Covid complications

 Not quite yet home from our trip to Switzerland.  I woke up about 3 am today due to jet lag and have been thinking about travel advice. Authorities are collecting reams of data and continually changing regulatory guidance to cope with this pandemic.  What I have observed:  1) You should be vaccinated, but it will not be enough.  Current Covid tests will be required.  2) The test costs can be anywhere from free to about $200. Test center sites can be temporary and may not be well-marked or advertised.  Some sites demand cash.  3) Do not travel without a cell phone with reliable and quick download capacity. (I have upgraded mine; we barely got by.). 4) The forms you will need to fill out are ONLY online. Download form, fill out extensive questions, verify statements, upload data (passport, boarding pass, cell number, your destination address, etc.) Then submit and await verification that it was received.  Requirements will vary by country.

For Covid, authorities not only want to identify you, and verify your status, but also be able to track you in case of an outbreak. We had to download a form, fill it out, submit, get a return certificate, and then.... no one ever asked for the certificate.  Leaving on our trip, vaccination by itself was stated to be adequate to enter Switzerland.  A few days later that was upgraded to a Covid test.  While staying at a hotel in Zurich, they upgraded requirements to where you needed to show current vaccination to be allowed in their restaurant. More people started eating at their outdoor patio.

An airline agent told us that she has had multiple people break down crying from the stress of compliance. Imagine going through a long line, then discovering that you cannot provide the required information before your flight leaves. (We shared that feeling of desperation.)  Add in flight delays and cancellations (both of which we experienced).  Is your test good for 48 hours, 72 hours, or three calendar days.... the answers vary.  Is the rapid test good enough, or do you require the more complicated PCR test.... we were given uncertain answers. If you get a “breakthrough” infection, expect a hotel room quarantine.

But Switzerland was great!

Back to the United States

 Dawn and I realize that we are both Europhiles.  Does that make us less patriotic?  I don’t think so.... having served with the US military for almost fifty years.  But, we have seen enough to realize that there are many satisfying aspects to European life, and the US is no longer the “shining city on a hill”, or the land of freedom and individual liberty as it has been portrayed.

Another Covid test was required.to re-enter the US.  Upon arrival at the Zurich hauptbahnhof, we came upon a temporary testing station that had been set up, and the line was short.  So we signed up.  Again, sign-up required a download on our cell phone plus payment in cash, Swiss Francs.  But we got it done with negative readings!  And for less than half what we paid in Chicago. Here in Switzerland the trains run on time; in fact, everything works like clockwork. It makes our stay in Washington, DC, seem third world by comparison.

Bikes we rented at the SBB train luggage office.  It was Sunday and the other bike sources were closed. Look at how tranquil the water is.

Getting near the end of boating season, but this beautiful runabout was still on the water.

Having got the testing out of the way, we again rented E-bikes and pedaled to Rapperswil at the far end of Zürichsee, about 40 km. away. Receiving these bikes in the center of Zurich, we initially had to pedal through city traffic.  In Europe, bicycle rules are very strict; a 100 CHF fine for riding on the sidewalks.  When we previously had rented bicycles in Copenhagen, we were given a short course on rules for riding bikes in city traffic, so we had some knowledge.  About the same as driving a car..... with all the traffic signs in a foreign language.

What a beautiful church scene!  A cemetery with many flowers was next door.  Passing out of the city, we rode through a park promenade and then followed the shore except for side trips.

We rode the east shore of Lake Zurich and made a few stops along the way.  These statues look out across the lake at Meilen. We had very poor guidance on finding the optimum bike route.  With a more detailed map we could have done better.

 Our entire route this time was confined to bike lanes painted on the streets.  In places the streets are too narrow for bike lanes, and you have to trust the alertness of passing drivers. After a food stop (simple groceries enjoyed at a park bench overlooking the harbor) and exploring the local schloss (minor castle), we put our bikes on the train and relaxed going back to Zurich.

Rapperswil harbor with the schloss in the background.  We could have taken a boat back to Zurich but it would have been much slower.

The castle at Rapperswil.  It is a prominent landmark and had many visitors (perhaps because it was Sunday?)

 

Renting these bikes was not as easy as you might imagine.  We went to the TI (tourist information) and they referred us to the train luggage office.  The luggage clerk on duty said we needed to make a reservation online. It was late in the day, and we found the website confusing and unworkable. Next morning we went back to the TI for help. They also found the website to be unworkable. Thus, back to the train luggage office where a nice woman completed the paperwork and finally gave us E-bikes.

Will we come back here?  Dawn rates this as the best trip we have ever taken.  Nice, but I can fondly remember other enjoyable circumstances.  Comparisons can be like apples and oranges.  Our intentions are to return, but life has a way of introducing new circumstances to alter choices.

Hotel Adler where we stayed in Zurich.  This is only about four blocks from the hauptbahnhof.  Located on Rosengasse; "gasse" being another name for alley.  Very nice people.  They had held our initial room deposit for almost 18 months due to the trip delay.

A percussion band playing outside our hotel in the small open square.  We also got live music from the bar across the street "Splendid Bar".

Conclusions: 1) Weather was warmer than expected; 72-79 degrees rather than 65-72 as forecast. Packed too much warm clothing.  2) Almost everything can be paid for with a credit card, but we were fortunate to have the 100 CHF for our COVID tests.  3) Worthwhile to understand the train system; it is very convenient when fully understood.  Planning for a destination, you can not only know the timetable, but the train composition. Certain cars are arranged for children play areas, handicapped, dining, bicycle transport, scenic vista, and class 1 versus class 2.  Beforehand, you can know where to stand on the platform to enter each car type and how crowded it is likely to be.  Train stops may be for two minutes or less, so decisions need to be quick.

Lucerne. (Luzern)

 Lucerne is an extremely scenic city.  You are walking on a central city street; you look up, and there is a rugged mountain peak, or a series of lush hillsides, or boats out on the wide waters of a lake.  It is listed as the #1 summer tourist destination in Switzerland.  We are staying at Hotel Central, a boutique hotel (our favorite type of accommodation) only two blocks from the bahnhof, which makes everything convenient. Trains, boats, and busses are easy to reach, yet we are able to keep our hotel room window open and the evening atmosphere is quiet.

Central Luzern; the bridge in the foreground is named Rathaussteg.  The prominent building is the Jesuitenkirche.

A typical scene looking out on Lake Lucerne surrounded by mountains.

 

Our first day trip was to Rigi Kulm, a mountain top with hotel to the east of Luzern, where Dawn’s sister worked for a summer in her college days.  We had been there before, but the hotel had changed in the intervening years. The excursion required a boat trip across the lake to Vitznau and a cog rail train to the top. Great views at a 6000’ altitude with no clouds to obscure it.

View from the top of Rigi Kulm.  Not a tall mountain; there are cows grazing in this area.

Photo taken from the cog rail train just above Vitznau.  Notice how placid the lake is; not sailing weather.

Vitznau promenade with hotel & marina.  The sign in front of the hotel advertised rooms at 1195 CHF per night, about $1300.

A clear view of Pilatus.  To get to the top, we took a steep cog railway up what you see as the left-hand side of the mountain. then a series of three cable car systems descends on the right-hand side of the mountain.

Next was a day trip to Mount Pilatus, to the south of Luzern and somewhat taller at 7000 feet.  We first took a boat to Alpnachstad, then boarded a very steep cog railway with the train seats stair-stepped inside the actual cars which are ascending at a 40-degree angle.  Descending required a series of gondolas: very steep, moderately steep, and then a more normal incline.  We skipped the lower one and walked the last few miles, stopping to enjoy the scenery as we walked.  These mountains seem tall, but we are still at an altitude more than 500 feet lower than our home in Colorado.

There is a trail, if you choose to hike up the entire distance to the top.  Look closely (or expand the photo) and you can see the trail and tiny figures ascending.

               Gondola descending in the first stage from the top of Pilatus.

Gondola on the lower slopes of Pilatus.  Instead of taking this convenience, we elected to hike to the bottom.  Just when we reached the bottom, a rain cloud came through, but we had each packed an umbrella in our back packs and kept dry.

Still hiking but at a lower level.  Our hotel was located about where you see the left end of the lake.  We took a city bus the last few miles to the hotel.

For a change, today we rented e-bikes to ride in the countryside.  Since we are staying in the center of Lucerne, we rented our e-bikes from the SBB train service at the bahnhof and took the bikes on the train to the outlying smaller town of Zug.  Zug is on the shores of a lake, Zugersee. Our bike path brought us to Rotkreuz before we elected to turn back. The weather continues mild; people were boating and swimming along the shore. Pedaling our bikes takes us right through parks, fields, and neighborhoods on a beautiful Fall Day.

Famous sculpture hewn into the native stone just a few blocks from central Luzern.  It commemorates the Swiss Guards killed in the French Revolution. Note the broken spear in the side of this dying lion.

We were allowed a late checkout at our hotel on our final day in Luzern and took one last lake cruise to a small village with a cable car system linking it to a luxury resort on a high plateau, Burgenstock, overlooking the entire region. They had condominiums for sale, but I am sure that they are way above our pay grade.  Dawn wants to return and live near Luzern for an extended period.  You need a visa to stay more than three months.

View from luxury hotel atop a plateau a thousand feet above Lake Lucerne.  Rigi Kulm is in the background.

We are loving the Swiss Travel Passes we bought.  Very convenient, providing free or discounted costs at many points, and allowing freedom in planning.  If we do this e-bike rental again, we will take the train to one town and then get picked up at a different town after biking between them.  There is a bike trail that crosses Switzerland from Lausanne to Zurich in 13 stages.  It is named the Herzroute.

Lausanne and Lake Geneva

 We are gaining confidence in our understanding of the Swiss public transportation system.  Arriving in Lausanne by train (now French-speaking announcements), we put our luggage in a locker and quickly transferred to the Metro to visit the old part of town. After walking the old city (not amazing) we took the Metro to the lakefront (section called "d'Ouchy), for a walk on the promenade and a sumptuous dinner. A goat cheese salad, a half liter of beer, and sorbet for me. Then, after retrieving our luggage, we flagged a taxi to take us to our B&B in a residential neighborhood.

Dinner at the Lausanne harbor.  Those little pancake-looking things are full of goat cheese; delicious (this is the French part of Switzerland.).  Plus a half liter of good beer.

Side paddle wheel boat built in 1910.  We cruised Lake Geneva to Montreux on this.  The Swiss Travel Pass covers all these lake transports.

Our taxi driver let us off where he insisted our B&B was located, but he was off by 1 1/2 blocks.  Given the density of multi-family dwellings and the convoluted streets, we might never have found the correct address except that a nice gentleman came out to empty trash, and we solicited his help.  We called our hostess; he provided our location; and our B&B  hostess drove to our location to guide us to her home.

We quickly learned the local bus schedule (every ten minutes) and had no further needs for a taxi.

Lake Geneva is very large, almost 50 miles long, with the southern shore part of France and the north a French-speaking part of Switzerland.  Lausanne is central to the north shore.  While here, we took two day trips.  First we took a boat trip to Montreux.  Our vessel was a 250’ long, side paddle wheeler built in 1910 but maintained in beautiful condition; a scenic way to see the entire shore.

The north shore of Lake Geneva covered in vineyards.  Note that there is very little wind.  We saw many sailboats in Switzerland, but the wind did not blow during the 16 days we were there.

Walking the Montreux promenade; it is miles long with constant flowers and artwork and statuary. This is mainly a resort town and very pretty.  The climate here is surprisingly mild with few freezing days.

The flowers were in full bloom; no sign that the season was ending.

This is a favorite area for local tourism, being near at hand and with an almost Mediterranean climate.  The hillsides show many villas surrounded by extensive vineyards.  Reaching Montreux, a high-end resort town, we enjoyed walking the miles-long promenade with its endless flowers and artist’s sculptures. We followed that with a tasty meal at a Middle-Eastern restaurant.  Then we hopped the train back to Lausanne.

Another yummy dinner with beer.  Fine dining is fairly expensive, but we were on vacation!  The weather was such that our meals were invariably taken out-of-doors.

We had planned to cross the lake to Evian (where Evian water comes from) on the French shore the following day, but when we arrived at the pier, we were informed that, as outsiders, a new Covid test would be required for us to cross the lake.  We quickly changed our destination to Nyon, a smaller town in the SW direction of Geneva, and took the train instead.  It proved to be a pleasant day.  The town is smaller but scenic.  The train station is at the high side of the town with cobblestone streets and shops cascading down a steep hill to the marina.

Nyon waterfront and marina.  The marina approach from town is rather steep; we found an elevator at a parking lot to help with the differing heights.

         A well-maintained town castle in Nyon: now a public building.

                                           Gate from the castle to its courtyard.

 I had a meal of calamari with my usual half liter of beer at a lakeside restaurant.  We shopped our way back up the hill, buying only some sunscreen (new tech and unavailable in the US), and took the train back to Lausanne.

            I couldn't leave you without showing the calamari (plus rice and vegetables) dinner and thirst-quenching beer.

In Lausanne, we transferred from train to Metro, had desert at the harbor, then the Metro to Flon station where we transfer to a bus to Bugnon, near our B&B. Not as much hassle as you would imagine.  All these forms of transportation are interconnected by distance and schedule so that wait times are short.

Wengen and the Jungfrau region

 Our visit was perfect: perfect weather, perfect accommodations, and incredible scenery.  From the valley floor, a cog rail train is needed to reach the village; no private vehicles allowed. A short three-block walk to Hotel Edelweiss. The village businesses are essentially on one street, except for the accommodations.  We had dinner at several area hotels as well as where we were staying.

Looking down on the top cable station.  From here, we followed a path along the left side of the near peak.  The beautiful glacier-clad mountains continually dominated every view.

 Our first day, we took the gondola 3000’+ up the mountain and spent the day hiking down.... more than we should have done, resulting in sore leg calve muscles for several days.

     Does it get any prettier than this?  Perfect weather and a well-marked trail.

Every cow had a loud cowbell because they were left unfenced to graze on the mountain sides.

Second day, we hiked, cog train, gondola, until we arrived at a mountain peak, Schilthorn, which was the location for the filming of a James Bond movie.

Photo taken from the peak of Mt. Schilthorn, 2970 meters altitude (about 9800 feet)

Mountain view from the upper end of the valley at Gimmelwald; a very small village at 4500 feet altitude.

Third day, I went tandem paragliding at Interlaken.  Many years ago, I had an introductory paragliding course where we learned paragliding by taking progressively longer solo flights until we were able to launch at the top of a ski slope and glide into the winter Olympic stadium at Garmisch, Germany.  But I was too busy then to pursue the sport (Desert Storm) and would not trust myself after so much time to do the right thing now.  The parawings have improved greatly in the past thirty years. My pilot suggested we do some “tricks” before landing and put our parawing into a series of tight spins.  Whoo!  I did not get sick, but felt like a carnival ride, and it took awhile for my balance to get sorted out after landing.

How many paragliders can you count in this photo?  I count nine (not including myself).  Again, absolutely perfect weather and great scenery. (you can expand this photo.)

We are coming in for a landing in the large green field ahead in the center of Interlaken Ost.

Photo taken from the cog rail train between Lauterbrunnen (on the valley floor) and Wengen (on the mountain slopes).

Our last day at Wengen we rented mountain E-bikes and made a tour of the upper Jungfrau valley. We stopped at a series of waterfalls from the sheer valley walls as we proceeded up the valley, then put our bikes on a gondola to Gimmelwald; rode our bikes further up the mountain to Murren for lunch.  We bought salmon, bread buns, fruit, and a drink and had a picnic in a small park.  Then we followed a mainly downhill course to arrive in Lauterbrunnen.  What a great day!

The valley walls are vertical and hundreds of feet high.  This is a waterfall which has worn its way into the cliff-like walls, creating a waterfall inside a mountain.  Note how small the people appear.

 No matter where you are, these rugged mountains provide majestic views.

Mountain E-bikes provided the perfect way to explore this valley.  It is so nice to stay active, but have some assurance that the effort will not exceed your endurance by being steeper or farther than expected.
 

Finally, Switzerland !

 What a beautiful country!  From first views, through breaks in the clouds, as our flight approached Zurich, the country is such a beautiful quilt of mountains, forests, manicured, fields, blending into neat homes, villages, and cities.  Upon landing at the airport, we walked off the plane and into the city of Zurich without being stopped at any checkpoints!  Un-needed form completions!  We are staying in the “altstadt”, old part of the city filled with amazing buildings of classic architectural design surrounded by endless cobblestone streets and alleyways.

                                       A cobblestone street in Zurich altstadt  

First challenge here was to find our way to the train station on the lower level of the flughafen, figure out which gleis (platform) to stand at, and then which car (1st or 2nd class) to enter.  Arriving at the hauptbahnhof, we stumbled through its many options (four levels including a shopping mall, intercity trains, local trains, trams, and busses.  By luck, we found the TI and discovered we were in the correct place to board a tram to our hotel.

This is our first trip where we rely mainly on train travel.  But it is appropriate for Switzerland.  As a visitor, I highly recommend the 25% discount on the Swiss Travel Pass that you qualify for.  This pass can be purchased online and applies to all public transportation throughout the country plus many museums and gondola rides.  The trains are frequent and serve all areas. Distances are short. Using the train, with its German-language signs and advisories, forces us to become more intimately connected with our surroundings. We can relax and take in all the scenery. The village of Wengen, our next destination, does not allow private vehicles.

                                  Homes viewed on a walk around Wengen

      The view from our hotel room in Wengen, Jungfrau Mountain

Wengen has proven to be heavenly.  The entire area is dominated by Jungfrau and other surrounding mountains.  The views are like from a storybook.  Reminded me of the children’s story HEIDI. Small herds of cattle graze on grassy hillsides.  Each is fitted with a cow bell which can be heard from afar. On steeper slopes, sheep and goats are kept.  These are small fields with intervening forest or rocky outcroppings.

                                         Goats are kept on the steeper slopes

       The village of Wengen as seen from an ascending gondola.

The entire region is interconnected by trails, gondolas, and cog rail trains. Everything runs on time in a seamless fashion.  There is no trash visible; all buildings are well-kept. Switzerland is first class and at first class prices.

We have been corresponding with the owners at Hotel Edelweiss for almost 18 months due to our previous trip being Covid cancelled, while our deposit was still there.  We received updates on tourism, their personal situation, and a Christmas letter; so, it was a friendly correspondence.  Now we were able to meet the owners and staff.