Switzerland (Part III)
Day 16 (May 19, 2006).
Luzern & Mt. Pilatus.
Kenny, Jasen, Kelly, and Grace arrived in Baden around 7am, and I greeted them at the train station. They were arrived on a sleeper train from Vienna. I took them back to Uli's apt. for them to unload their luggage and freshin' up. We then jumped on the next train for Luzern, the lauching point to go up to Mt. Pilatus. We first took a ferry ride on the Lake Luzern that took 2 hours (much longer than expected). When we arrived at the ferry stop, we then took the cogwheel train that took us all the way up to the Pilatus. It was extremely cold at peak! All of us were under-dressed for the icy winds. Despite the chill factor, the view was breathtaking! I took over 100 pictures to prove it! We then took the cable car half way down, where there was shiny track that people could ride down on a cart. All of us rode down, and then were pulled up backwards by a cable. Not only was the ride fun, but there was the bonus of being surrounded by gorgeous landscapes. We took the cable car the rest of the way down and a short bus ride back to Luzern. Since it was now my second time in Luzern, I was the tour guide, which basically just consisted of me walking with them across the famous old wooden bridge.
We then got back on the train to meet up with Uli for dinner. The original plan was to eat (cheese) Fondue at her place. But she told us cautionary tales that deterred us from indulging in the traditional Swiss dish. First, she warned us of the fact that it would "stink" so we might not be able to sleep engulfed in the cheese fumes. Second, she cautioned us with experiences of other foreigners with foreign stomachs who couldn't stomach the heavy heavy meal. So, perhaps wisely, we decided to bypass the potential for intestinal misery and head to Zurich to eat at a traditional Swiss-German restaurant. The wait for a table was a couple hours, so we decided to get an appetizer... "the best Bratwurst in Zurich"! It would be the newcomers first time, but it would be my third experience of the scrumptious sausage! We then went back to the restaurant. The restaurant was completely decked out with quirky and traditional objects, and served typical cuisine of meat, potatoes, and beer! Kenny, Uli, and I started off with a Dunkelweizen (dark Hefeweizen). It was one of the best beers I've ever had. It was smooth and full of flavor. Like Uli says, German beers are so smooth and go down so easily that you'll have guzzled several pints before you realize it. I ate veal in a white wine mushroom gravy, served with Swiss-style potatoes (hash browns). The food was very salty, but it was ideal beer food. Kenny and his sister shared a sausage that was cooked and served on a sword (that's right a medieval-looking sword)!!! You could order sausage by the meter! And, some other tables were served drinks gigantic cognac glasses the size the human head and lit on fire! It was all quite the spectacle!
Day 17 (May 20, 2006).
Zurich (and Baden).
We all took our time to get ready in the morning, and then went to Zurich. For lunch, there was no dispute on the destination... that's right, more Bratwurst! It was my fourth time to eat at my favorite food stand. Four times in a week, and I still was not sick of eating it! We wandered the streets as we searched for the cafe known for it's hot chocolate, but failed to find it to my disappointment. We then sat by the lake and relaxed there for a while, watching the swans and ducks swim back and forth searching for pieces of bread.
We headed back to Baden, and I showed them around the old town. We hiked up to the old castle, and then ate Kebap for dinner. We returned to Uli's to chill for a little bit, and then took our backpacks back to Zurich to catch our sleeper trains. Kenny and Jasen were on their way back to London to fly back to the states. Kelly, Grace, and I were on our way to Roma.
...
more photos: switzerland (part iii)
---
next: Roma
Luzern & Mt. Pilatus.
Kenny, Jasen, Kelly, and Grace arrived in Baden around 7am, and I greeted them at the train station. They were arrived on a sleeper train from Vienna. I took them back to Uli's apt. for them to unload their luggage and freshin' up. We then jumped on the next train for Luzern, the lauching point to go up to Mt. Pilatus. We first took a ferry ride on the Lake Luzern that took 2 hours (much longer than expected). When we arrived at the ferry stop, we then took the cogwheel train that took us all the way up to the Pilatus. It was extremely cold at peak! All of us were under-dressed for the icy winds. Despite the chill factor, the view was breathtaking! I took over 100 pictures to prove it! We then took the cable car half way down, where there was shiny track that people could ride down on a cart. All of us rode down, and then were pulled up backwards by a cable. Not only was the ride fun, but there was the bonus of being surrounded by gorgeous landscapes. We took the cable car the rest of the way down and a short bus ride back to Luzern. Since it was now my second time in Luzern, I was the tour guide, which basically just consisted of me walking with them across the famous old wooden bridge.
We then got back on the train to meet up with Uli for dinner. The original plan was to eat (cheese) Fondue at her place. But she told us cautionary tales that deterred us from indulging in the traditional Swiss dish. First, she warned us of the fact that it would "stink" so we might not be able to sleep engulfed in the cheese fumes. Second, she cautioned us with experiences of other foreigners with foreign stomachs who couldn't stomach the heavy heavy meal. So, perhaps wisely, we decided to bypass the potential for intestinal misery and head to Zurich to eat at a traditional Swiss-German restaurant. The wait for a table was a couple hours, so we decided to get an appetizer... "the best Bratwurst in Zurich"! It would be the newcomers first time, but it would be my third experience of the scrumptious sausage! We then went back to the restaurant. The restaurant was completely decked out with quirky and traditional objects, and served typical cuisine of meat, potatoes, and beer! Kenny, Uli, and I started off with a Dunkelweizen (dark Hefeweizen). It was one of the best beers I've ever had. It was smooth and full of flavor. Like Uli says, German beers are so smooth and go down so easily that you'll have guzzled several pints before you realize it. I ate veal in a white wine mushroom gravy, served with Swiss-style potatoes (hash browns). The food was very salty, but it was ideal beer food. Kenny and his sister shared a sausage that was cooked and served on a sword (that's right a medieval-looking sword)!!! You could order sausage by the meter! And, some other tables were served drinks gigantic cognac glasses the size the human head and lit on fire! It was all quite the spectacle!
Day 17 (May 20, 2006).
Zurich (and Baden).
We all took our time to get ready in the morning, and then went to Zurich. For lunch, there was no dispute on the destination... that's right, more Bratwurst! It was my fourth time to eat at my favorite food stand. Four times in a week, and I still was not sick of eating it! We wandered the streets as we searched for the cafe known for it's hot chocolate, but failed to find it to my disappointment. We then sat by the lake and relaxed there for a while, watching the swans and ducks swim back and forth searching for pieces of bread.
We headed back to Baden, and I showed them around the old town. We hiked up to the old castle, and then ate Kebap for dinner. We returned to Uli's to chill for a little bit, and then took our backpacks back to Zurich to catch our sleeper trains. Kenny and Jasen were on their way back to London to fly back to the states. Kelly, Grace, and I were on our way to Roma.
...
more photos: switzerland (part iii)
---
next: Roma
posted by a(-_-)c at 4:41 PM
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