I Saw the Alps with my own Eyeballs

We were up early to hit the lounge for breakfast before catching a train to Interlaken. This place had been highly recommended for its beauty and ability to see the Alps while in the Alps without going WAY up into the Alps. That checked all the boxes for us.

We’d snagged first class train seats so we had tons of leg room and both had window seats and WHOA was that worth it. The route was about 2 hours and had about 4 stops on the way. The entire thing from end to end was absolutely stunning.

Once we got to Interlaken, our whole goal was to find a place on the water to sit and have lunch while staring at the Alps. A simple goal. But a hard one to accomplish. We first walked straight off the train and into a neighborhood as though we had any clue where we were going. Within a few blocks, we acknowledged there was no water in sight. This clued me in to look at the map- which confirmed there was no water in sight. With that, we turned around and headed back. We did a few random loops. We ended up in a few places with some potential but not ‘just right’.  One particularly cool looking Irish pub with a Biergarten that said OPEN but was 100% not open in anyway.

Finally, after probably way too much time for a place that really was NOT all that big, we found a spot! It wasn’t exactly the image we had in our minds which was pretty much a repeat of Lucerne, but it was still lovely. And, it turns out, it was also right under where all the sky gliders launched. And man were they launching.

We had a terrific meal, enjoyed the non-stop people watching and sky diving, lingered a bit, and then walked back towards the train station again to a cool spot we saw where you could have a drink while waiting for the trains. Conveniently, there was also a pharmacy because just that very morning my deodorant ran out. The horror!

We trained back. Most of the ride was calm and chill and not crowded until we got to Bern and then everyone ever got on to head back to Zurich. Apparently this is a very common work route and it was right at quitting time when we rolled through.

So, about 4 hours of training for about 4 hours of visiting the actual Alps and I’d say it was worth it to see it with my very own eyes. Incredibly gorgeous, just as I’d always imagined. There were still so many things to see and do but with just one single day left, the ‘someday maybe’ list would get a few added bullets. 

Back at the hotel, we had another card - this time addressed to us - and with a free bottle of wine. We think our daily praises of the staff to the front desk has made us the favorites.

Taking a Sea Day

 With just a few days left in the trip, it was time for a sea day. If you’ve followed along on our travels before, you know we often weave in a ‘sea day’. This mimics the cruise ship style of having some days where you don’t go into port. You just kick it around the ship. It’s more chill. (Sometimes!) A rest day, if you will.

Ash had a train booked at 1 but had to checkout by 10 so she came over and enjoyed a late breakfast with us in the lounge and just a little extra hang out time before she took off towards the train station. We could see her walk across the bridge- there she is! So tiny way below us there.

Jason and I decided we would wander around and find a local wine bar and shop- hopefully we’d get lucky like we did in Buenos Aires and get to chat with a local wine guru/som and possibly even ship some home.

We headed over towards the train station, once again taking a slightly different route and once again making it there in record time. Today the free food giveaway inside the station were these delicious chocolate bars and…sort of a cookie/graham cracker type thing. Think S’mores without the marshmallow. Delicious!

As we’re nearing where we think the wine bar is, suddenly we hear a man yelling at us. Well, not yelling AT us but trying to get our attention. He says, “Are you really from San Francisco?” Which is really a weird thing to ask random people on the streets of Zurich. But then I realized I was wearing a 49ers t-shirt. Less weird. Still weird though.

Turns out, he was from the Bay Area and had been living in Switzerland for 18 years. So friendly. He made a recommendation for a place to eat. Great.

We walked away and a minute later he came running back up to us. He gave us 20 francs and insisted we try the sausage place on him! MAN! Who ever heard of such a thing? Jason then spent about 20 minutes trying to figure out how this was a scam, if the money was laced with fentanyl, or if we had somehow been cursed. I spent an equal amount of time being thrilled that we’d been the recipients of a random act of kindness. We never died or got trafficked so I guess I’m taking home the win on this one.

The wine bar was cool- super large space. They had fresh sandwiches so we shared a bite and tried another bottle of our new favorite - Riesling Sylvaner, a dry white blend with just the right zing. Unfortunately, there was no witty banter and friendship with a wine guru. But there was a shot of grappa made from Amarone, which is my favorite wine so I couldn’t really pass it up.

The back of the bar had a shop so we did get to venture through there and bought a couple of bottles for the room based on the shop owner’s recommendations. All were terrific.

Back at the hotel, we didn’t really need dinner so we snacked in the lounge and had an early night. The perfect easy breezy day to recharge because…we’d decided to cough up the cash and head to the Alps the next day. Sometimes you just have to suck it up and make the call you know you won’t regret. 

Lucerne is SO CUTE

 

We agreed to meet ‘early’ to head to Lucerne. We’ve been super slow rolling the mornings since there wasn’t any big reason to get going early. It stayed daylight till almost 11.

We walked to the main train station- noting that every time we’ve gone, we’d taken a slightly different path, and every single time, the route is shorter. At this rate, the train station would be inside the Marriott by end of week.

We decided we would just get 2nd class tickets to Lucerne because it was a non-train changing, short ride. No big deal. Well. 9 million people got on the train and they also all bought 2nd class tickets. We did finally find seats. Some people stood. Luggage was all around. You could have broken a leg 12 different ways trying to walk between cars. Jason mouthed, “never again,” one we were seated. I mean, there is a reason why 1st class costs more.

But, before long, we arrived and OH were we NOT disappointed. Lucerne is picture-perfect cuteness in all the ways. We checked into taking a 1 hour boat ride around the lake and, again oddly, the ticket was almost $150 a person. For one hour? Dang. I’ll sit on the shore and look around for that price.

We meandered around the old town. Enjoyed the chapel bridge, the flowers, the little cafes and the tables lining the waterfront. We picked a spot to have lunch and really enjoyed the food, drinks, and scenery. What a delight. It’s still our favorite thing - the way Europeans linger at meals and maximize being outside. People weren’t nosed into their phones or talking to friends on FaceTime. They were connecting in real time, real life, and lingering over drinks. So dreamy. 

When we got back into Zurich, we were trying to find a souvenir shop. It was Ash’s last day and we were running out of time. It was comedic how long we went in circles before finding one in the train station! Sometimes, all the maps in the world don’t help. Especially when things are underground!

We ended up walking the river again and having another drink down at the cool waterfront bar where we’d enjoyed ourselves a few days ago. When Ash and I went up to order drinks, I asked the man taking our order how he was. He stopped right in his tracks and looked at me. He said, “Did you just ask me how I was?” I said, “yes.” And then he told me. In detail. lol. So easy to forget our Americanisms sometimes. Also, it clearly made his day to be asked. Also, Ash ordered some wine that I couldn’t remember the name of and kept calling, “For the Love of God Frizzante”. That wasn’t the name but obvs, something should be named that. 

And then, suddenly, just like that, our time together had run out. It was so terrific to catch up and be together again. And so fun to have accidentally created a tradition of meeting somewhere in Europe in June. It’s been a tough year for our friend but we couldn’t be more proud of her growth, her optimism, her fighting spirit, and her love for humanity. I know it’ll all work out for good, as it always does. Until next time, Ash. Cheers! 

As Jason and I walked back into our lobby, we saw our Alabama friends. We were so tired and ready to head up but we sat and chatted with them for a couple of hours. We have some many funny things in common and also so much to learn from each other. Between us, we’ve darn near been everywhere (except an African safari).

Chocolates and Cheeseburgers

  Chocolates and Cheeseburgers

The next morning, we were drinking coffee and Ash called. She suggested we go to Lindt Chocolate factory and maybe rethink Lucerne for another spot further up into the Alps. Fine with us. 

Now, the Lindt Chocolate Factory is quite the experience. All the tickets for the whole week were sold out, but you could still go see it, see the fountain, eat at the cafe, and shop. Great! We ubered down there. It was a ways down the lake, which made for a lovely drive. It is a beautiful spot. The enormous chocolate fountain was quite the sight! We snuck around a bit just seeing what we could see before hitting employees and closed doors. 

We shopped some and then went to the cafe. We weren’t all that hungry but they had some good sounding drinks. Ash mentioned one she saw that was like Coco Havana or something. We thought, for no reason whatsoever, that it would be an iced coffee sort of thing. But, oh no. It was not. It was a massive hot chocolate drink with three shots of rum, real whipped cream, and chili flakes. It was hot, spicy, creamy, decadent and delicious. After 1 sip I think I was drunk. We definitely should have split one and not ordered one each. Lessons leaned! Jason fell into some sort of diabetic coma. Good times. 

There was an outlet shop next door we wanted to hit up but it was closed that day. bummer!! The chocolate was ridiculously delicious. So many more flavors than we’ve ever seen in the US. We bought a sampler bag and planned to have a chocolate tasting later in the week. It was nuts the money they were making in there. Hundreds if not thousands of people every day, all day, buying chocolates, paying for tours, eating at the cafe. Whew. 

After somehow surviving that, we decided to walk across the street to the lake and walk along it for awhile until we found a good spot to sit or possible dip our toes in. Before long, this cute spot popped up with tables in the shade and a sort of beach entry area of the water. We grabbed some cold drinks and took a seat, enjoying the view.

About 3 minutes later, a familiar face walked up to order snacks. It was our Alabama friend from the elevator! We invited him to sit at our shady table and a few minutes later, his wife and two boys also emerged and joined us. We got to laughing and telling stories about all our of various travels. Their boys were rowdy, sweet, and fun with their southern accents. After an hour or so, they took off to go tour the soccer museum so we decided to grab an uber and head back to the hotel. 

We hadn’t yet been over to Ash’s neighborhood so we dropped stuff and walked off to  grab a street car to Ash’s hotel. She had a cool apartment style hotel with a small kitchen and table. Super cute! As we hung out there, a big thunderstorm popped up and it was awesome! It cooled everything down and was so nice to hear thunder again. 

Once the storm passed, we walked a couple of blocks to a cool looking restaurant we found. It did not disappoint! They had absolutely fabulous cheeseburgers. I know that’s a weird thing to eat maybe in Switzerland, but we were 1.5 weeks in at that point and ready to eat whatever sounded good. Man - so good!! 

While there, we were researching some recommended towns to visit to see the alps. They all seemed great but we were shocked to discover how expensive the train tickets were. Like $150+ a person. The ride was barely 2 hours. Sheesh. That seemed a bit bananas to just show up, look around, have lunch and leave. We decided to rethink Lucerne. Lucerne was a mere $28 1-hour train ride.

With that, Jason and I grabbed an uber back to our hotel to conk out for the night. Excited to see a more ‘village’ looking town. Zurich is gorgeous but a very big, cosmopolitan city. Not what you think of when you dream about Switzerland.  As we entered the hotel, we saw our Alabama friends again. They were heading to Lucerne for a few days later in the week so we promised to fill them in the next night when we got back.