Switzerland

We have just returned from spending 6 days in Switzerland and we are so glad that we took the opportunity to go there. It is what the stereotypes say it is and so much more!

We divided our time between 3 places. Lausanne is a large city of 150,000, Murren is a tiny mountain village of 400 plus tourists, and Murten is a lakeside community of several thousands not far from the capital of Bern. Three very different experiences but all very Swiss!

We drove first to Lausanne which is not far from Geneva. We made out way to our hotel, following the driving directions from the hotel. It was centrally located in the old town and very near a metro stop to the waterfront. When we arrived, it was late afternoon and very warm. We had a wonderful dinner later that evening and then walked around the old town a bit. We saw people of many races walking together and heard various languages being spoken; we had the strong impression of a multicultural, international city. The predominant language here is French, but German is heard everywhere and is the first language in much of the rest of the country.

The next day, we took the metro to the waterfront and went to the TI immediately to see what options we had for a boat trip on Lake Geneva. The lake is long and roughly crescent shaped. Lausanne is along the long north edge about 2/3 of the way toward the east tip. Boats leave there to go to various points on the lake, including Evian, famous for it's water and spas. We wanted to spend several hours on the water and to see Chateau Chillon (made famous by Lord Byron) and Montreux, the upscale town with a famous jazz festival. We ended up taking the train to Chillon to have lunch and tour the castle and then taking a 2 hour boat trip back to Lausanne. It was the perfect way to spend a hot day. The castle was cool and it took us 2 1/2 hours to see it all. Then we walked a short distance and waited for the boat. We sat upstairs by an open window, sipped wine and watched the beautiful scenery go by.

When we got back to Lausanne, we walked on the promenade along the lake to the Olympic museum and sculpture park. We knew the museum would be closed since it was late in the day, but the sculptures were beautiful and fascinating. All were donated by various national Olympic committees, including a Haida pole from the Vancouver group. Some celebrated specific athletes but most interpreted the spirit and goal of the Olympic games. After enjoying the park, we walked back toward the metro and found a restaurant for a delicious dinner of fresh fish.

The next day, our plans took us first to the town of Gruyeres where the delicious cheese is made. We took a tour of the plant, which was entertaining and then enjoyed cheese fondue in their restaurant. From there we drove to Interlaken and then into the hills to Lauterbrunnen. There we left the car in a parking garage, gathered our luggage and took a cable car up a couple of thousand feet! We then took the Panorama train to the little Alpen village of Murren. Here we found the Switzerland of Heidi! Towering mountain peaks surrounded us, including the famous Jungfrau and Eiger. Valleys had tiny hamlets of farm houses. Bells could be heard tinkling from the necks of cows and sheep in fields high above us. Wildflowers and waterfalls were everywhere. We had a reservation in the Hotel Bellevue - perfect name! - in the middle of the town. Our room was in a corner on the third floor and our views from two balconies were awesome. The weather was perfect when we arrived and we were fortunate because that did not continue. There was a short storm with rain, thunder and lightening, but that passed. Jon had a nice swim in the sports center with the free pass given us by the hotel. The next morning was also nice although our hotel host told us bad weather was expected. We decided to go right over to the funicular after breakfast and go up another two thousand feet. There were trailheads and a restaurant there, and of course more spectacular views. We wandered around just taking it all in for a while and then hiked a bit. When we were ready for lunch we went back to the restaurant. I had a remarkable carrot and coconut soup with bread and a sausages - yum! At that point, the clouds were coming in and we decided to go back to Murren. We ventured an extended walk through town, looking at the various shops and overviews. By dinner time, it was pouring with more lightening and thunder and we were happy to enjoy dinner in our hotel's restaurant. We happened to be seated next to a family of four who spoke English. When we enquired about where they were from, they responded "Seattle"! We found out that the adults, Barbara and David, were both doctors at Group Health, one an internist and the other a family practitioner. Of course, they knew our personal docs and Chris and Pat Killien from our river cruise. Their daughter, Abby, is a 7th. grader at Bush and the son, Jacob, an 8th. grader at University Prep. We really enjoyed getting to know all four of them and hope to see them at some point when we are home. There is a picture of them on this blog.

The next morning was very foggy and drippy and we felt blessed to have had the spectacular views that had been there for us. We checked out of the hotel reluctantly and took the train and then the cable car back to Lauterbrunnen. It was still raining as we got into the car and started driving to Murten.

The rain continued for almost all of the drive. It made us remember how lucky we had been with the weather for most of this year! We followed street signs when we arrived in Murten and found our hotel without delay. Again, we had lovely views of lake Murten from our room. By the time we had checked in and unpacked, the sun was out and we decided to explore the one main street of the old town. We asked for advice about buying chocolate and were told also about Nidelkuchen, the cake for which this town is known. We were told that we HAD to taste it! So of course we bought a piece at the recommended patisserie and shared it. We also bought some chocolates and enjoyed the architecture and trimmings of the city. That evening we had an unexpectedly delicious Chinese dinner and took a lovely stroll along the lake front as the dark clouds gathered yet again. We decided to drive back to Sablet a day early since our plans to take another boat trip and go into the mountains on a cable car didn't seem good with the storms.

It was good to return to our little apartment where the temperature has moderated to the mid 80s and the wind keeps things even cooler. We will spend a few days here this week and then on Thursday begin our final side trip - to Normandy by way of the castles of the Loire valley. More on that when we return.

Photos, from top left: a very Swiss building in Lausanne; Lake Geneva surrounded by mountains; another lake photo; Castle Chillon at the edge of the lake; fountain at the entry to the Olympic park; a 35 kilogram (77 lb) Gruyere cheese; one of the views from our room in Murren; Mont Eiger at sunset; Jungfrau close up; Jon and I on the trail!; Mont Blanc variety of eidelweiss; wildflowers; a view of a nearby valley from a trail; sheep grazing on the hillside; soup and sausages for lunch; our new friends from Seattle; Nidelkuchen - somewhat like maple bars except it has a dense cake below the maple frosting; one of the streets in Murten; pastry display in the chocolate shop; and finally, the view through the screen in our window of Lake Murten at sunset.