Before I return to posting about Peru, I wanted to backtrack and make a slide show to finish out Switzerland & Northern Italy. Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT) gives a $250 credit for future travel for post-trip slide shows, so I am trying to get caught up before we book more travel.
Meanwhile, my long “break” from blogging was due… more travel! Bruce and I spent six weeks in the U.K. and Ireland! We had a fabulous time, saw some beautiful places, and had amazing weather once again! After I complete my Peru blogs and slide show, I will write all about it.
Now, grab your popcorn, turn up your speakers, click on the video, and make sure to watch on full screen for the best view!
For the six people on the main tour who were not on the pre-extension, this was an opportunity to spend a day in Switzerland. I’m sure I could speak for the other nine of us that we were excited to see the Swiss Alps again!
This day was what Bruce and I had looked forward to the most: Riding the Bernina Express. It is one of the few rail journeys designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Not only is it the world’s highest Alpine crossing (reaching an altitude of 7,400 feet), but also the steepest, with gradients up to 7%.
The journey took us over bridges and viaducts (including a full 360 loop over one of them), through tunnels, past glaciers and alpine meadows, and through tiny villages and vineyards. I did not take this ride sitting down or with the window closed! Fortunately, I was sitting across the aisle from another photographer in our group, so we shared windows on both sides of the train, jumping back and forth when we saw something worth shooting—which was often!
Our local guide, Roberto, was awesome! He rides the train six days per week as a guide, so he knew exactly when our cameras needed be ready for a spectacular scene. At times, it was a blink-and-you-miss it photo op, so he gave us a countdown, so we could capture the best shots.
Remember what I said in one of my Swiss blogs about trains being on time? Well, $#@* happens and it did happen on our journey. At one point in the 30-mile ride, we came to a complete stop and didn’t move. We waited, and waited, and waited… Roberto finally went in search of the conductor to ask what happened. The news wasn’t good. The driver of a huge crane truck didn’t lower the crane enough to go under the railway’s electrical lines, so he got in a tangle with those lines and the lines won. They came down and lost power, and a crossing arm was destroyed. It was a mess. Kudos to the efficient Swiss, though. They immediately called for a bus to pick us up and take us to the next station where the lines had power. To compensate for the inconvenience, we were upgraded to first class. I didn’t notice much difference except the restroom was quite large and nice!
If that’s the worst that would happen throughout our three-week trip (and it was), it was all good!
What was fabulous was our luck with the weather! Normally, there is no snow in mid-June, but it rained for two months straight, late into the season. Lucky for us, it stopped just in time. Come along on our journey and see for yourself!
(For all photos, click on the image for a full screen view.)
The view of our train from our hotel room in Tirano. We were so excited to wake up to a beautiful day!This was just the beginning of many beautiful scenes to come on our 30-mile Bernina Express Journey.Our group, waiting for Bernina Express train, #2.
Upon arrival at the Diavolezza station, we took a cable car up to an elevation of 10,000 feet.The ride was spectacular! This was shot out the cable car window.
Seen while disembarking the cable car. Love it!
The view from the cable car ride back down. Dark clouds rolled in, so we were grateful to have enjoyed the beautiful weather while it lasted!
Maria shared a local spiced eggnog with us to celebrate during our journey back to Tirano.
The track made a 360 spiral!
Next up: SWITZERLAND & NORTHERN ITALY #14: EDOLO AND LAKE ISEO
A new country and new currency. I have gotten in the habit of bringing home currency that I know I will be using again. In this case, Italy is on the Euro, so I kept extra Euros from our 2023 trip to Tuscany and Umbria, knowing we would be returning to Italy again. As for those Swiss Francs? I spent my last remaining coins on chocolate, of course!
Having written a lot about Italy in my past blogs, I won’t get into any of those topics this time around. I will, however, make a few distinctions between Switzerland and Italy. Take the roads, for example. Swiss roads are excellent and constantly being improved, which isn’t the case in Italy. The trains in Switzerland are also extremely punctual (After all, they are known for their fabulous watches!). In Italy, not so much. How about those restrooms. I had never seen such a nice and clean restroom as the ones on Swiss trains! In Italy, they were often missing a toilet seat, for starters…
Still, there is a reason this was my fifth time in Italy: I absolutely love it! What’s not to love? The country is beautiful, the people are warm and friendly; and the food is amazing! Although, if it’s typical Italian cuisine you are searching for with lots of fresh ingredients (especially vegetables), don’t go to northern Italy; just stick with the south. Northern Italy may be gorgeous, but the climate isn’t conducive for growing a variety of vegetables, so they aren’t the easiest to find. Would you like a beautiful California-style salad? Fuhgetaboutit. A rich tomato-based sauce on your pasta? Nope! Rich cream sauce and meat will appear on your pasta. Even if you order “lasagna with vegetables” like I did at dinner, the vegetables are micro-diced—just a nice little splash of color for interest. You can find plenty of mushrooms, however; they are native to the area, as are white truffles.
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This may have been lacking in vegetable volume, but it sure was big on flavor!
The bottom line? Don’t go to northern Italy for cuisine with fresh ingredients, but DO go for the drop-dead gorgeous scenery!
We began our tour in the Lombardy region in Lecco, along the shores of Lake Como, and 30 miles north of Milan. At less than 50,000 people, it’s a small, less touristy city and easy to navigate on foot.
Our hotel, located across from Lecco, had a beautiful view of the lake and town. Had the skies been clearer, we would have also had amazing views of the mountains beyond.
The view off to the left of our hotel
Following a walking tour by our Italy tour leader, Maria, we had time on our own.
Author Alessandro Manzoni was from Lecco.
This woman kept an eagle eye on the gardener down below watching his every move.
I had never seen such adorable cakes as in this bakery!
Pizzette (miniature pizzas) were a convenient snack-on-the-go.
Next, we took a ferry to the quaint town of Mandello, a picturesque commune of less than 11,000 people. We were treated to delicious gelato before wandering through the town and ending up at the train station for a ride back to Lecco.
Check out this ferry employees badge when he had hair and looked much younger. He has been with the ferries for a long time!
Our first day in northern Italy was so enjoyable—relaxing and lovely!
Getting in and out of Zermatt can only be accomplished by train or helicopter, so we took a short train ride out, and then met up with our bus driver for our transfer to Lecco, Italy, through Simplon Pass. Along the way, we pulled off for a stunning view of the scenery that surrounded us.
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For an al fresco lunch and some free time to explore, we stopped at Lake Orta. The road was so narrow, our driver had to park the minibus, so we could transfer to a local van to continue, requiring two trips for our group of nine and Susy. The town was so charming and photogenic—well worth tackling those logistics.
The following are scenes from this beautiful little town, beginning with the side of the short stone tunnel we walked through, which revealed the next scenes.
Coming up next up: SWITZERLAND & ITALY #9: LOVELY LECCO
Breathtaking. Absolutely breathtaking! As I took in the view, I remembered back to when I was a small child growing up in Lakewood, California, eighteen miles from Disneyland. Back then, Disneyland issued ticket books, and the rides were categorized by ticket letters. An “A” ticket ride was a yawner, but an “E” ticket was the most coveted— your ticket to the best rides (with the longest lines). My brother and I always made a beeline for the “Matterhorn,” a roller coaster ride that took you by bobsled in and around the mountain. At the time, I didn’t know there was a real Matterhorn in Switzerland; I just thought it was a thrilling Disneyland ride!
Here we were seeing the real thing, as close as we could get without getting in the snow and hiking to it. What a sight to behold! The highest point is at an elevation of 14,691 feet and we were viewing it from Trockener Steg at 9,642 ft. And, we had the entire viewing deck to ourselves for a while. Where was everybody?
Our tour leader, Susy, sharing information about the Matterhorn to our group of nine travelers.
Not your typical souvenir! The Matterhorn was inside this bar glass.
Taking in the views from the gondola on our way back down.
On the way back down, we all got off at the Furi gondola station. The group decided to stop at the restaurant for a snack before deciding whether to ride the gondola back down to Zermatt or hike the remainder of the way. As we settled in, I gazed out the window and saw nothing but clouds. The beautiful blue sky was shrouded by those clouds I had seen roll in earlier that morning, which meant the Matterhorn was now white on white—that is, if you could see it at all. We celebrated our good fortune of having seen it during the morning before the clouds rolled in!
To save his aching knee (most likely, another meniscus tear acquired during our Patagonia trip), Bruce opted to ride the gondola back to town. I hiked the three miles back—or at least I had hoped to “hike,” but I ended up on a paved road the entire way. Still, it was a beautiful walk, and I was able to find some interesting subjects to photograph:
Susy said to follow the Zermatt signs back down to town, but there were three different paths. Which one would lead to where I would be meeting Bruce? It was an adventure, but I managed to get there!
Scenes along the 3-mile hike back down to Zermatt:
Those clouds I mentioned earlier? There they are! This is that white-on-white I was talking about; snow against a mucky sky. Zermatt is in the valley off in the distance, and where I was headed during my solo hike.
After meeting back up in town, Bruce and I visited the small historic quarter on Hinterdorfstasse. The 17th century wooden homes, barns and sheds were so interesting. Some had been renovated, others left as is.
It had been such a magical day! We were so grateful to have experienced such a wonderful week in Switzerland, especially this day.
Next up: SWITZERLAND & NORTHERN ITALY #8: ONWARD HO TO ITALY WE GO!
When we went to bed the previous night, we had hoped to wake up to a sunny day and blue sky. Snow-capped mountains look so flat against a mucky background, and we were hoping to see and photograph the Matterhorn at its best. Bruce and I were not disappointed. Just look at the view out our window!
(For all photos, click on the image for a full screen view.)
I could hear cowbells off to the right. I was quite surprised to find this kilt-clad shepperd checking out his cell phone.
Before heading to the Matterhorn, however, Susy led us on a walking tour of the town. As more clouds gathered in the distance, all we could think of (and mutter to each other) was, “Let’s get on with this tour and get up to the Matterhorn before we lose our awesome weather and views!” Zermatt could wait until after the Matterhorn! No disrespect to the town, though.
Zermatt, in one word, is AWESOME! Sure, it’s a tourist town, but for good reason. In the winter, it’s a premier ski and winter sport resort, and the rest of the year, Zermatt is great for hiking and so much more, including skiing! The area is Europe’s largest and highest lying summer skiing region, and the training site for numerous national ski teams.
Full of Swiss charm, Zermatt is very photogenic. I can remember admiring Zermatt and the Matterhorn in picture calendars my dad used to bring home from his medical office. Pharmaceutical reps gave them out at the end of the year, so they could remind doctors of their drugs they “should” prescribe to their patients throughout the following year. But how many calendars does one medical office need? Lucky for me, Dad kept the notepads and pens at the office and brought home the calendars for us kids to enjoy. I blame those calendars, in part, for inspiring my insatiable desire to travel. I blame my dad’s slide show screenings following his international adventures with my mom, too. And, I “blame” with total gratitude…
An interesting feature of Zermatt is that gas and diesel vehicles are prohibited, which is great for the environment. The only vehicles allowed in Zermatt are electric— music to my ears! (We realized just how much we had appreciated the quiet once we arrived in Italy and were surrounded by loud motorcycles!)
During our walking tour, we saw a few locals walking their dogs, and we also saw a guy walking his bull. BULL??? After doing a double-take and catching this shot after he passed, I had to wonder what would have happened if his bull got angry. I didn’t want to stick around to find out.
As the path through town gradually ascended, our anticipation of seeing more of the Matterhorn grew. This was our first unobstructed view:
Our walking tour ended where the magic was about to begin—at the station where we would board a gondola to the Matterhorn viewing platform. Surprisingly, we had beaten the crowds and had no problem getting on the next gondola. When we arrived at the top, there were times we had the entire viewing area of the upper deck all to ourselves!
Free Kleenex was offered before boarding the gondola. That’s a first!
We were headed up the line on the left with the first stop at Sunnegga, followed by another ride up to Blauherd.
Coming up next: SWITZERLAND & ITALY #7: ZERMATT & THE MAGINFICENT MATTERHORN (Part 2)
Although our end destination for the day was Zermatt via the Glacier Express train, our travels along the way were spectacular. The day was beautiful—perfect timing as this was one of the highlight days of the trip.
Our first stop was the charming and picturesque alpine village of Brienz where we strolled along the lakefront. The village is known for its talented wood carvers, and everywhere we looked, there were charming carvings that we enjoyed along the way. We also visited a shop to see wood carvers working on their creations.
(For all photos, click on the image for a full screen view.)
This village felt like being in a post card or photo calendar that had come to life—a feeling I had felt repeatedly throughout Switzerland. My photos don’t do Brienz justice, but these are the scenes I shot during a short visit to this tiny village:
I never thought I would see palm trees in an alpine village, especially after I turned my back to the mountain view below.
Behind this sign was a set of lounge chairs. There was another set further down the lakeside path. Nice!
Circling Lake Brienz on our way to our next destination.
What our group of nine was about to experience next was something none of us could say we had done before: Ride on a car train IN our minibus! This was required to get through the nine-mile tunnel that would lead us to the train station to board the Glacier Express. While waiting our turn, there was enough time to run off to capture a few shots of the beautiful snow-capped mountains surrounding us.
A popular spot for paragliding, I was also able to capture this paraglider getting a birds-eye view on a spectacular day.
After being ushered onto the train, there were a few minutes to hop out and catch a shot before we left for our dark journey.
A view from the bus windshield.
Headlights spared us from nine miles of darkness.
Our lunch stop in Brig before boarding the train was fabulous! Dining al fresco on a delicious meal of local cuisine.
All aboard the Glacier Express! Known as the world’s slowest express train, the shiny and spotless red locomotive took us through tunnels and across bridges, from one gorgeous panorama view to another.
I bolted from my seat as soon as I realized viewing the scenery and shooting photos through the windows just wasn’t going to cut it. After a few attempts shooting through small open windows at the end of the car, I made my way back to the bar where I joined a German tourist who had the same idea. We had the entire area to ourselves, the windows were huge, and they opened from the top down—perfect for photography. As the two of us chatted, we wandered back and forth from the left side to the right, shooting whatever caught our interest on each side. We had a blast! Photographers take note: If you ever ride the Glacier Express, abandon your seat and make your way to the bar car!
Our arrival to Zermatt brought smiles and feelings of excitement as we were about to see the highlight of Swiss beauty: the Matterhorn and the charming village that serves as its gateway. The mountain would have to wait until the following day, but checking into Hotel Alex, just a short walk away from the train station, was an amazing sight itself. None of us expected what we were about to see and experience.
Tap the cowbell under your seat when you are ready for your next drink!
The restaurant’s wine cellar
The late afternoon view from our room. The Matterhorn, not visible from our room, was off to the right.
Founded in 1961 by Alex Perren Sr., the former ski instructor and mountain guide, along with Gisela Becwar who he married in 1964, put their love and full dedication (and a lot of money) into their resort. The next generation currently runs what is one of the most memorable places we have ever stayed.
These are three of the large stained glass panels that were mounted on the walls of the restaurant where we had dinner our first night. They depict Alex and Gisela enjoying their outdoor adventure passions.
Next up: SWITZERLAND & ITALY #6: ZERMATT & THE MAGNIFICANT MATTERHORN
Exploring Bern, the capital of Switzerland, is like stepping back in time—way back. The well -preserved twelfth-century medieval city has a completely different feel than Lucerne with it’s covered arcades and colorful flags. As a result, the old quarter is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Lucerne and Bern are two gorgeous cities, but in completely different ways. We thoroughly enjoyed them both.
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The symbol of Bern has been the bear since the founding duke of the city decided to name it after the first animal he killed in a hunt—at least that’s what legend says. There are other theories as well. Regardless of how the city really got its name, live bears have been held on display in various pits around the old town since 1549. Poor bears; they couldn’t have been very happy. Finally, enough outcry from the citizens resulted in the closing of the old bear pit and a new park was built along the Aare River. Bear Park is free for all to enjoy, and the bears seem quite happy there. We witnessed one of the three bears hunting around for food, finally sniffing out some meat that had been buried deep in the ground by the staff. He dug and dug until he landed the prize—a huge piece of raw beef he happily woofed down.
Meanwhile, besides those live bears, the bear symbol appears on flags, coat of arms, fountains, trash cans, and even the manhole covers. Those bears are everywhere, especially on souvenirs.
The bear even appears on cakes and chocolates.
Following our walking tour of the old town and Bear Park visit, we hiked up the steep hill to the Rosengarten, a beautiful park with fountains and gardens. The biggest draw? A spectacular view of the city below.
Exploring the old town during our tour and on our own was so enjoyable. We finally had some sun after the rainy days in Lucerne, and there was so much to see. The following are scenes from our full day in Bern as well as the prior afternoon and evening when we arrived.
Words can’t possibly describe what I thought of this fountain! What the ???
Located southwest of Lucerne, Bern would be about a 70-minute drive if you didn’t stop. But, what’s the fun in that? There is so much to see in Switzerland, and Overseas Adventure Travel plans tours to include visiting small towns as well as cities. I love the character and charm of small towns, so I looked forward to the day.
We had just eaten breakfast, but the first stop was at the Hug Familie Bakery where we were able to sample all the baked cookies and crackers they sell and purchase them at outlet prices. I knew I was in trouble when I sampled the first chocolate-covered biscuits I saw when we walked in. I should have skipped breakfast. Those first biscuits were so good that we didn’t hesitate to buy one of these packages. And, then I kept sampling. The empty insulated chocolate bag I brought with me from home was filling up fast…
(For all photos, click on the image for a full screen view.)
The town of Willisau was our next stop for a walking tour of the main street and cemetery. This town oozed with charm, especially all of the colorful flags! It’s no wonder the entire town is part of the Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites.
It was raining, but it was worth getting my lens wet for this!
If you are wondering why on earth our walking tour would include a cemetery, just look at these gorgeous plots! Nowhere have I seen such beauty and pride in modern cemetery plots, but our tour leader, Susy, told us they are like this throughout Switzerland. I came across an interesting blog post about Swiss cemetaries here.
Next, we visited the tiny town of Luthern with it’s even tinier chapel. The walk along the river to our destination was lovely, even though it was raining. Surprisingly, the chapel was quite modern with beautiful stained glass windows and lit fused glass panels.
For lunch, the nine of us on the Switzerland pre-extension and Susy ate a cozy, traditional Swiss neighborhood restaurant full of old-world charm.
Imagine my surprise when I went to the WC (a.k.a. restroom) and saw these photos vertically strung on a metal cord and attached by magnets in each stall:
When word got back to the table, there was a mass exodus to go see what all the laughter was about. The men’s room had them as well.
Following lunch, we visited a cheesemaker; however, they weren’t making cheese that day. We did enjoy watching the lady make cheese “roses” with her nifty tool, though. I also took the opportunity to check out a few interesting buildings nearby. But then I discovered the baby goats and spread the word. It was hard for Susy to pull us away; they were adorable!
A massive cheese wheel
In all, the places we visited before check-in time at our Bern hotel were quite enjoyable. We got a good look (and taste!) of typical Swiss small-town life!
Coming up next: SWITZERLAND & NORTHERN ITALY #4: BEAUTIFUL BERN
Language in Switzerland is interesting. As I mentioned in my previous post, there are four official languages which include German; however, the German spoken in Lucerne is “Swiss German,” which is an Alemannic dialect. It is only spoken, not written, and it is not a formal language. So, the TV news, for example, is spoken in conventional German.
In school, the Swiss also learn French and English, so they are potentially trilingual—quite impressive! It comes in handy with France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria to the east. Italy is south of Switzerland, and Italian is one of Switzerland’s four official languages; however, Italian isn’t taught in the schools. I guess they figure three languages is enough!
Industry in Switzerland focuses on exporting chemical products, health and pharmaceutical goods, engine parts, and wood, in addition to those weapons and tanks I mentioned in my first post. They also export dairy products, including some of the best cheese and chocolate in the world.
Do you know why Swiss chocolate is so good? It’s because their cows are free range, grass-fed cows, and their grass grows very well, resulting in the best-quality milk. That’s why all those cows you see roaming around in Switzerland are raised for dairy, not meat. As a result, meat in Switzerland is very expensive, because it is imported.
As for that excellent chocolate, I sampled quite a bit while I was in Switzerland, and I brought back a lot of it.
Back to Lucerne, it is a beautiful city of 82,000 people situated on Lake Lucerne and the river Reuss. Many buildings are painted with gorgeous frescos, so if you don’t look up during your exploration, you will miss a lot!
(For all photos, click on the image for a full screen view.)
Elaine-iaK's Travels: A Traveler's Tales of People, Places, Photos, Pools... and CHOCOLATE! 