By this Author: sstalpo

It's our last day in Switzerland!

We fly out to LA tomorrow and will be back in Boise sometime between 11 pm and midnight. So Alana, do not be concerned if you hear someone unlocking the front door!

Will make this one short and simple. The day consisted of three things:
[b]A) Taking the ferry to the National Museum
B) Going through, and having lunch, as the National Museum
C) Going Bowling (yes you read that right)

Our apartment had a tram stop right outside which was a HUGE blessing after all the hiking around we have done. The first thing we did was take the tram down a stop and got myself some Ibuprofen for the day (for my left leg which as been consistently uncomfortable. The wonderful lady behind the counter asked if I wanted to take one right away.. and offered me some water. It helped with all the walking through the museum.

Then we headed out to the ferry which was next to the big fountain and lion statue. The walk was marvelous, quiet, level. The area we stayed in was a great mix of old and modern. This is the front door and the outside of our apt building.

And some of the buildings around us.

I was also so happy to see that the fountains were on ! They are in the back of the picture below.

When we do got to the museum we were treated with a special event!! There was a massive 'storytelling' (fairy tales, folklore, etc.) going on in the courtyard. There were areas for story tellers - who were amazing (even though we could not understand them). But they were great actors and very animated. They held their audience (both young and old) with rapt attention. We grabbed some coffee cake, and sandwiches, and settled down to watch. The whole courtyard had the greatest vibe, which was only increased by the AMAZING beauty of the architecture of the hold mansion around us. Even though there are massive renovations happening. One of the tents was labeled - Drachenwald. Checking my phone I learned that was the local medieval SCA (Society for Creative Anachronism). They must have been telling some great old folklore stories! Cause the kids were vocal in their responses to the story teller. There was also a tent for the Fairy Garden group... and they had open wood fires going to roast a bratwurst, or a lump of dough, on a stick.

Swiss National Museum Site

One of the best parts was watching this little boy - who we have premonitions that he will become a great architect - be totally engrossed with the large building blocks. He worked to hard (carrying large loads) of blocks over to his platform. Building up a structure as high as himself. Then explaining, in great animated detail, to his mother what all the parts were. Then .. knocking it over and starting on a new building. Adorable!

Like I mentioned some of the best parts of the museum was the building itself.

After walking through exhibits of the history of Switzerland (learned that their philosophy of neutrality was born in the 1600s in their national Diet - like a congress). We had lunch in the outside café and headed off to an unusual event for the final day of vacation overseas!

Btw, the church bells are doing their LOUD JOINED melodious sound in the air. - just like what I heard in Salzburg. What a nice way to again.. come around again to wrap things up.

Pat had a hankering to go bowling, as we took a few hours and a taxi (first) to enjoy exploring the suburbs of Zurich. We took a tram back and that was another great view of the different 'non tourist' areas of the city. There was on the TV a parade from the folkmusic fest.. Which was kinda fun to watch while Pat bowled.

So that's it! We have completed our bucket list trip! I have very mixed feelings about leaving. I do LOVE the people here. I can be easy for a expat to retire -- except it is so expensive! Maybe Epic needs some reps in this country? LOL JK

Though not looking forward to the 12 flight to LA, then the flight to Boise.. I am looking forward to seeing Shadow, my sister Alana and my friends.
Love you!

We are off to dinner at Suan Long - for a little Chinese food
Good night!

I've been enjoying sharing the views of when I have lunch someplace special.

I really like Rosti - which is basically fried 'hash browns' with something else.. for me it was bacon, onion and an egg on top
AND the view of the Gruyeres Castle, the peaks, and the Steeple of the Village Church. oH and ICE TEA!

OH! If YOU actually like Gruyere (you are not alone) I found this cool website which provides the history I learned about while here. It's a globally protected recipe! Dating back to 1115!
https://gruyere.com/en/history/

We have one more night here … and then they will have to pull me away from this! and on to Zurich!

Today we got up, had breakfast in the hotel next door, with our sever, Anna, who I admit is the hardest worker we've met yet. She worked a full day yesterday, closed up after a late party and there we she was being the support for the breakfast buffet! You go Anna!

After being well fed, and a lovely cup of fruit tea, we headed up the village hill to the castle.

We did our own tour, which was good cause the two tours around us were in French. LOL

But what a wonderful, beautiful place. A full classic garden in the back. Amazing views of the countryside.. on every side. The rooms had so much original history still in them. Coat of Arms in plaster discovered during a restoration of the bailiffs room. Ancient tapestries, some still very colorful.

Here is a historic summary from The Swiss Spectator, that I couldn't write better myself:

===Gruyères Castle===
"The castle, set in a magnificent ring of mountains, was home to the counts of Gruyère for five centuries, from the eleventh century to 1554. The castle was (re) built in the 12th century by the counts of Gruyère as a fortification in defence of the (German-speaking) dukes of Zähringen who founded the towns of Fribourg (1157) and Berne (1191).

The castle became the residence of the bailiffs of Fribourg in 1554 when the last count had to sell its indebted property. Their rule lasted until 1798, the French invasion, the Helvetian Republic (1798-1803) and Confederation (1803-1813) of 19 cantons. The canton sold the castle in 1848 to the Bovy-family from Geneva but became the owner once again in 1938.

The castle shows the artistic styles from the twelfth century onwards: the medieval walls and structures and the Romanesque chapel, the Renaissance residence, furniture and tapestries, the French gardens, the baroque bailiff’s hall, the Age of Enlightenment and the Romantic reconstruction of the interior and 19th-century art by artistic members of the Bovy family after 1848. The castle is a trip through almost nine centuries of art, history and legends, and, last but not least, cheese, of course. (Source: H. Gremaud, Château de Gruyères, Villars-sur-Glâne)."

We saw ALL of this.. some of the more conserved were the Bovy works of art, and their rooms (with beautiful oil paintings on the literal wood panels in the walls). Because of the history of this castle being supportive, and part of an artists's community, there were also great exhibits of art. Some of the best were the Fantasy/SciFi pieces. The artist we liked the best was Patrick Woodroffe. He had a piece we liked a lot in a gallery room full of a mixture of artists. This one was our favorite:

Then we discovered that in a tower, around the walls and down the spiral staircase was a multitude of his work!!!

He also created two immense metal sculpture disks in the outer courtyard, which greet you when you come through the entrance. At first we thought they were renditions of Heaven and Hell, but in doing some research on Woodroffe we learned they were about Mars and Venus -- the futility of war... and I wonder if love too.. but did confirm that the Mars disk was designed to show war as a closed circle of absurd, self-destructive futility." (Amen Patrick!)
None of the photos again do not do the real thing justice!

Back in the rooms my favorite piece was during the Bovy's ownership of the castle and the oil paintings in one of the rooms. Imagine all the walls like this.. cause they were.

We also saw a pianoforte - created for LISZT !! Yes.. that LIszt! And there other great works of art that I could not take a picture of...

The kitchen was so detailed!! we could see the original timbers and the creosote build up in the ceiling, and the guards room the kitchen maids basically had to walk through a fireplace to bring them food in the room next to the kitchen.

Overall the courtyards (inner and outer) were peaceful, full of art, and very historic. My favorite museum (so far - we still have the National Museum to see in Zurich) of our trip.

I am going to miss here.. I say that every day, but sitting here in front my hotel window with THIS view !! I do not want to leave!! Just send me work .. and I'll do it here!!

I am sitting by the open window of my hotel room (with a VIEW to die for) listening to the school children playing in the playground at the bottom of the hill, and to the voices animatedly conversing in French on the café terrace next to us. My favorite place to sit..

Sigh.. our last full day of total 'non-modern' relaxation and beauty. The old stone wall outside our window is part of the stone wall ramparts that go around the village. You can see a slit of a window built into the wall. It goes down the steep diagonal side of the hill behind us. Beyond that are houses across the valley at the base of the foothills.. which eventually become the alps.

The last 24 hours have been exploring the old Medieval Village of Gruyeres.

Btw, I have discovered that I do NOT like Gruyere cheese unless it is melted in French Onion Soup. You can smell the melted Gruyere everywhere here. I do love the what is called the 'Mountain Cheese' but.. um.. Gruyere is just a bit too pungent for my taste. Same with Raclette. Pat loves both so he even bought some in a shop here, with some bread, to melt in our Studio kitchen for a late night snack.

So despite not being a fan of the local (and most famous cheese.. even back in the 1700/1800s), I found the history of this place very interesting. The myth that it was started by a hero who saw a crane (Gru) fly before him against a red sky as a sign to place his home here. Gru does mean crane, and you see that image on metal signs outside of buildings and stores here. It is the basis for name of the region. After it fell into disrepair after not needing to serve as a fortress, and was saved by started, then saved, and saved again... and then again. Till it is now almost like a living museum.

I would recommend staying in one of the hotels here in the old village, as walking around the rock (not even true cobblestones) streets and discovering the garden behind the church, or some cute souvenirs, is very relaxing. Even just sitting by the central water fountain and people watching is fun. And you get to experience the village when the crowds of tourists come for the day trips. Sunset is still my most favorite time in Switzerland. Still can't believe I am really here.. kinda.. its amazingly beautiful Everywhere! How do people live here on a daily basis??!!

Pat continued his success in street playing and actually brought some almost $100 CHF. *grin* Enough to pay for one dinner for the two of us! It's SO expensive here! LOL

Anyway.. did buy (though I swore to myself that I wouldn't) some souvenirs. Small things to keep the luggage light. I'm not sure yet what to do with the bottle of wine that Pat was given by the restaurant owners in Lauterbrunnen.. as it's a deep red (and I'm allergic) I might give it our VRBO host in Zurich.

Anyway.. the highpoint of Guryeres (the 's' at the end designates as the medieval village from the town down the hill) is the quaint architecture and the history here. Some of these buildings date back to the 1700's. This is one where they have a metal pig king (crown on his head) as a water spout sticking way out in front. Also note that the stone window facades are all different. Including the ones on the same second story windows. I love that kind of detail, knowing someone had a desire for eclecticism back in the 1700 - or maybe even earlier. The first fort here was built in 1115.

This house has the dates of some kind of importance painted on it's walls and carved into the stone over the front door. 1692, I think is the year it was built. The 16. 18 . 17 . 88 could be the address and not years. *shrug*

Also in the village are two unusual museums. We did not go into either, but it did surprise me to see them.
- H.R. Giger - artist for the movie Alien. Loved it here so much he bought a chateau at the entrance to the castle and set up a museum to his artwork
- The Tibet Museum. -- didn't seem to have anything that was unusual.. for us. The outside was very beautiful though, and starting to show some colors of Autumn.

The views of the Alp foothills behind the ancient streets, is magical.

Last night we ate on the terrace, just outside our hotel room. It was just us and another person out there as the evening chill was getting... well chilly. But the view of the castle and the church spire were wonderful!! AND, like Salzburg, Gruyere has their own special Meringue dessert. Though they do a hard back meringue here, with a side of super, thick, double cream to dip them into. YUM !!! Though after tasting both I still feel that the fluffy mountains of meringue made in Salzburg outshine the still yummy baked well crunchy pallets of meringue with double thick cream in Gruyere. I didn't get a picture as we had to move inside … brrrr. But I bought some today to snack on.

===The Golden Pass ===
I thought I would have much more to stay about the Golden Pass. There were two trains from Interlaken to Montreux. The first one was a little older regional train - to be honest even the 'older' regional Swiss trains outshine the US ones I've been on. The cool thing was the top part of the window opened. Going through tunnels was 'interesting' with an open window. We headed around the Grimmel Alp, and into Zweisimmen.

The second train was the more high tech panoramic one of the MOB line. Though the views were nice going through the Parc Natural Gruyere Pays-d'Enhaut. I actually enjoyed the views from Lucerne to Interlaken better. It was kinda cool how high up we were when we came upon Lake Geneva. And how the train made its way down the steep mountain side to get down to the lake edge.

More on the Golden Pass Line: http://www.goldenpass.ch/en

===Montreux===
Montreux is known as the Swiss Rivera. I could instantly see the different in the environment as we came down the mountain. There were palm trees, and fig trees, and the architecture was definitely more French. It felt more like San Diego with Lake Geneva playing the role of the Pacific.

We arrived that the Hotel du Grand Lac Excelsior.

An older grand Belle Epoque style hotel with ELEVATORS!! Though our room was on the main floor (even better) which was one of the original, old rooms (with very high ceiling) and opened on to a terrace. The view and location was to die for!! Very quiet... I could see the Chateau de Chillon from our veranda. The very flowered and well kept promenade was right below us and it was delightful to walk along it. Though the views of the mountains (in France) on the other side of the lake were amazing and I would sit and drink them in.

And the sunsets were romantic and drinkable!

At first the condition of the hotel was a little disappointing. It could really use a good influx of cash to bring it back to it's former glory. But after seeing the rest of Montreux, I decided that I liked the old girl (issues and all) and our room with the view...

The best part of the day was the lake cruise on the La Suisse CGN Belle Epoque Steamship.

Their was a dock so close to the hotel that when they blew their arrival warning horn it was right in front of us.. so I walked down to the dock (watched an amazing - I think Newfoundland - play throw the really big rock I just dug up into the water game with his owner) and then got on and settled into the First Class top deck viewing deck for a very relaxing 2 hour tour around the Montreux/Vevey area of Lake Geneva. That included stops on the French side at La Bouveret. I sat with a couple of sweet older ladies so spoke very little English.. but were fun.

The boat stopped at Chillon Castle and it was great to a view of it from the water side.

Rest of the views from the boat:

And the French side:

On the way back from the boat, along the promenade - I came across this memorial. With relatively fresh flowers at its base. Though not in English I could make out it was in honor of Carl Gustaf Mannerheim. Who happened to be, as it turns out, a president of Finland!

====Gruyere===
The next day we got the trains to Gruyere. Had to get on the Golden Pass again and get off at Montbovon to get a regional train.
We partnered that journey with a super sweet family from London - who were on their second day in Switzerland. He was a dentist, his wife was very much pregnant and their little two year-old girl adorable. And a musician herself as she sand her own version of 'Are You Sleeping" to us as we waiting to change trains. They were just doing a day trip to the cheese factory and the Gruyere Medieval Village and Castle.

We were able to give them some tips about the Tremmalbach Falls, Lauterburren and Murren as they were going to be heading that way.
As Pat and the dentist chatted about his adventures with his guitar, when we arrived at the medieval village Pat broke out the guitar and played a song for them. The crazy thing is that it started out with just us (a song for their family) and then a little crowd gathered.. with people taking pictures and video taping Pat's playing. LOL Again.. the tourists really liked him! It was pretty amusing.

We then entered the village:

When checking in, we had our first 'travel' issue .. which since we on the tail end of the trip I think that is pretty good. Somehow I had double booked us at the Gruyere Rooms and we were under threat of having to pay for two rooms instead of one. With lots of calls with Booking.com and Agoba.com we finally worked out a settlement and only had to pay a small fee. Yay! And then we had an annoying mosquito in the room. URG.

But it's a new day! The view from room is lovely. Today is a rest day. Doing some laundry. Resting my foot and knees. Will be walking around the village later and looking for souvenirs. It's a bit overcast (the sun is trying to break out) so a rest day is perfect! Tomorrow we will hit the Castle.

Nick, our intrepid host, helped us get our luggage up the mountain and to the Bahn... it was sad to say good-bye to him. He is really a very special person and I am so happy that he and his wife, Sue, found a way to make their dream come true! We made our good-byes and off into the Bhan down to Stechelburg, to get the bus to Lauterburnnen.

Just need to note that Pat almost had one of those TV moments when someone steps out into a street to be hit by a bus you didn't see coming. Thankfully he did see the bus and got out of the way. LOL

We found our next hotel. At first glance it was wonderful... NOT mountain to climb down to get to it. It was situated right by the train station and the bus station. Woo HOO!
http://www.steinbocklauterbrunnen.ch/e_hotel_steinbock.html

We had to wait a few hours to check in so we left our luggage there and headed back to the bus to go see the Trümmelbach Falls. This is something Pat saw too when he was here as a young lad. I was excited but because the description was 10 waterfalls inside a mountain.

We got there, and hiked into the entry and yay! There was a lift up inside the mountain. I was thinking it would go to the top and then we walk down and see the waterfalls. Um... I was wrong. It got us most of the way UP! AND then.. yes.. there were.. STAIRS Lots and lots of stairs.
One section Pat counted 81 stairs. Just one section.

But the waterfalls inside were A-MA-ZING!! I loved them! I made up those stairs cause I wasn't missing any of this!

I didn't get any photos inside cause it was COLD, WET and I didn't want to drop my phone over the edge. LOL So here is the WIKI page which does have great photos in it.
My one photo..

Afterwards we needed to warm and dry to had a light, shared, lunch at the little house there at the falls .. on the patio. A beautiful house and place to take in the Lauterbrunnen Valley. Which is known as the Valley of Waterfalls. It so reminded me of Yosemite !!! So much so! In the last photo there are two parasailers. So tiny in the pic, just shows how large the cliffs were.

Off to the bus and back to the hotel to check in -- and yes.. our room was on the second floor … and only stairs to get to it.
I just laugh now at any mention of stairs and getting luggage up them. We are masters of how to accomplish it!

Our hotel was a 2 star place. Before this we were staying in 3 star places so .. yes.. it was a bit (well more than a bit _ I couldn't even get into the tiny slip of a shower LOL) rustic. This was not the highpoint of our hotel stays. I said it had character. Pat said he tried to find the character and there just wasn't any. LOL

The view from the balcony was pretty cool though. SUCH a different vibe then up in Murren. The peace of Murren was replaced with a LOT of rustling around, traffic, and a sense of just a ton of business going on...

Sigh.. my slice of heaven was left back in Murren.

We did find a good place to eat, and luckly made reservations, as others were trying to get in. AND they asked Pat to come back and play. So he did!! He played out on the terrace where we ate earlier.... and they loved him so much they gave him a bottle of wine as a thank you! So even though our hotel was 'an adventure' Lauterbrunnen and the Falls were a hit!

We only had one night in this place. Couldn't even non feather pillows (so we used our travel pillows). We skipped breakfast and headed to Interlaken to catch the Golden Pass train to Montreux... whew.. which is where I now sit outside... in the evening with the lights shining around the lake.

As I am writing this.. in the light of the setting sun over Lake Geneva, outside on our hotel room's veranda... I realized I better wrap up Murren or I will never catch up! So this page are the little bits left of Murren and will do one page on our one day adventure in Lauterburren. Which included our most 'character' filled hotel we stayed at yet.

Murren - Bits and Pieces

Just about everyone has amazing gardens in Murren - which included Gnomes!! So many vegetables and flowers! All kinds of flowers.. roses, sunflowers.. and the healthy kale and cabbage plants. I came across this one garden which make me smile. Look close.. there are more than one Gnome -- and the two in front are FISHING! I love when people have wimsy

You know how there are deep red flowers in all the Chalet window boxes? I discovered that they are! Geraniums! Now I want some for my garden. Even close up the red is very intense and like velvet.

Sir Arnold Lunn - I walked by this memorial and had to share it. I also looked up his Wiki Page! Very cool
The memorial reads --
"It was here in Mürren that Arnold Lunn set the first slalom in 1922 and organised the first world championship in downhill and slalom racing in 1931."

Just some other views around the village

I wish I could put the video we took of his playing... cause it was really a wonderful moment.
I might add more later but want to put down the main things for me that night.

He was so warmly welcomed! Thhttps://www.ibm.com/quantum-computing/learn/what-is-ibm-q/e story of the young man, who at 19 spent a month at that same hostel playing his guitar, then to come back 45 years later and do the same thing was really very touching for everyone. Roman closed out a room in the hostel and verbally advertised what was happening. There were 16 - 20 in the room, and more that came and listened in the adjacent hallway.

There were all ages too. A couple of toddlers played together in the middle of the room while people gathered, and then sat quietly in their mom's laps when Pat started to play.

The couple from Oregon we met on the bus came. Which was a very nice surprise. Nick, our VRBO host, came.
People took videos of Pat playing (see pic below) and they applauded. He played for almost two hours and they stayed.

Afterwards people stayed and chatted with Pat. And Roman surprised him with collecting tips for him.. which was NOT part of the deal. The generously showed how much they really did enjoy the music! That they enjoyed was Pat's motivation... so it was a total success. Also Roman sent us home with a container of freshly cooked pasta and sauce from the hostel's dinner that night. YUM! Did I mention how wonderful the people really are in Murren???

When asked about his memories and if things looked the same... Pat noted that the rooms were different. There had been some changes to the building. But he did remember that it was located right off the Grimmelwald Bahn..
One of the favorite jokes for our time in Murren, was when Pat was asked .. how is it different than when he was here as a teenager. He smiles and says "Well, the stairs are steeper and the roads have bigger inclines" LOL Well said for us older people. LOL

The other great moment was going up to the Schilthorn which is one of the peaks where you can get a 360 degree view of Switzerland!
Pat and I went up early one morning with the plan to have brunch at the restaurant at the outlook.

We took a Bahn, which had one stop on the way, to get up to the top of the peak of the Schilthorn. I am a bit afraid of heights so it was quite an adventure in itself. Unfortunately when we got there we learned that the restaurant was closed for a 'private party'. Yes, IBM AGAIN! The followed us.. LOL We finally learned what their whole take over of Murren was about. They were hosting a Qiskit 2019 Europe Camp for people involved in the public Quantum Computing 'thing', Those involved were all over Murren with their lanyards.

I looked it up. It is quite mind bending what is going on.. IBM's Q Website...

This was in the lobby of the Gloria Pia (at the top of the Schilthorn).

Also.. if you didn't know the Gloria Pia was the film location for the James Bond movie (definitely not on of the best). It was Blofeld's secret lair.. "On Her Majesty's Secret Service". There is a museum there about the film, as well as a 'walk of fame' where actors, etc put their hand prints. There was a film running which showed the bits at the at Gloria Pia.. hmm.. its no wonder that George Lazenby did not continue on as Bond... but as Pat noted 'whoever hired that director also shouldn't have continued on' (or the writer for that matter).

Anyway... the view was tremendous. The sky crystal clear! It was actually very warm up there too! I took off my jacket and was just in my t-shirt! We could clearly see all three of related mountains - The Eiger, the Monc and the Jungfrau.
We were up around 12000 feet, and you could feel the air was thinner up there. So we didn't run around...
But it was tremendous!

So the story goes that the Ogre (Eiger) was after the Young Girl (Jungfrau) so the Monk (Mönch) stepped in to save her. Hence the three of them are forever saved in the three mountain peaks of the Oberland area.

And from our balcony .. we looked up at the Jungfrau... I mean I felt like I could reach out and touch it !!! The geology was so amazing too. There was yellow rock that would 'glow' in light of both the sunrise and sunset. We could also see the Iger from our balcony! We could not see the Monc, but we could see so much more than just the mountain tops. From Nick's chalet we could see down to the valley floor.
Also parasailing is very popular here.. so they would fly very close to where we stayed as part of the take off... and then we could watching them glide over the valley floor (it would have freaked me out!) but it was beautiful to watch them.. and so quiet. They would fly over to the walls of the Jungfrau and get so close to catch the hot air uplifts.

Image THAT as a job!????

Nick's chalet was such a dream place.. with the only draw back was NO road access! LOL Yes, Dr. Walker.. my knees are coming to see you! But I made it up that hill (which included a dirt trail with some wood that made kinda of a stair and MULTIPLE flights of cement stairs -- that includes lugging LUGGAGE both down and back up. Nick is my new hero though cause he took pity on me and helped us both ways with our luggage!! He admits that living there (cause there are no cars) he is acclimated. He is like a mountain goat now. And I was SO grateful for him and his help!

In case you might want to stay there: https://www.vrbo.com/1621194ha

After three days of stairs (and I thought the St. Beatus Caves were the most stairs I would have to conquer!) and long inclines my knees were doing sorta better - and I wasn't as winded.

What I loved most about the Chalet was the privacy. We had the TOP FLOOR (yes three flights of stairs to get to it) apartment. We were the only ones in the whole chalet! It was in the quiet part of the village - and it was dreamy quiet while sitting on the balcony. There was only an employee/supply transport bahn that flew by, along with a paraglider, now and then - and both were very quiet.

So I spent a long time soaking in the color, the smells, the sounds (mostly of birds), and the majesty of the alps. That was my heart's desire.
The pictures really do not capture the strength, and impact of being there. But it's all I have cause words also do not do it justice.