Sticking your head out the window and taking pictures
The blue Rhine River and kayakers along the Glacier Express
My money shot - The Matterhorn from our room balcony with iPhone 7
Swiss horns in downtown Zermatt
One of the neat things about visiting Europe is that other countries and adventures are just an hour or two away. There are plenty of bargain airlines and trains that will get you there - sometimes for as little as $20 to $30 each way.
Lulu is our travel agent. She loves to book planes - trains - and hotels. She is great at finding deals and special adventures. This time she wanted to spend her birthday in the Alps. Our son - Keith - suggested the Glacier Express - a slow speed express from Zermatt to St Moritz. Lulu found a Swiss flight from London Heathrow to Geneva with a return flight from Zurich to London City Airport. In between we would spend two nights in Zermatt at the foot of the Matterhorn. The 5 hours on Thursday on the Glacier Express was the main event. This was followed by a rental car trip from Chur to Zurich via Austria - Lichtenstein - and Germany. We had another night to kill so we circled Lake Constance on the German side looking for adventure and a place to stay.
Our final night was spent in the Bad Hotel in Uberlingen - Germany. This is a village on Lake Constance - a resort town on the Southern border of Germany. Lake Constance borders 4 countries. It was full of old gray Germans on holiday. Lulu found the Bad Hotel (pronounce bod) where we spent the night. The hotel is very old but it had a beautiful garden right on the lake where we had breakfast. (Note from Lulu: Bad is the German word for bath or sometimes spa. Many of these lake towns have spas and thermal pools. I wish we would have had time to go to a thermal pool.)
Friday we drove to Zurich - caught our Swiss jet home at 7 PM. At 8 PM we landed in the "downtown" London City Airport - a tiny airport for short take off and landing jets. After a quick subway ride at 9 PM we were in the London flat. At 10 PM - we were snoring away. I can't emphasize how quick that 3 hours is from standing in Switzerland to sleeping in England in our own bed - and not having to drive one bit.
Spare Parts - All pictures are untouched - taken by an iPhone 7 or a cheapy Sony camera. The colors are natural. This is the last trip I will take - not getting a local chip for my iPhone. We missed having the maps and wikipedia to look up information about local stuff. It is better having a data plan rather than running around looking for free wifi in McDonalds. Yes - even over here - all McDonalds had free wifi.
We have 2 weeks left in London before we return to Tallahassee. In August - we have a trip to Los Angeles - a trip to Winnipeg Canada - and a Disney Cruise with the kids - and finally a few days in Cocoa Beach FL. I thought one was supposed to rest on a sabbatical. Thanks for following along.
300 bridges and 100 tunnels - second class car
Glacier meltwater
A stop at St Nicks on the way to Zermatt
Zermatt - normally a skiing community
Glacier water runs right thru Zermatt
Pretty green grass in downtown Zermatt
Cemetery in Zermatt
Lulu at the Zermatt Library
Having a wheat beer with the Matterhorn
Lots of pretty hotels in Zermatt
Zermatt from my bedroom window
The little horn sticking out of this ravine
No cars in Zermatt - only tiny electric trucks
Note the stone roofs
This little half track cart was neat
Lulu and I climbed the mountain to 6000 feet
This cog railroad went to the base of the Matterhorn
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| We were passed bythis train going to 10000 feet |
Many hotels had these cute little electric buses
The slabs of granite kept rats out of the barns and chalets
The old and the new wooden chalets
The was a traffic jam - 3 carts
Each hotel had a garden
Driving the goats up the mountain at 5 PM
Black and white goats
Catholic cemetery
Cemetery and chapel
Lots of colorful flowers
River and bridges from Glacier Express
Climbing high to 6000 feet
Nice group of Univ of Georgia grads
Metal roofs and glaciers
Homes along the train tracks
This could be Coaldale - Lansford - Summit Hill
Our glass topped Glacier Express
Tiny passage way around restaurant
First class car on Glacier Express
Nice big toilet
On the top of the world - with the World's First Lady
Some glare from the windows
Landslides
Rock dropped by glaciers
Lulu loved taking pictures
Kayakers enjoying the fast blue water
Many Asians enjoyed the trip
The Rhine River Valley
The blue is not fake
The train station in Chur where we left the train
On to Germany
I enjoyed driving my Renault Clio - gas power - 6 speed
Cliffs in Lichtenstein
If I could bring a car home - it would be a Vespa Ape
Lulu getting her Lichtenstein passport stamp
King Harry of Lichtenstein
I wish the kids were here for this picture
New Parliament of Lichtenstein
Old Parliament building in Lichtenstein
Cathedral in Lichtenstein
Inside Lichtenstein Cathedral
Note sure what this place was - maybe White House
Lichtenstein has "FL" in their license plate - Florida
Looked like weeds - field of wild flowers
King's Palace - Lichtenstein
My iPhone said our floor was tilted 18 degrees - nah!
The beautiful Bad Hotel - Uberlingen - we stayed there
The gardens at the Bad Hotel
I found this Melissa bottle at the Bad Hotel
Uberlingen
Art in Uberlingen
Fish spitting
Flags - Austria - Switzerland - Germany - Lichtenstein - Euro
Old people statuary
Ferry cross Lake Constance
Could be the setting of a Nazi movie
Ice cream in Uberlingen
Lots of older biker - along lake
Shopping Uberlingen
Building art
Uberlingen church
Buying licorice
Bad Hotel - we had those high tiny windows
German campers - 60000 euros
Note 6 speed standard transmission and diesel engine
Smaller - better fuel economy - fuel $6 to $8 a gallon
Hymer is German - they just bought Roadtrek in Canada
I love this BMW covered scooter - it really works
These folks were camping right on Zurich street
I bought rental car fuel - 20 francs for 13 quarts
Getting on our jump jet in Zurich
Flying home up the Thames River
Short take of and landing jet in London City Airport
Steps out of each end of our plane
When they land - they put the brakes on like an aircraft carrier.
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