Trip report--P_M's Swiss Adventure
Aug 29th, 2004, 06:12 AM
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Trip report--P_M's Swiss Adventure
As some of you know, my adventure got off to a terrifying start, but you may read about that on my thread "Emergency Landing on BA in Houston." I am happy to say this was the only bad thing that happened, so now let's get to the good stuff.
Because of the above fiasco, I arrived into Geneva around 7pm instead of 11:35am as scheduled, so I missed my first day. That's OK, small consequence considering what could have happened. Because of the emergency landing, my luggage was still on the other plane and did not arrive when I did, but I knew in advance that would be the case. After getting into Geneva I took the train to Lausanne and checked into the Melia Carlton. This was a very nice and quite reasonably priced hotel. It had been a long day and part of me felt exausted, but I knew sleep was impossible so I walked down to the lake. It was a beautiful evening, and I had a very nice walk and felt safe walking alone at night. Finally around 10pm I went back to the hotel and took a sleeping pill, as I still felt wound up from the events of the day.
The next day I got up early and walked to the Old Town. I visited the cathedral and did some window-shopping. I then went to the lake, and it looked so beautiful I had to go for a boat ride. I jumped on the boat and enjoyed a very relaxing ride around the lake, then I got off at Yviore, France. I had lunch and spent the afternoon exploring this wonderful town. I visited the garden of 5 senses, which was very enjoyable. I took the boat back to Lausanne and did a bit more exploring of that town and had dinner. I went back to the hotel hoping my luggage would be there as I wanted to take the train to Montreaux and go to the casino. My luggage had arrived, but a lot of my stuff was wet!! So instead of going to the casino, I spent the evening drying my clothes with a hair dryer. I was disappointed, but missing the casino probably saved me some money.
The next morning I took the train to Vevey, on the recommendation of Suze of this board. I enjoyed visiting the Farmer's Market and seeing the town. On Suze's recommendation, I sampled the wine, many times. It was a beautiful morning, and it was time well spent.
After that I took the train to Geneva to meet my hiking group at the airport. This was a Guerba trip called Swiss Alpine Trails. Our group of 10 met, and I immediately knew I was among friends. In our group were 5 British, 2 Irish, 3 Aussies living in the UK, and me, the only American. That's OK, I meet Americans at home every day and it's nice to meet people from other parts of the world. We were taken to our home base in Morgins, Switzerland, which is a short walk from the French border. We arrived at our chalet, was like a 6-bedroom house. We were shown to our rooms and given no keys. When I asked how to secure my passport and cash, they said that nobody in this town of 450 people ever locks anything and not to worry. That felt a little strange, but I soon realized it would be OK, as the only people there were from our group.
There was a festival of some sort going on in Morgins, so I visited that before joining my group for dinner, which was included in the price of the trip every night but one. Our group got better acquainted and I knew it would be a fun week.
More to come.
Because of the above fiasco, I arrived into Geneva around 7pm instead of 11:35am as scheduled, so I missed my first day. That's OK, small consequence considering what could have happened. Because of the emergency landing, my luggage was still on the other plane and did not arrive when I did, but I knew in advance that would be the case. After getting into Geneva I took the train to Lausanne and checked into the Melia Carlton. This was a very nice and quite reasonably priced hotel. It had been a long day and part of me felt exausted, but I knew sleep was impossible so I walked down to the lake. It was a beautiful evening, and I had a very nice walk and felt safe walking alone at night. Finally around 10pm I went back to the hotel and took a sleeping pill, as I still felt wound up from the events of the day.
The next day I got up early and walked to the Old Town. I visited the cathedral and did some window-shopping. I then went to the lake, and it looked so beautiful I had to go for a boat ride. I jumped on the boat and enjoyed a very relaxing ride around the lake, then I got off at Yviore, France. I had lunch and spent the afternoon exploring this wonderful town. I visited the garden of 5 senses, which was very enjoyable. I took the boat back to Lausanne and did a bit more exploring of that town and had dinner. I went back to the hotel hoping my luggage would be there as I wanted to take the train to Montreaux and go to the casino. My luggage had arrived, but a lot of my stuff was wet!! So instead of going to the casino, I spent the evening drying my clothes with a hair dryer. I was disappointed, but missing the casino probably saved me some money.
The next morning I took the train to Vevey, on the recommendation of Suze of this board. I enjoyed visiting the Farmer's Market and seeing the town. On Suze's recommendation, I sampled the wine, many times. It was a beautiful morning, and it was time well spent.
After that I took the train to Geneva to meet my hiking group at the airport. This was a Guerba trip called Swiss Alpine Trails. Our group of 10 met, and I immediately knew I was among friends. In our group were 5 British, 2 Irish, 3 Aussies living in the UK, and me, the only American. That's OK, I meet Americans at home every day and it's nice to meet people from other parts of the world. We were taken to our home base in Morgins, Switzerland, which is a short walk from the French border. We arrived at our chalet, was like a 6-bedroom house. We were shown to our rooms and given no keys. When I asked how to secure my passport and cash, they said that nobody in this town of 450 people ever locks anything and not to worry. That felt a little strange, but I soon realized it would be OK, as the only people there were from our group.
There was a festival of some sort going on in Morgins, so I visited that before joining my group for dinner, which was included in the price of the trip every night but one. Our group got better acquainted and I knew it would be a fun week.
More to come.
Aug 29th, 2004, 06:26 AM
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The next day we walked a few blocks to the chair lift and took that up the mountian. From there we climbed on La Truche, then downhill through meadows and ended up at a cafe in Tovassiere. The cafe was so crowded we took our packed lunches down to a rushing river and ate lunch there. We walked on and eventually arrived back in Morgins. After an hour or so of rest, our guide invited us to join her as she walked her dogs. We thought it would be an easy walk around the village. Not quite. We walked up a very steep mountain and walked downhill along the ridge, which was the Swiss/French border. For the rest of the trip, we referred to this as "Extreme Dog-walking."
The next day we went to the vineyards of Lavey, which are just above Montreaux. Our guide seemed to know everything about Swiss wine. After a long but pleasant walk through the vinyards, we ended up in a dimly-lit wine cellar. Usually at a wine-tasing they don't give you full glasses, but this guy filled them up. I lost count of how many glasses I drank after 8. I am a very small person, and I was certainly feeling no pain. On the drive back to Morgins, we all sang some of our local songs. I sang "The eyes of Texas." I pray nobody had a video recorder with sound.
The next day we were supposed to do a challenging hike to Pointe de Bellvue, but it was storming so we were taken to the spa at Lavey, which was originally scheduled for the next day. Although the weather was nasty, we didn't care because we were in heated pools, jacuzzis, and saunas. Later the sun came out and we went to Montreaux. We visited the town and toured Chateuax de Chillon.
The next day we did the walk up Pointe de Bellvue, altitude 2041m. It was very steep, but a glorious view from the top, where we had lunch. We hiked downhill and stopped at a cheese farm. There were a total of 5 hours walking that day, not including rest stops and lunch, of course. What a day!!
Stay tuned.
The next day we went to the vineyards of Lavey, which are just above Montreaux. Our guide seemed to know everything about Swiss wine. After a long but pleasant walk through the vinyards, we ended up in a dimly-lit wine cellar. Usually at a wine-tasing they don't give you full glasses, but this guy filled them up. I lost count of how many glasses I drank after 8. I am a very small person, and I was certainly feeling no pain. On the drive back to Morgins, we all sang some of our local songs. I sang "The eyes of Texas." I pray nobody had a video recorder with sound.
The next day we were supposed to do a challenging hike to Pointe de Bellvue, but it was storming so we were taken to the spa at Lavey, which was originally scheduled for the next day. Although the weather was nasty, we didn't care because we were in heated pools, jacuzzis, and saunas. Later the sun came out and we went to Montreaux. We visited the town and toured Chateuax de Chillon.
The next day we did the walk up Pointe de Bellvue, altitude 2041m. It was very steep, but a glorious view from the top, where we had lunch. We hiked downhill and stopped at a cheese farm. There were a total of 5 hours walking that day, not including rest stops and lunch, of course. What a day!!
Stay tuned.
Aug 29th, 2004, 06:40 AM
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The next day we were driven to Barme to begin our walk. That day was cloudy, but no rain. Although the clouds obstructed some of our views, it gave it kind of a spooky feel that we liked. We walked on many beautiful trails, and when we found a place for lunch, the sun came out and the view was spectacular!! By chance, we sat in a spot where we were surrounded by wild blueberries, so that was our dessert. We continued walking and came back to Barme, where we all stopped for snacks and beer.
The next day was my favorite of all. We were driven to Chamonix, France. We took the Flegere cable car and hiked downhill from there. We were supposed to hike on a higher trail, but it was so cloudy we decided to take a shorter route and spend more time in Chamonix. By the time we got to Chamonix, the sun was out and we enjoyed a wonderful afternoon there. We returned to our chalet, and I felt a little sad knowing it was our last night together.
The next morning I said goodbye to my friends and took the train to Grindelwald. I stayed at the Residence Hotel, which is near a beautiful church and cemetary, so I was nice and quiet. After getting settled, I took the city bus to a nearby canyon with many waterfalls. It was such a nice day I decided to walk back, which took about an hour. I spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the town and I enjoyed Rosti for dinner.
The next day I got up very early and took the 7:20am train up the Jungfrau. It was a long, but fantastic ride. Once on top, I went walked through the snow to a small cafe. The sign said it was a 40 minute walk, but it seemed longer. It was well worth it, and the walk back went a lot faster, as it was downhill. When I came back, they had opened up the skiing, dogsled rides, and disc sledding. As a life-long Southerner, I had never been sledding before so I had to try it. I warned the children nearby to stay away from me because I'm a big kid that doesn't know how to sled. They thought I was crazy so they got out of my way. It was great fun. After that I visited the ice cave. I came back down on the train and spent some time in Klein Scheidegg. Fantastic place, and I did some walking in the meadow nearby.
Stay with me--almost finished....
The next day was my favorite of all. We were driven to Chamonix, France. We took the Flegere cable car and hiked downhill from there. We were supposed to hike on a higher trail, but it was so cloudy we decided to take a shorter route and spend more time in Chamonix. By the time we got to Chamonix, the sun was out and we enjoyed a wonderful afternoon there. We returned to our chalet, and I felt a little sad knowing it was our last night together.
The next morning I said goodbye to my friends and took the train to Grindelwald. I stayed at the Residence Hotel, which is near a beautiful church and cemetary, so I was nice and quiet. After getting settled, I took the city bus to a nearby canyon with many waterfalls. It was such a nice day I decided to walk back, which took about an hour. I spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the town and I enjoyed Rosti for dinner.
The next day I got up very early and took the 7:20am train up the Jungfrau. It was a long, but fantastic ride. Once on top, I went walked through the snow to a small cafe. The sign said it was a 40 minute walk, but it seemed longer. It was well worth it, and the walk back went a lot faster, as it was downhill. When I came back, they had opened up the skiing, dogsled rides, and disc sledding. As a life-long Southerner, I had never been sledding before so I had to try it. I warned the children nearby to stay away from me because I'm a big kid that doesn't know how to sled. They thought I was crazy so they got out of my way. It was great fun. After that I visited the ice cave. I came back down on the train and spent some time in Klein Scheidegg. Fantastic place, and I did some walking in the meadow nearby.
Stay with me--almost finished....
Aug 29th, 2004, 06:54 AM
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The next day I went to Lauterbrunnen. I took the bus to Trummelbach Falls. After that I decided to walk back through the meadow. I was in awe of the mountians and waterfalls around me. I came into the town and after having lunch I took the cog to Murren, then on to the Schilthorn. I am sorry to say that the Shilthorn was a bit of a disappointment. Maybe I would have liked it more if I hadn't seen the Jungfrau first, but in any case, the cable car rides were very nice. On the way down I spent some time in Murren, then back down to Lauterbrunnen. It was a great day.
The next day I took the train to Geneva, as it was almost time to go home. I arrived into Geneva around noon and checked into the Tryp de Berne. I chose this hotel because it was only 90 CHF and near the train station. I spent the rest of the day walking around Geneva and did a tram tour of the old town. In the evening I went to a lakeside cafe called Bleu Rhone (I think) and had lamb shish-ka-bobs. I sat right by the water with a view of the waterjet. I do not usually drink beer, but I kept ordering more beers because I just didn't want to leave. Finally the time came, so I did some last-minute chocolate-shopping and went to the hotel, as I had to catch a 7:20am plane. During the night I was awakened several times by crazy drunk people. When I got up at 5am, it was very dark and there were still crazy people out. I decided then to taxi to the aiport, as I was afraid to walk alone to the train station in the dark. When I got to the desk, the clerk told me that a cab was already ordered for another guest, so I was able to share the ride with a kind, elderly man.
I flew home GVA/LGW/IAH on British Airways. Because of the fiasco on the outbound, BA very generously upgraded me to Business Class. I had a very comfy seat which could be made into a flat bed. I sipped champagne with brunch, and I watched movies and read books between naps. It was so great, I didn't care how long that flight was. As I was leaving the plane, they gave me 2 bottles of French wine. BA showed me that they really cared about what happened in Houston, and for that I think they are a class act. Thanks for reading.
THE END.
The next day I took the train to Geneva, as it was almost time to go home. I arrived into Geneva around noon and checked into the Tryp de Berne. I chose this hotel because it was only 90 CHF and near the train station. I spent the rest of the day walking around Geneva and did a tram tour of the old town. In the evening I went to a lakeside cafe called Bleu Rhone (I think) and had lamb shish-ka-bobs. I sat right by the water with a view of the waterjet. I do not usually drink beer, but I kept ordering more beers because I just didn't want to leave. Finally the time came, so I did some last-minute chocolate-shopping and went to the hotel, as I had to catch a 7:20am plane. During the night I was awakened several times by crazy drunk people. When I got up at 5am, it was very dark and there were still crazy people out. I decided then to taxi to the aiport, as I was afraid to walk alone to the train station in the dark. When I got to the desk, the clerk told me that a cab was already ordered for another guest, so I was able to share the ride with a kind, elderly man.
I flew home GVA/LGW/IAH on British Airways. Because of the fiasco on the outbound, BA very generously upgraded me to Business Class. I had a very comfy seat which could be made into a flat bed. I sipped champagne with brunch, and I watched movies and read books between naps. It was so great, I didn't care how long that flight was. As I was leaving the plane, they gave me 2 bottles of French wine. BA showed me that they really cared about what happened in Houston, and for that I think they are a class act. Thanks for reading.
THE END.
Aug 29th, 2004, 07:11 AM
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First of all, glad you and the others on that flight were all ok
Wow, your trip sounds amazing!!! My dh and I are avid hikers here in the US but want to take a European hiking trip. Can you give me a few more details of the company you used? Maybe a phone number or website? Thanks!
Wow, your trip sounds amazing!!! My dh and I are avid hikers here in the US but want to take a European hiking trip. Can you give me a few more details of the company you used? Maybe a phone number or website? Thanks!
Aug 29th, 2004, 08:29 AM
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Absolutely, please check out www.guerba.com. If you don't find anything of interest there, go to www.adventurecenter.com. That company does booking for both Guerba and Explore tours. If you find something of interest, you may book by calling 1-800-227-8747.
I was very pleased with this company. The price was very reasonable and all of our meals were included except for one day when the cook had a day off. It was a great value and a lot of fun. I fully intend to take another trip w/Guerba.
I was very pleased with this company. The price was very reasonable and all of our meals were included except for one day when the cook had a day off. It was a great value and a lot of fun. I fully intend to take another trip w/Guerba.
Aug 29th, 2004, 08:33 AM
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Thanks for the great trip report. You were my virtual travel pal for "our" Switzerland trips. I'm glad you so enjoyed the beautiful country. And I'm sure that's you somewhere in the crowd-scene snapshots of mine from the morning at the Vevey market!
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Aug 29th, 2004, 11:11 AM
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I enjoyed reading your trip report so much! Glad it turned out well for you after the horrible start.
I skiied at Morgins when I lived in Geneva and now, after reading your report, I long to go back again. And sitting at a cafe overlooking the Jet d'Eau in Geneva is something I did many, many times, usually on Sunday afternoons. Switzerland is a special place! Thanks for the report.
I skiied at Morgins when I lived in Geneva and now, after reading your report, I long to go back again. And sitting at a cafe overlooking the Jet d'Eau in Geneva is something I did many, many times, usually on Sunday afternoons. Switzerland is a special place! Thanks for the report.
Sep 1st, 2004, 10:14 AM
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Pictures are now available. Please go to www.photobucket.com and under albums, type in PamKM. Enjoy!!
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