Post #6 Day 4: Stanserhorn Sept 10

Day 4: Lucerne September 10

Stanserhorn

Before we scheduled our trip we knew that we might have problems with walking, standing, or long rides on busses due to joint problems. One excursion choice was a day long trip that included a boat ride across the lake, then the cog railway up Mt. Pilatus, followed by a bus trip to a farm to learn about cheese making. That would have been on day two while we were jet lagged. We opted instead to take the half day trip to Stanserhorn Mountain which turned out to be a great choice. 

After eating breakfast in the hotel, packing up and storing our luggage, we joined one other couple, Paul and Cindy, for the excursion. Our tour guide, Jim, was awesome and since we had such a small "group" we got to ask a ton of questions and get personalized attention. 

A short bus ride from the hotel we arrived in the small town of Stans, a quaint Swiss town. The trip up the mountain uses two different forms of transportation, the first a funicular railway and then a Cabrio, an open top cable car. Even with my hesitancy about heights I loved being on top of this cable car to see the views. It was a spectacular experience!

At the top, a restaurant and gift shop are surrounded by a deck with wide open views of the Alps. There is also a trail to the top of the mountain. Sadly, Bob's ankle prevented him from taking the trail. I opted to go part way up but was being cautious not wanting to be too damage joints for future excursions. Jim and Paul went to the top. Cindy and I went as far as the marmot enclosure and then walked back to meet up with Bob for shopping and lunch. 

In spite of Bob's ankle it was by far the best day of the trip. We were fortunate to have sunshine and clear skies at the top with amazing views of the Alps. Jim pointed out Eiger Mountain and many others not as familiar to us. We enjoyed lunch outside on the deck surrounded by views of the mountains, took a walk around the outside deck, a bit like scaffolding that made me hesitant, but the views were well worth it. Lucky for us the clouds didn't roll in until we were getting ready to depart. 

We did some shopping in the gift shop and spent the rest of our Swiss Francs since we were boarding the ship that evening with no other stops in Switzerland. This was our second Ben & Jerry's sighting, the first in a grocery store in Lucerne!

Post #5 Day 3: Lucerne Sept 9 Afternoon

Lucerne Day 3: Monday, September 9
Afternoon on Our Own

After the walking tour ended we stayed in town and looked for a restaurant for lunch. We spent some time checking menus at restaurants along the river. We were reading one menu and some other Americans were also trying to find the menu in English (on the reverse side of the sign where we were standing). While chatting with them we found out they were from Glens Falls. Small world! 

We ended up at a restaurant on the river, the Rathaus Brauerei, with a nice view of Chapel Bridge. After perusing the menu, still trying to adjust to the prices and not very hungry after the big breakfast we had at the hotel, Bob ordered a salad  and I ordered the wheat beer soup (€11.50 and €11, respectively). We didn't have any of the desserts although they looked amazing. 

There were so many choices of things to do. Since it was such a beautiful day, we decided to go to Chateau Gutsch for the view. This involved finding our way using public transportation which turned out to be very easy after getting directions from a lovely, helpful attendant at a booth in the train station. After getting off at our stop, we had to take a funicular (a cable railway car) to the top. There was no one at the ticket booth so we just boarded and rode to the top.

At the top we found a sculpture display that was open without needing the usual ticket. It appeared to be under construction or revision. We wandered around and took pictures of the fabulous view. Only a few people were around, some of them working on the art display.

It was interesting poking around at what we thought was a tourist destination with no one else around. Wanting to see if there was a better view from the "castle," we felt a bit like we were trespassing when we opened a gate and made our way to the hotel/restaurant. It was lovely inside and the open deck view was outstanding. To pay for our view we ordered hot cocoa and a dessert to share. It was well worth paying for a small, pricey dessert to be able to sit in the sun and enjoy the view.

After we got back to the hotel we took a nap, intending to go back out for dinner. But, when Bob got up his ankle was so painful he couldn't walk across the room. He wasn't sure exactly what happened to it, but we assumed he had sprained it doing so much walking on the cobblestone pavement during the morning walking tour. We tried going up to the lounge area, and we did get to see the view from the top of the hotel, but we decided we weren't going to walk across the river for Swiss food. We had hoped to try fondue at one of the local restaurants. Instead we ended up in the Italian restaurant in the hotel again.

This was just the beginning of our back luck, ill fated, trip. 

Post #4 Day 3: Lucerne Sept 9 Morning

Day 3: Lucerne, Monday, September 9
Morning Walking Tour

Chapel Bridge, Lucerne

Little did we know that this would be one of our few good days on a 10 day trip in Europe. After a nice breakfast buffet in one of the hotel restaurants, we met Radka and the other pre-extension travelers in the lobby for our walking tour. Radka led a wonderful tour around the city, pointing out possibilities for our leisure time later in the day. There was a lot of history, but I don't remember a lot of that, nor do the notes I took make sense. I should not have waited this long to write about our adventure, but there were reasons. More about that later.

I'll share a few things I do remember. First, the Chapel Bridge is not only very impressive, but also very old. It was built in the 1300s. Triangular shaped paintings were added in the 17th Century depicting life and history of Lucerne. Much of the bridge, and many of the paintings were burned in the 1990s due to vandalism or possibly a tossed cigarette (it depends on where you read about the incident or to whom you speak). Cameras have since been installed to thwart attempts at vandalism. According to the guide some of the paintings had been tucked away in storage at the time the bridge burned, so, at the time of restoration and rebuilding, those were used to replace some of the ones that were destroyed. The guide told us about the bridge being used by Catholics from the old town crossing over to the church on the other side of the river during the Reformation when Catholicism was not approved by the governing authorities. According to one article I read the bridge was actually attached to the church. Radka showed us the door where people entered to worship. 

After crossing the bridge we entered the older part of town where we saw historic buildings, walked along narrow cobblestone streets and where Radka shared history of the city as well as more current information about life in Lucerne. We stopped to have a drink out of one of many fountains that spout clean water - as long as you drink from the flowing water and don't dip into the pool! We saw a wedding in progress and learned that all weddings take place in the "Rathaus" which is like our town and city clerk office. Every town has a Rathaus and we saw many others on our travels. According to Radka, every town also has at least one Linden tree. I can't remember the significance but believe she said it represents good luck, health and prosperity. 

As we crossed another bridge back to the side we entered from, we saw where the river was crossed by what looked like fence posts or sticks. I was fascinated that this structure called the Reuss Weir or Needle Dam, is still regulated manually to control the level of Lake Lucerne. 

Our last visit of the tour was the Jesuit Church built in the 1600s. The church has elaborate decor on the inside. Radka explained that the different colors of the side altars are indicative of the time period during which they were built. Of interest to me, what appear to be marble columns have inner wooden beams covered in stucco stone composed of ground marble. More information here: http://www.newliturgicalmovement.org/2018/01/the-church-of-st-francis-xavier-in.html#.XdH71zJKhD0

Post #3: Day 2 - Lucerne Sept 8

Lucerne Sunday, September 8

View from above of the bar/lounge at Hotel Astoria, Lucerne
Sorry - no pics of the hotel, but it was very nice. 

Arrival at the Hotel Astoria was too early to get into our room, but we were greeted by another Viking Host, Radka, who gave us a lot of information, maps and advice about getting around in Lucerne. One thing Viking does well is organization. So organized and seamless for us inexperienced travelers. This was the reason we paid for pre and post excursions directly with Viking. Not to mention that when Bob picked this "river cruise" I wasn't too excited until he agreed that we had to see the Alps when we would be so close. That wouldn't have happened without the pre-extension.

It was pouring rain most of the afternoon, and since it was Sunday, most stores were closed. We had a quick lunch in the hotel coffee house, not to be confused with coffee houses in Amsterdam. More on that later. The server was kind enough to educate me on how coffee would be served and suggested a latte instead of regular coffee. What they call coffee is stronger and served in smaller cups. It was ok, but not what I was craving! I never did get my Starbucks coffee even though we passed one several times. Then it was time for nap, even though experienced travelers warned us against it after a red-eye flight.

Later, we walked to the train station to get our bearings and try to find some snacks. I don't think I've ever seen so many people in one store in my entire life. The two groceries were so crowded we gave up trying to buy anything. We also learned that there is no plain bottled spring water sold in stores. It's all "mineral water." I'd had a taste of that already from the bottle given to us by the Viking bus driver and realized that I did not like it. Yes, I admit it, I'm a water snob!

After we got back to the hotel, we were too tired and jet-lagged to figure out where to eat dinner. After checking menus of all the closest restaurants, we had a bit of sticker shock. Nor were we really interested in a lot of food after all the traveling. We decided at the last minute to get a pizza in one of the restaurants attached to the hotel, La Cucina. The wait without a reservation was almost two hours. To kill time, we wandered around the hotel, rested in our room and went back for a quick, late, dinner. A pizza verdure (smaller than most size mediums in the U.S.), a €6 bottle of water - yes, we learned quickly to ask for tap water after that dining experience - and a small glass of wine totaled thirty-five euros plus a small tip. Apparently, food prices make up for the 15-20% tipping we add to restaurant checks in the U.S.  More on Switzerland food and cost of living later.

Post #2: Traveling

Traveling
Saturday-Sunday Sept 7-8

After packing, unpacking and repacking, for over a week, we took an Uber to BTV each with one "personal item" and a large suitcase to check. I still haven't gotten to a point where I can do a larger carry-on and one personal item. After all, where would we pack all the souvenirs?

Our flight with United Airlines took us to Chicago with a four hour layover. Yes, we tried to change it but when buying through Viking with a special deal (I'm really not sure how "special" it was after all the add-ons), it was the only  reasonable choice. I had two free passes for the United Club so we used those to get some free food but due to some confusion, had to hurry because we had to take a bus across the runways where we had to pick up our previously checked luggage and go through security - again. Then it was hurry up and wait - again. I snapped the shot of our plane while we were waiting. We chatted with some people who were headed to Switzerland to do a rail tour. That is definitely something I want to consider after we have done a few more bucket list items, especially after this trip I'm writing about. Right now the cruise is still too "fresh" to think about doing another one. Especially with Viking.

Swiss Air does it right in economy class.  While making our way to our economy seating we saw how amazing it would be to travel first class with Swiss Air. One word: amazing! I want to get rich and travel in first class like Swiss Air. Just once. Before I die! We had paid for an upgrade to seats with better leg room and ended up behind a divider with lots of leg room. We were on opposite ends of a four-seat row, but, it appeared we would have it to ourselves. However, our excitement was diminished when two other passengers were unhappy with their seating and were moved to our row. It was fine though because there was enough room to move around them without disturbing them to get up, stretch and use the restrooms. And, we got to sit next to each other so had a shared experience - unlike some parts of the rest of our trip.

Dinner on the plane was a surprise, especially after discussing with our seat mates whether or not it would be served. Why didn't I take a picture? I had pasta, Bob had chicken, and the meals included salad with dressing, cheese, a dinner roll, and cake. It actually tasted good. It felt like the old 1980s days of flying:  lots of attention from the flight attendants who were stylishly dressed in uniforms reminiscent of the old days. After the long flight, we got warm towels and a continental style breakfast: yogurt, a croissant, cheese, a small bar of Swiss chocolate and juice. Oh, and did I say it meals were served with real utensils? Not plastic, real flatware!

We arrived in Zurich, Sunday, around 10:30 a.m. (3:30 a.m. EDT). We had left our house at 10:30 a.m. EDT on Saturday.  It had been a long "day." After a fairly quick line at customs and no issues getting through, we picked up our bags, used our debit card for some Swiss francs and found our way out of the airport to meet the Viking rep. Six of us pre-extension passengers boarded a small bus to go to Lucerne.

View from above of the bar/lounge at Hotel Astoria, Lucerne

Arrival at the Hotel Astoria was too early to get into our room, but we were greeted by another Viking Representative, Radka, who gave us a lot of information, maps and advice about getting around in Lucerne. It was pouring rain most of the afternoon, and since it was Sunday, most stores were closed. We had a quick lunch in the hotel coffee house, not to be confused with coffee houses in Amsterdam; more on that later. The server was kind enough to educate me on how coffee would be served and suggested a latte instead of regular coffee which is much stronger than our normal coffee in the U.S. and served in small cups. It was ok, but not what I was craving! I never did get my Starbucks coffee even though we passed one several times during our walks around Lucerne. Then it was time for naps, even though experienced travelers warned us against it after a red-eye flight.

Later, we walked to the train station to get our bearings and try to find some snacks. I don't think I've ever seen so many people in one store in my entire life. The two groceries were so crowded we gave up on getting anything to eat to carry with us. We also learned that there is no plain bottled spring water sold in stores. It's all "mineral water." I'd had a taste of that already from the bottle given to us by the Viking bus driver and realized that I did not like it. Yes, I admit it, I'm a water snob!

After we got back to the hotel, we were too tired and jet-lagged to figure out where to eat dinner other than grabbing a pizza in the one of the restaurants attached to the hotel, La Cucina. The wait without a reservation was almost two hours. So we wandered around the hotel, rested in our room and went back for a quick, late, dinner. A pizza verdure (smaller than most size mediums in the U.S.), a €6 bottle of water - yes, we learned quickly to ask for tap water after that dining experience - and a small glass of wine totaled thirty-five euros plus a small tip. Apparently, food prices make up for the 15-20% tipping we add to restaurant checks in the U.S.  More on Switzerland food and cost of living later.

Post #1: Why we Chose a River Cruise

Pre-Planning: Why We Chose a River Cruise

Bob and I went on a whirlwind trip through Scotland and Ireland as a bucket list, retirement gift to ourselves in 2015. See that blog here: https://bjtravels2015.blogspot.com/

It was our first trip out of the country, except Canada, and since we live so close to that border, we don't count that. We loved the trip, however, we didn't like the pace nor the packing almost every day to get up and go. We saw a lot of both countries and did extra things that we never would have done on our own. Plus, we didn't have to drive on the wrong side of the road! People on the tour with us, 41 of our "closest" friends, suggested we would like a river cruise because the pace is slower and the unpacking is usually just once, of course, depending on the water levels.

In September of 2017 we went to Yellowstone National Park, another bucket list trip. No blog for that adventure, but it was a wonderful trip in spite of getting literally snowed out of the park! We have wonderful memories in spite of standing around freezing in our sneakers (who needs boots in September?) while waiting for a wolf to appear, or for the grizzly to come back to snack on the elk carcass. Yes, there was snow, it was cold, the roads got nasty as we traveled south to leave the park and were closing behind us as we drove. We didn't see a lot in the Tetons due to the snow, nor did we take side roads where moose were supposed to appear. But, we have great memories of sharing this experience - together.

Our 40th Anniversary was in 2018. We wanted to plan a great trip to celebrate, but a lot of life events got in the way of that. Instead, we were going to do a short trip to Prince Edward Island, but that didn't happen. In early January of 2018, we started a home remodel plan, much needed since there had been no updates since we moved in thirty years earlier. It wasn't completed until May.

During the process, we had to move out to a rental. Then I got word that my sister was very ill and had to quickly leave for Syracuse. She passed away a couple days after I got there.

Joy Stevens, 1938-2018

At the same time, my other sister had to move out of a home she had been renting for many years and I helped her kids move her to a senior complex. We were into June before we could even think about making any plans for our August 40th anniversary. Prince Edward Island seemed like an easy trip. Then I got the jury notice. That dragged on well into September. Too late to make travel plans with a new granddaughter expected in October! And, because our daughter lives out west that involved travel as well.

Happy Grandma! #2

December rolled around and my  husband's sister died suddenly. These two sibling deaths were stark reminders that we are now part of the elder generation in our families and that we don't have all that many years left to travel.

Betty Finnegan 1944-2018

Well into our 41st year of happily-ever-after, we decided it was time to celebrate our 40th. We started planning a river cruise. Bob took the initiative, investigated different itineraries and chose a European river cruise on the Rhine. We visited our travel agent, looked at options and chose a trip with Viking, in spite of her nudging us toward AMAWaterways. Never again will I trust saving money over the advice of a professional. You will learn why as you read our "adventure."