Swiss Break (Part 3) - Lucerne

Day 3: Lucerne

Well this was our last day in Switzerland and soon we would be back home in Germany and my parents' European holiday was nearing its end too..we wanted to make the most of this last day and we hoped that the weather gods would bless us with some sunshine:)
All our hopes turned out true and this day in Lucerne turned out to the one of the most memorable days..
We left Interlaken at around 10am and boarded the Interlaken- Lucerne express which took us to Lucerne in just two hours..I had heard a lot about the scenic beauty of Lucerne, but I did not know that this two hour ride would be the most unforgettable journey that I would take...I don't really have words enough to describe this, so will share some pictures here taken from the train's window. The train took us along the shores of crystal blue lakes, it was tough to believe that they were for real and not just a painting..., we saw some beautiful waterfalls and the views were extremely spectacular..Our train was stopped mid way due to some snag, and we had to wait inside the train for sometime, but we could not complain as the view around was so pretty that we could never have enough of it..

On the way to Lucerne from Interlaken

On the way to Lucerne

We reached Lucern few minutes later than our scheduled time, and the weather was perfect..The sun was shining and a cool breeze was swiping across our faces..Just as we stepped our of the main station we could see the beautiful Lake Lucerne and snow capped mountains all around.
We have reserved our rooms at the IBIS budget hotel, which was a 10 minutes walk from the main station. so we started walking using the GPS on our phone.. The bus station was right outside the train station but since we did not know which bus to take, we started walking..In few minutes we reached the hotel. The staff at the hotel was helpful and gave us information on the various tourist attractions and river cruises there. They also told us about the public transportation. Since we were there just for a day, our only plan was to take a river cruise on Lake Lucerne is extremely popular for its breathtaking views and roam around the old city..Lake Lucerne, also known as Vierwaldstättersee, lit. "Lake of the Four Forested Cantons") was the reason that we had planned to visit this city, like many other tourists, and it was just amazing.

After settling down and having our lunch, we went back to the main station to inquire about the cruise. The boats depart from the quay directly opposite the main station. There are lots of cruises and boats to choose from. The private boat carriers do charge money (not covered with swiss pass), and offer pedal and motor boats which one can rent for few hours and it is not very expensive.(20 CHF for 30 minutes for pedal boat for five people).and it could be real fun in sunny weather..

At the Lucerne Quay

It was about 1.30pm and we wanted to take the longest cruise and go to the other end of the lake until Flüelen. We went to the ticket counter however the lady at the counter told us that  there was no cruise back from Fluelen, so we should skip that and take a  shorter cruise, of around four hours ( with our swiss pass we could take this cruise at zero cost)..What she missed telling us, and we later realised after talking to the crew of our ship was that, we could have gone to Fluelen and taken a train from there back to Lucerne..So, one could always get out on any stop on the way, roam around, take the ship further or back or train
 ( please refer to the time table to plan the trip).. The route we took was:
Lucerne - Weggis - Vitznau - Beckenried - Brunnen - Flüelen

The boat was extremely comfortable with a bar and restaurant on- board..The view of Mt.Rigi and the towns on the shores was extremely mesmerizing..After spending some time on the deck, clicking pictures we came inside as it started to getting cold...we ordered tomato mozzarella and vegetable soup (which turned our to be just Asparagus soup..)..the food was okay..not to great, and not too expensive too...its nice to enjoy the water, mountains while sipping something warm:)..It could be good to carry a book or small board game to enjoy, as just staring out at the blue lake might get boring for some people..Our final stop was Brunnen where we had to wait for 40mins before boarding the ship back to Lucerne..We roamed around this small quaint town, checked out the coop supermarket, and a small stationery shop where we bought a postcard and soon it was time to return..
The journey was extremely beautiful and pleasurable...

My husband and parents on the boat

Mt.Rigi as seen from the Lake Lucerne

In the evening, my parents decide to relax in the hotel and I decided to enjoy the lake side at night with my husband..and what a sight it was..the water was calm..reflecting the lights lit on the hotels..it all looked so exquisite.

Läderach Chocolatier

Beautiful hand made chocolates

Next morning we had no plans, and just wanted to roam around the city a bit..We went to the old city, and bought some swiss chocolates from Läderach Chocolatier and they were amazing..They have chocolates in all shapes, sizes, flavours with alcohol and just extremely pretty.. My favourite out of the bunch was lemon and orange milk chocolate..(small pieces of dried lemon and orange coated with chocolate)..It could be a good souvenir to carry back home:)..We visited a church nearby and then ordered pizza at Pizza Pasta Panini, a small italian take away counter at the station, and there I saw a really cool thing..all the customers are given a small cordless device that flashes once the order is ready, so the customers need not wait at the counter..pretty cool stuff!
After eating to our heart's content we went back to our hotel to pick up our luggage that we had kept in the luggage room and later boarded a train to Basel from where we had a connecting train to Kaiserslautern. 

Lucerne by Night

It rained throughout the journey and we just thanked God and our stars that the weather was good while we were there:)

Some take aways:

Switzerland is an extremely expensive place, considering the amount of tourists that flock the cities here...and so travelling internally could be expensive too....if you are planning to stay here for at least 3 nights and want to travel a couple of cities, try considering a Swiss Pass. It gives you flexibility in terms of time (you can board any train), and also you can get the closest connection from the city you are travelling and then use swiss pass internally.. We booked our tickets from Paris to Geneva and used Swiss pass from Geneva to Interlaken...and then from Lucerne we reached Basel using Swiss pass and from there took a train to Kaiserslautern..We also got some discount on the Jungfraubahn and the river cruise in Lake Lucerne was already covered by swiss pass..You can read more about the benefits of swiss pass here- www.swiss-pass.ch

Swiss transport system is very well connected and extremely punctual so always refer to the timetable and plan your trip before starting your day.

One can ask for guest card at the hotels ( the one in Interlaken gave us) and then travel on buses for free using that ( in case you don't have a swiss pass)..the guest card also gives discounts on some museums. The hotels in Lucerne don't have these guest cards though.

Eating out can be extremely expensive too, so its always better to stock up some cookies and drinks from the supermarket near by (coop ) is one of the supermarkets that can be found easily), instead of over-paying at small kiosks.

Always carry an umbrella and a jacket..the weather is extremely unpredictable..

German is widely spoken and written there..Though the language people commonly speak is Swiss' (it sounds like German but we were told that its as different as German and English).

People are extremely friendly and helpful so do not hesitate to question. Even if you dont speak their language, they will try to help as much as they can.

Swissbreak (Part 2)- Jungfraujoch- Top Of Europe

Day 2: Trip to Jungfraujoch, Europe's highest altitude railway station

The day second day of the swiss trip started with lots of excitement and anticipation..Before planning this trip, we had heard a lot about Jungfraujoch, seen pictures of friends and relatives who'v been there and it seemed to be a MUST in our swiss itinerary..the only concern I had was, would my parents like it and say that 'it was worth our time and money (it is an expensive trip!)..nonetheless, I was very excited and looking forward to this..since we knew it was a long journey ahead, we decided to leave as early as we could, and after having a nice breakfast to keep us full for few hours, and packing some sandwiches for the trip, we left at 9 am for Interlaken Ost. 

There are two routes to reach the summit. One can either take the train southwest from Interlaken Ost along the valley to Lauterbrunnen, from where you pick up the mountain line which climbs through Wengen to Kleine Scheidegg; or take the train heading southeast from Interlaken Ost to Grindelwald, where you change for the climb, arriving at Kleine Scheidegg from the other direction. All trains terminate at Kleine Scheidegg, where one must change for the final lap to Jungfraujoch – the popular practice is to go up one way and down the other. We had also planned it this way and purchased our tickets for Jungfrau online. However upon reaching Lauterbrunnen we got to know that the trains from there have been terminated and so we had to go back to Zweilütschinen (station between Interlaken Ost and Lauterbrunnen) and take a train to Griendelwald. Trains run every 30 minutes and since we missed the previous train we decided to walk around the station.

At Zweilütschinen Station

Red cogwheel train to Jungfraujoch 

On the way to Jungfraujoch

We reached Griendelwald in about half and hour and from there we took another train to Klein Scheidegg, and thereafter we boarded a red cogwheel train to reach the top. We dashed out from one train to another, but the swiss railways staff was extremely friendly and helpful.The frequency of the trains and coordination of various connections is so amazing that changing over trains did not seem like a mountainous task. The journey was extremely scenic with swiss chalets on the way and beautiful snow peaked mountains all around..The final lap took around an hour and in between the train stopped at two intermediate stations- the Eigerwand (Wall of Eiger) and Eismeer, 3160m (Sea of ice) for five minutes each, so we could go out and enjoy the views. The last part of the journey is inside a huge tunnel carved out of mountains. This whole journey to the top of Europe is an extremely amazing feat of engineering of the last century and took around 16 years to be completed..
Finally after around 2.5 hours as we reached our destination, Top of Europe at 3454 m, it felt great, despite some tiredness...the place was packed with tourists from all over the world..as soon as we entered, it looked  liked a resort, with people eating, shopping for souvenirs, some catching on sleep and others clicking pics..it was pretty warm inside and we were told to follow the blue signs to the attractions there, which included the amazing ice palace, alpine sensation, sphinx (view point), snow fun..the moment we stepped out at the view point, we realised what is it to like at the top of europe..-13 degrees, extremely windy, it was difficult to keep our eyes open and stand...a piece of advice: dress warmly and wear sunglasses..and most importantly, keep your ears and cheeks covered..

Overall it was a great new experience, a bit tiring, but worth it!! My mom just loved the place..

Alpine Sensation

Ice Palace

View from Sphinx

Ice Fun

Swiss Break (Part 1) - Interlaken

This April I have travelled a lot..had a great time exploring new places and revisiting some of my old favourites:)..but what stood out as a great experience was a three-day sojourn in Switzerland. I was in Interlaken for two days, and spent another day in Lucerne,with my husband and parents. My parents were visiting us in Germany and Europe for them was synonymous for Paris and Switzerland, as these two destinations feature a lot in our Bollywood movies (Indian cinema)..So, while my parents were planning their European holiday, they wanted to visit Paris and Swiss and fulfill the dream of going to the exotic locations that they had until then seen only in the movies..As i was growing up in India, even I was convinced that Switzerland was the ultimate European holiday destination, but it was funny when my husband's colleagues asked him-why do you want to take your parents to Swiss and why not London or Rome? Swiss is just mountains..And I was like...are we really wasting a lot of money, considering Swiss is extremely expensive? Should we go to Rome or Venice instead? But then I reminded myself of all the Yash Chopra movies that I had seen as a child, and how beautiful the scenes and his heroines had looked because the movie was shot in Switzerland. Swiss has always been a popular destination for Indians (obviously who can afford to shell out a few thousand dollars)..And after being there, I have no regrets...the place is every penny worth it:) I agree that the snow peaked mountains can be seen in many other European cities and at much lower budget, but there is something about the untouched beauty of the alps and the Swiss chalets, that makes it so special and different..
Now here is what my trip was like..Since, its going to be a long write up, I will divide this piece in parts

 Day 1: Interlaken
We reached Geneva from Paris on TGV, and from there we had to change two trains. The connection was from Geneva to Bern, then from Bern to Spiez, and from Spiez to Interlaken West Station. My husband and I were a bit skeptical initially, since my parents are not used to so much travelling and definitely not used to changing multiple trains with suitcases..whew! But that's what living in Europe teaches you..And thanks to the amazing travel system, and the thoughtfully designed Swiss railways stations, that changing trains seemed so easy..There are escalators and sloped terrain that made it so easy to drag the luggage..In Geneva, we had to cross the customs too (just like at airports) before boarding the next train..The trains were extremely comfortable and the cities are so well connected, that there are connections almost every 30 minutes..And all the tiredness dissipated as soon as we got a glimpse of the natural beauty of Swiss from the window..The train journeys in Swiss were so pleasant and a treat to senses..so beautiful and calming!! I just couldn't take my eyes off and my camera couldn't stop clicking...
After a journey of around 2 hours we reached Interlaken West train station and it was raining hard..My spirits were dampened a bit by the rain, but luckily the weather soon started getting better. We looked around the place for travel maps and enquired about the bus route..The people were friendly and a bus driver guided us...In Interlaken and Lucern the language most commonly used is German..we also got to know that people here speak 'swiss' too..its like a dialect that is only spoken and not written..and it is not similar to German or French..but as different as these languages are from English..Being a touristic place, people do speak little English as well..We had missed one bus and had to wait for 30 minutes for another one..so in the meantime, we walked around the area..we located a small Indian restaurant, The Little India, right outside the station, there is a beautiful lake behind the station, where I wanted to click some pictures which unfortunately due to the bad weather I could not..then right opposite the station is the market area that stretches till the other end of the road, where Interlaken Ost station is located. We had our four day Swiss Pass so all the internal train, bus and boat journey were included ( will be writing more about the swiss pass towards the end). Finally the bus came, and it was quick ride to our hotel, which was right next to the bus stop..The bus driver did not ask for our ticket (they trust the passengers to be riding with valid tickets). If one is caught travelling without a ticket, the fine charged is a

Sitting Area, Dining and Kitchen at Tell Apartment

one of the double bedroom

View from one of the bedrooms

Shopping Street in Interlaken

round 100 CHF. We had booked an apartment in Hotel Tell..Located in a beautiful neighborhood  Tell Hotel is a cosy place, with an Irish Pub..We waited for sometime in the Pub, before the hotel manager came. She was a warm and very friendly lady, who helped us with all the formalities, taking our luggage up on the third floor and eventually telling us about the places in the vicinity (bakery, coop supermarket, train stations and market)...The apartment was huge, with two double bedrooms, one single bedroom, one bathroom, kitchen, drawing room, two balconies with a view of the snow peaked mountains..extremely thoughtfully designed and tastefully done with all the necessary equipment. It was like living in a Swiss Chalet:)..After having lunch at the apartment, (we had got some ready to eat food, since we knew being veggies we do not have lot of options and what we have would be extremely expensive and probably not worth the money too) we left to explore the market area..we walked around the place and it seemed like a beautiful small village, where one could see the white mountains everywhere and lush green trees..Swiss watches and chocolates was all we could see at every corner and in every shop:) The day was well spent..We went back to our hotel, warmed up our ready to eat pastas, tortillas and some Indian veggies and went back to sleep to relax our bodies for the next destination- Jungfrauhoch!

Walking towards the market street in Interlaken

Interlaken

Swiss chocolate boutique

Cowbells..an old Swiss tradition

Swiss souvenirs

On the way to Interlaken

On the way to Interlaken from Bern

A day in Frankfurt!

I recently visited Frankfurt with my family and some friends, and as always I was mesmerized by its charming contrast and diversity. Frankfurt is the financial hub of Germany and the only city here where the mighty skyscrapers coexist with the old heritage buildings. This was my third visit to the city and I love going there to  spend time on the bank of Main river and admire the beautiful skyline. It looks perfect during the summers with the sun and the colorful flowers, however this time even though it was April, the air was cool and the trees lacked the lushness.
It took us 2.5 hours to reach Frankfurt Main Station from Kaiserslautern and we took the exit towards Kaiserstraße. It is a very popular street and has lot of shops and cafes, making it perfect to spend few hours on a sunny day.

Kaiserstrasse

One particular place here where I love to eat is Urban Kitchen (Kaiserstrasse 53). It has lot of options for vegetarians. They serve really sumptuous Pastas, Gnocchi and Pizza Brot (bread).

At Urban Kitchen

The Euro Sign and the hexagon building behind it is the European Central Bank

Walking straight ahead on the Kaiserstrasse, we soon reached the famous euro sign statue. This big blue euro sign stands in front of the European Central Bank, and is not easy to miss (especially if you are interested in Finance and Politics, and have seen this on BBC News).

The Main Tower (in blue)

After some clicks there, we walked ahead to our next destination and my favourite-The Main Tower. The Main Tower is 500 storey, 200m high skyscraper , and the only one in Frankfurt which is open to public. It has been named after the river Main that flows through the region. Just as we enter the building, there is a high-tech security check that each visitor has to clear (similar to the ones at the airports). After the security check, we head to the elevators that take us to the 54th floor in barely 45 seconds.

Security Check at the entrance of Main Tower

From there there are two public viewing platforms (55th and 56th floor respectively)..And what we saw from the top was simply breathtaking..and for merely 5 euros that we paid for each person..On one side was the Hauptbahnhof, where the trains looked like toy trains..on the other was the serene Main river, making everything look so calm..The height of the tower makes all other skyscrapers look like dwarfs, filling me with awe. It is totally worth going up the tower and if luck prevails and sun shines, then one can get some of the most beautiful shots of the city from the top.

At the Main Tower

Main Tower 

View of Hauptbahnhof from the top

View from the top of Main Tower

We stand taller than these skyscrapers

After spending some time at the Main Tower, we decided to take a leisurely walk along the river side..And it was indeed a refreshing break..Since it was not sunny, there were not too many people around..but on a sunny day it is extremely crowded..I love to see people doing all sorts of random activities there- jogging, cycling, boating, sun bathing, having a chilled beer or ice cream, reading a book and simply having fun. Frankfurt am Main is also referred to as ''Mainhattan'' by Germans because of its skyline.

''Mainhattan''

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Walking along the river side, we soon reached the Iron Bridge, which gave a great view of the river and the skyline. There were hundreds of love padlocks tied on the bridge. Since I had already seen these padlocks in Austria, I was well aware of this custom; however, my parents were extremely amused to see these colorful locks in abundance:)

Love Padlocks

To the north of the bridge is the old city, known as Römerberg..It is a quaint city centre with lot of historical buildings. 
There are lot of museums in Frankfurt, but I have not been able to explore that side of the city yet.
I usually go there for few hours to enjoy the sun, river and buy Indian grocery (I shop from Punjabi Shop located on the Weserstrasse).

Römerberg