Basel
Turfed off the Scenic Opal at 0900 and delivered to nice Hotel Victoria next to the Hauptbahnhof (Train station and an essential part of my vocabulary for the next week). Checked in and headed out for a wander through the old town. Cathedrals, Rathaus, museums etc
General “heads up” WordPress have shuffled my photos over the last few days so some may be attributed to the wrong cities ! Apologies but you will get the idea……
Zurich
Train from Basel to Zurich. Same deal – nice hotel by the train station. Checked in and went for a wander through the old town and down to the Lake.
Lots of shops selling weed. Not as prevalent as Amsterdam but definitely in the air !!
Lucerne
2 days in Lucerne – a real gem and one of the highlights of my trip so far. Old wooden bridges and frescoes everywhere. It doesn’t get more Swiss than this. Chocolate and Swiss Army knives everywhere and Watch shops of course. Very lively, huge lake and surrounded by mountains. Altogether very quaint. Starting to get wintry and dead sheep on all the café chairs. Also some very healthy cows in the centre of town. Very lush grass everywhere. Makes a change from parched and scorched Spain. Fuck me Switzerland is expensive !!!
Day 2 headed for the mountains. Mt Pilates to be specific. A 90 minute boat ride across the lake followed by the steepest and longest rack railway in the world. Blessed with a sunny day. Lots of snow and ice at the top but amazing views over the lake and Alps. Chap with a flugelhorn and a girl with a crow on her head!?!
A series of gondolas down followed by a bus back into Lucerne. Lots of thrill seekers – zip lining etc on the way down…. Not for me I might add !!
Interlaken and the Jungfraujoch
Panoramic train from Lucerne to Interlaken. Spectacular views as we skirted the several large lakes along the way. Slightly bizarre hotel but quite adequate and very close to the train station. Went for a wander around the town and took very steep funicular railway to a good vantage point above the town. Had lunch up there and then came down again.
Heading for the summit of the Jungfraujoch tomorrow which is a tad higher than the Eiger ! Multiple trains and gondolas to get there and back. An all day adventure……
Montreaux
Another train from Interlaken to Montreux. Arrived at my lakeside hotel just in time to get a boat to the Chateaux de Chillon. A serious castle build onto the bedrock on the edge of Lake |Geneva. Much fought over my the Savoyard, Bernese and Vaudoise as far back as the 11th century. In remakably good nick and full of historical anecdotes and the inspiration for Byrons ” The Prisoner of Chillon”. A spot of lunch, a tour of the castle and back on the boat to Montreux
A statue of Freddie on the lakeshore as Montreux was his second home…….
Geneva and home via Paris
Am early start from Montreux and just as I was about to sing the praises of the Swiss Railway system, the train that was taking me to Geneva broke down as we came into Lausanne station. However a replacement was rapidly found which took me too the airport for my flight to Paris and a 3 hour stopover before proceeding to Malaga. No Wi-Fi in the Air France lounge – Grrrr which is why this “post” has had to wait until I got home and settled before being posted.
Wonderful photos Rob.
Thanks Robbie I’m loving that you tell me who’s selling what where, Merchandise of the areas,Have a fabulous and safe journey ☮️❤️🤡
Rob is that a pink Spiegeltent behind Freddie?
Not sure !! The place was heaving and I was trying to get a clear shot without any fanatical FM fans prostrating themselves !!
Fabulous pics, looks like a great trip! You’re not kidding about Switzerland being expensive, equivalent of 40€ for a basic pizza in Geneva once, good lord! Looking forward to your next trip 🙂
Thanks for the feedback. I have to ask – who are you ? Are you a Jayne by another name from another era ?
Hi Robbie, I’m not surprised you don’t remember who I am, it was a random encounter at a place we both visited. You just struck a chord with me owing to your love of dogs and coincidentally you lived in the same area I live. I don’t travel much so I’ve been enjoying your posts greatly. If you’re still perplexed as to who I am please contact me on my email address and I’ll explain. Take care, hope the doggies are all good 🙂