Bruschetta in Bern

The weather forecast today called for light rain. That was ok with us, as we were looking forward to a relaxing day at home anyway. After a morning run, we went to the store and picked up the ingredients for bruschetta -- bread, tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, and fresh basil. It is a pretty easy recipe. We used our new grill to toast the bread, rubbed it with garlic, diced up the basil and tomatoes, drizzled it with a little olive oil, and...viola. Delicious!

We sat out under the canopy on our balcony and enjoyed the fruits of our labor. It looked so nice even Chelsea came out to join us. Just when we thought it couldn't get any better, Pam noticed a rainbow over the Aare River. It was a great ending to a nice, relaxing day. Here are some pictures.

Happy Birthday, Mich!!!

Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you.  Happy birthday dear Michelle, happy birthday to you!!!

Hope you have a wonderful day.  ENJOY!!!

Smoke on the Water

We finally made a day trip to Montreux today. I say finally because every time we considered a trip to Montreux it seemed like bad weather would thwart our plans. Montreux is a resort town located along the southeast corner of Lake Geneva (a.k.a. Lac Leman). It is considered the "jewel of the Swiss Riviera," according to our guidebook, and is best known for its annual Jazz festival in July. In fact, when Frank Zappa played at the festival in 1971, a rocket flare from the show set off a fire at the Montreux casino and cast a pall of smoke over Lake Geneva. The scene inspired Deep Purple to write the famous rock classic, Smoke on the Water. Montreux was also the second home of Freddie Mercury, who died there in 1991.

But we didn't go to Montreux for the music (this time). No, we went to check out the Chateu de Chillon. Chillon is one of Switzerland's most recognizable sights, right up there with the Matterhorn. The stunningly picturesque castle is set on a rocky island a short walk south along the coast from Montreux. We purchased the audio guide tour and spent two hours exploring, visiting just about every tower and medieval chamber the place had to offer. We learned the dungeon was once used as a prison. The most famous prisoner was Francois de Bonivard, who spent six lonely years in captivity chained to one of the columns. The story was immortalized by Lord Byron in his famous poem 'The Prisoner of Chillon" in 1816. Legend has it that Byron was so moved by his visit to Chillon that he actually carved his name into the column to which de Bonivard was chained. Not sure if that is true, but I took a picture of the graffiti just in case.  Pam also took a picture of me imagining myself as poor Francois.

Anyway, after our tour of Chateu de Chillon, we took the short ferry ride back to Montreux for dinner. Montreux is a beautiful city built into the steep hillside along the waterfront, with wonderful views across the lake of Savoy (France) and the Alps. We enjoyed a short, relaxing walk along the shore after dinner and then caught the 8:30PM train back to Bern. All in all, Montreux was definitely worth the wait.  Here are some pictures from our day in Montreux/Chillon.

Tourist Attraction

Today we went to the Bundesplatz in Bern's Old Town, where they have an outdoor market every Tuesday and Saturday morning. We picked out some flowers and potted plants for our balcony, then headed to the store to buy an outdoor grill. It was a great day for a BBQ!

After much debate, we finally decided on the deluxe Elektrogrill 4071 -- 1500W of pure grilling power for the ultimate outdoor barbecuing experience! Unfortunately, amid all the excitement, I didn't give much consideration to how I was going to get the 100 lb. box back home. I ended up dragging the @%$& thing right down Marketgasse (past all the gawking tourists). I'm sure there's an unflattering picture out there of me heaving and dripping with sweat on someone else's blog by now. Nice.

Anyway, I finally got the grill home and fired it up. Well, technically there was no fire...but you know what I mean. It was delicious all the same. We ate hamburgers and sausages, with rice and corn on the side. Afterward, I enjoyed a nice cigar while Chelsea proceeded to destroy our new flowers. :) It was a great day. Here are some pictures.

It's a wrap...

(Pam) Today was my last day in German class. Overall, it was worthwhile. I am satisfied with how I did, since I had no exposure to the language before (besides the standard "Guten Tag" and "Gute Nacht"). Now, menus and ordering are much easier. I also don't have to hold up my fingers to say how many products I need when I am buying anything. Although, some pronunciations like "zwei" for the number 2 is still a challenge. I also met a few people -- like Carmin and Tony.  Carmin invited me to her son's birthday part next Friday.  At the end, there were only four others left in the class. The rest were much more advanced and departed for the next level. 

I do plan to take the next level so I can be somewhat conversational but, I am taking a few weeks off to relax after such a strenuous class! Actually, I plan to use the next couple weeks to search for some volunteer work. There are not many charitable organizations in Bern as the government takes care of this. 

Ballenberg

We woke up Sunday morning in Interlaken and gazed at the fog hanging over the nearby Jungfrau mountain. The cloud plumes made it look as if the mountain was burning. The weather was starting to clear, so Pam and I decided to visit Ballenberg (a coworker had recommended it to me). We took the train from Interlaken to Brienz, then a bus to Ballenberg.

Ballenberg is a so called "open air museum" where there are over 100 centuries-old houses from almost every region in Switzerland. It kind of reminded me of Sturbridge Village. We walked around looking at demonstrations of old Swiss handicrats and trades: from a historical pharmacy and sausage smoking to wood-carving and basket-weaving. There was also a pottery exhibit. See video. We didn't actually see the wine making exhibit, but we certainly enjoyed the final product at one of the outdoor cafes.

We were having a great time. But the weather was starting to turn, so we decided to head back to Bern a little early. All in all, it was another great weekend.

Interlaken

The entire country of Switzerland seemed to have rain in the forecast this weekend. But that didn't deter us from planning a weekend trip. We decided to take care of some unfinished business: Interlaken. In hindsight, probably not the best weekend for it. Interlaken is best known for its many outdoor activities -- hiking, river rafting, canyon-jumping, ice-climbing, sky diving, etc. -- so visiting on a rainy, foggy weekend really limited our options.

As a regional gateway, Interlaken itself possess few attractions. But we made the best of it. We had some great views from our hotel room balcony, and enjoyed a nice fondue dinner Saturday night at a beautiful little restaurant overlooking the Aare River (same river that flows through Bern). We also walked down the city's main promenade, the Hoheweg, and stopped by the ritzy Grand Hotel Vitctoria-Jungrau (rooms start at $600 per night) to inquire about a massage at their world famous spa. Turns out the spa treatments cost a lot too! Here are some pictures of Interlaken.

The Happiest Place on Earth

Sorry to rub it in but.....I came across a great article on msnbc.com and I couldn't resist sharing.  

The "World Database of Happiness" came out with their latest ranking of 95 nations on a happiness scale.  Give you one guess where Switzerland ranks.....  :)  

Here is a little excerpt:  "The Swiss are efficient and punctual, comparatively wealthy and face hardly any unemployment. Their streets, air and tap water are squeaky clean and chocolate is a national obsession."

Watchdog Takes a Bite out of Credit Suisse

My soccer team at work played Credit Suisse today. We won 6-5! I'm on the team, technically. I say technically because I had no goals, no assists, and barely touched the ball. I felt a little silly out there at times, but the game was no joke. We had uniforms and all. I actually didn't realize we were supposed to wear uniforms (I'm sure this was explained to me in German at some point), so I brought my own clothes and and changed into them before the game. I was about to walk out onto the field when I realized the error of my ways. It was a little embarrassing, but fortunately someone had an extra shirt and shorts for me.

Anyway, it was a beautiful day and the game was pretty competitive. In fact, I was yelled at by one teammate for being out of position at one point. But I didn't take offense. Most of my teammates were very understanding. The level of play was also very high - much higher than what I had seen during practice. Some of the players were semi-pro. If I had known this beforehand, I never would have taken the field. But we won, and there were no injuries. That's all that matters.

Although I had fun, I was a lot more comfortable taking pictures on the sideline after I came out of the game. The coach of our team spotted me with the camera and asked if I would mind writing up a summary of the game for posting to the corporate intranet site. I gladly accepted. I had a lot of fun with it. My headline: "Watchdog Takes a Bite out of Credit Suisse."

After the game, the two teams came together for a nice outdoor barbecue, where they served wine and beer. They call it the "third half" in soccer, which is very similar to the 19th hole in golf. :) It was a lot of fun. I met a lot of people and everybody had a great time all around. And the teammate who yelled at me...he and I were all smiles and toasting each other by the end of the night!

Bike Ride Around Bern

Monday was a holiday here in Switzerland -- don't ask me which one, all I know is I didn't have to go to work and Pam was off from class. With all the traveling we have done recently we both decided it would be nice to spend the day in Bern for a change. We had read somewhere that the city provides free bike rentals at the train station during the summer, so we decided to check it out. Sure enough, all we needed was a $20 refundable deposit and a photo ID and we were on our way. Such a great deal!

We rode our bikes from the station to Bern's Gothic cathedral in Old Town. We have been there before, but this time we decided to go inside and take a tour. I'm glad we did; it was so pristine. I have been seen many European cathedrals in my day, but there was something special about this one. I'm not sure why, but it truly felt like a sanctuary to me. We learned from our audio guide that Bern was a rapid convert to the Reformation and most of the church's treasures were destroyed in the 16th century, although some notable pieces survived such as the spectacular portal sculpture of the Last Judgement, choir stalls, and several gorgeous stained-glass windows. Construction on the cathedral started in 1421 and lasted until 1893, if you can believe that! The company in charge of construction must be the same one that handled our internet connection. :)

Anyway, after the audio tour we climbed the cathedral tower -- reportedly the highest in Switzerland -- for some spectacular views over Old Town, and what felt like the rest of the country. (See video). We could see storm clouds rolling in off in the distance, so we quickly descended and headed for the Altes Tramdepot microbrewery to wait out the storm. My friend Marco had recommended the place, which is located right next to the bear pits. The food was delicious, and the views overlooking the river across from Old Town were great.

The rain stopped just as we left the restaurant. Great timing. We headed out of the city to the south, through TierPark, and then looped back around to the station where we returned the bikes.  The whole trip took only about four hours, but we covered a lot of ground and saw a lot.  We will have to do the free bike thing again with visitors.  It was so much fun! 

Lake Thunersee

We had originally planned to visit Interlaken today, but a late start forced us to reconsider. With a little guidance from the ticket agent at the train station, we decided to take the 2:35PM train from Bern to the lakeside town of Thun (pronounced toon). From Thun, we took a ferry to the small town of Faulensee and then walked along the lake shore to the town of Spiez.

The Bernese Alps provided a picturesque backdrop as ferry crisscrossed the blue waters of Thunersee (Lake Thun) on the way to Faulensee. We also saw several castles along the way, including the idyllic Shloss Oberhofen. (See video). Our pleasant walk from Faulensee to Spiez was almost interrupted by rain, but fortunately the storm clouds held off. We didn't stay long in Spiez although the town has a nice marina and an enormous waterfront castle. It also set beautifully between Thunersee and the giant pyramidal mountain of Niesen (2362m).

As we waited on the train platform at Spiez, Pam was able to reason me out of going to Interlaken (I was feeling spontaneous). We both ultimately decided to stick to the original plan of taking the train back to Thun for dinner. Thun is located on the northern tip of the bean-shaped Thunersee (closer to Bern), while Interlaken is across the lake to the East. 

Though overshadowed by Interlaken, Thun is a beautiful city in its own right with a picturesque castle and a quaint medieval center. The Old Town is crossed by wooden bridges over the river Aare and is renowned for the split-level street of Obere Hauptgasse. After dinner, we walked up a stepped ally to the castle, Schloss Thun, from which were enjoyed impressive views of the town and the Bernese Oberland. By this time it was getting late, so we decided to head back to the station for the train back to Bern.  Overall, it was not a bad day given the last minute planning.  :)

Happy Mother's Day!!!

Happy Mother's Day Leona, Gretchen, and Cheryl!

It took awhile, but we made this card just for you!!  Enjoy...

Zurich

We travelled to Zurich today to meet up with one of Pam's former work colleagues, Samartha (a.k.a. Sam), who is now living in Switzerland with her husband Peter.  They met us a the Zurich train station at 1 PM and suggested we head to Uetliberg mountain, a 20 minute train ride away and a favored destination of the locals. At 871 meters above sea level, the mountain offered great views of Zurich, its lake, and the scenic Alps in the distance. We enjoyed lunch at the Uto Kulm restaurant -- which is superbly situated on top of the Uetliberg -- then climbed a nearby viewing platform for some more spectacular views.  (See video)

After taking a few pictures, we caught the train back down the mountain and explored Zurich by foot. We left the station and walked down the famous Bahnhofstrasse -- Zurich's equivalent to 5th Avenue -- and then strolled along the east bank of the Limmat River. We walked past St. Peters Kirche with its famous clock tower on the way to the Fraumunster (or Woman's Minster), where we saw some impressive stain-glassed windows in the presbetary. After Fraumunster, we crossed over the Limmat and headed to Grossmunster (or Great Minster). The twin towers of the 15th-century Grossmunster still dominate Zurich's skyline to this day. The Grossmunster is also famous for being the church of Ulrich Zwingli, who was a leader of the Reformation in Switzerland during the 16th century and a compatriot of Martin Luther's.

Afterward, we stopped for a drink at an outdoor cafe and then walked along the Limmatquai, an attractive riverside boulevard lined with guild houses on the west bank of the Limmat. By this time it was almost 7PM, and Sam and Peter kindly invited us back to their place for a barbeque. They have a very nice apartment in nearby Uster. We had a great time relaxing on their spacious balcony and enjoying their company. Dinner was delicious too! 

They were so kind to us. At one point during the evening, we mentioned we were thinking about buying bikes. Peter said they had an old bike they could lend us; we eagerly accepted. It was getting late, so Sam offered to drive Pam and I back to the station. But before we left, Peter pumped up the tires on the bike and rode it to the station for us (we all didn't fit in the car).

It was a long day.  But it was nice spending time with Sam and Peter.  We plan to invite them over to our place soon and return the hospitality.

Beautiful Week!

(Pam) My German class is going well.  Learning a lot; meeting new people.  Three people left the class, leaving us with a group of 5.  

Anyway, I decided to take a walk around Bern today.  The weather has been great all week -- no rain!  My Australian friend from the German class, Tony, suggested I go to the tourist center to see the Bern Show in 3D.  The tourist center is located right next to the bear pit.  I got a chance to catch the bears enjoying the weather.  There were also some great views of Bern from the area.  The show was ok - it basically goes through the history of Bern and shows all the major sites.  

We are heading to Zurich tomorrow for lunch to meet up with an old work friend of mine (Samartha) and her husband.  They live in Uster, just outside of Zurich.  On Sunday, we are planning to go to Lake Thun and Interlaken.  We have a holiday on Monday, so we may spend the night in Interlaken on Sunday.

Verona

The train from Genoa to Verona on Sunday arrived around 1PM.  It took us some time to find our hotel after we asked directions from someone who pointed us in the wrong direction.  We were both tired and frustrated, but it was hard to stay bitter for long in such a beautiful city. Our hotel was not far from Piazza Bra', where there is an impressive coliseum from the 1st Century A.D. that arguably rivals the one in Rome. Actually, it is the third largest Amphitheatre in Europe after the Coliseum in Rome and the Amphitheatre in Campania (but whose counting).

After we checked in, Pam and I went for a walk in down the fashionable via Mazzini to Piazza delle Erbe.  We enjoyed an extended lunch in the warm afternoon sun before finally summoning the motivation to walk over to ponte Pietra.  The sun, the food, and the three days of traveling were starting to catch up to us.  So, we decided to go back to the hotel for a 10 minute nap, which somehow turned into three hours.  We woke up at 9PM and headed out to find something to eat.  During our afternoon walk, we noticed an adorable little restaurant in the shadow of the arena not more than a block from our hotel.  There was a free table outside, so we jumped at it.  The setting could not have been better!  It was a great way to end the night.

The next morning we walked over to the coliseum and bought tickets to go inside.  Operas and plays are still held there, and it looked like they were setting up for a new performance.  Pretty cool. (See video).  Could you imagine watching Romeo and Juliet in an ancient amphitheatre...in Verona, no less!  We will have to check the summer schedule. :)  

Anyway, we couldn't get enough of Verona so we decided to explore a bit more before our 2:15PM train back to Bern. I wanted to see Titian's "Assumption" (1530) in the Il Duomo (I actually remembered it from my art history class in college, if you can believe that). But when we walked into the church, we realized they were in the middle of mass! It was a surreal -- some would even say religious -- experience to observe mass in such a beautiful church with its tall vaulted arches and impressive marble pillars. Of course, I couldn't resist taking a little video clip. Shhhhh...don't tell anyone!

After mass, we walked back to Piazza Bra' for a couple of drinks, and then on to the station where the train was waiting to take us home.  Overall, Italy was a wonderful experience with so many great memories.  And we are so very grateful to have had the opportunity to visit.

Genoa

With our late arrival in Genoa on Thursday, and a full day to Pisa on Friday, we had little time to actually enjoy Genoa itself during our stay.  The city is known for being the birthplace of Christopher Columbus and was once a powerful maritime republic back in the day.  But, otherwise, our guidebook offered surprisingly little on Genoa's sites.

Fortunately, much of historic Genoa is concentrated between the two main trains stations.  Shuffling back and forth between the stations and our hotel we did manage to snap a few pictures of Piazza de Ferrari (the central square) and the famous Via Garibaldi -- which is lined with historic 16th-century palaces (now museums).

We never made it to Porto Antico, the city's old port, but we did walk along the seaside promenade on our first night and found a wonderful restaurant that served fresh Mediterranean seafood.  Pam and I shared a plate of baby mussels with spaghetti in a traditional pesto sauce.  It was one of the best meals we've had so far.  

We left Genoa and headed to Verona on Saturday, hoping that we might have the opportunity to return someday...

Pisa and Cinque Terre

Our train from Genoa to Pisa left at 9:47 AM.  As we headed south along the coast between Genoa and La Spezia we caught glimpses of the Mediterranean Sea.  It looked spectacular.  South of La Spezia, the landscape took on a more familiar feel as we entered Tuscany.  It brought back fond memories of our family trip to the region last year (thanks again, Dad and Gretchen!).  

We headed straight for the Torre Pendante (a.k.a. Leaning Tower) upon our arrival in Pisa, following the hoard of tourists and backpackers.  While it is one of Italy's most recognizable monuments it was still a little surreal to see it in person.  The nearby cathedral and baptistry are stunning in their own right but it is the tower that dominates the scene. We enjoyed gelatos and walked around the meticulously tended lawns taking pictures.  

Pam and I laughed at all the cheezy tourists taking photos of themselves holding up the Tower.  That joke is so played out.  I finally put an end to all the madness by pulling out my shovel and fixing the problem myself!  With that mission accomplished, we decided to head back to the train station. 

 

While the Torre Pendante was impressive, little did we know that the highlight of the trip was yet to come.  The guidebook Jason and Tiffany bought us highly recommended a visit to Cinque Terre for views of "some of Italy's most spectacular coastline."  Besides, my good friend Nick (last name withheld for obvious reasons) reportedly spent his 21st birthday passed out on one of the beaches there.   I just had to see this historic site.  Anyway, Cinque Terre is located just North of La Spezia and is named after its five tiny villages (Riomaggiore, Manorola, Corniglia, Vernazza, and Monterosso).  The villages are all linked by the Via dell'Amore (or Lover's Lane), a winding footpath carved into the cliffs along the coast.  

We got off the train at Riomaggorie, Cinque Terre's southern most village, and enjoyed lunch at a delightful little restaurant overlooking a tiny cove along the Mediterranean Sea.  (See video).  We dined on -- what else -- pomodoro e mozzarella.  After lunch, we walked along the Via dell'Amore from Riomaggoire to Corniglia, passing through Manarola along the way.  The views were simply breathtaking.  (See video)

After hiking for 2+ hours we re-boarded the train at Corniglia, just in time for sunset.  We arrived back in Genoa by 10PM.  It was a long day, but one we won't soon forget....

Milano

We left Bern at 8:07 AM under the cover of drizzling rain, eagerly looking forward to some Italian Riviera sunshine.    The first leg of our trip -- Bern to Visp, then Brig -- actually retraced the route we took one month earlier as part of the Glacier Express.  This time, however, we changed trains at Brig and headed south through the Alps into Italy.  As we descended from the mountains across the Italian border, we noticed several marble quarries and admired the views of lake Maggiore on our way to Milan.  

Our stop-over in Milan was a short four hours, but we tried to make the most of it.  From Stazione Centrale, we took the subway to Piazza del Duomo -- the world's largest gothic cathedral (or so we are told).  After taking in a full quota of gargoyles, statues, and spires, we left Piazza del Duomo through an impressive iron and glass covered shopping arcade and headed towards Piazza dell Scala.  From there, we walked to the so-called "Golden Quad" (the designer shopping district around Via della Spigna, Via Sant'Andrea, Via Napoleane, and Via Manzoni).  Alas, it was a holiday in Italy and all the shops were closed.  Too bad, so sad.  But Pam and I walked around anyway.  You know, window shopping for next time.  :)

After selecting our outfits, we walked to the nearby Castello Sforzesco, the 15th-century residence of the powerful Sforza family.  Pretty nice crib, I must say.  Before heading back to Stazione Centrale, we stopped for some Pomodoro e Mozzarella at an outdoor cafe -- delicious!  Then back on the train to Genoa and the Italian Riviera....