Day 293 of 364 - Sat 5/12: End of Swiss Trip

Word of the day:   Meer  (Lake)

LUCERNE, SWITZERLAND... and then there were 2. Steve and I had a few hours to kill before our flight back to Maastricht so we stopped in Lucerne which was on the train back to Zurich. We only spent about 2-3 hrs there, but it was a cute little town sitting next to lake Lucerne with mountains in the background. We grabbed lunch, coffee and did some walking.

Back on the train I could hear little kids sounding like they were playing, and to my suprise when I looked a little closer I saw this... a playground on the train?!?! that is crazy!!! They were playing on it while the train was moving and all!

 

Day 292 of 364 - Mon 5/21: Mike & Lor-Ann's EuroTrip

Word of the day:   Skiën  (Skiing)

ZERMMAT, SWITZERLAND... Today we were hoping to take the cable car/ ski lift all the way up to the Matterhorn. Its summit is 4,478 metres (14,690 ft), making it one of the highest peaks in the Alps.

But we were only able to go about 3/4th of the way (3,000 meters) bc they were doing some maintenance on the lift to the top, which was fine bc it was actually snowing once we got up there so you really couldn't see a whole lot at certain points. (remember back On the ground, at the base, it was probably mid50s) but we did get to see the Matterhorn's peak from the hotel.

 

 Tonight is also the last night we will be with my parents :(  They are continuing on to Italy for about another week! So we decided to have a more chill night and do fondue in the room. Since we are staying at a place that has a small kitchenette and our hotel owner let us know there was fondue pots it was going to be super easy! Definitely "fun-due"... Lots of cheese, bread, apples and pears. No need for anything else. We were full!!

Day 291 of 364 - Sun 5/20: Mike & Lor-Ann's EuroTrip

Word of the day:   Trein  (Train)

SWITZERLAND... Today We took the glacier express. An 8hr ride from east side of the country to the west or vice versa. "It is a day trip through untouched mountain landscapes, glamorous health resorts, deep gorges, delightful valleys, 91 tunnels and across 291 impressive bridges." (I tried to count all the tunnels and bridges with tick marks but I fell a few short)

 

Again very picturesque! We went through all different elevations and weather changes... Warm, green and sunny to gray, cloudy and snowy!

We had lunch and a few drinks. Then we were probably 20 mins from the end of the ride and I put down my red wine to take a picture of the scenery, well the train jolted and guess what happened?!?! Yep, that is right.... Spilled all over me! And of course I had a sweater next to me that got it too...urgh. So I pretty much spent the rest of the ride in the toilet wetting everything trying to get it out :) ... Oh well... Sh%t happens :)

We ended the ride in zermatt where we were to spend the next 2 nights!!

We were in zermatt during "off-season", though there were still ppl skiing but not the masses that would have otherwise. And it was just a bit earlier than their "summer season." Which was fine with us, bc we couldn't imagine the crowds everywhere!  (Zermatt is super quiet bc it is nestled at the bottoms of the mountains and there are no cars allowed. The only cars are small little golf cart like cars that are from the hotels to transport their patrons and all the ski gear.)

Day 290 of 364 - Sat 5/19: Mike & Lor-Ann's EuroTrip

Word of the day:   Bergen  (Mountain)

ST. MORITZ, SWITZERLAND... 3:30a wake up call! We are off to Switzerland today. Planes, trains and automobiles!! First a drive to the airport, the a flight to Zurich, followed by a train to St. moritz.

The Swiss hill and mountainsides are just as expected, picturesque!

Once we got to st moritz we checked into our hotel. Now I had read reviews, but didn't understand until we got there that the hotel is right next to the station! I am not kidding!... Probably no more than 100, maybe 200 steps away!! No biggie bc they don't run all night, and we were leaving bright early the next day.

We just walked around the town and took in the sights. And before dinner had happy hour in our room, and later played cards...rummy!



longest escalator ever!!!

Day 289 of 364 - Fri 5/18: Mike & Lor-Ann's EuroTrip

Word of the day:   Ziek  (Sick)

MAASTRICHT... Today we planned to do more walking in Maastricht, but it wasn't meant to be. My mom was not feeling so well :( so we just hung out at the house.

 

Later that evening it turned into another funny Mike moment :)

This time he comes out of the downstairs powder room and says, "Wow, it takes that water a while to get warm!"  Steve is also sitting with us on the couches this time around so he, my mom and I all look at each other and then I say, "You got the water to get warm?!?" my dad responds, "No. It never got warm."

Again we all start laughing.... The sink in there only has one faucet and it is a semi- known thing that Dutch powder rooms only have one water temperature... COLD!   Ha Ha!! LOL!

 

And then my dad continues on and says, "No wonder! It definitely made for an interesting shave this morning!" ... Guess my mom or I were getting ready in the one upstairs that has both temperatures.

 

Check out this site ... Stuffdutchpeoplelike.com ... Check #40

This site will also give your more insight as to other experiences Steve and I have gone through over the past year! I guess there are sites like this for a lot of cultures. There is also a book out there called, The UnDutchables. Definitely gives you a few laughs!

 

 

Day 288 of 364 - Thur 5/17: Mike & Lor-Ann's EuroTrip

Word of the day:   Gedenkteken  (Memorial or Monument)

LUXEMBOURG... Quick day trip to Luxembourg!  The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany.

  

 

 

 

We then stopped at the war memorial in Bastogne, France. It is from WWII, Battle of the Bulge.