Switzerland Trip Itenerary

Well - We are just one week away until we are off for our trip to Switzerland. I'm so excited because I am back for my first visit since I left about 1.5 years ago. Patrick will be on his first trip to Europe.

Our Swiss travels will look like this.

Day 1 - Zurich
(we were thinking of a boat ride and visiting a few of the famous churches)

Day2 - Pick up EuropCar Rental
It's by far the cheapest you can get. We chose not to ride the train because I know the area and the flexibility. However, if we would have done the train, we would have chosen the 8 day Swiss Saver Pass because we are 2 and can save more that way.


Drive to Canton Vaud where we make our reservations for our hotel with Hotel Guide

Day3- Travel to Yvoire
We are traveling by boat. The beauty of having the Swiss Saver Pass is that your boat ride to Yvoire is free. There is also an alternative to the Swiss Saver Pass which is the Canton Vaud regional pass. This can be obtained at a train station once you arrive.

Day 4 - Chocolate and Cheese in Gruyere
Once you have your Swiss Saver Pass, you can choose to take the chocolate train to Broc. It's a scenic trip and well worth all of what you get in the package. Talk about scenic views!

Day 5 - Leave Vaud - Greek food in Germany
(visiting our friends for the weekend)
I'd like to see a few castles and take a small hike.

Day 6 - Visiting Lucern Old Town
We are doing more than just shopping and seeing the sites here.
Lucern and the lake are so beautiful. We will be hiking today too.

Day 7 - Trip to Rigi

Day 8 - Leave for Interlaken
The drive to Interlaken is absolutely incredible with prestine blue lakes that are well worth stopping to take in the sights along the way. There are two ways to get there either via Lucerne or via Bern. We haven't totally decided yet but Michelin driving is the best place to find free maps.

Day 9 - Trummelbach Falls
(Lauterbrunnen)
Day 10 - Visiting Castles and hiking
Driving back to Zurich.
Day 11 - Traveling back to Canada.

So there you have it. A few of the places we will be hiking while we are traveling by car around Switzerland. There is just too much to fit in for our short little trip. We want to relax and enjoy the time we are there, so I'm not sure if we will fit everything in, but it sounds good so far...

Practicing My Photography

Today is the second set of Fireworks for the HSBC Celebration of Light. I will be practicing up on my photography as we get ready to go on our trip to Switzerland in just over a week. I'm still trying to get all of the kinks out of my new D70 and I guess I'm going to look for a tripod today as I have found that my knee just doesn't do in low light.

Tomorrow I'll lay out the places we are visiting in Switzerland...

Switzerland Sweats in the Heat

As Vancouver Canada experiences it's first week of no rain for July, Switzerland is definitely experiencing different records. On Thursday, record heat spread throughout most of Switzerland with areas such as Sion broke records of 35.2C and 34.6C in Basel.

The hot weather attracted thousands to outdoor pools and the country’s many rivers and lakes, where water temperatures rose to 25 degrees in Lake Biel and parts of Lake Zurich. But don't worry, relief is in sight as when the storm breaks some time on Friday, typical thunderstorms and rain will follow..

I've put together a list of nice places to visit to beat the heat.

Bern - Bundesplatz - otherwise known as the parliament building.
Zurich - Go Swimming
Montreux - city center
Villeneuve - just off the lake
Vevey - large pool near lake
Bouveret - Aqua Parc
(this place is great!)

Zurich Street Parade

If you love house music, love a unique party atmosphere and are young at heart, the Zurich Street Parade is something to check out. The event features famous DJ's from around the world on many different stages and floats are the Streets of Zurich are jammed with approximately 3 million people all crammed near the bridges and city center.

But the party doesn't stop there. Party goers are just warming up for the all night affair of house and dance music. The street parade has its own radio too. Check out when and where all of the events take place during the August 13th weekend... Although I'll be around for it, I'll elect for something a bit more mellow...

Swiss Win Silver at Worlds

As the World Championships for Swimming in Montreal are in full swing, the 1500M event is now complete. Gold went to American Kate Ziegler while, Silver went to a Swiss swimmer. The 24-year-old Rigamonti from the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino also set a Swiss record in a time of 16:04.34.

Just how fast is that time? Considering first place was at about 16:00, the world record was set back in 1988 by Janet Evans. It's smoking fast. Not too many people have come to that record time and it does seem that Janet Evans Record may now be in jeapordy.

This certainly brings back memories for me since I swam competitively for 14 years of my life. Since that time, a full new generation of swimmers have been born. I grew up watching Janet Evans and Summer Sanders swim as my idols.

What's so special about the Swiss Swimmer is Rigamonti’s medal is only the fourth for Switzerland in the history of the world championships. Besides her silver in 2001, the country won two medals 19 years ago. Way to go Switzerland....

Anticipation of Our Switzerland Vacation

In just two weeks time, I'll be on a plane to Switzerland. We will make our stop over in London where I hope to get at least one great picture while up in the air. I can't believe it's been almost 1.5 years since I left this beautiful country, such as this Montreux pic I took back in 2002 around June.

I've been brushing up on my picture taking lately but I'm still a complete beginner I'd say with my new camera.

Hopefully Wednesday will prove to be fun as I brush up on my night picture taking skills with the fireworks show. Here are a few samples of some of the pictures I've taken this week.

Le Diable of Cycling

If you are involved as a cycling spectator or athlete, you know Didi Senft of Germany. He's that insane guy dressed in his devil costume, who always seems to get caught on tv and for a good reason is known as the "Devil of the Tour de France". Didi has always been a cycling enthusiast. He's been sporting his devil costume since 1992 and hasn't missed a Tour de France since...

He's been spotted cheering on Lance Armstrong, the now 7 time winner of the tour of france among many other riders as well. Le diable (devil in french) as he is known, has also built the world's largest bicycle.

What made me think about him was the fact that I actually saw him in person cheering on a triathalon going on in town of Vevey in Switzerland. My biking friend pointed him out to me as we walked past him and said hello...

Since Didi is from Germany, I'm sure there still is a great chance you can catch him on a bike tour while you are in Switzerland.

Day Dreaming of Switzerland

As I am only a bit more than 2 weeks away from traveling to Switzerland, I can't get my mind off of it. Well, it's not like I get my mind off it anyways. This weeks Friday feast had a bit of information which I tied to Switzerland so I figured it would be fun to post it.

• Appetizer

What kind of car do you drive? If you could make an even trade for any other car, what would you want to drive?

I don't exactly have my own car where I'm living, but I might drive something like this at times. My truck sits and waits for my return which seems to never happen. My preferred way to get anywhere is either via bus or footing it around. You are able to enjoy the world a lot more and if I remember, I try taking pictures if they are worth taking.

• Soup

Take your phone number and add each number together separately (example: 8+6+7+5+3+0+9=38) - what's the total?

Home = 53
Here in north america, I haven't exactly molded to the norm of having my own "cell" phone.

• Salad

When were you last outside, and what were you doing?
8:45 am looking at the weather outside.

• Main Course

What is your favorite restaurant, and what do you usually order there?
Mescalitos - in Brunnen. I usually get the fajitas banana, chicken and coconut.

• Dessert

Name 3 things in which you occasionally indulge.

1. Rich dark Swiss chocolate.
2. Sushi
3. Blue Organic Corn Chips - yeah I know I'm weird but I love the taste...

Made in Switzerland

Many of the riders of the Tour de France are probably unaware where their jersey's are coming from. In fact, the clothing worn by the yellow jersey that Lance Armstrong has worn more than 80 times, comes from a company called Eschler whose head off is located in the Canton of Appenzell and town of Buhler in Switzerland.

The Clothing physiology is the interaction between 3 different layers of clothing and the body’s own climate such as skin temperature and rate of perspiration known more of what we know as wicker and moisture proctection. The clothing is based on the EEC-System™, which stands for ESCHLER ERGONOMIC CLOTHING SYSTEM. Christian Eschler's 3-layer clothing system offers a unique combination of functions.

As the tour comes to an end, Eschler's company will loose the jersey spotlight as it has during this 2005 July month in the Tour of France.

Switzerland's Borders

In the first few months I was in Switzerland, I learned of a few unusual quirks or Twisted borders.

Switzerland does have a bit of a complicated frontier.

The village of Büsingen, near the northern town of Schaffhausen, is part of Germany. Interestingly all Road signs, telephone boxes, are of German markings and colours. What makes it so unique is that Büsingen is totally surrounded by Swiss territory. In fact, to get there from the rest of Germany, you have to cross into Switzerland. It's a great place to visit on a bike tour.

A similiar occurance happens in the town of Campione, near Lugano, which belongs to Italy, but is surrounded by Swiss territory. There are a few interesting landmarks and definitely an expensive area to live in!

A reverse case is the eastern Swiss village of Samnaun, which is outside the Swiss customs zone. To reach it, you have to leave Switzerland because the only access road to Samnaun came from the Austrian side of the Inn valley quite some time ago.

Although all 3 towns are totally in different areas of Switzerland, they are definitely unique attractions.

Global Warming in the Swiss Alps

Global warming is happening everywhere, especially in glacial areas. In Switzerland, people are flocking to see global warming at work in the Swiss Alps. A rapidly melting glacier in the Bernese Oberland called the Trift Glacier has become the latest must-see on the travel circuit in Switzerland.

Since the beginning of the summer, the remains of the Trift Glacier, located in the resort of Meiringen, have been made more easily accessible thanks to a new cable car service and the opening of a spectacular suspension footbridge. So if you would like to see a 100m stretch of a daring cross and a great sight, come check it out.

Edleweiss in Switzerland

Who would have known Edleweiss would have been so popular after The Sound of Music, which was made famous by the Trapp Family in Austria. OR the famous Edleweiss Airlines.

Edelweiss is small white flower which has been a protected species in most of Switzerland since 1962. For the last ten years, Edelweiss has been grown commercially in Switzerland, mostly in the Valais because of its healing and cosmetic properties.

Who would have known Edleweiss would be used in the cosmetic industry for anti-wrinkle creams and sunscreen. Edelweiss is also reputedly good for digestion and has been used as a cure for diarrhoea in Valais for centuries. The trade in edelweiss is a lucrative one. The flower is five to six times more expensive than some of the other plants grown at the cooperative, such as mint and thyme.

So where to go look for the famous flower - Anywhere in the Valais.

Renovating Piccard's Submarine

The now famous mesoscaphe, an undersea vessel, will start it's restoration process in it's new home at the Swiss Transport Museum in Lucern. Jacques Piccard comes from a family of inventors as his father, Aguste Piccard, teamed up to build this submarine.

In the first years the vessel was in operation, over 33,000 people were taken to the bottom of Lake Geneva in 1964. The vessel was last seen at the Expo 02 in Murten. The transport museum has much more to offer. If you are visiting Lucern, this is definitely a great place to check out.

Visiting the Parliament Square in Bern

If you plan on visiting Bern, Parliament Square just might be one of the best attractions on a hot day. Cool yourself off in the prestigous Award winning Architectual Parliament building.

The house and parliament building is located in down town bern in the main shopping area, just a short distance from the River Aare.

Traveling to Valais Vineyards

One of the least travelled and explored areas of Switzerland is the Valais Region. The Valais is the transition are between Interlaken and the Bernese Oberland as well as Ticino in Italian speaking Switzerland.

The Valais boasts Switzerland’s largest wine growing region, with 5,200 hectares of vineyards. When traveling in the Valais, it's hard not to notice the high mountain tops of the Alps along with the vineyards which lace the mountain sides.

One Interesting Fact from swiss info: "More than 40 different grape varieties are grown in the region however Chasselas, Pinot Noir and Gamay account for 85 per cent of the total surface area of the vineyards."

The Rhône River cuts through the heart of the Valais as the terraced vineyards align the northern slopes. Most of this area is full of hiking, many thermal baths and some sort of snow sports. If you are looking for that unique culture experience which everyone doesn't take part in, the Valais is the place to visit.

Swiss Info goes into great detail and has much to offer about this diamond in the rough.

Be sure to check out all of the Wineary links on that page.

Bastille Day

David Moncoutie owned the bitter sweet victory today at the Tour de France while honoring his countries holiday.

Today is Bastille Day in France. In case you don't know what Bastille Exactly means, it is a National holiday in France. It is very much like Independence Day in the United States because it is a celebration of the beginning of a new form of government.

I was lucky enough to Visit Paris in July 2003 for Bastille Day. The Effiel tower twinkles as the sun goes down and the fireworks prepared to go off. What a beautiful site it was!

August 1st will be the national holiday in Switzerland. I'm sad to say I will only miss it by 8 days. So until next time...

Swiss Tourism makes a come back

There's a great little article about Swiss Tourism coming back to pre 9/11 days. More money is being spent by tourists who are visiting Switzerland. It's certainly a great boost on Swiss moral..

==> Check out Swiss Info Article

Cruise over Central Switzerland

Are you looking for that unique experience when you are touring Switzerland. Now customers can have the exclusive privilege of being among the first to sail the skies above Switzerland in the modern age. But it does come with a hefty price...

An airship company has gotten the green light from the aviation authorities to operate flights this summer with a modern high tech version of the Zeppelin.

Based in central Switzerland, Schulthess is offering slow-moving (45km cruising speed), low altitude flights over Lake Lucerne and the surrounding area.

You can find out more information by reading the article in Swiss Info.

Traveling Switzerland

Well as we were coming back on our flight from California to Vancouver, BC, we are now just one month away to our trip into Switzerland. California was a great warm up for the warmer weather and the touring we will endure. We are quite excited and are anticipating a great trip ahead of us...

The Swiss Riviera

Most of French-speaking Switzerland is so appealing because it barely registers on the package tour circuit. You can swap a bus full of Japanese tourists shopping for cuckoo clocks in Lucerne for a hillside blooming of narcissi or a wine village with spell-binding views and a deep blue-green gleam along Lake Leman.

Make your first glimpse of the Swiss Riviera, a playground for the rich and famous, from the window of the Panoramic train as it descends from the snow-capped Alps upon French-style farmhouses adorned with terraced vineyards just beside you and Lake Leman.

Lake Leman possesses such grace with it's calm azure waters and graceful swans patrolling under the medieval Chillon Castle. However, Chillon's history is no fairytale. During Switzerland’s witchcraft purges, dozens of women were tortured here while many others were incarcerated. Lord Byron, who visited in 1816, wrote an epic poem about Francois Bonivard, the prisoner chained in the dungeons of Chillon.

It's quite easy to understand why once you catch a glimpse of the ambling Quai des Fleurs between the neighboring towns and villages you will never want to leave its beauty. You’d never tire of the ever changing panorama of lakes, alpine pinnacles, and twinkling villages. Best of all, within half-an-hour you can be high in the mountainous Alps.

Bike and Train Switzerland

Did you know you can Bike and Train throughout Switzerland. I've done this many different times. The cost for bringing your bike on the train is 10chf per day. Not too bad if you are taking a long trek and only want to go one way.

Personally I've done a trip from Lenzburg to Wil via Bike and Train . We were able to pass my favorite Greek Restaurant in Germany (there's a few km stretch where you ride into Germany). I was so excited to get back there that night - what a surprise! In all the trip was 55kms and a life time of memories. That night we trained back to Lenzburg and boy was I glad it was over, tired but so happy to have accomplished the awesome ride.

You can pick up the Bicycle timetable (SBB Brochure "Bike and Rail ") with the free bicycle train timetable has been specially prepared for "Cycling in Switzerland”. The book contains detailed information on the 56 recommended train, postbus and boat connections.

I'd highly recommend biking in Switzerland because it is so serene and a great way to see Switzerland.

Get more of Einstein

If you are visiting the Swiss Capital of Bern any time before April 2006, you might want to keep your eyes peeled. Evidence of Albert Einstein is everywhere. Whether its on a sweet little cake celebrating Einstein's life or on a Bernese tram as it passes by you on a stroll into down town, be sure to keep your eyes peeled for Albert Einstein.

It was now over 100 years ago in the city of Bern that Albert Einstein developed his theory of special relativity. Bern's historical museum is honouring the physicist, until April 2006. Be sure not to miss this great man's presence..

Celebrating Other Cultures

Bastille Day
Originally uploaded by thnkfst.

Whether you have just finished celbrating Canada Day or are enjoying your day off for the 4th of July, one thing is for certain. We all like to embrace celebration and see the spectacle of fireworks.

I was lucky enough to spend July 14, 2003 in Paris for Bastille Day. I'd say the only difference was that there were many more people...

Best of Travels Europe

Before I set off to Europe, I love getting a bit of inspiration from Rick Steves through his DVD collection. Much of his video's have been shown one time or another on a travel show but they never seem to be there when I want.

I've actually gotten a few DVD's of Switzerland which were incredible to watch. However, one note that is important is to be careful if you are buying a dvd in Europe as the code type might not convert to your dvd player in the States. They use type 2 and in north america, type 1 players are used.

Rick Steve'svideos are very inspirational and informative. He either goes on many of these trips which he has sought out or he has people who live in the area for periods of time doing research. His products are also great because much everything is backed by his group of people who do tours from spring and summer months.

With that price, Rick Steves is worth checking out....

Ah Wimbledon

As Wimbledon comes to an end and Roger Federer marks his 3rd Wimbledon crown, a new generation of Swiss tennis stars don't seem to be following. In fact, the latest figures indicate that the number of tennis players in Switzerland has been falling steadily over the past few years.

It's almost a sad fact but with many Swiss sports falling short of top world positions, many Swiss have been hoping Federer might just change that around to become more of a trend like Agassi. According to Swiss Info "These days the same kind of thing is happening with Nadal. He looks like a tennis hero, whereas Roger is more of a tennis artist and perfectionist."

One thing is for certain, Federer enjoys his time out in Basel like any other 23 year old from Switzerland. In fact, he can be spotted at a few local bars and hang outs in his time off. I've even spotted him out, but there isn't any type of spectacle that goes on when he arrives.

Go Lance Go

Le Tour de France got off to the official start today. For those of you interested in following along it's broadcasted on OLN. As far as I remember, you can see it broadcasted live every day on OLN - Channel 49 for Canada.

The first leg was short and a fast time trial. Lance was inched out for 2nd place behind 029 ZABRISKIE (USA, CSC). They are only 2 seconds apart. However, that is surely not what Lance is aiming for and probably not what is on his mind. He's still over a minute ahead of most of his competitors such as Ulrich who is 1:08 behind. Looks like the two dominate teams are CSC and DSC who had 4 riders place in the top 25.

So as the first stage has ended, it seems the American's have quite a strong showing this year. More to follow of course... only 22 more days!

Dreaming of Travelling

Friday's Feast and - July 1st Canada Day...
Ok - this is my first feast, not really because I don't want to post but just because I couldn't wait to talk about vacation in Switzerland.

Appetizer
Where do you plan to go on vacation this year, or where would you want to go?
I'm off to visit my parents in California next week for 3 days if that counts. But my main vacation this year will be spent in Switzerland. :) I will be spending 2 full weeks touring around, visiting my old home and just seeing all of my friends, enjoying the weather, taking in some hikes, and enjoying my hobby of photography.

Soup
What color is your bedroom? If you could redecorate it, what would you change?
The color of my room is yellow. Looks great for what I have. I do hope to have my own place in the future but until that time there isn't anything I'd change. Great color for being in a basement suite... Keep it colorful - colors light up the world.

Salad
Do you have a bumper sticker on your vehicle? What does it say? My feet and I go way back... I love to walk and my car isn't with me now. When I walk on them without shoes I've got a huge black tatoo that washes off after a few hours. Although I tend to like wearing comfy walking and running shoes. Isn't this how everyone gets around these days?

Main Course
What's the worst pain you've ever been in? I usually don't tend to hurt myself. I usually tend to put myself in a lot of pain through sports. So I'd say it's a toss up between after a nice bike accident where I couldn't lift my arms to my head for a few days. Try getting dressed!

Or when I hit the kitchen table and had 3 black and blue toes, including the pinky, which had to be iced after every practice, mind you that we were on 3 a days training that week.

Dessert
Who is your favorite celebrity? What do they do that inspires you?
I'd have to say celebrity would be athletes. I love Lance Armstrong. I love being able to see the countryside in France and seeing all that he has accomplished. It was probably more inspiring while I was still swimming and definitely something I looked at before Sheryl Crow came into his life. But I really like his attitude and all of the books out there about him.. Even better was seeing La Tour in person in 2002 and 2003...

Natural Wonders of Europe

If you are thinking about taking a trip to Europe in the near future, I'd highly suggest you check out Time Magazines Newest Issue - Europe's Natural Wonders. If anything, the magazine serves as a great tour guide.

In Switzerland they explore The Aletsch: A Glacier on Thin Ice and other areas such as in Versailles in France.