Yeps, it has been a long time since I last blogged, but please bear with me! It’s been a very busy time!

So first up was a family visit to my brother and Michele (his girlfriend) in Switzerland. My sister and mum flew to London from Malta, and I met up with them at the airport where we took another flight to Friedrischafen in Germany. From the airport we went to Konstanz. With my brother living close by in St Gallen this was one of the places I really wanted to go back to after having done a six week internship there 4 summers ago. Luckily one of the guys from the lab was in town and we could meet up. Great to be back!

That was Saturday (two Saturdays ago). On Sunday we then went to Santis…SNOOOWWWWW! …we didn’t climb but took the gondola up to gorgeous views. After that we travelled on to Apenzell, followed by a visit to the Rheinfall in Schaffhausen. Last I was in the region I never got round to it, so this was high on my list of things I wanted to do. Monday then was a day in Zurich with my mum and sister as brother and his gf had to work/study. Unfortunately all the museums were closed, but we still got a bit of the atmosphere in. Tuesday then we travelled back, from Switzerland going to Austria and then on to Germany around lake Constance, followed by flying to London (yeps…there go your four countries ).

In London then it was my turn to host my sister and mum…AAA…hectic time! We got a number of shopping trips in (yippee!) and a good deal of sight seeing. Mostly I sent them on their own while I went to university to get some work done anyways (though I was on reduced time ). With them on Wednesday night we went to watch Blood Brothers, with Mel C – great show! Was not particularly impressed at first, but as time went I got more and more impressed! WOW!. On Thursday I had tickets for the Ceremony of the Keys at the Tower of London, which is the ceremony where they shut down the tower each night. It is apparently the shortest such ceremony in the world, but hey! I enjoyed it, and you get to get into the Tower for free (though you cannot wander round). Friday night was an evening of rest in preparation for the weekend.

Saturday was a day of markets! When Michael’s parents were here we went to Camden Market and I definitely wanted to take them there. So we got the bus to St John’s Wood and walked from there along the canal to the market. I really like the market, and it was good to be there now – seeing as Christmas is near I could start getting ideas for gifts – yipeee! (never a very easy thing for me ). From there we then went to Winter Wonderland in Hyde park to show them the closest they could get to a German market (more ideas for gifts ) and then on to TK Maxx in Kensington (shopping ).

Sunday was our ‘day out of London’ – Oxford! I had visited Oxford some months ago for a workshop but only got around an hour to look around. Now we had a day! Unfortunately it wasn’t the best weather (though better than when we went to Canterbury). Fortunately the museums were open so we could duck in there and enjoy them. We got to go to the University Museum of Natural History, the Pitt Rivers Museum, then to the Ashmolean Museum (it is newly reopened in November, so it is still not totally complete – but I really liked it, particularly the -1 level), and finally the Museum of the History of Science. In the evening we then went to Christ Church College Cathedral for Evensong (I didn’t find it as impressive as the ones we attended in Cambridge and Canterbury), and then on to home.

Monday was their last day here, so we went for a walk in Gladstone park, before making our way to Oxford street for some more shopping (hehe!) and then saw them off.

In the evening Michael and I had tickets for a Jack the Ripper Tour by Celebrity Planet. It was an OK tour. We got our tickets for free, but I am not sure I would have been happy if I had paid £10 for the tour! Also – the tour guide had such a smug look on his face! It just made me want to punch him! grrr!

A month or so ago (I’m late as usual to posting events) my husband went on a Team Building hiking trip thing. His team took a train to bus to a cable car up a mountain, and then hiked back down the mountain, going down on scooters partway, and stopping for the occasional beer. The day ended with dinner together. It was an all-day thing, and even though he was pretty tired at the end, my husband had a blast.

On their way up the mountain, though, Heath encountered a really special parade – one I’d hoped to see during my time in Switzerland, but have thus far missed: the parade of cows from the high pasture to the low pasture in the fall (and vice-versa in the spring), called Alp Aufzug. This is a very integral part of Swiss rural culture. Lots of tourists and Swiss citizens flock to small alpine towns to view the parades. There’s often a specific traditional order and custom to the parades. The one that Heath saw started with children leading goats, and then the adult men in their bright vests leading cows wearing huge bells. And at the end was a man in brown. I’ve seen photographs of other parades where women wear traditional costumes including a fantastic headdress that looks like it belongs in the movie Dune and men blowing those huge Alpine horns at the end of the day. I missed it this year, but I’m determined to go to one of these parades next year.

My husband got some absolutely fantastic photos of the event:

children in traditional Swiss costume leading the Alp Aufzug

Cheese cart at the end of the parade.

Heath’s coworkers were a little boggled by his eagerness to scramble out of the bus (which had to pull to the side of the road) to take pictures of cows (twice! there were two parades that day!). But they just teased him over beers later. Here’s a few shots of his hike.

View of the steep hiking trail.

Heath on a mountaintop

Goats on the mountaintop!

Swiss cowbells in a pub

Heath and his best bud Ayse

More pictures of Heath’s hike with his coworkers can be found here.

A great article on the Alp Aufzug by Rick Steves can be found here.

Es ist erstaunlich, wie viele Dichter die majestätische Berglandschaft, das Schweizer Felsmassiv „Alpstein“ und seinen „König“, den Säntis, besungen, gar zum Symbol der Heimatliebe gemacht haben. Eine Anthologie legt davon Zeugnis ab. Gesucht, gefunden und zusammengestellt wurden die vielfältigen poetischen Zeugnisse vom Schweizer Autor, Essayisten, Herausgeber und Rezensenten Rainer Stöckli, der in nächster Nähe dieses Naturphänomens lebt.  …

Der Herausgeber hat sich natürlich nicht auf Schweizer Poeten beschränkt, sondern den Klassikern der Bodenseeliteratur ihren verdienten Platz gegeben – allen voran Annette von Droste-Hülshoff, von der allein fünf Gedichte zu lesen sind, in deren einem es heißt: „O Säntis! Wohl mit Recht trägst du die Krone“. Er nahm Passagen aus Mörikes „Idylle vom Bodensee“ auf und aus Friedrich Hölderlins „Heimkunft“. Von Hermann Hesse lesen wir, als Zwischentext, Zeilen aus einem Reisebericht, von Martin Walser einen Ausschnitt seines Hörspiels „Säntis“. In Johannes R. Bechers „Für diesen Blick“ aus dem Jahr 1945 spüren wir das Heimweh des Emigranten: „ …der Säntis wie ein Felsgewölk, von Schnee/ zart übersilbert – welch ein Heimverlangen“. Und Rainer Maria Rilke sieht „hinter den Uferzielen / …die vielen, vielen / Silberberge “.

Die ironische Schilderung einer Auffahrt zum Säntis von Wolf von Niebelschütz, der Beginn einer elegischen Dichtung von Rudolf Hagelstange leiten über zu gegenwärtigem poetischem Schaffen, zu Autoren wie Peter Hamm, Hans Georg Bulla, Jochen Kelter, Joachim Hoßfeld, Durs Grünbein. In ihren Gedichten wird der Säntis allerdings zumeist nur beiläufig als vorüberhuschendes Gedanken- oder Beobachtungselement erwähnt. / Walter Neumann, Südkurier 1.10.

Rainer Stöckli (Hg.): Säntis und Alpstein im Gedicht. Eine Anthologie. Edition Isele 2009. 200 Seiten. 16 €, 27,90 SFr. – Das Buch wird an folgenden Orten in der Schweiz vorgestellt: Buchs (1.10.), Schruns (22.10.), St. Gallen (31.10.), Gossau (5.11.), Appenzell (21.11) und Herisau (22.11.).

Beat Brechbühl im Gedicht „Alpstein Säntis so&so“: „Ich werde nie auf dem Säntis, 2505 Meter, gewesen sein“.

My trip  took me through France, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Monaco, and Italy.  I stayed in mostly hostels and some hotels.  I saw grandeur, experienced other cultures and met wonderful people; I had great times and some problems along the way and I wrote about it all.

Hard copy is $55 + 4.95 for shipping; PDF file is $18. If you would like to have a copy, just click the donate button to the right and make a donation from your paypal account or your credit card, of at least $18 for the pdf file or $59.95 or more for the hard copy book. Please be sure to include your email address and your mailing address and I will send the book to you right away.

Schon vor geraumer Zeit schlummert eine ganz besondere Perle Schweizer Braukunst in der Tür meines amerikanischen Kühlschrankes. Gestern Abend, anlässlich der nervenaufreibenden Tennispartie zwischen A. Murray und S. Wawrinka, öffnete ich sie.

Das Appenzeller Holzfassbier ist das einzige Bier der Schweiz, welches nach dem Brauen 4 Monate in Eichenfässern gelagert wird. Dadurch erhält es seinen besonderen Geschmack. Soviel zu den Versprechen Ettikette auf der Rückseite. Hohe Erwartungen sind immer auch gefährlich, da die Chance eines Misserfolges grösser ist. Das Appenzeller Holzfassbier ist von trüber dunkelgelb-goldener Farbe, weist bei einem Alkoholgehalt von 5.2% erstaunlich wenig Kohlensäure auf, ist angenehm hopfig bis schon fast etwas süsslich im Geschmack mit einem runden, dezenten Abgang.

Wohl nichts für jedermann, mir hats geschmeckt.

Entdeckt in der “Bierhütte, Swiss Beer Market”, Biberist, nahe St.Urs Kreisel.

Quest’è la storia di flurin dall’appenzello

che solo sopra i monti si spingea

dov’incontraa simon ch’era maestro

da tutti nominato per cert’estro

ch’insieme si perdean per l’ore entere

vivendo cert’amore detto vizio

fin’una sera tarda ch’al ritorno

uccisi erano in due pel pregiudizio.

Inner Rhoden, 17 luglio 1975.

A gabriel, attore di teatro

Liebe Frau H. – nachdem ich mich ja bereits über das Thema echauffiert habe (siehe http://berichtauszuerich.wordpress.com/2009/04/16/nackt/), bin ich heute über folgende Werbung gestolpert….

Herrje! Die sollen nackt wandern. Oder velofahren. Oder Fondue kochen. Oder im Garten arbeiten. Oder auf dem Balkon stehen und eine Arie ‘gen Himmel schleudern. Oder sonst was. Bloss möchte ICH keinen dabei sehen. Gibt es nicht sowas wie das Recht auf “Nackte nur dann sehen, wenn ich will”?

PS. Ich frage mich, welche Wanderschuhmarke unser Kollege Herr N. aus dem Apfelkanton trägt… der Lusbueb war nämlich am Freitag mit seinen Kumpels “wandern”. Im Appenzellischen….

Voters in the heart of the Swiss Alps passed legislation banning naked hiking after dozens of mostly German nudists started rambling through their picturesque region.

By a show of hands citizens of the tiny canton (state) of Appenzell Inner Rhodes voted overwhelmingly at their traditional open-air annual assembly to impose a 200 Swiss franc ($176) fine on violators.

Only a scattering of people opposed the ban on the back-to-nature activity that took off last autumn when naked hikers — primarily Germans — started showing up ineastern Switzerland.

The cantonal government recommended the ban after citizens objected to encountering walkers wearing nothing but hiking boots and socks.

“The reactions of the population have shown that such appearances over a large area are perceived as thoroughly disturbing and irritating,” the government said in a statement.

A similar legal move is expected in neighboring Appenzell Outer Rhodes with legislation being prepared against “this shameless behavior.”

Journée vide.
Si on jouait au jeu “Longtemps je me suis couché de bonne heure” (la règle du jeu) ?
Voici le début d’un roman :

À quatorze ans j’étais pensionnaire dans un collège de l’Appenzenzell. En ces lieux où Robert Walser avait fait de nombreuses promenades lorsqu’il se trouvait à l’asile psychiatrique, à Herisau, non loin de notre institution.

Je sais que certain(e)s ont la réponse. Laissez un peu jouer les autres !

swissinfo 23. März 2009 – 08:48 Bankgeheimnis: Keine Wut auf die Schweiz

Der Entscheid der Schweizer Regierung, in internationalen Steuerfragen die OECD-Richtlinien zu übernehmen, sei ein Schritt in die richtige Richtung, sagt Michael Reiterer, Botschafter der EU in der Schweiz. Die Europäische Kommission hat seit dem 3. April 2007 eine eigene diplomatische Vertretung in der Schweiz. Mister Europa in Bern ist der österreichische… »

swissinfo March 23, 2009 – 5:46 PM EU ambassador welcomes bank secrecy move
 
Switzerland’s recent decision to fall into line with international tax regulations is a step in the right direction, says the European Union’s ambassador to Bern.

Michael Reiterer, an Austrian whose official title is European Commission head of delegation to Switzerland, also tells swissinfo about the importance of dialogue and mutual respect. …»

swissinfo 22. März 2009 – 10:10 Schweiz-Deutschland: Die Nettigkeiten sind vorbei

Die Beziehungen zwischen der Schweiz und Deutschland haben sich im Streit um Steuerflucht und Bankgeheimnis abgekühlt. Die Kraftrhetorik von Finanzminister Steinbrück brüskiert hierzulande, aus der Schweiz wird zurückgeschlagen. Die Sicht einer Schweizerin in Berlin. … >>

swissinfo March 24, 2009 – 10:39 AM Secrecy row claims minister’s limousine
 
The Mercedes-Benz limousine of Swiss Defence Minister Ueli Maurer has become the latest casualty of a war of words between Switzerland and Germany.

Maurer, a member of the rightwing Swiss People’s Party, is sacrificing the German-made S500 sedan as a “temporary protest” in favour of a less luxurious French-built Renault or Peugeot people carrier. …>>

swissinfo 23. März 2009 – 16:12    Appenzell sagt Auftritt in Deutschland ab

Wegen der politischen Debatte um das Bankgeheimnis hat der Kanton Appenzell Ausserrhoden einen Informationsabend in Köln über Ausserrhoden als Unternehmens und Steuerstandort abgesagt. Man wolle
kein Öl ins Feuer giessen. … >>

swissinfo 20. März 2009 – 17:28 Magazin: Schweiz, Türkei und Norwegen: Ein “Extra Europa”

“Extra Europa” – unter diesem provokanten Motto diskutierte die Kulturhauptstadt “Linz09″ mit Vertretern der Schweiz, der Türkei sowie Norwegen über die Europäische Union und Europa. … »

Taubenbrust auf Rotkrautrisotto

Lammfilet mit Gemüse und Appenzeller Capuns

Gebrannte Creme im Duo mit Cassissüppchen

I was watching Bauer, Ledig, sucht… and they kept referring to the Hotel hofweissbad. So when Kathi Fässler was announced female chef of the year 2009 by the Gault Millau I decided to spend my Saturday on an outing to Weissbad. The restaurant is split into three rooms and we land in the newest and most avantgarde of the three. Typical crowd seems to be the type retired couple which takes the geriatric mother-in-law to lunch. None of the natural beauties from “Bauer, Ledig, sucht…” can be found here. The menu is a tad surprising for a classic Gault Millau, quiet a lot of rather traditional classic and not the usual (pseudo-)sophistication. My starter is a pigeon breast on a red cabbage risotto. What a course! Succulent, perfect pigeon on a true and exciting revelation. The red cabbage risotto is lovely idea and Ms Faessler’s brigade pulls it off very nicely. My main course is a lamb filet with vegetables and an Appenzeller Capuns. To be honest, I chose this dish, because I wanted to see what the Capuns was about. No complaints on lamb or vegetables at this level of cooking, the capuns was a nice try but it didn’t reach the level of excellency a classic Capuns from Graubünden. Normally I’m not to keen on dessert but one of the old geezers at the next table had an interesting dish, so I ordered a Duo of Creme brulee with a cassis soup. The cassis soup was too acid and not quite to my liking, the creme brulee were okay. Looking at the place I’m just not convinced that 16 points in the Gault Millau is adequate. For me personally the place is rated a bit high with 16, even though the food is very good. I can understand that Ms Faessler was chosen female chef of the year, but I’m also led to believe there aren’t that many female chefs in Switzerland.

Pricewise it is excellent – 220 CHF for lunch for two including a bottle of wine for a 16 point Gault Millau restaurant is almost cheap:

Rechnung

————————–Pman-Design is blogging here————————–
Startseite Schweiz und Deutschland

Ich bin ein James-Bond-Fan. Aber nicht wegen Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan und schon gar nicht wegen Daniel Craig, sondern die „Gadgets“ von Q haben es mir angetan – die Technik hat mich einfach fasziniert…

Ich bediene seit jeher einzig und allein meine Hi-Fi-Anlage via Fernbedienung, andere das ganze Haus, wie ich feststellen muss – und das ganze in der Realität – in der Schweiz – in Appenzell – auf tausend Meter Seehöhe…

Foto: ikatu_project

Andreas Baenziger investierte vier Millionen Euro in sein selbstgeplantes Haus – “connected living” – zugegeben, es kann mit dem Elrod House aus „Diamantenfieber“ von John Lautner nicht mithalten, allerdings wäre Q auf die Technik ziemlich neidisch…und bekommt in Appenzell wahrscheinlich mehr Aufmerksamkeit, als das Museum Liner von Gigon / Guyer…

Das Sichtbeton-Haus mit großen Glasscheiben eröffnet den Blick für die freiliegende Holzdachkonstruktion, ein Pool und ein englischer Rasen ergänzen das Esemble.

Die Technologie stammt fast ausschließlich von der Edelschmiede Bang & Olufsen – auf rund 1000 Quadratmetern Nutzfläche werden Beleuchtung, Jalousien, Heizung, Zutritt, Bewässerung und vieles mehr über einen zentralen Computer gesteuert.

Kaffeemaschine, vollautomatisierter Wassernapf, Überwachungskameras, Überwachung des Teichwassers, Kühlschrank für Lieferanten… – mir steht der Mund immer noch offen…ich wäre froh, wenn ich meine Fenster automatisch öffnen könnte…

Ein Büro verwandelt sich vollautomatisch in einen Kinosaal – die Lichter gehen dabei langsam aus – die Leinwand kommt aus der Decke – und wäre Bond-Girl Ursula Andress noch im besten Alter – und würde sie sich mit ihren Schweizer Wurzeln in Appenzell befinden, würde sie statt im Landkino auf dem vollautomatisierten Futon neben Herrn Baenzinger sitzen…

Maggie’s awesome mid-life up and quit her job went to Europe for two months road trip

Last summer I up and quit my job, probably not the brightest thing I’ve ever done considering the current economic climate, but I really needed a break, so I’m taking the rest of ‘08 off.

The first thing I did was take a solo two month road trip through Europe, something I’d wanted to do for a long time and I figured this is the time.

I flew into Paris, where I picked up my car and visited the places listed below.  Staying mostly in hostels, I shared wonderful times with people I had just met, had some neat adventures, explored beautiful places, got exercise, and rejuvenated my soul.

Scroll down to see the links to each day’s post. I hope you enjoy, please feel free to leave comments or questions.

Cheers, Maggie

My stops along the way:

Daily Journal entries and pictures:

Some places I stayed, some things I did, some places I saw:

Berggasthaus Äescher, the cliff house on Eben Alp near Appenzell Switzerland

Champ du Renard B & B in Vernon, France

Esther’s Guest House in Gimmelwald, Switzerland

Gasthof Simony in Hallstatt, Austria

Gästehaus Raidel (hotel) in Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany

Hotel Marina Piccola in Manarola, Italy (Cinque Terre)

The Nightwatchman of Rothenburg

Jungfraujoch – Top of Europe

Vatican Museum

Chateau de Versailles

The Louvre

Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial

Claude Monet’s House and gardens in Giverny, France

Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria

Berggasthaus Aescher in the Swiss Alps

The Zugspitze in Bavaria

Ballenberg, a Swiss open air museum

The Shilthorn, above Mürren, Switzerland

Pont du Gard, the ancient Roman aqueduct in southern France

Hiking The Cinque Terre

American Cemetery at St. Mihiel, France

Disneyland Paris

« ought to be a real page turner         My 2008 European Road Trip »

On Monday, I had booked an appointment to return my car at Charles de Gaulle Airport for  9:00am.  I got up a little earlier than usual this morning, showered, ate and packed and got on the road for the airport.   I arrived exactly at 9:00am to my surprise.  It only took about 10 minutes to sign all the papers releasing the car back to Renault and they provided a driver to take me to my terminal at the airport.  Pretty darn good service from Renault Eurodrive I must say.  If you ever go to Europe for more than a month or so and need a car, this is the way to go.

I boarded my flight and was off at 12:50 local time.  My coach seat was surprisingly spacious and comfortable.  I spent the first hour or so just starring at nothing really, just dwelling on the adventure I’d just had.  Couldn’t sleep really.  I was feeling anxious to get home, back to the land of milk and honey.  I landed in Minneapolis where I’d get a connecting flight to Seattle.  Wow, I was definitely back in the USA.  I saw gobs of soldiers and marines in their fatigues, campaign workers and other travelers of all sorts.  I had a typical flight to Seattle and managed to catch an earlier shuttle bus by about 5 seconds.  The bus was pulling away and I yelled at someone next to the bus to signal the driver to stop and he did.  So, I was on the way home to Lynden at 7:00 instead of having to wait till 9:00.  Awesome.

I was the last stop for the shuttle as we arrived at the Lynden WTA station at 10:30pm, I grabbed my pack and just as I did when I started this journey, I hiked home.  Couple of differences though.  No blisters and I didn’t even break a sweat or raise the heart rate much, how about that?  It was such a peasant hike on a cool quiet evening.  I was surprised that the trees are still full of leaves and there are plenty of summer flowers still in full bloom.  Home smelled great, it felt great.  I got to my apartment and everything was just as I left it.  I went to bed and got up about 7:00am on Friday.  Hopefully I’m all adjusted time wise.

I’m home.  The trip is over.  The journey is just beginning though.

Final Thoughts:

I was so looking forward to this trip and I was excited come departure day.  After my hike to the WTA station that morning, I thought to myself, what have I done?  I was out of breath, I knew blisters were starting and I really didn’t know what I was doing.  Frankly, I didn’t think I’d last the two months and I’d come home early.  By the time I got to France, I was certainly a fish out of water.  For crying out loud, it took me half a day to figure out how to get to my hostel.  Oh man, no way was I going to last.

But I did last.  I learned a few things along the way like:

• Be patient, just take things slow.
• Watch others and imitate.
• The basics in the French, German and Italian languages.
• It’s OK to make mistakes and look silly from time to time, just go with it.
• In addition to its many other uses, the sun is pretty handy to navigate by.
• The European road system isn’t so bad once you get use to it and realize it’s no big deal if you miss a turn or exit.  You can get to everywhere from anywhere.  You just have to know the cities along your path.
• I’m not going to have things the way I’m use to while I’m here, so just chill and try it their way for a while.
• Kurt really is incorrigible.

The two highlighted locations for me, Hallstatt and the Cinque Terre didn’t disappoint.  They were so awesome and I had the best times there.  But so many other places were great surprises like Dinan and Cherbourg, Bruges, The Rhineland, Lake Como, Venice, Colmar, Baden Baden.

Surprisingly, I had no car accidents and other than a minor ankle sprain and a bunch of blisters (which I think will leave scars) in the first three days of the trip, I haven’t gotten sick, thrown my back out or pulled anything.  Actually, I’ve been suffering from this hip thing for over a year now and it seems to be gone.  I’m feeling pretty good, I’ve built up my stamina a bit and I enjoy hiking; who knew?

Things I did:

• Ate waffles in Belgium
• Watched the movie “In Bruges”, in Bruges
• Took pictures of the people who took pictures of the people who pretended to hold up the Eiffel tower
• Hiked a treacherous trail on the Mediterranean coast and somehow escaped certain death.
• Drove in Rome which is madness
• Hiked in the Black Forrest
• Drank more on this trip than I have in the last ten years combined, of course that’s not saying much about the last ten years
• Stopped and smelled the roses, quite a few times, I even took pictures
• Met a lot of really neat people, and only a couple of not so neat people
• Went to Rome and didn’t see the Coliseum or the Forum; I’ll be kicking myself over that one for a while
• Beat the Monte Carlo, and the Baden Baden Speilbank Casinos
• Never ate at a McDonald’s or Burger King or KFC or any other American incarnation
• Slept in a castle
• Accidentally walked into the middle of a funeral taking pictures
• Drove the Autobahn
• Fell off an Alp
• Got to shake the hand of an American World War II vet in France and hear his stories
• Inadvertently tried to bribe a Swiss customs agent
• Drove 9,997 kilometers, it’s a shame I didn’t muster up three more
• Rejuvenated myself and got a new lease on life

I don’t like to generalize and that doesn’t justify or really explain why I’m going to do it here and now.  Be that as it may, of all the people I met and encountered, generally:

• Europeans as a lot are very patient; way beyond that of most Americans I think
• The Germans and Belgians and Austrians were the kindest most welcoming and helpful people. The Swiss and surprisingly the French came in a close second; sorry Italy, you guys need to work on your people skills a little
• Germans drive fast.  Italians drive fast and crazy; the French are pretty reasonable
• Europeans sure seem to like bread
• Most places, where you may be alone, whether it be at dinner or sitting in a park, many people will strike up a conversation with you, or they are easy to strike up a conversation with

Things I missed:

• My own bed
• Boston Legal
• Milk
• Diet Pepsi in a glass with lots of ice
• A good Pizza; yeah, who knew you can’t get a good pizza in Italy?  What’s up with that?
• A bath tub
• My buds

I like Europe, I like the people, I like their customs and culture.  Europe is modernizing rapidly and I’m grateful I got a chance to see some of the old world before its overrun.  Those Europeans are on to a few things, but, there’s no place like home and I’m happy to be home.

« Time to say goodbye         Avalanche »

After a good night sleep and breakfast, I drove to Wasserauen, where I caught the cable car up to Ebenalp.  My goal was Berggasthaus Äescher.  I wanted to stay here but they were full, but I still wanted to see the place since I was in the neighborhood and all.

I started my hike down a scenic path.  Hiking down is tough on my knees and I have a tendency to sprain my ankles easily and that was on my mind.  If that happened, I’d be in a bit of a pickle and I seriously considered turning back, but curiosity got the better of me.  I just had to see what was around the next bend, and the next and the next.  I passed a couple of moo cows along the way and figured if they can do it, so can I.  Of course, they were lying down.  I just took it slow, watching every step.

After a while, I came upon a chapel built into a cave in the side of the cliff.  Not exactly what I was expecting, but interesting.  The path leveled off for a while and then started down again.  The views from up here were awesome, the skies were clear and the sun was behind me so the views were crisp and clear.  I kept going, dreading the realization that I had to hike back up this path shortly.

I came to a cave entrance, the path didn’t seem to go anywhere else, so into the cave I went.  More down and more down.  I exited the cave and had no idea where I was but kept following the path.  I came around a bend and there it was, the Äescher cliff house.  It’s pretty wild; it’s lodging (a mattress in the attic) and a restaurant and bar with a patio and everything, hanging on the side of a cliff on an Alp.

Berggasthaus Äescher

I checked it out and took some pictures and headed back up the path.  Slow and steady, with breaks now and then.  My heart was pumping and I was sweating and my calf muscles were feeling the pain.  It hurt so good.  The nice cool breeze and a big gulp of water now and then helped a lot.  I noticed a lot of hikers using a walking stick or two.  Not sure if that helps or not or if it’s just psychological.  Seems like it’s just something else you have to carry; I might try it though.  Obviously, the trip up was a lot longer than the trip down, but I hung in there.  Couldn’t help but think that I’m sort of glad I didn’t stay at the cliff house.  Today, I was just carrying my day pack and that’s hard enough.  If I had stayed there, I would have hiked in with my big pack as well, and hiked out with it.  Not a real pleasant thought.  I do have to say, that if I had tackled this hike as the first hike of my trip, I wouldn’t have made it.  I notice that I’m doing better with longer and tougher hikes as I progress.

My legs started feeling a little rubbery and I took a tiny misstep.  I knew instinctively that I was going to twist my ankle and I was able to make a conscious decision to take the fall and roll rather than try to stay upright, really twist the ankle bad and probably take the fall anyway.  I wasn’t near a cliff so I just let it happen.  Down I went, tucking my pack with my camera under my arms and going into a fetal position to protect everything I could.  I only rolled a few feet down, no biggie.  I checked myself out, got up, the ankle seemed good, only a slight twist, barely noticeable.  The camera was fine and no one saw me as far as I could tell, so that was good.  Feeling rather lucky, I brushed myself off and got on my way and was at the top in another 15 minutes.  I fell down an alp today and was none the worse for wear.

I got in the car and worked out a route to Stechelberg on my maps, as if that does any good.  The maps might be OK if they marked the actual roads with route numbers.  Route numbers on road signs in Europe are rare.  Instead, the road signs list cities that are along this or that particular road.  So, you have to know the cities that are along your route.  Of course, the maps don’t list all of the cities or towns and the road signs might use towns that are not on your map, so most of the time, it’s a crap shoot every time you come to an intersection.

I did my best, but wound up going way out of my way and right through the middle of Zürich.  Although I was frustrated, I have to say, it’s a nice looking town, right on a large lake and there were hundreds of sailboats out today.  I put it on my list of places to return to someday.  Finally, a familiar city name on road signs, Luzern, which led me out of Zürich and onto a highway and then I saw signs to Interlaken.  I was getting close.  Finally made it Interlaken and drove around there a bit, on purpose this time.  Then I headed up to Schtekleberg where I would ride the cable car to Gimmelwald.  Found it easy enough, parked the car and gathered everything up in my pack.

I was struck by the view when I got off the cable car in Gimmelwald.  Oh my.  Gimmelwald is up about 4,500 feet in the Alps.  Snow capped peaks all around, and so close.  I found Esther’s Guest House quickly and checked in; nice place and Esther is a sweetie.

I grabbed some things at Esther’s store and made myself dinner and got on line, finally, to upload the three days or so of journal entries.  Also staying here are Alisha and Jeff from New Jersey and a family from England.  Alisha has been in Switzerland for a couple of months working at the American School and Jeff, her boyfriend has just joined her for a couple weeks of travel and then they’ll both head home.  Really a nice young couple.

I took a walk through town, which took all of about 10 minutes.  It’s literally one street, and a short one at that.  Did some more updates and went to bed and fell asleep to the sound of several waterfalls on the adjacent peak.

« Overdosed         Fell down an Alp today »

Another rainy day in Hallstatt.  It really hasn’t let up at all, this storm seems to be stalled over Hallstatt.  The creeks and streams and waterfalls are raging, I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s some flooding somewhere.  Tis time to go though; I have a long drive today to get to Appenzell in Switzerland.  I don’t have any reservations anywhere, my main target is Gimmelwald, but that would be too long of a drive so, Appenzell is a nice half way point that my friend Alba strongly recommended I see.

Once I was out of the lakes district, the weather was clear and sunny.  I had a great drive and a great time, it was a good full day.  I was in a great mood and just listening to my tunes going down the road.  Missed a couple of turns, but got straightened out eventually.  That’s getting so frustrating, I’m seriously considering buying a GPS.  I stopped in Zell am See and drove around a bit, lovely town.

The maps I have leave a lot to the imagination; I keep looking for better ones.  I came up to a booth of some sort and had to pay a fee, I thought I was in Switzerland and this is the road use permit or something.  After another couple of hours I came to a toll booth and I handed my credit card to the guy.  He looked at me real funny.  I looked around and noticed several serious looking men in uniforms.  Apparently, this was the Switzerland border and I just handed my credit card to the customs agent.  I don’t know what that other booth was.  Well, he handed my credit card back and I think he realized what I had thought and he just smiled at me as I searched for my passport.  He just waved me on.  I stopped at the first ATM I could find because Switzerland is not a member of the European Union and their currency is the Swiss Frank, and I needed some.

I made it to the general area of Appenzell about 7:00pm and couldn’t figure out what all the hoo ha was about.  I went through a town and started up a hill and oh man I figured out real quick what the hoo ha was about.  High alpine villages and meadows and spectacular views.  The grass on the rolling hills is so thick.  It’s like someone flung out a giant green carpet over a cluttered floor and let it settle.

I finally found the town of Appenzell, very quaint, but everything seemed closed.  I mean the hotels too, most were dark and seemed abandoned.  Very strange.  I headed for Ebenalp, where there’s a cable car up to somewhere and then a hike to where I wanted to stay.  I called a few days ago, but they were full.  I want to check it out anyway tomorrow before I head for Gimmelwald, so I at least wanted to find the cable car station tonight so I don’t have to hunt for it in the morning.

Between Appenzell and Eben Alp

The valley leading to Eben Alp

After I found the cable car station, I went back to Appenzell where I started looking for a place to stay and was turned away from one place after another.  Everyone was full.  It’s the weekend, duh.  I know what the date is, but I’ve completely lost track of what day it is.  I kept trying and finally found a place with one room left.  They said it was an old room and I got the impression from their description that it wasn’t that great.  I asked to see it and I was thrilled.  It looks fine.  I have to duck to go through the door and once inside, you notice the ceiling is pretty low.

I can stand upright though with some clearance.  The hotel clerk told me it’s because the Appenzellers all used to be short.  I quite like the room; the low ceiling and wood plank walls and ceiling make me feel like I’m on a boat.

Pour fêter la fête des Suisses du 1er Août, nous avons eu droit à une invitation (de Cosette, idée de Lorraine) à aller découvrir (dans mon cas, celui de Carlos et de son fils) l’Appenzell.

C’est dans ce lieu qu’a vécu la grand-mère Odier (mamie) et où la famille a séjourné de nombreuses fois en vacances (ils n’allaient pas à cet hôtel mais dans une toute petite maison louée juste à côté, le Schilte Siebni).

Nous sommes arrivés vendredi en soirée à l’hôtel Krone, à Gaïs, un labyrinthe sympathique qui a toutes les facilités pour jouer au jass, de très bons déjeuners et un excellent röesti pour souper (pommes de terre râpées revenues dans l’huile avec oignons).

Samedi a été une journée de marche en montagne, en trichant un peu en montant l’Ebenalp en téléphérique.

Sur le chemin, nous avons visité une grotte, en plus d’apprécier l’église (Wildkirche) et le bistrot incrustés à la paroi.

Ensuite, nous sommes arrivés au Seealpsee (lac), dont la vue est reprise par la bière du coin.

Mais déjà, les nuages s’accumulaient, nous laissant seulement le temps d’un pique-nique tout sympathique. Puis les premières gouttes nous ont chassés, envoyant trois chaperons rouges sur la route pour se faire littéralement tremper…

Le lendemain, nous sommes allés visiter le lieu où a vécu la grand-mère Odier pendant sa jeunesse avec vue magnifique sur le lac de Constance, puis nous avons fait un tour par Appenzell (où nous avons cherché les chemises traditionnelles du canton, sans succès). On a pu néanmoins apprécier l’architecture toute particulière avec les rebords arrondis des toits.

Pour terminer cette journée, nous sommes allés faire un parcours à pied nu, nous permettant de tâter différentes textures naturelles… Notez le beau plâtre de Céline!

Début sur l’herbe…

… pour passer à la boue, ce qui demandait de la concentration pour ne pas perdre pied; et qui a nécessité un vigoureux nettoyage avant de revenir à l’hôtel…

la palme revient d’ailleurs à Carlos qui est allé jusqu’au bout de la boue pour sa belle…

Nous avons aussi eu droit à quelques endroits rocailleux, ce qui est supposément bénéfique pour la santé. Malgré ces bienfaits réputés, nous ne nous sommes pas attardés trop longtemps…

Avant de repartir sur Lausanne, nous sommes allés nous ébahir à la bibliothèque de Saint-Gall, une des plus vieilles et des plus réputées de la Suisse et de l’Europe, m’a-t-on dit (si ça vous intéresse, une petite vidéo intéressante en anglais).

En l’honneur de la fête nationale suisse et pour marquer notre attachement aux nobles valeurs de cette nation que sont le chocolat, le fromage de vache et le muesli, nous sommes allés en pèlerinage dans les Alpes, voir les vaches et manger du fromage. Et donc dans les cantons d’Appenzell, là où les Suisses sont censés porter des gilets rouges et des boucles d’oreilles. Et faire du fromage. En tout cas, le fromage est là.

Pour arriver à Appenzell depuis Constance, on prend le train jusqu’à Saint-Gall, puis un petit train à crémaillère qui s’enfonce dans les vallées verdoyantes. Le train passe dans chaque village, c’est vraiment formidable.

On s’arrête en premier lieu à Appenzell, la ville du coin. Disons plutôt le gros village avec ses jolies maisons en bois et ses magasins de souvenirs qui alternent avec ses restaurants. Brève visite avant de faire honneur à la gastronomie locale : saucisse au fromage, escalope au fromage et pâtes au fromage. De la bonne cuisine bien saine, dira-t-on.

Pour se débarasser de toute cette mauvaise conscience, on reprend le train pour aller un peu plus loin, au pied du Säntis et faire une promenade dans les vertes prairies.

Et là c’est l’illumination. Les Suisses sont vraiment géniaux : il y a un chemin de promenade prévu pour être parcouru pieds nus, dans l’herbe dodue, entre les prés verts (nous insistons sur l’herbe qui est vraiment verte), les chalets en pin, les cloches des vaches qui font “dong” et les montagnes qui nous entourent. À côté de ça, un épisode d’Heidi ressemble à une publicité pour Bouygues.

« My European Road Trip         Just Getting Here »

General proposed route

Not all of you are up to date with me.  I recently quit my job and am taking the rest of the year off for a much needed break.  I’ve taken four weeks vacation in the last seven years and there’s something inherently wrong with that.  I need to explore beautiful places, I need grandeur, I need to rejuvenate the soul and get in shape and so I’m kicking it off with a two month road trip in Europe.  I fly to Paris on July 28 and then I’m off to the coast of France (Brittany and Normandy), north to Belgium, then to Germany’s Rhineland and Bavaria, Austria (Salzburg and the Salzkamergut Lakes District), the Berner Oberland region of Switzerland, the south of France, the French Riviera, Northern Italy, Southern Italy and the Amalfi Coast, Greece (if I have time), Rome, and finally back to Paris to fly home late September.

I’m almost ready; I’ve got my bills all paid ahead, I have my general route and timeline planned out with plenty of flexibility built in as well as some down days to just relax and enjoy wherever I am, and I have my car all lined up.  I just finalized my car lease (Renault Eurodrive); technically I bought a brand new Renault Modus Long, 85 hp diesel and Renault promised to buy it back after a couple of months.  I get a brand new car, unlimited mileage, roadside assistance in 43 countries, and they pay all the insurance with a $0 deductible.  It’s not a bad deal; it’s cheaper than renting a car.

My only baggage - one carry on

As my buddy Rick Steves says, “there’s two kinds of people in the world, those that pack light and those that wish they had”, so I’ve been practicing that and I’ve gotten everything to fit into one carry-on size bag that also has shoulder straps so I can wear it on my back.  Yep, that’s right.  Five changes of clothes, a pair of shoes, toiletries, camera & tripod, computer, guide book, maps… In that bag I also have a wadded up day pack that I can use when out and about.

My ASUS 900

You’re probably wondering how I got all that and a computer in one bag.  I have to tell you about my little computer I just got.  It’s an ASUS 900 netbook, it weighs two pounds and falls into the ultra portable notebook class.  I got this one with Linux OS and it has a wi-fi radio and an Ethernet connection so I can get on-line just about anywhere.  I can browse the web, do my emails, make phone calls with it, manage my pictures, etc.  I really like it.

• *******Update on the ASUS – It did great while I was on the trip, but about a month after I returned home, it no longer booted.  ASUS was quick to replace it and the new one failed after one day, same exact problem.  They replaced it again and it failed after four days.  And, they replaced it again.  I now have the 4th PC after I sent the 3rd in two weeks ago; I’m gonna sell it.  This whole fiasco took over six weeks and throughout it all, no one at ASUS seemed interested in getting at the root cause of the problem.  It was very difficult dealing with ASUS and I felt like I was talking with a bunch of children who had not developed interpersonal skills yet.  No one showed initiative, I got different stories from different people inside their organization, my phone calls and emails went unanswered, and no matter how much I asked and then demanded, I was never allowed to speak to a supervisor or manager.  I eventually got the names and email addresses of two managers and sent them an email, but I’ve never gotten a repsonse from either.  I DO NOT recommend the ASUS computers and I’ve had an absolutly miserable experience with them.  I’m now using a Sylvania g meso netbook and I like it even better than I initially liked the ASUS. ********

I’ll be staying at hostels about half of the nights and B&Bs, small hotels and farms the other half.  I have several nights booked already and many are still open. We’ll just see where I wind up.  I’m trying not to over think or over plan it all.  Feel free to post comments, questions or make suggestions about places to visit along the way.  I’ll make my next post from Paris I reckon. Cheers for now.

We had a nice ride up to Appenzell on Sunday with Rob & Jackie. Jackie had wanted to take a picture of this certain tree, which she saw in winter and she wanted to get a shot of it in all the 4 seasons. It was about an hour (or slightly more) drive and the scenery was beautiful… lots of countryside, hills, farm houses, cows etc… I just have to say that EVERYTHING in Switzerland is so well-manicured and pristine, even the countryside, the grass on the hills etc… it’s amazing!

So we got to the Appenzeller cheese factory and we got to watch the cheese production from a glass gallery above the factory. It’s quite cool to see the huge machinery making the cheese. Of course, I bought some cheese to eat right?

After that, we drove a little further to the town of Appenzell, had a little stroll among the street shops.

Here are some pics of the day…

So this is the tree… looks nice huh? Like Jon says, looks like the Forrest Gump tree.

The selection of cheeses in the cheese shop.

And I love it that most places have a playground for kids…

And our family pic of the day.. taken by Jackie. Thank you!!

Appenzeller Town… pretty little buildings…

And the Swiss really do LOVE their cows.

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