Nicole's parents were visiting, and we wanted to show them a little slice of Switzerland and so we decided to head to Luzern and then the mountainous region called the Berner-Oberland. Luzern is supposed to be the most beautiful city in Switzerland. Unfortunately, we cannot verify this claim because (as luck would have it), the day we visited Luzern, it was completely fogged in. We didn't let that stop our fun however. The city was worth visiting, even with the fog. Mason loved all of the street performers, and the old-town area with its 700-year old wooden bridges is pretty amazing. After spending the day walking around the parts of the city we could see, Joe went to the liquor store and bought a few bottles of wine. After polishing those bottles off in the hotel room, we headed to a restuarant recommended by our trusty travel companion,
Rick Steves. We wanted to taste a traditional Swiss dish called Rosti, which is basically hash-browns, smothered with cheese and topped with an egg, sunny side up. Though we all liked the Rosti, I think to Nicole, this dish is pretty much manna from the heavens.
The next day we headed into the Berner-Oberland, where we were greated with much better weather. We drove up through a stunningly narrow valley, surround closely on both sides by 3,000 foot cliffs and numerous waterfalls. At the end of the road, there is a small town with one industry - operating a lift that carries tourists up to the other towns built into the mountainside. We took the lifts 10,000 feet up to the Schilthorn station (the site of Telly Savalas' mountain lair in the James Bond film,
On Her Majesty's Secret Service) and enjoyed a spectacular view and a short hike away from the station. On the way back down, we stopped at the town of Murren, which is perched at the top of a cliff overlooking the valley. There are no cars, doctors, or police in Murren - it is the quintessential Swiss village. You can only reach the town by ski lift or train. Ski cottages and small hotels and restaurants serving Fondue is pretty much all you can find in Murren. Mason found the town to be a little sleepy (he napped through most of it), but I think the rest of us thought it was pretty amazing.
Nicole's parents were visiting, and we wanted to show them a little slice of Switzerland and so we decided to head to Luzern and then the mountainous region called the Berner-Oberland. Luzern is supposed to be the most beautiful city in Switzerland. Unfortunately, we cannot verify this claim because (as luck would have it), the day we visited Luzern, it was completely fogged in. We didn't let that stop our fun however. The city was worth visiting, even with the fog. Mason loved all of the street performers, and the old-town area with its 700-year old wooden bridges is pretty amazing. After spending the day walking around the parts of the city we could see, Joe went to the liquor store and bought a few bottles of wine. After polishing those bottles off in the hotel room, we headed to a restuarant recommended by our trusty travel companion, Rick Steves. We wanted to taste a traditional Swiss dish called Rosti, which is basically hash-browns, smothered with cheese and topped with an egg, sunny side up. Though we all liked the Rosti, I think to Nicole, this dish is pretty much manna from the heavens.
The next day we headed into the Berner-Oberland, where we were greated with much better weather. We drove up through a stunningly narrow valley, surround closely on both sides by 3,000 foot cliffs and numerous waterfalls. At the end of the road, there is a small town with one industry - operating a lift that carries tourists up to the other towns built into the mountainside. We took the lifts 10,000 feet up to the Schilthorn station (the site of Telly Savalas' mountain lair in the James Bond film, On Her Majesty's Secret Service) and enjoyed a spectacular view and a short hike away from the station. On the way back down, we stopped at the town of Murren, which is perched at the top of a cliff overlooking the valley. There are no cars, doctors, or police in Murren - it is the quintessential Swiss village. You can only reach the town by ski lift or train. Ski cottages and small hotels and restaurants serving Fondue is pretty much all you can find in Murren. Mason found the town to be a little sleepy (he napped through most of it), but I think the rest of us thought it was pretty amazing.
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