A Nederlof - Switzerland

Our air itinerary to Europe included a nine hour layover in Zurich - worth the extra time to start acclimatizing to the nine hour time change. We took the train to the city - it's 5 minutes - enjoyed getting out in the fresh air and sunshine and not rushing about.

Zürich

Permanently settled for over 2,000 years, Zürich was founded by the Romans and today is the largest city in Switzerland. It is a hub for railways, roads, and air traffic - both the airport and main railway station are the largest and busiest in the country. As one of Switzerland's primary financial centres, Zürich is home to many financial institutions and banking companies

old City

Pub closed

There are regular races and regattas

Rowing on Sunday appears to be a thing

City Hall & Fraumünster Church

Limmat River and the entrance to the Zurichsee

Landesmuseum - National Museum

Mid afternoon libations in the National Museum courtyard - we're starting to fade

As our river cruise ended in Basel, we added time to visit a few Swiss highlights while we were there. We spent a delightful nine days/nights, 'Visit Switzerland' passes in hand. We travelled by conventional trains, panoramic trains, cog railways and lake steamers and of course, our feet. The weather was cooperative - bluebird skies & not a drop of rain every day.

Best of all, Michael & Delta joined us the first few days making it a family affair.

St Gallen

We're delighted Michael & Delta are with us!

The best!

Postcard collection

Abbey of St Gall - the UNESCO World Heritage Site description:

The Convent of St Gall, a perfect example of a great Carolingian monastery, was, from the 8th century to its secularization in 1805, one of the most important in Europe. Its library is one of the richest and oldest in the world and contains precious manuscripts such as the earliest-known architectural plan drawn on parchment. From 1755 to 1768, the conventual area was rebuilt in Baroque style. The cathedral and the library are the main features of this remarkable architectural complex, reflecting 12 centuries of continuous activity.

Cathedral - 1770 CE

The Abbey - est. 719 CE

Abbey of St Gall - the UNESCO World Heritage Site description:

The High Baroque library represents one of the most beautiful examples of its era, and the present cathedral is one of the last monumental constructions of Baroque abbatial churches in the West. In addition to the architectural substance, the inestimable cultural values conserved at the Abbey are of exceptional importance, notably: the Irish manuscripts of the 7th and 8th centuries, the illuminated manuscripts of the St Gall School of the 9th and 11th centuries, documents concerning the history of the origins of Alemannic Switzerland as well as the layout of the convent during the Carolingian era (the only manuscript plan of that time remaining worldwide, conserved in its original state, representing a concept of monastic organisation of the Benedictine order.

Igniting the adventurous spirit in any born traveler, the library’s earth and celestial globe is a beauty, more than two meters high, replete with naturalistic detail and still incomplete as some countries were yet to be discovered. The 16th-century original was stolen more than 400 years ago, so what you see now is a very convincing replica.

The library hall, designed by the architect Peter Thumb in a Rococo style, was constructed between 1758 and 1767. A Greek inscription above the entrance door translates as "healing place for the soul".

Only 30,000 of the total collection of 170,000 volumes are in the library at any one time, arranged into special exhibitions. Among these are 1650 incunabula (books printed before 1501). Of the library's 2100 precious manuscripts – some of which are true works of art and remarkably well preserved – just a handful are on display. The oldest manuscript, dating to 760, was penned by the monk Winithar, who complained about not having sufficient parchment. Most of the books are underground in light and temperature controlled rooms - they can be used on-site for research by scholars.

Hailing from the Deir el-Bahri Temple Complex, Shepenese, the library’s ancient Egyptian mummy, dates to 700 BC and was given as a gift to the mayor of St Gallen in 1820, together with two wooden sarcophagi. Shepenese was the daughter of a priest and lived at the start of the Saite Dynasty (672 to 525 BC).

Original window parts

The vaulted cellar houses the Lapidarium, which showcases a collection of Carolingian, Ottonian and Gothic sculpture from the former church on the site.

The Bernina Express - - the UNESCO World Heritage Site description:

Rhaetian Railway in the Albula / Bernina Landscapes, brings together two historic railway lines that cross the Swiss Alps through two passes. Opened in 1904, the Albula line in the north western part of the property is 67 km long. It features an impressive set of structures including 42 tunnels and covered galleries and 144 viaducts and bridges. The 61 km Bernina pass line features 13 tunnels and galleries and 52 viaducts and bridges. The property is exemplary of the use of the railway to overcome the isolation of settlements in the Central Alps early in the 20th century, with a major and lasting socio-economic impact on life in the mountains. It constitutes an outstanding technical, architectural and environmental ensemble and embodies architectural and civil engineering achievements, in harmony with the landscapes through which they pass.

136-metre-long viaduct near Filisur, which ends in the vertical rock wall as the Bernina Express continues into the tunnel

The Bernina Express travels over 196 bridges and through 55 tunnels

Bernina Glacier in the Bernina Range of the Swiss Alps

Swiss Cheese in Production

Tirano, Italy

Lunch spot

Appenzell

Luzern/Lucerne

The Kapellbrücke (Chapel Bridge) spans the river Reuss diagonally. It was originally built c.1365 as part of Lucerne's fortifications Named after the nearby St. Peter's Chapel, the bridge is unique in containing a number of interior paintings dating back to the 17th century, although many of them were destroyed along with a larger part of the centuries-old bridge in a 1993 fire. Subsequently restored, the Kapellbrücke is the oldest wooden covered bridge in Europe, as well as the world's oldest surviving truss bridge.

The "Wasserturm" (Water Tower) in the sense of "tower standing in the water" pre-dated the bridge by about 30 years. Over the centuries the tower has been used as a prison, torture chamber, and later a municipal archive as well as a local treasury.

Day trip to Mt. Rigi via Lake Lucern

Not France - but it has that vibe

Capuccino & Croissant for breakfast

Reusswehr Needle Dam

The Reuss weir is one of the last remaining needle dams in the world. What's a needle dam? It's a weir, which maintains both the water level and the flow of the river through a series of thin pieces of wood, often called needles. You can tame the flow of the river by adding or subtracting these needles. It was built in 1859 by the French architect Chuaree and in 1998 the hydroelectric power plant was completely redesigned and equipped with the latest technology available. It produces 4.3 million kWh per year, which is enough to power around 1,500 households in Lucerne. Between 2008 and 2011, the weir underwent a 23 million Sfr renovation, which resulted in greater flood protection for the lake and the River Reuss, preservation of the listed needle dam, better living conditions for plants and animals and the continuation of energy production. The water level of the lake can now be maintained at an optimum height regardless of weather conditions.

Jesuit Church - 17th c

Lucern

Seebrug

Weggis

Not a private kind of tour day

View from Mt. Rigi - Lake Lucern, 2023

It's a cog railway

It's steep

Vitznau

Park Hotel Vitznau

Weggis

MV Titlis docked at Schloss Meggan - Lake Lucern, 2023

Lake Lucern viewed from the city

Between Lucern & Interlaken

Lauterbrunnen

View from our balcony

Our hotel

Beef Carpaccio

Raclette - a traditional Swiss dish

Melt faster!

Yum

Bells, band, choir, alpenhorn & a flag thrower. Folklore show!

Mürren

View from Murren - the Lauterbrunnen Valley

The Eiger, The Monch & The Jungfrau

Cablecar down to Lauterbrunnen

Up to Kleine Scheidegg

The Jungfrau & Swiss Alps - the UNESCO World Heritage Site description

The Jungfrau-Aletsch-Bietschhorn region is the most glaciated part of the European Alps, containing Europe's largest glacier and a range of classic glacial features, and provides an outstanding record of the geological processes that formed the High Alps. A diverse flora and fauna is represented in a range of habitats, and plant colonization in the wake of retreating glaciers provides an outstanding example of plant succession.

Criterion (vii): The impressive landscape within the property has played an important role in European art, literature, mountaineering and alpine tourism. The area is globally recognised as one of the most spectacular mountain regions to visit and its aesthetics have attracted an international following. The impressive north wall of the High Alps, centred on the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau peaks, is a superlative scenic feature, complemented on the southern side of the Alpine divide by spectacular peaks and a valley system which supports the two longest glaciers in western Eurasia.