What better way to treat ourselves after doing a triathlon than go to Switzerland for an extended weekend?!? Terry and I were looking forward to relaxing, getting in some hiking, taking in the culture and eating.
We took a red-eye and slept for most of the night however when we got there we were still really tired. Up to that point (and even to today), I have never seen Terry so sleepy! For a guy that thinks going to bed before 1am is crazy-talk, I was humored to look over at him and be zoned out in the early afternoon. We had a beautiful train ride over to Lucerne, a place my brother recommended visiting. We went through the hills and passed through little towns and rivers. It was so wonderfully beautiful!
We got to Lucerne in the early afternoon but were still tired so we did what two really tired people do....take an afternoon siesta. The only thing, however, is that the siesta ended up being about 5 hours! We missed most of the afternoon but were starving so we went out to dinner at a French restaurant near the river. It was so nice, we sat in the courtyard that was made of brick and there was even a mini-clock tower behind us. The food was fantastic and so was the wine.
After dinner, we took a stroll through the streets and over the river and had dessert at another restaurant. Since it was the end of the summer, berries apparently were really in season. They were so deliciously sweet.
After dessert, we decided to check out a local pub, the only one that happened to be open after 10pm on a Thursday. It so happened to be an 'American' themed pub. It's always amusing to see what people think of as "American". It was like they took Hawaii 5-0 and an 80's looking frat house and combined those two themes together. We nonetheless had a great time! We drank and laughed and were just plain silly.
We left around 4am and on the walk back to our hotel Terry dared me to climb on a flag pole over the lake - I thought he was crazy for even daring me to do so. I did, however, decide to take a quick dip in the lake on the other side. The water was a little slimy from the algae but it was a great temperature - not too cold.
The following day both of us were a little tired from the time difference a
nd also being slightly dehydrated from the drinks from the night before. Nonetheless we took a ferry over to the base of a mountain. From there we took a funicular up to the hiking routes and began our hike.It was a little warm and we were pretty tired, but probably mostly from the heat. I was really surprised by the fact that it was so quiet...almost eerily quiet. The only sounds that could be heard were the cow bells in the distance. We had a good walk up and then a huge descent down. At the top of the hill, we had some juice and water nearby Hammetschwand Lift, is the highest exterior elevator in Europe. After a quick breather we started our descent down. Going downhill was way more tiring than going uphill!! On the way down, we went through grassy fields and through farmers backyards. It was super picturesque, with the exception of the horse flies that were biting us all over. That probably helped us get down the hill faster than we would have otherwise. At the bottom of the hill we took a bus (I actually took us in the wrong direction, oops) and then a really old school train back to Lake Lucerne.
A trip to Switze
rland would not be complete without a fondue experience. We had quite a yummy one with chicken, breads, fruits and vegetables. Needless to say, we left stuffed and tired. The following day we went in a pedal boat on Lake Lucerne and when I say we, I actually mean Terry pedaled us around while I got to take in the landscape.We also go to spend some time in Zurich - the lake there is not as clean as Lake Lucerne but it was still pretty darn nice. We talked/hung out by the lake and went on a ferris wheel ride which freaked me out. We walked further out to a restaurant that was recommended by our hotel, it was nice, right on the lake. We listened to a jazz band and had wine/dinner.
I loved Switzerland because it was clean, people were nice and it had a very distinct culture. The culture was familiar and one of the few I feel like I had an impression of prior to visiting, that was the same after I visited. This was a most relaxing trip and we both decided that we'll want to go back again at some point since there is still much to be explored.
