Day 11: Broc to Gruyere...my last day in Switzerland

Last full day in Switzerland. S, M and I headed to Broc via car. After traveling by train, this was a nice alternative way to see the countryside. Our mission on this morning was to head to the Cailler-Nestle chocolate factory. My mission, well one of them anyway, was to pick up chocolate for the chocoholics back home. When we arrived at the factory it looked like it was closed for the weekend; no cars were in the parking lot. We decided to give it a try anyway. As soon as you got out of the car you were hit with the smell of chocolate in the air. A pleasant aroma if I do say so myself. We headed in and was greeted by one of the tour guides. Prior to taking the tour, we watched about 20 minutes of old film footage about the factory along with advertisements. Once leaving the theater, we walked past old mold used for making speciality candy shapes and old posters used to advertise the candy. We eventually made our way into the raw materials room. Here we were given information on the material used by the factory. The sugar, milk and butter all come from Switzerland. On the factory's property are 1,500 cows. These cows produce the milk used by the factory. The Cocoa nuts come from several places. These nuts are roasted then ground into a powder. We were able to try the roasted nuts. Very bitter in taste hence why the sugar is added. After the raw materials room, we were able to look at real time footage from several areas within the factory. Another room showcased the the old equipment used by the factory. The factory was built prior to the 1900s so there was a lot of old records, photos, ledgers housed in this room. At one time, the company used to put stamps in the bars and kids collected them. There was a club for the kids called the FipFop Club. After leaving this room, we walked into the sample room. Here laid out for your tasting pleasures were several samples of the product produced by the factory. I'm not a chocolate person but I did sample several of the pieces. S and M also enjoyed the samples. We laughed because prior to us entering this room a family, who came after us, quickly by-passed us and headed straight to the sample room without stopping to see the actual parts of the tour. We joked about getting to the sample room and having nothing to sample. Once you had your fill of delicious chocolate, you entered the store. Here you could buy speciality chocolates (the Ambassadors) to chocolate bars. Though the Ambassadors were delicious I figured I would stretch my money further by buying chocolate bars instead of a box of chocolate. I picked up bars for the nephews and their parents, my sister and her family, my husband, my mother-in-law, friends and my parents. When I got to the counter, the cashier just looked at me. I told him that the huge stack of chocolate bars wasn't for me. To which he replied "Yeah, right!" M and S joined in the laughter. I told him to count how many white chocolate bars were in that enormous stack and that those 4 bars were for me ( I like white chocolate over milk/dark chcolate). Everything else was for the chocoholics back home. I did pick up some shaved chocolate for homemade hot chocolate. After leaving the factory, we headed back the way we came and ended up stopping in Gruyere. We didn't originally plan on stopping in Gruyere. We were directed to an empty field by a policeman. We decided to go with the flow. We parked the car and headed up the incline into the Gruyere. Here we were treated with a street festival. Not sure what the special occasion was but it was a nice cap to a wonderful time in Switzerland. Vendors had out several types of cheeses and wines for taste testing. Several fondue stations were set up. At one end of the street, traditional alphorns were being played while at the other end of the street, traditional garbed dancers circled around. Enjoyed the views from the castle before doing a little shopping for the nieces. We left Gruyere and headed back to Geneve. S dropped us off in Lausanne so we could catch trains to Zurich or Paris. Since I had an early flight out the next morning, it was better for me to go back into Zurich the night before. M was heading to Paris to meet up with her friends and continue her European vacation. It was good to see S and to visit her adopted country. Who knows, S and A might be staying in Switzerland for good. I definitely miss S and our movie time, tea time, shopping, gardening, or just fellowshipping. Maybe I'll make it back to Europe in the future and see other countries. While traveling to Zurich, I was entertained by the individuals heading to Zurich for the street parade. The street parade is kind of like Mardi Gras just European style. It was being held in Old Towne Zurich and was in a way a huge bash before the fall began. I must say teenagers will be teenagers where ever you go. It was sad to see how many young individuals were drunk or on their way to being drunk before 5 pm. To them, this was what life was all about. It's sad to see that this is all the good their life is going to get since they are missing the big picture. This, along with other topics, I spent time dwelling on while I spent my last night in Switzerland. My next adventure to come...Belize and Guatemala 2009.

Day 11: Murten to Avenches back to Neuchatel then on to Geneve

Only a few more days left of my Switzerland adventure. M will part ways tomorrow and head into Paris. A little jealous about that but oh well maybe some other time. The night in Fribourgh wasn't bad. Though we were in a mixed dorm, there weren't many people bunking there. Those that were there were couples so it wasn't bad. We got up early to start our day. The sky was full of clouds and was windy. The breezed helped to cool you off after hiking around all morning but you did get chilly pretty fast. Looking back, it would have been nice to tour around Fribourgh before heading off to Murten. Fribourgh looked like it had a lot to offer.Murten is comprised of cobbled streets and cramped houses in an old style. We walked along the city ramparts (Aufstieg auf die Ringmauer) and toured the Deutsche Kirche (German church). Since we were there early, we were able to see the town wake up and start a new day.After spending time in Murten, we took a train to Avenches. Farmland was predominate along our way to Avenches. In Avenches are Roman Ruins. At one time, the Celtic Helvetii tribe had it's capital here. In the 2nd century, this area was a major center for the Helvetii but by the 3rd century, attacks by the Alemarni tribe destroyed the center because the defensive ramparts failed. We had a steady climb up to the Colosseum. When we got there staging and lighting was being set up for a rock concert festival. It took away from the beauty of the area. We wandered the streets looking for other Roman ruins. At one point in our wandering we stopped to observe a cat playing around with a moth. We walked to the northern gate and back through the streets until we found the Sanctuary de Gigarreno and the remains of a temple and amphitheater. After spending time amongst the ruins, we headed back to Murten and then on to Neuchatel. Since I had already visited the city, I knew my way around and was able to show M the sights. We tried finding a fondue place for lunch but couldn't spy a place. After wandering the streets of Neuchatel we hopped back on a train heading for Geneve. Since I was making dinner for all of us, we had to hit the grocery store to find the fixings for chicken piccata. The one thing that was hard to find and wasn't found in any logical place was capers. They are called by another name in French. I must say I almost spent more money on one meal then I do buying groceries for a week back in the US. Having something other than cheese and bread was a nice change. I was jonesing for a salad and some protein. M and I did some laundry and repacked our bags. S, M and I watched a girly movie before calling it a night.

Day 10: Schaffhausen to Stein am Rhien to Liechtenstein to Fribourgh

We both had a quiet, good night's sleep and were eager to start the day early. M had repacked her bag the night before. For some strange reason, it seemed to have doubled in size in the last few days. We caught the tram back to the main station and bordered the 7:30 am train to Schaffhausen. Once arriving in Schaffhausen we viewed the bus schedule and hopped the bus to a stop close to the Rhien Falls. Of course this stop wasn't as close as you would think by viewing the map so we had to walk (following the yellow footprints on the sidewalk) to the falls. The journey was all downhill so our return journey would be another interesting early morning hike back to the bus stop. The Rhien Falls isn't as spectacular as Niagara Falls but it was still an awesome site to behold. We viewed the falls from several advantage points, each giving an awesome view. For those who wanted to say they stood in the middle of the Rhien Falls, a ferry service would trawl you out to the rock in the middle of the falls and you could climb to the top and experience the 'splitting' of the falls. We headed back to the bus stop and took another bus in the opposite direction to Munot. After getting off at the Munot stop, we meandered through the streets to the Medieval fortress; an impressive site to see from the outside but a disappointment once you got to the top. They use this sight as a summer theater location. The area was set up with folding chairs and a huge cinema screen. We viewed the city from the walls of Munot before heading back to the train station. Instead of taking a bus back, we opted to walk back to the station. We boarded a train heading to Romanshorn, which lies along the German/Austrian border. We got off at Stein am Rhien. This hidden jewel is a must see if you are visiting Switzerland. We left the station and headed down towards the river to a place that is straight out of a Hans Christian Anderson fairytale.We spent time wandering the tiny streets looking at all the painted houses. I stopped in a glass store and purchases a small glass frog for my collection. We both filled up our water bottles at the public fountains. Where else but in fairytales can you share a drink with a cat or have St. George slay a dragon? M was tempted to jump in the river, pack and all, because of the hot summer heat. It did look cool and refreshing and oh, so very tempting.
We headed out of the city gates and walked across the street to the church. We toured the graveyard. I must say it was a pretty resting place. Each site was its own flowerbed. All the sites were in full bloom and it made the area look lovely. We headed back through town and uphill to the station. Neuchatel was my favorite town until we stopped at Stein am Rhien. This place is considered to be Switzerland's prettiest city and usually draws a huge crowd. I could live here in a heartbeat.We decided to invade Liechtenstein. In order to do this we had to take the train to Romanshorn then to Buchs. Once at Buchs, we had to take a bus across the border to the city Vaduz. Clouds were heading in over the mountains and were turning the lovely sunny day into a dark afternoon. While we were walking the streets viewing the sights, thunder started to sing throughout the sky and was followed by a downpour of rain. We ducked into a church to wait out the storm. Due to the darkness outside, inside of the church was eerie dark. Because of the poor lighting it looked like there was a body at the front of the church. Upon further investigation, it was a statue depicting Christ under the alter. After touring the church we headed back outside to walk around since it stopped raining. On our way to the visitor's center, we stopped to view the government building, which was in the process of getting a facelift.The castle on the hill is used by the prince and his family so we couldn't take a tour of it. From what we could see, it looked like a nice place. We stopped at the visitor center to get our passports stamped and Meg picked up a lot of Euro2008 soccer freebies. We spent some time shopping and looking around at the square. I scored some Cuban cigars from Bob and my brother-in-law. Kind of funny when you think about it...I had to go to Liechtenstein by way of Switzerland to get a few Cubans. It will be cool once the embargo is lifted. I would love to dive the reefs around Cuba and to experience the island. One of these days.

After winding our way around the square we went to COOP for dinner. While heading to the bus stop, we were able to view a men's beach volleyball competition going on. This competition was being sponsored by COOP. It was kind of weird seeing this in Liechtenstein. It's something you would expect to see on the sunny coast of California, taking place along the beach resorts of Caribbean islands or in the Mediterranean but not in a small country that is landlocked. Still made for a nice afternoon. We boarded the bus, headed back across the border and caught the train to Bern then on to Fribourgh. Another long haul on the train but this puts us close to Murten and Avenches for our next days adventures. We booked beds in The Hospital, a hostel in one part of an old psychiatric hospital located in Fribourgh.

Day 9: Leg 2- Lucern to Lugano to Zurich

We had several hours on the train so we caught up on our journaling and enjoyed the views of the countryside. Lugano is situated on the shores of Lago di Lugano. Mount Bre is to the east of the town. M viewed Bellinzona on her way to Milan and pointed out some sights as we passed the town. We arrived in Lugano and stashed the bags in a locker before heading down the winding stairs to the lake. One place we stopped at first was San Lorendo Church. This was the most ornate church seen to date. A lot of paintings covered the ceilings, arch ways, and side walls. Tons of statues lined the center aisle along with the side aisles. Prayer altars were located along the sides of the church. It was sad to realize that all the wealth in this church came from people who were paying the priest to have their sins forgiven. They believe that the priest is their mediator to God when in all actuality Jesus is. Viewing this very lovely church just had me thinking..."treasures stored on earth and not in heaven." After leaving the church we continued to head down toward the lake and entered the shopping district. M didn't get gelato in Milan so she definitely wanted some here. We headed to the lake area, which was crowded with the summer crowd, and M got her gelato. We walked along the lake just taking in the sights and enjoying the nice summer weather. Eventually we had to head back to the station to catch a train to Zurich. Of course since we walked downhill all morning this meant that we had to walk uphill to get back to the station. Instead of walking the winding roads back to the station we decided to take a short cut. This short cut involved a lot of stairs but it dropped us out on a street below where the station was. As we walked back to the station we ran into Samet heading from the station. Seeing his expression was priceless. He was just arriving in Lugano. We spoke of the sights in Lucern and then parted ways. We booked a private room at the Zic Zac Hotel in Old Towne Zurich. Since we were going to be heading to Schaffhausen in the morning this was the best place to stay the night. We arrived at the main station in Zurich (HB) and took the tram to Old Towne. Finding the hotel was a challenge. It was nestled in a small alleyway off the main road we were walking. Since Zurich is more German than French asking for directions was interesting. We wandered and saw the sign for the hotel but there was no door. Thinking we passed it we back tracked. Eventually a nice waiter took pity on us and showed us were the stairwell was. It was definitely hidden and I'm sure the waiters at the street cafe below the hotel are use to wandering backpackers. The hotel was a Rock-and-Roll themed hotel. All the floors and rooms were named after famous musicians/bands. Of course we couldn't get a cool room like B.B.King or Aerosmith, we were given the Georg Michael room. I don't know what was more freaky, the huge mural of Georg on the wall or the color combination. Oh well. It was a private room and the bed was clean and comfortable. We had to share a bath with other occupants on the floor but it wasn't so bad. They had little packages of gummy bears on the pillows and M was able to pick up the football game on the small TV. M is a big football (soccer) fan and since the Euro2008 was just a few weeks before our visit a lot of that atmosphere was still evident in the towns we visited. A quick, hot shower and then it was off to bed. The next day plans were shaping up to be just as busy as today's.

Day 9: Leg 1- Interlaken to Lucern

We got up while it was still dark and headed to Interlaken West station to catch the 6:52 train to Lucern. We took the IR Golden Pass Panoramic train this time and was treated to nice scenic views of typical Switzerland mountain/valley country.While the sun started to climb over the horizon, the train chugged it's way down the track giving those passenger who didn't opt to get in some extra shut eye some spectacular views. The early morning fog could be seen sweeping its way across the lush green land. Small houses pot-marked the hillside. Around Brung-Hosliberg, the scenery was amazing. The light from the dawning sun hit just right to make for some awesome photo moments. Since we had several hours on the train, we were able to catch up with our journaling.We arrived in Lucern and headed out of the station. We joined the morning commuters on their way out of the station. Heading up the escalator the first seen that greeted you was the enormous arch that marked Bahnhof station. Across the street was an area for tourist to take a steamer ride up and down the Reuss river. As we walked across the street we stopped on Seebrucke to view the Chapel Bridge and the Water Tower. Chapel Bridge was built in the first half of the 14th century. It's named after St. Peter's chapel which lies nearby. The paintings along the bridge were added in the 17th century and illustrate scenes of Swiss and local town history such as biographies of the city's patron saints, Leodegar and Mauritius. The paintings were done by Heinrich Wagmann. The Water Tower, built 1300, was used as an archives, a treasury, a prison, and a torture chamber. A fire in 1993 ravaged the bridge. The gabled roof and sides were rebuilt and only 30 painting panels were saved. You can see the empty spaces where panels once were held. At one end of the bridge you can see the evidence of the fire in the form of charred timbers and panels. We walked along Bahnhofstrasse on our way to the other covered bridge, Spreuer Bridge. While walking along the Reuss river vendors were setting up stands for market day. At end of Bahnhofstrasse is the Jesuiten Kirch. It was constructed in 1666 by Father Vogler of the Jesuits. Of course because we got to Lucern around 8 am, the church wasn't open for us to take a tour. We weaved our way down the narrow streets to the Spreuer Bridge. The bridge was completed in 1408 as part of the city fortification plan. Between 1626 and 1635 Kaspar Meglinger added 67 paintings titled "Dance of Death." It is called Spreuer Bridge because of the chaffs of wheat thrown into the river at this location. This bridge is smaller than the Chapel Bridge but it drops you off at the Northwest corner of the rampart walls. We headed up the slight hill to the Musegg Wall. This structure is part of the city rampart walls built in 1386. For the most part, the wall is intact. Work was being done on some sections of the wall. The oldest city clock, built by Hans Luter in 1535, is located in the Zyt tower. Getting to the first tower, Schirmer tower, was an early morning mountaineering adventure. Winding stairs lead to the entrance of the tower. Entering the tower, more narrow stairs greeted you. The stairs aren't located at a normal person's step. By the time we reached the top, our calf muscles were screaming in protest. Nothing like a good hike at 8 am in the morning to get the blood flowing. It was going to be a long day of walking. We continued walking along the wall and entered into the Fussgangerzone (Pedestrian area). We strolled down Museggstrasse and crossed over a busy intersection to head up Denkmalstrasse to the Dying Lion Memorial. The memorial lies next to the glacial garden. For a small fee you could see where glaciers carved and polished the bedrock as it moved over the area. Since both M and I have seen glacial evidence before we opted to not pay the fee to view this area. The Dying Lion of Lucern Memorial is one of the world's most famous monuments. It was hewn out of natural rock in memory of the heroic deaths of the Swiss mercenaries at the Tuileries in 1792. Mark Twain described it as "the saddest and most moving piece of rock in the world. Across a little pond area tinted green due to algal growth lies the lion. You can see the anguish on its face as it breathes it last breath while lying on spears and shields. It's an impressive piece of craftsmanship. After a quick bathroom break, we headed back towards the river and stopped at the Hof church. Hof church is the main cathedral for the city's population and was the religious center for St. Leodegar and Mauritius. A Benedictine monastery was founded at this site in the 8th century. A fire destroyed the church in 1633 but it was rebuilt by 1645. It is the most important Renaissance church building in Switzerland. After climbing the stairwell you were greeted to an amazing facade on the front doors. Opening the doors took a lot of strength because the doors were extremely heavy. No wonder most claimed sanctuary in cathedrals over the course of history. Inside you were able to view the different types of alters throughout the church. Mary's altar was directly in front of you as you entered the church. One of the panels on Mary's alter is from the 1500s. After touring Hof church, we headed back across the Chapel Bridge before heading to the station. Of course we grabbed lunch at a Coop before boarding the train to Lugano.