activity and excitement even in our down time between competition and sightseeing. The head coach for the Americans had started a Facebook page before the world championships began, so I found myself spending more time than I had intended sifting through the posts for any helpful information. Between intel being shared there and on the U.S. Masters Swimming Discussion Forums, and keeping up with e-mails, additional blog posts never got written.

I try to keep a very limited presence on Facebook but find it necessary to be on that site to keep up with swim team and meet information. In the case of Worlds, it was a must due to FINA (the world governing body of the five aquatic sports represented at the world championships) falling down on the job. Without getting into details as to why it was necessary, trust me when I say how crucial it was that the competitors and coaches themselves stepped in to help each other out.

The swimmers and coaches are what made the entire experience a fabulous one for me. The memories I will take away from the meet and our time in Canada are ones I will always cherish and hope never to forget.

In the pool, my race times were very forgettable. Bruce and I had way too much fun seeing the city of Montreal in between competition to be well-rested to race at my best! There was one race, however, that was special.

Most of the time when I race, I am unaware of where the other competitors are in the pool until after I hit the timing pad at the end. I put my head down during my race and just focus on my stroke and where I should be at any given moment.

During my 200 breaststroke race, however, the French swimmer in the adjacent lane was constantly in my peripheral vision, and we were matching each other stroke for stroke. I tried ignoring her, but as I focused on my stroke cadence, she was always right beside me.

After the final turn, I tried to shake her knowing it was time to go all out and sprint for the wall. Still, she was right beside me.

In the final 20 meters, I knew there was no way I was going to let her pass me after the fight I had put up over the past 180 meters. I dug as deep as I could to muster up what was left in my tank and sprinted to the finish, increasing my stroke rate the best I could. I had no strength left at that point in the race, so quickening my stroke rate was what I believed would make the difference.

It appeared in my peripheral vision as if we both touched the pads at the same time. Neither of us could see the electronic time board due to tents blocking our vision, so we didn’t know the results. We knew we came in 3rd and 4th in our heat, because the other gals were still racing after we touched the wall; however, they were in the next older age group, so they didn’t matter to us in the results. (There will be a combined heat when it is necessary to fill the 10-lane pool to keep the meet running more efficiently and faster.)

After exiting the pool, the French gal and I gave each other a high-five and a hug, congratulating each other on a great race– she in French and me in English. We didn’t speak each other’s language; however, we both knew exactly what the other was saying: “You pushed me to swim faster and harder than I thought I could push myself to swim during that race. Thank you.”

Not having access to our official race times (the timers at each lane are only there for back-up in case the electronic system fails), we left the pool only knowing that we had given each other one heck of a race, and I had just touched her out.

It wasn’t until I saw the official results that evening that I learned that less than a quarter of a second had separated us at the finish, and we were the last two finishers in our age group.

It didn’t matter, because I had the race of my life, and if the smile on my French competitor was any indication, I’ll bet she had the race of her life, too.

2014 FINA MASTERS SWIMMING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS IN MONTREAL

Posted on August 7, 2014 by Elaine-iaK's Travels

When I left competitive swimming after high school, I never thought I would ever compete again, especially in any sort of national competition. Fast forward to 2010 when I joined U.S. Masters Swimming and entered Spring Nationals, because it was just up the freeway at Georgia Tech. Since then, I have swum at several Nationals, from Greensboro, North Carolina to Mission Viejo, California. Those experiences were huge for me, way beyond what I had ever dreamed of doing with my swimming. Now, here it is, four years into my Masters swimming “career,” and I am in Montreal, Canada competing at the 2014 FINA Masters World Championship!

Although it sounds impressive, the qualifying times for the Masters World Championships are actually slower than U.S. Masters Swimming (USMS) national qualifying times. I qualified in every event except for one; whereas, this year I didn’t make qualifying times for Nationals. Since non-qualifiers still get to compete in three events (rather than six) at USMS Nationals, we’ll be heading to Maryland after Worlds and a few days of sightseeing in Quebec City.

I may be in the lowest 20% in my age group here at Worlds, but I’m so happy to be able to be here to compete. How fortunate the swim meet is just up north and located in one of the two Canadian cities on my bucket list (Quebec City being the other)! Last year it was in Italy, and next year it will take place in Russia.

Here in Montreal, there are 1,500 Americans competing in a group of 5,868 swimmers from 93 countries. In all, there are 9,000 athletes competing in Masters swimming, open water swimming, synchronized swimming, diving, and water polo.

The aquatic complex is a beehive of activity; tanned and (mostly) fit wet bodies ages 25 to 97 have completely taken over the Parc Jean-Drapeau Aquatic Complex. It’s insane! What a scene, and I’m lovin’ every minute of it.

The warm-up pool: 8 lanes for 5,868 swimmers! It got much more crowded than this…

Although FINA, the international governing body of five aquatic sports, has done a poor job of running this meet (the complaints are wide and universal amongst the international swimmers), it hasn’t dampened the spirit around the pools. The excitement and enthusiasm is contagious; I can’t think of a better place to people watch! It is really quite a festive atmosphere, seeing a bunch of fit swimmers in their racing suits, smiles on their faces, laughing, giving each other hugs and high-fives.

Under the big tent by the main competition pool, it’s one big international social scene. Teams gather in clusters, swimmers spread out their towels, and they sprawl out all over the place leaving no path to walk. (Thanks to FINA and the facility not supplying chairs.) To get from the warm-up pool to the marshaling zone where swimmers line up for their races, it’s an obstacle course. I’ve gotten pretty good at hopscotch!

Hanging out under the tent with Bruce, a couple of teammates, and my USMS Discussion Forums buddy, “King Frog” (aka Allen Stark). At the meet, Allen broke the world record in his age group for 200 breaststroke!

It’s a festive atmosphere with many different languages being spoken and many excited conversations going on at once. In addition to swimming talk amongst teammates, another “sport” is taking place between swimmers of different countries: trading swim caps, t-shirts, and pins. I got in on that action as can see in the photos below:

Andreas and I traded caps from Berlin and Auburn University.

My Canadian cap-trading partner.

This swimmer was from Costa Rica.

Damian, from Team Hong Kong

My new Chinese friend was out of team caps; however, he couldn’t wait to get his hands on my USMS cap (which I got for free at Nationals), in exchange for the official World Championships cap he had just purchased at the Speedo store for $11.99.

Yes, he’s Italian!

And, she’s from Brazil.

I was so happy to make a trade for an Australian cap after having spent so much time in her country over the years!

When I told Peter (next to me) that I loved his home town of Prague, he didn’t want to trade caps. Instead, he wanted to just GIVE me his competition cap as a gift! I insisted on giving him a U.S. Masters cap as a gift, too.

I keep a very limited presence on Facebook under an alias; however, I found it necessary to keep tabs on Team U.S.A.’s World’s page to get updates we weren’t receiving otherwise. In the process, I got to know Andy, a Canadian who graciously provided a lot of tourist information to us Americans, so we would enjoy our time in Montreal. I was so excited when I finally caught up with Andy and his wife on relay day. We even ended up swimming in the same heat of one of the two relays I competed in that day.

As for the actual racing, it has been exciting to see several of my teammates and U.S. Masters friends win some impressive hardware, including gold, silver, and bronze medals. Since I am not anywhere near that caliber of swimmer, I’m just happy to be able to be here and race. I’m having a blast!

Some of my Georgia Masters teammates with Tim Waud, Team U.S.A. Head Coach

Georgia Masters teammates

Marianne Countryman

Bruce and I visited the Biosphere. (This is what you saw in the background of the photo at the warm-up pool.) Over my shoulder is a view down to the main competition pool at the Parc Jean-Drapeau Aquatic Complex.

For more photos from World’s, check out my album at: http://www.fototime.com/inv/DB1CA7062961254

Excerpts From a Past Travelogue: South America, 2009 – Cruising from Peru to San Diego

Posted on September 28, 2011 by Elaine-iaK's Travels

Before starting my travel blog, I used to send travelogues of my journeys by e-mail to my friends and family. I saved some of those e-mails as a travel journal to look back on, so I thought I would share some of those with you.

The following are excerpts from travels in South America, in 2009. After a pre-cruise visit to Valparaiso, Chile, Mom & I boarded Royal Caribbean’s “Radiance of the Seas”, for a “working” cruise, to San Diego. On board, we taught arts & crafts classes to the passengers:

Hola!

I am at an internet shop in Lima and ít´s only $1/ hr. for internet.

The Radiance of the Seas is a fabulous ship! The Jewel of the Seas (sister ship) used to be my favorite ship on Royal Caribbean, however, the Radiance was the first in its class.

Leo, my contact person on the cruise staff told me that the company dumped tons of $$ into this ship to make a big splash and great impression when it was revealed. Although it is now 8 years old, it looks just beautiful! There is so much gorgeous wood used throughout the ship, wonderful glass art work, tasty decor in all the public areas, etc. It is definitely the most tastefully decorated and built-out ship I have ever been on.

08-01

08-10

The food on the ship has been good, however, they serve much more fish than shellfish; typical of Royal Caribbean as compared to Princess. I miss the shrimp I ate often on the Sun Princess, but the fish is good, too… And, the chocolate desserts are delicious, as was last night´s Dulce de Leche Cheesecake!

A favorite place to enjoy lunch on the Jewel of the Seas was the Seaview Cafe. They have one on this ship, as well, so I enjoyed a nice salad while dining near the railing at the aft end of the ship. It was sunny and in the low-70´s- beautiful! And, it´s a quaint little seafood cafe with a great ambiance inside and out.

As for the entertainment, it is fabulous! We saw a terrific aerialist duo on the first night, the Beatle Maniacs (Beatles tribute band), a couple of nights ago, and a great production show last night. Overall, I always find the guest entertainers to be great on Royal Caribbean. And, their Brazilian band in the Atrium is awesome!

Our cabin is in a fantastic location- if it ever gets rough. We are located at the bottom, on deck 2, mid-ship. Excellent!

Now, for the ports… Lima is a very busy and loud city. And, it´s not very photogenic in the city. But, we didn´t take a tour today and really didn´t see much. After taking the shuttle in, we walked up to the Indian Market and other crafts markets and bought a few things.
Then, we headed back and here I am at the internet. Not much seen and nothing photographed, except at the markets…

From what I understand, the northern part of Peru and the inland regions are a must-see! Since we are on a ship and it can´t be done, I am satisfied just doing what I did. That will have to wait for another day, I´m afraid.

Our last port was La Serena, Chile. The free shuttle took us into town and we spent a full day there. I enjoyed the architecture, the people were very warm and friendly, and it was a comfortable place to get around on foot.

The big surprise of the day was being there for the 84th anniversary of the military and local police. There was a ceremony and parade, so we got caught up watching all the festivities. The highllight was seeing all the groups of school kids lining up to parade in their school uniforms; each school a different one. The kids were so friendly and happy! And, they loved being photographed. More importantly (to them, at least), was seeing how they looked in the photographs! They crowded around after each one so they could see themselves and giggle. Cute! It was so much fun.

After roaming around the crafts market and picking up a couple of things, we headed next door to the largest grocery store I had ever seen! I bought chocolate, of course, as well as some spices for Bruce. Then, we stopped over at the deli and picked up a couple of empanadas to enjoy for our little lunch. Delicious!

Overall, it was an enjoyable time walking around the town and having a relaxing, slow-paced day. And, it was nice not being herded around on a tour. As a matter of fact, the only tour we booked is for Ecuador, and it´s only for 31/2 hours. It will be a relaxing cruise…

Following our stop in Peru, we visited Manta, Ecuador, and Puntarenas, Costa Rica, before ending our cruise in San Diego. Due to an outbreak of the swine flu, in Mexico, we had to skip our ports in that country.

Here are a few photos from Ecuador:

05-10

And, a few from Costa Rica:

Our cruise ended in San Diego, so I will leave you with a view of downtown, from the ship:

Excerpts From a Past Travelogue: South America, 2009 – Valparaiso, Chile

Posted on September 28, 2011 by Elaine-iaK's Travels

The following are excerpts from travels in South America, in 2009:

…We arrived to beautiful weather; sunny and 75 degrees. And, Michael (Michael Arnold, “The German Pirate”; a tour guide who lives in Valparaiso. Find info. about him on www.tripadvisor.com and www.cruisecritic.com ) took us on an awesome tour from Santiago to Valparaiso, stopping at two wineries (very inexpensive and tasty wine!), a fishing village (very colorful and picturesque), a deserted GORGEOUS beach, and an interesting friends house and little museum. More on that later…

01-04-Vina Mar Winery.JPG

01-25

First, I must tell you where we stopped for lunch. This place was a HOLE IN THE WALL in some out of the way little place. I have no idea how Michael found it! He is German and his lives here with his Chilean girlfriend, so he has met many interesting people. But, I just don´t know how he found this amazing little place.

The people running this tiny little restaurant didn´t speak a word of English, but they were so warm and wonderful! And, for about $5 a person we feasted on empanadas and a wonderful thick soup made from pumpkin, sweet FRESH corn, beans, basil, and I can´t remember what else… We also had a dish made from sween corn, chicken, and beef that was sort of like a casserole, but the corn made a corn cake crust that was delicious. The bread was aslo outstanding! I wrote down the names of these dishes, however, it´s too dark in this hole-in-the wall internet place I found around the corner from our B&B! I will make sure to include this info. in my photo show…

Anyway, along with lunch, we enjoyed a bottle of sparkling wine that I picked up for about $4.50 at one of the wineries. The food was fabulous, the sparkling wine was tasty, the laughs were abundant, and the charm of the cook was the crown jewel of the experience. What fun!

About Michael´s friend… He is an 84 year old gentleman who lives in this incredible house with a view down to the fishing village. After retiring, his dream was to spend the rest of his life building his dream house, building ship models, creating sculptures, and collecting interesting things from his travels. No words can describe it; you will have to see my photos… But, suffice it to say, it was an amazing place, very interesting, and this Chilean gentleman was a real charmer! Hugs all around when we said, Ciao!

So, for $65 U.S. each, Mom and I had an amazing tour that lasted more than six hours. And, we will never forget it! It concluded with us being dropped off at the Harrington B&B; a perfect place to end a wonderful day. Michael recommended this charming place, run by a Frenchman and his Dutch wife. It is SO cool; a place with very modern touches in an older building. They completely renovated it, turning the bathroom into a slick room with black slate tiles and white bowls on top of the black slate counters for the two sinks. The glass shower has two black slate walls. Very hip. And, the head boards behind the twin beds have huge close-up photos of flowers.

01-37

The Harrington B&B is a very comfortable place up on the hill amongst many colorful homes and little shops. Each one is a different color; ours is yellow and the neighbors have all painted their places a different color. Very quaint, very colorful, very cool! It is really the best place to be in Valparaiso, because the city is built on many steep hillsides. So, walking in the area is very interesting with all the narrow streets, steep stairways, and funiculars built along the hillsides to carry you up and down when the stairs are too much! More on that later…

Last night, we took Olivier´s recommendation and walked to a tiny restaurant (six tables) for authentic Chilean food. The chef cooks in a tiny kitchen located write along the sidewalk, so we watched and took photos through the glass after we finished our dinner. The tables are located upstairs in the cutest little room looking over the street. Restaurante Antaño was such a quaint place run by a very charming gentleman. And, the food was delicious. After splitting two appetizers (empanadas and delicous Chilean sweet potatos that were sliced and fried), we each had a crab pie. A wonderful dinner and bottled water was enjoyed for about $16 each.

01-41

01-42

01-43

01-39

01-40

Our night at the Harrington B&B was very restful and proved to be a great recommendation by Michael. And, our continental breakfast, this morning, of baked breads, fresh squeezed orange juice and hot unsweetened cocoa from Ecuador (delicious with just a little bit of sugar added), was a nice start to our day, today!

Today was another sunny, GORGEOUS day! We joined Michael and three other couples who will be on the ship for a walking tour, from 10-5pm. The tour only cost us each $20! And, Michael did a fabulous job teaching us the history, showing us the sights, getting us on and off the local transportation, and taking us to all the out of the way places for the best views. We took one trolley and two funiculars in between the walking and took turns paying for the group. And, we had a tasty salmon lunch in between at an authentic Chilean restaurant.

Now, about the funiculars. They were VERY steep and scary if you looked down! And, the little wooden cars looked like they were about to fall apart… The photo ops. were terrific, though, so we all just held our breath!

02-11

It was a GREAT day with GREAT people! Two of the couples are American and one is Canadian; all very cool. We had so much fun together that we plan on meeting up, again, tonight. Michael is staying with his girlfriend who is a caretaker for a rich Chilean politician who is never at his house. So, he has invited us to come over this evening. He took us to see it at the end of our tour today. AMAZING! It would be the best B&B and has amazing views of the harbor and city below. AND, it´s only a ten minute walk from us. Now, granted, it´s a ten minute walk up stairs almost the whole way, but it is definitely worth going back to! Michael is going to pick up some wine, cheese, bread, and olives, and we will all split the cost. How cool…

EUROPEAN RIVER CRUISE: PHOTOS TO REMEMBER IT BY

Posted on September 23, 2011 by Elaine-iaK's Travels

I have completed my photos from my European river cruise and would love to share it with you! Check out my photo-sharing website at: www.ExquisiteCards.fototime.com

Scroll down to the bottom of the “Welcome” page to view the last two albums. If you would like to read the captions, click on the first photo of each album, to view a larger image. Click through from there and enjoy!

If you prefer to view it as a slide show, click on the album then select “Start Slideshow”, under “Tools”.

I hope you enjoy the show!

CHOCOLATE HAUL: THE FINAL TALLY

Posted on September 14, 2011 by Elaine-iaK's Travels

So, now for the honest (yummy!) truth: I have tallied up my chocolate haul from Europe and broken it all down for you. I confess; I lived up to the last half of my nickname (think “maniac”, instead of “-iaK”) in my quest for chocolate. A huge thanks goes to my mom for following me all over the place as I stepped into every chocolatier and grocery store we encountered along the way. She was my true partner in the quest for new chocolates!

BY THE NUMBERS:

New brands collected: 47 in five countries

Pounds of chocolate brought home: Belgium 7.81, Netherlands 1.50, France 0.44, Germany 4.33, Switzerland 9.9. Total: 23.98 pounds

Chocolate purchased and consumed before returning home: 7 oz.

Chocolate consumed last night and not pictured: 3 oz.

Calories that will be consumed? Too many! But, who’s counting???

LABELS ADDED TO MY CHOCOLATE LABEL AND WRAPPER COLLECTION:

Belgium: Davinia, Delhaize, New Tree, Cachet, KC Chocolatier, Lucrotsaert, Union Edel Chocolade, The Chocolate Line, Jacques, Chocoholic Chocolatier, Stefs Chocolatier, Kathy Belgian Chocolates, Noble Chocolatier, Chocolates Keerman, Chocolaterie De Burg

P1030565

Netherlands: DeHeer, Price

P1030559

France: Monopix Bio!, Grand Jury. (I would have liked to have found more, however, the chocolatier I found in Strasbourg was ridiculously expensive!

P1030556

Luxembourg: Sadly, none; it was Sunday and all of the chocolatiers and grocery stores were closed!

Germany: Schwermer, Sarotti, Peters, Rausch, Café Hansen Confiserie Bernkastel, Fin Carre, Eszet Schnitten, Ja!, Coppeneur, Rudesheimer Confiserie Laden, Hussel, Omira, Trumpe, Choceur

P1030555

Switzerland: Sprungli, Alter Eco, M Classic (Migros Supermarket), Denner (Supermarket), Bachman, Max Chocolatier, OK, Minor, Choco CH, Chocolates Halba, Camille Bloch, CoOp (Supermarket), Swiss Lion Takova, Le Chocolatier Suisse

P1030554

Thinking back on my purchases and examining the bounty before me, I realize I was more drawn to milk chocolate, this time around. It was quite the opposite when I brought home a carry-on full of Belgian chocolate, after my Belgium & Holland river cruise, in 2002. But, my preference for savoring bittersweet chocolate is to pair it with a jammy zinfandel, vintage port, or tawny port. And, I have cut back on my alcohol consumption, since returning to competitive swimming. This year, until Nationals ended in early August, I probably consumed no more than a total of 5-10 glasses of wine!

Milk chocolate, on the other hand, is my comfort food, and I enjoy it all by itself.

Next up on Elaine-iaK’s Travels: While I was in Europe, I took a lot of photos of chocolate displays; something I really enjoy doing. Check back soon for a tour through the chocolatiers of Europe!

THE GRAND FINALE: A PERFECT DAY IN LUCERNE

Posted on September 13, 2011 by Elaine-iaK's Travels

My final post of this trip is a long one, but I hope you feel it was worth it in the end!

This was the view that greeted me as I stepped out on the balcony upon wakening on our last full day abroad. On our final day in Lucerne, we were scheduled for a group tour of the lake and Mt. Pilatus, so we were hoping for good weather. We had a wonderful lake cruise in a boat chartered just for our group of 40 Vantage Travelers. It turned out to be a gorgeous day, so the photographers opted for the top deck and enjoyed the fresh air and warm sun. The views were spectacular, including the top of Mt. Pilates, 7,000 feet up. There were beautiful white puffy clouds hanging about, however, so we were hoping they would stay put and not cause a white-out at the top of the mountain.

17-27

It was a day of experiencing many forms of transportation. Following our one-hour boat tour, we disembarked at the railway station and boarded rail cars for our 30 minute trip up to the top of Mt. Pilates. It was a steep ride, often at a 25-30% grade and I was fortunate enough to get the spot right behind the conductor where I could either shoot photos out the front window or out the open side window. In many cases, I stuck my camera out the side window and pointed straight ahead where I was able to get some dramatic wide-angle (24mm) shots. FABULOUS! The conductor was a sweet man, too, pointing out everything he thought I should capture with my camera.

17-30

The railway had quite an interesting history. We were amazed it was built 125 years ago and took 600 men four summers to build. They did a fabulous job!

When we arrived at the top of the mountain, we were in awe with the fabulous view. The facilities were quite nice at the top with a restaurant, self-serve takeaway, and wonderful walking paths with stairs leading up to view points or down through tunnels leading to the backside of the mountain. I hiked up the two main paths to the highest points of the mountain and down through two tunnels. In between, we were entertained by Swiss men playing haunting tunes on their traditional Swiss horns, as well as by three paragliders! Now, that wasn’t something I expected to see, but we sure were entertained, especially when one of the paragliders returned to buzz by the onlookers a couple of times, so we could get some good shots. I was so surprised at how close they came and how quick he flew by, I wasn’t able to get a good shot off. Instead, I cheered him on!

17-42

After almost an hour and a half we were given to explore the hiking trails at soak in the beautiful picture postcard scenery, we boarded a large cable car that took us part of the way down the mountain. While we were boarding, a cloud enveloped our car for a complete white-out! We all just laughed, because we knew how lucky we were to have enjoyed perfect weather up at the top of the mountain, so we would have been asking for too much to expect it to continue any longer; especially since white-outs are common up on the mountain.

As we descended, we were ecstatic to drop from the cloud, back into bright sunshine, again! My Vantage travel mates, Mom and I were back to snapping away…

On the way down, we took in the scenery of gorgeous trees and cows happily grazing on bright green grass. We loved hearing the bells around their neck, but I wondered if the cows ever get tired of hearing them…

The remainder of our 20 minute cable ride was spent in smaller cable cars that seated four people, after transferring from the larger car, part-way down the mountain. What a breathtaking experience it all was! Again, I felt like I had lived in the pages of a photo calendar or coffee table picture book; the kind I loved to pour over as a kid (and still do).

After being transported by bus (our final mode of transportation for the day) back into town, we visited the Lion Monument. The dying lion of Lucerne, carved into natural rock, was created in 1820/1821 in memory of the Swiss heroes who gave their lives at the Tuileries in Paris, in 1792. As you can see, it is quite the stone carving! We were all in awe…

We still had a few hours to enjoy the gorgeous weather, so Mom and I stayed in town to do some (more!!!) photography. Needing to cool off from the warm sun, we also popped into Denner to write down some grocery store prices and pick up some (more!!!) chocolate. Prices in Switzerland are steep. A lake-front home will set you back 3-9 million Swiss Francs (which is stronger than our dollar). A Big Mac will cost you 12 Francs; $15 in our currency. Dine in a restaurant and you will go broke in a hurry. Main courses start at 25 Francs and shoot on up from there- even at small, casual restaurants in the city. (Something as basic as a bratwurst at a cart is 6 Francs.)

In Denner, these are some of the prices I noted (all are in Swiss Francs):

Yogurt- 175 grams (about 6 ounces) = 1.25

Bag of four small oranges = 2.25

Baguette = 2.20

6pk cans of Coke = 3.95

1 kg (2.2 pounds) of sugar = 1.95

100 g (3+ ounces) of Denner store brand chocolate = .45 (Wooohooo; what a deal!)

So, my conclusion was that some prices were comparable to prices in our stores (cereal and several other items were priced the same), however, others were steep. Basically, if you do all of your own cooking and avoid dining out, you would be ok in Switzerland. But, their standard of living and income is one of the highest in the world, so it is all relative. The lowest annual salary anyone makes there is 30,000 Swiss Francs.

As for how the prices affected me, I quickly learned to only photograph the chocolate in the chocolatier displays and admire their artistry. At US $60 per pound, on average, purchasing any was not an option. Instead, I stocked up at the three grocery store chains, mostly buying their store brand at bargain prices.

“Dining” on our own was stopping for to enjoy Gelati for lunch or eating a bratwurst at a cart in the square. One night for dinner, we found a back street takeaway and picked up a couple of falafels that we ate at the little café table outside. It wasn’t a bargain at 8 Swiss Francs, but it sure beat the ridiculously high price of dining.

Mom was determined to dine by the river just once, though, so she treated us to a shared Tarte Flambe and main course-sized Swiss salad (with Swiss cheese, sausage and mixed greens). Thanks Mom!

Our last night was lovely, dining at the Palace Hotel with a view of the lake. It was our included farewell dinner and we dined in style. What a wonderful way to end a spectacular trip on a high note! And, to cap it off, Mom and I took the funicular to the hotel up the hill from ours, so we could soak in this gorgeous view:

And, on that note, I will wrap up this marathon post by saying this trip was no less than PERFECT.

17-74

Nico was a wonderful program manager (our guide for the 44 of us in the yellow group) and Vantage Travel was excellent. I feel completely comfortable highly recommending them, so please let me know if you are interested, so I can provide them your contact information to receive a catalog. Disclaimer: I do receive a $100 discount on future travel if somebody I recommend books a trip; however, that is not my motivation. Besides, whomever I refer ALSO gets $100 credit! Vantage Travel is fantastic, and, from what I hear from other passengers, a better deal than competitors and (almost) everything is included in the price.

Thank you for sticking with me and reading my posts; I hope you enjoyed them!

LOVELY LUCERNE

Posted on September 12, 2011 by Elaine-iaK's Travels

We were supposed to spend all three nights of our post-extension in Lucerne; however, there were no hotels available in Lucerne for the first night, because of a huge music festival. So, our first night was spent in Bern. Nobody was disappointed, because we all fell in love with Bern during our walking tour, before we even checked into the hotel. And, as an extra bonus, Vantage Travel booked us into the top five star hotel; the same place where heads of state stay, as well as the rich and famous. It was THE hotel in Switzerland’s capitol. We sure were spoiled…

Lucerne, however, was fabulous. The Palace Hotel wasn’t quite at the level of the Bellevue, but it was a top hotel located right on the lake and close to the city center. (I mean, when you are used to staying at Microtel Inns like I am, how could I complain? Don’t get me wrong; Microtels are the top-rated chain for their price, but they are far from the 4-5 star hotels we stayed at during our pre-extension and post-extension!) And, the weather was fabulous, once we got past the few drizzles we encountered our first day. Yesterday, however, the sun was shining and temperatures reached the mid-70’s; quite a bit above normal for this time of year.

The Palace Hotel

The Place Hotel in the distance.

The view from our hotel.

The first day, we had a walking tour after we arrived and free time on our own for the remainder of the day. It was very enjoyable, because Lucerne is such a great city for walking!

Lucerne is a gorgeous city, located on the lake and surrounded by mountains; Mt. Pilates being the most famous one. Since the city was built on both sides of the lake, there are several bridges connecting each side. But, the bridge that draws the most visitors (and photographs) is the famous Chapel Bridge, built in 1333. All along the bridge are beautifully painted gables. And, hanging along the exterior of each side of the bridge are loads of flowers of every color, in perfect bloom. It was so colorful and picturesque! And, since many of the locals and tourists come there with scraps of bread to feed the swans, the water was full of snow white swans hoping for a free handout. There were a few ducks though; outnumbered but a lot quicker, so they fought for their share- and won.

17-67

17-09

The (very) old city center was quite attractive and interesting, because of the numerous buildings with beautifully painted facades. And, there were many outdoor cafes; a typically European feature. Along the lake front, there was one right after another; most with only outdoor seating.

After returning to the hotel to unpack and kick up our feet to rest for a short time, we were back at it, walking into town for a light dinner and some night photography. Most of the buildings were not lit up enough to photograph, but I did get one shot of this church, as well as one of our hotel.

Elaine-iaK's Travels: A Traveler's Tales of People, Places, Photos, Pools… and CHOCOLATE!

Category Archives: International Travel