On arrival into Zurich main station (5 August) we had 10 minutes before we left for further afield, my stop Withenhur came 30 minutes later. I then had to change trains, just an inconvenience :) but thankfully my train was there waiting. I had a few minutes wait before we took off, Colette had given me very good information on the trains. Certainly helps when you have lived here for so long and your husband is a train driver. Colette and the boys met me off the bus. Within an hour of being at their place other friends of theirs arrived with 2 girls - it was to be a full house for a few days.
Colette and Michael lived in a small village about 40 minutes from Zurich, the first thing I saw after getting off the bus was a lady walking her horse then heard two very loud donkeys. Fingers crossed we don't hear them at night time.
I met Colette and Michael in 2000/01 when we lived in Sydney, Colette and I worked at the same hotel.
We had a relaxing evening, after sorting out who sleeps where (I had the bottom floor) and cooking dinner we relaxed with wine and played a board game.
Friday morning we relaxed at the house before packing bread, salads and sausages and headed off to the forest, about 1 km walk from the house. I thought it was fantastic to have a BBQ area all set up along with wood, all we needed to take was paper and kindling to get the fire started. Unfortunately for us it started to rain within a few minutes of arriving - none of us was at all prepared so we got rather wet but it was fun. Being on the edge of the forest meant we could take cover under the big trees.
Saturday morning we packed up to head to the mountains for two nights. It was like a Top Gear race - bike (Michael), train (Colette and the boys) and car (Clare, Martin, their 2 girls and me). We were the last to leave but the first to arrive. The views driving were amazing, never a dull moment when the scenery is just magic. We unpacked the car then went for a walk to the little village. Managed to get to the grounds of the Cathedral and stayed there for awhile chatting while the children played. That night, once the biker had arrived, we had a BBQ (one of my favourite things to do in the summer). I loved just sitting admiring the amazing views.
Now I need to tell you about the "house" we were in, it is owned by the Rail company that Michael works for and you would never know about it unless you knew someone that worked there or had been before. As we only booked the place yesterday the only room left was a 12 bed bunk room....now imagine this with 5 adults, 4 children and 1 baby.
Sunday morning I was up early, felt like I hadn't slept much at all. Thank goodness we only have 1 more night to go :)
We took the chair lift up the mountain then did one of the walks. I cannot say enough about the views - out of this world! Am hoping my photos do it some kind of justice. Within about 10 minutes of walking the heavens opened, we had forgotten to look at the weather report ooh well we all have rain jackets. We managed to do the first part of the walk, around 30 minutes (which took longer with so many children) then took cover in a restaurant which was jammed packed - of course everyone else had the same idea as us.
Now that we were full up from a yummy lunch we tried to leave a couple of times to continue our walk, the heavens were still wide open so more waiting waiting waiting around.
Finally we were out and walking, along the way there were different activities to either do or look at - great for children. A couple of them were ringing cow bells, blowing the trumpets, making a rock sing. Within a few hundred feet of setting off the rain arrived, we took cover under a huge tree then it finally stopped and the sun starting to come out...crazy crazy weather.
We took the chair lift down the mountain then bus back to our little village for a relaxing evening - once the children had gone to bed we played a board game while drinking a delicious Irish Coffee with Swiss Schnapps, ooh so good.
Clare got the giggles when were got into bed, which I caught. Colette didn't help matters by calling out good night Jim Bob, good night Mary Ellen. Thank goodness the children didn't wake up.
I definitely slept better last night, was it the Irish coffee last night with the schnapps or the fact I was use to sleeping with 9 other people in the room???
After breakfast on Monday we packed up the room, so much to bring for 2 nights (we had to bring all our own bedding) and the car and set off on another walk. To start with it was on a road then we went cross country. At times super steep. The children seemed to love it and were constantly running...at least they will be tired tonight!
After stopped for lunch we all split up, the race was on again. This time though the train got off first, Michael had to return to our village to get the car then come back to collect us. When he arrived so did the car issues, thankfully Michael biked by and managed to get the car started and we were off. This time the train came in first.
Tuesday (10 August) we had a relaxing morning then went off to the swimming pool just before noon for a few hours. Clare and the family left from here, they were returning back to the UK tonight. It was lovely to be chilling by the pool but boy the water was very cold.
Wednesday Colette's friend, who I had met a couple of times before, came just before 10am to take Ryan and Liam to an amusement park for the day. We had relaxing day at home until 3pm when we walked to the pool for a cold drink - good to get out of the house for a couple of hours and stretch our legs. Alex returned the children and ended up staying for dinner with her daughter.
Thursday the weather was awful, wet. We spent the whole day at home just relaxing, which I can't tell you how wonderful it is to do that after being on a the go for so long!
Friday afternoon we took friends of Ryan's and Liam's on a walk through the forest - lovely to see new scenery. At the turn around point of the walk there was a restaurant, we stopped for icecream. I'd decided to have an alcohol free day....does baileys icecream count?
Saturday morning I got up early and went for a run/walk, my first since coming away. It's definitely a lot harder running outside rather on a treadmill! Was good to be finally doing it again though.
Early afternoon the two older boys went off with a family for 4 nights, the house seemed so quiet once they left.
Sunday (15 August) Colette, Trevor and I went out for the day. We had decided to take the same train as Michael was taking but left it a tad too late so ended up running to make it - definitely good exercise.
We are off to Kreuzlingen which is on the Switzerland / Germany boarder, we could walk over into Germany but we both forgot our passports. Ooh well I don't need another country for this trip anyway.
On the last train we had to take we both needed to use the bathroom, I had all of 30 seconds and was given a "hurry up" call from Colette about 5 seconds into it.....needless to say it wasn't a fun experience and I ran off the train with my zip wide open. We of course were in fits of laughter.
There was a festival going on so we went to check it out, live bands, food stalls, rides etc. As the weather wasn't the best there was hardly anyone around so a few stalls were closed. One of the live bands had line dancing which was very interesting to watch. We met a kiwi lady and sat chatting to her for awhile.
As we had had a hot lunch (Thai food) we had bread, cheese and yogurt on the train home for dinner. Note to self, make sure you have a knife to cut the cheese!!
When we got into Winterhur I took Trevor home. It was Colette and Michael's 7th wedding anniversary so Colette waited for Michael to finish work then they went out.
Monday was Michael's first day off. We had a leisurely walk to the station, none of us wanted a repeat of yesterday morning! Managed to buy tickets and get on however it was a mad dash as there were other people buying tickets before us. We had about 30 minutes in Winterhur so tried to buy a 1/2 card for me, means I only pay half of what the normal fare is - a great deal especially as travel (and everything else) is expensive! I didn't have my passport so will need to come again tomorrow.
Our first stop is at the Rheinfall (Rhine Falls), this is the largest waterfall in Europe and drops 23 metres. The noise is amazing but of course it is to be expected when there is 600 cubic metres of water crashing down every second. It was raining so I'm hoping my photos come out enough to show you all how amazing it is.
Stein am Rhine is a small walled town, the medieval part of the town has been pedestrianized and many of the medieval buildings are painted with beautiful frescoes. I really enjoyed just wandering the streets taking everything. The frescoes were out of this world and not just on one house, on basically all the houses in the main square. We had a typical Swiss meal - Roti and meat. Will need to run at least one marathon tomorrow to work it all off! We took the quick way home, train!
Tuesday morning (17 August) we were all up super early and I had to laugh, we had our train tickets brought and on the train before we were out to bed yesterday morning! Michael decided I could "risk" it and purchased me a 1/2 card day pass that started at 9am - this is all good and well if number 1 I had my 1/2 card and number 2 if it was after 9am. Needless to say my heart was beating ninety to the dozen the whole journey. C and M had great fun telling me a conductor was going to get onto the train at the next stop - I did not find this funny!!! When the train arrived at Winterhur I was basically out before the doors opened, no one was going to stop me now! First stop was getting my 1/2 card, then we were off to the platform - we are off to Bern, the capital of Switzerland for the day.
I had done a small amount of research prior to our arrival and was pleased we had come on a day where there is a town market, only happens twice a week. We wandered through some of the stalls and purchased a small amount, some for our dinner tonight.
We thought it best to ask a local for recommendations for lunch and the first person we saw was a police lady - she gave Michael a couple of places so we were off....unfortunately it wasn't the best and we were all amazed we have actually sat down after looking at the place and the menu. Given we have all travelled so much we should have gone with our instincts and tried somewhere else. Never to mind, we didn't starve nor get sick.
Bern has a huge and very impressive Zeitglockenturm, we had missed 12 noon going off but decided to go and see 1pm change. Well what a joke that was, only very small movement...then Michael advises we really should have come to see it change at 12 noon.
We walked around the city, I loved the cobblestone streets with trams and buses everywhere. You certainly had to have your wits about you when you were walking. Lots of the stores were closed for their lunch break so it was window shopping, good for the wallet and even better for the pack! Saw countless cafes and restaurants, all that would be been great for lunch. Ooh well time to move on from this subject!
We walked over a bridge and I nearly passed out in seeing a bear run around, I totally didn't expect to see it in the middle of a city. After a coffee stop we went to the Bern Münster, this former cathedral boasts the tallest spire in the country. There were so many carved wood and stone figures to view, both inside and outside along with medieval art and great stained glass windows. Another very impressive Church.
From here we headed back to the train station and straight onto a (packed) train to Elgg.
Wednesday morning I looked after Trevor while Colette and Michael went mountain biking - we went for a walk up to and around the village. Late afternoon we drove into the countryside and walked straight up hill, let me tell you it was steep as!, for 50 minutes. View was amazing and would be even better on a beautiful day. They ate dinner at the restaurant on the top of the mountain, I was still full from lunch. Walking back down the hill was much easier! On route back to the car we noticed many chocks so Colette knocked on the door and brought a dozen fresh eggs. On the drive back home the countryside surrounding as was beautiful.
Thursday (19 August) we were at home until mid morning, the boys had got home late last night so were enjoying playing. Today they had another overnight stay, so we dropped them off picked up some lunch from the supermarket (rolls, ham, tomatoes and fruit) and set off for Zurich. We had a couple of hours wandering around the old town, it all came back to me from my previous visits. The sun finally made an appearance and within a few hours it was getting warm!
There was a small cable car going up the mountain to the University, so we took that and had great views of Zurich.
I was shocked at the amount of English being spoken on the streets, over the past week or so I hadn't heard much at all so this was a real shock.
Headed back home early evening to Michael cooking dinner for us - brilliant!
One thing I found had to get use to was everyone saying hello to each other when you pass someone on the street, whether you know them or not. In the end I was usually the one that said hello (in German) first! This happened more in Elgg and a little bit in Winterhur.
Friday (20 August) Colette and I were up early, we decided yesterday to head back to Zurich for the morning. We had purchased a 24 hour pass so will make good use of it!
Wow its 1 month exactly since I left Hong Kong, how quickly the time has passed.
I am over the moon to know that today is going to be hot, finally summer is returning! If anything it will prepare me for the heat in Italy that awaits me.
We arrived into Zurich just before 10am, after heading to the old town we went in search for coffee. I was rather surprised how quiet the streets were, it seemed like the only people around were the locals. A lot of the shops were closed too which I found a little odd given they close for a couple of hours over lunch, what a nice life.
We are now more awake and ready to face the day. We wandered the streets, went into the Cathedral which is very beautiful but no where near as big as it seems from the outside. We also saw the largest clock tower in Europe, measuring 8.7 metres in diameter.
We headed back in the direction of home, to Winterhur and wandered the old town. Had lunch sitting outside watching the world go by! Aah such a great way to spend a couple of hours. Michael was finishing work just after 3pm so we all met on the train home. We had a couple of hours at home before the older 2 boys returned. I managed to book my flights to Greece as well as confirm a hotel in Athens. Now if only I could plan my trip for Sunday and Monday!!!
For dinner we had a famous Swiss dish - Raclette. I remember it so vividly from my second to last trip to Switzerland (in 2002) so was very happy to be having it again!
Saturday morning we were up early, the older two boys had hair cuts at 8am - I was rather amazed that hair dressers started that early, especially given it as Saturday. Trevor and I met Colette and the boys at Winterhur train station and headed out to Fraurnfeld where the Schwing festival was on. This festival is held once every four years and moves to a new location every year so we were very lucky it was close and as Michael said last night "it's a must go".
I was surprised with how many people were there so early and the number of people drinking - I'd say this is like going to Wimbledon or another major sporting event. There were lots of tents giving away free things - the boys were loving it! Unfortunately the event was sold out so we couldn't watch in the areana, however they had a couple of big screens.
It was a stinking hot day, the hottest it's been since I'd arrived in Elgg, on arrival back home they all headed to the pool. As much as I wanted too I needed to work out where on earth I'm going tomorrow once I get to Milano. For some strange reason I'd left it to the last minute to decide and book a hotel. I was going to have 2 nights on my own then head to Venice to stay with the family I was a nanny for in 2003.
Sunday (22 August) morning I was up early, felt like I had a list a mile long to do before I got on the 10am train. Had time to sit and enjoy breakfast and make some lunch before Colette and the boys took me to the train station. It was going to be another hot day so I was happy to be carrying my pack now, at least I should make it onto the train in Zurich without feeling too hot. I had two changes to make before getting on the train to Milano and was very happy there wasn't a long walk in-between!! The train to Milano arrived within minutes of me arriving on the platform so I was straight on and my pack was between the seats behind me - I'd learnt my lesson once so was well prepared!!!
Goodbye Switzerland, I've had a wonderful time and been super lucky to stay with Beth (Geneva) and Colette, Michael, Ryan, Liam and Trevor (Elgg) which has increased my experience tenfold. I will return one day.
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