Zurich - The Heart of Switzerland

What a difference a day can make.  Yesterday's rainy day was gone, and  a much nicer morning replaced it.  Our hotel, the Continental (no connection with InterContinental) is a delightful, small hotel, decorated in the Swiss style with much light wood paneling and inlaid wood furniture.

To orient us to the city we started with a one-hour bus tour and were amazed at the natural and architectural beauty of the city. 

Founded in about 15 BC by the Romans, it used as a customs point for merchants.  We drove along the banks of the Limmat River which flows through the middle of Zurich,  The building on the opposite bank with the towers is the Swiss National Museum.  It is reported to be a fascinating museum depicting the history and culture of Switzerland, but we ran out of time to go inside.

Crossing one of the many bridges we drove through the vast university area where quite a few Nobel Prize winters taught.  Among them was Albert Schweitzer who discovered the theory of relativity and Wilhelm Rontgen, inventor of the x-ray machine.

Soon we were back on the river and stopped for a photo shot.  The sun had broken through the clouds and illuminated the snow-covered alps in the background.

The temperature wasn't nearly as cold as my coat indicates, but it was the only one I had brought.

This photo taken as we crossed this bridge is one of the most famous views of Zurich.   The light green tower is the Fraumunster church which is famous for its glass windows created by Marc Chagall  while the steeple behind it has the largest clock in Switzerland.  Once inside the church, we were not allowed to use a flash, and, unfortunately, my photo definitely does not do justice to this famous work of art.

The bus tour dropped us off at this church, and several of us took off on our own to do some window shopping on Zurich's most famous avenue.  I have never seem so many fabulous store windows from the world's most exclusive designers.  I wish I'd taken a photo of the white lamb's wool jacket in the Hermes window that was priced at 18,000 Swiss francs ( approximately, $18,000USD)  I thought it was pretty but not THAT pretty!

Next we headed up the hill to the Lindenhof Platz for what we had been told was the best view of the city, and we weren't disappointed. 


Below is another view from this wonderful vantage spot. We definitely could have

spent more time here, but now it was time to cross the river to a street that we'd been told was filled with great little restaurants.

We'd already had Swiss and Italian so decided it was time for some French food.
Definitely, a good choice.  We dined on delicious quiche, French Onion soup and crepes.  Our waiter was a great sport to put up with us and even agreed to have his photo taken with "those crazy American tourists!"

 
There are no fast lunches in Europe, and this one was no exception.  It was about 3PM before we left the restaurant and took a leisurely stroll back to our hotel.  Unfortunately, it was now time to try to get all our "stuff" in suitcases and try to avoid too much excess baggage fees.  I just hope the 19.95 Swiss Francs suitcase I bought last night in the train station holds together until I get to Austin.  Just noticed the wheels are held on with velcro so I'm not too optimistic.

It's been a wonderful 11 days  We've seen so many wonderful sites in these 4 countries,  eaten way too much good food, acquired too many Gluhwein mugs and, definitely, made far too many purchases, but everyone has had a great time, and that's all we could ask for. Well, except that we want to return again soon.

Time to say goodby to Europe and look forward to Christmas in Texas!
Linda


           



 
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Crossing Lake Lucerne and on to Zurich

We had the morning in Lucerne free until our departure at 12:30 which was great as I had a few last minute shopping items to get and also hoped to retrieve my lost chocolates.  Halfway across the bridge it started to rain so no pictures this morning.  I was lucky, however, when I arrived at the Fondue House as our wonderful waiter from last night, a young man from South Africa studying the hotel industry in Lucerne, had found my bag of goodies and put them away.  Surprisingly enough, he definitely remembered the four of us!  Could it be because Lynn kept bemoaning the fact that she had no more daughters to marry off and had no excuse to take him home??

We all agreed Lucerne was our favorite stop but haven't we said that at virtually every place we've visited until the next stop?  Leaving Lucerne was made less painful by the fact that we boarded one of several boats on the lake and spent an hour cruising to Vitznau, a town further up the lake.  This photo shows the old-fashioned steamboats that take tourists up and down the 5 lakes(cumulatively known as Lake Lucerne) in summertime.

The scenery along the lake was beautiful although my gray photos reflect the overcastweather.  On the left are the luxury hotels that front the lake shore on the historic side of Lucerne.

Further along the views of small, almost isolated villages and even mansions and castles came into sight.

Many famous writers, actors and even royalty loved to spend their summers on these beautiful lakes. 

Although virtually deserted in December, they still made a lovely site as we slowly cruised past them.

After about an hour, we reached our destination, the small town of Vitznau, and reboarded our bus.

At a rest stop in little while, several hospitable members seated in the back of the bus decided we needed a bit of cheer on this rainy afternoon. 

They returned with several bottles of wine (fortunately screw top bottles so no Swiss Army knives were needed), cheese and bread, plus plastic cups and the party began!

The scenes along the lake were beautiful, even in the rain, and, occasionally, the sun did break through.

One of our group even remembered visiting this island years ago.  Apparently, the boat that transported visitors  would pick them up when they blew a horn indicating they need a transfer back to the mainland.  Definitely, a different era..

About 5:30 we drove into Zurich and were virtually astounded by the transformation of the city into a Christmas spectacular.  I don't think I've even seen such a brilliant display of holiday lighting.  Many buildings were almost solid lights while numerous streets had blue lights all the way down them.

Like Lucerne, however, Zurich has special events for the children.  We passed this "candy cane" trolley car that had "angels" singing to the children aboard.

We had all heard about the large indoor Christmas Market in the Bahnhof (central train station) which was only a couple of blocks from our hotel.  The main attraction, however, was the massive Christmas tree in the middle decorated with over 7000 Swarovski crystals.  My photo does not do justice to this incredibly beautiful sight!

There is so much to see and tomorrow is our only chance so we just grabbed a quick bite to eat in the market and are trying to make this an early night.  We'll need a lot of energy to cover everything thing on our list

More from Zurich tomorrow.
Linda

Lucerne - Little Big Festival City

This city with a population of just 75,000 is much more than watches, chocolate and cheese.  Its beautiful lakeside location, charming atmosphere and architectural diversity has attracted festivals since the 19th century and Christmas provides the ultimate festival opportunity. We had definitely been looking forward to visiting  this famous Swiss city.

 Crossing one of the bridges over the lake, we had this view of the old wooden bridge and tower. There are several of these bridges over the lake providing access from one side to another.  The British were the first tourists to the area and instigated the building in the 19th century of the luxurious hotels on the lake.  The bridges are beautiful structures with paintings depicting local fables suspended at intervals from the ceilings.

Walking along the road beside the lake, we arrived at the Franciscan Church which was holding services on this Sunday morning.

The interior of this church was in the traditional style from the Baroque period.

I realize the image will be small, but, hopefully, you can visualize the advent wreath.  The 3rd candle of Advent had been lit this morning on the wreath in front of the altar.

Outside the church was a Christmas Market, and I noticed that as the service ended, the parishioners headed for the market.  I'm running out of luggage space and weight but did manage to acquire a "Lucerne"Gluhwein mug.The temperature was pleasant and a great day for families to look for Christmas presents or just have lunch at the various stalls.

The Old Town was wonderful to wander through and fairly easy to navigate although I did get lost occasionally. 

Scenes such as this store windows converted to an Advent Calendar and beautiful frescoes on the old buildings kept us fascinated for hours..

Lunch time, however, was approaching (Heaven forbid that we should miss a meal!) and several of us had heard about a great Italian restaurant in the Old Town. The pizza and salad were delicious. Unfortunately, every place we have eaten has had wonderful food. Thank goodness they only weigh our luggage at the airport and not our rapidly expanding bodies!
After a quick trip across the bridge to our hotel to deposit purchases, we began our afternoon agenda. Close to our hotel was an ice skating rink and I loved their 'penguin' method of teaching beginners!

One thing we hadn't experienced was local Christmas music; therefore, a concert in the Lucerne Cathedral at 3pm sounded like a great idea.  Fortunately, we timed our arrival to be 30 minutes early and got some of the last seats in the large church.

The performance included several local choirs as well as an orchestra and the Geneva Brass Quintet. The music was beautiful.



Taking a brief shopping break, we headed over to the Old Corn Market where a life-size nativity scene had been set up.  We'd been told that this evening at 5pm there would be local children's choirs performing Christmas Carols. 

It actually turned out to be an event attended by hundreds of families with young children.  They were holding red candles when St. Nicholas arrived to speak to them.

My German wasn't good enough to understand what he said, but it was so much fun to be part of this local celebration and to listen to the families celebrating the season together and singing the carols.  Only a few of the carols were familiar such as Tannebaum, but the music, the setting and the beautiful evening were just magical.  

 By now it had been at least 5 hours since we had eaten so I finished my cappucccino I had enjoyed during the caroling, and we walked to the nearby Fondue House (highly recommended by those who had eaten there last night) and  enjoyed a delicious Cheese Fondue and local wine.
Hopefully, it will be open in the morning before our 12:30 departure so I can retrieve the chocolates I had just purchased and forgot to take with me.

Tomorrow afternoon we depart this magical Swiss town for our last stop -- Zurich.
More from Switzerland later...
Linda

Switzerland -- Cheese and Chocolate -- What more could you want?

It was a bit sad to leave the AmaCello after 7 wonderful days, but there are many new itineraries to try next -- Russia, Vietnam, Africa???

By 9am we had left the ship and were on a city tour of Basel, the 3^rd largest city in Switzerland. I remember driving through the city back in the 1970's when we lived in Ramstein, Germany. The city was on our route to the ski slopes in the Alps. Today, unfortunately, the weather was dreary but not cold. Actually, if it had been colder, we might have seen snow. I'm still keeping my fingers crossed for the white stuff.

The city is divided by the Rhine into the historical section (the Grossbasel) on the left bank and the trendy section Kleinbasel on the right bank. Our walking tour of the Left bank began with the Kuntsmuseum, one of the most prestigious museums in Europe, first opened to the public in 1661. Works included not only 15^th and 16^th century German and Swiss masters but more modern artists as well.

Our walk took us to the site of the 12th-century Gothic Munster Cathedral where prince-bishops ruled this city with an iron hand until they were driven out during the Protestant Reformation of 1529. The Pfalz terrace at the rear of the chancel provided us with a splendid, although grey, view of the city and the rapidly flowing Rhine.

Across the street from the Marketplatz which had not only Christmas greenery but also fresh vegetables was the 16^th century Rathaus (town hall) with its gleaming gilded spire.   Little has survived from the city's 14^th century fortifications except the clocktower, 

After lunch and a mug of Gluhwein from a Basel market, we left Basel and headed south to Lucerne.  Lush green fields with Swiss-style farm houses appeared along the road, but the best surprise was when I suddenely looked up and saw snow on the lower Alps on the far side of the lake.  

Lucerne is a beautiful city of about 75,000 people and even more lovely at Christmas time.  The lights add so much to the beauty of the season,  We walked across the lake to a delightful Swiss restaurant for dinner and had a delicious meal.

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Much more about Lucerne tomorrow. We have the whole day to explore it.

Linda.

Colmar - a wonderful finale to a great cruise

It's hard to believe our Winter Rhine Voyage will be coming to a close tomorrow morning.  Fortunately, we still have 4 days of land travel in Switzerland after we disembark in the morning.  Last night was the Captain's Reception so we all 'spiffied up" for it.  I had threatened my rowdy group of 18 that I'd throw  them overboard if they didn't show up and behave for our group photo.  We did manage to get another 'sedate' photo, but this was a more typical shot.  Honestly, tho, this was a wonderful group and everyone really had a great time. 

This afternoon we had the choice of a shore excursion to the Black Forest or to the charming Alsation city of Colmar.  Since I had never seen Colmar, I joined that group and was immediately glad I did.  This "Capital of Alsatian Wine" is smaller than Strasbourg but shares a similar architectural style.  The area is crossed by canals and is now called "little Venice"  Renowned for its well -preserved old town, its numerous architectural landmarks and its museums, especially the Unterlinden Museum.

 

.I loved the quaint store signs detailing the type of business.  This one was a pharmacy

Colmar is the home town of the sculptor Frederic Bartholdi, who designed the Statue of Liberty.  A museum in the old town is dedicated to his works

As the day turned into evening, the streets were filled with families enjoying the festivities.  Santa even paid a visit via a canal boat instead of his traditional sleigh

I managed one more stop for Gluhwein before we hurried back to meet the bus for a return to the ship and our last evening.  There was just time to pack and take a photo of our "Gluhwein mug" collection before heading to the dining room for our last dinner on this wonderful cruise.It's definitely time to make that appointment with Betty Ford and Jennie Craig!

Santa and his helpers paid us a visit after dinner and brought each lady a gift.  This time I got a 'good' gift instead of the 'Devil' St. Nicholas had left me.

Tomorrow we leave the AmaCello and drive to Basel for a few hours before entering Switzerland and the next 2 nights in Lucerne.

What a wonderful way to usher in the Christmas season!

Linda

 

Strasbourg - Germany or France???

Today we're in the charming city of Strasbourg, France, where the local joke is that the city keeps 2 sets of street signs, one in French and the other in German, so they'll be ready for whichever country is currently in command! Over the centuries it has been passed back and forth between France and Germany many times, but for now, it's a French city. There were swans all around our ship when we docked.
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I'm getting pretty good at weather forecasting.  Even tho it's dark when I get up, if I see stars, I know we're in for a beautiful day, and I was definitely correct today. As we drove into the city, we could see huge stork nests in the tree tops and were told this bird is the city's symbol -- no wonder we saw so many stork designs in the markets!

Once in the city we were supposed to take a canal cruise through the small rivers that run through the old city, but previous rains had raised the water levels so high, we couldn't pass through the bridges.


The substituted itinerary, however, was even better than seeing the canals.  We now had time to go into Strasbourg's famous cathedral which was begun in the 1100's.

I've seen a lot of cathedrals in Europe, but this was the most impressive one yet.  Our guide was excellent and pointed out sites I would never have noticed.

  Its famous astrological clock was amazing.  Although hard to visualize from this photo, every 15 minutes various figures on the clock strike the time by performing various motions.  For example, on one level there are the 4 stages of life -- birth, adulthood, maturity and old age.  On the quarter hour one figure moves to center front.  One angel on a lower level strike the hour while another turns an hour-glass upside down.  This clock keeps perfect time.

Lining either side of the sanctuary were the cathedral's 12 heirloom tapestries that portray the life of the Virgin Mary.Only at Christmas are the beautiful tapestries displayed. Photo above left.
                                      
  Once outside the cathedral and armed with maps and our guide's directions, we began exploring some of the city's 11 Christmas markets.  One of our favorites was the Christkindelsmarik in the Place Broglie.  Many of the vendors had traditional wares that they had created themselves. 

We bought large Gingerbread cookies at one stall.  Ours were a bit smaller than the one on this building, but it'll be a miracle if they make it home.   

Although we'd already managed to purchase our first Gluhwein from this market, hunger was grabbing our attention.  Some opted for the delicious potato pancakes we'd seen in other areas, but I was longing for a traditional bratwurst on a crusty bun.  I found something even better.  At this stall they were putting a mixture of spatzel(German noodles made out of potato flour) and kraut.  It was delicious!!

There were more markets and we managed to visit several, but just as delightful were the street scenes.  Each street had different decorations.  One had huge glass boxes that contained priceless Baccarat crystal chandeliers while others were silver balls or white stars.  I'm sure there were many we didn't even get to see.

 One lady was playing an organ grinder and on another street Santa zoomed by on his bicycle.  I tried to get a picture of his face but gave up after running halfway across a row of market stalls.