Photos from the train

(September 23rd, 2013) No commentary, just photos from the train of the Swiss country side. Enjoy.

Leaving Lucerne:

And arriving in Grindelwald...

A Layover in Lucerne

(September 23rd, 2013) The next day we set out, via train, for the heart of Switzerland. Our first stop was a few hour layover in Lucerne. Absolutely beautiful city. One of the charming aspects of it was this covered bridge (called the Kapellbrucke) crossing the main river:

Aside from the covered bridge, walking through the narrow, twisted streets of Lucerne brought us upon  Restaurant Fritschi, it had a bit of character on the exterior:

After devouring lunch:

We set out to see more of Lucerne. The lake:

Palm trees?

The church of St. Leodegar:

And Lowendenkmal (the lion monument), in memorial of the Swiss guard that were massacred during the French revolution. Photographing the lion was a bit of a challenge as the area surrounding it was flooded by busloads of tourists. The lion of Lucerne is definitely a popular attraction, and without as many people would be very relaxing with the forest and lake surrounding it. To put things in perspective, the lion's face is about the size of a person.

At that junction, time was up and we had to race back past the lake to catch our train to Grindewald...

Zurich

(September 22nd, 2013) After a couple weeks of traveling on my own through Europe, Kim met me in Zurich for a mini-vacation. Luckily, she managed to sleep on the flight over, so we were able to spend most of the day exploring the city.

Amongst other things, we were serenaded by a Swiss horn concert:

A vantage of part of old town. The pedestrian streets were very narrow and tightly packed on the hills around Zurich.

Lake Zurich and the Alps in the background, more of old town Zurich in the foreground.

The Jules Verne observatory. The floor beneath the telescope is a nice bar with great views of the city.

And, surprisingly, there were chocolate and pastry shops. Who knew? 

Kim's kryptonite: macaroons.

We ended up making a picnic dessert of one of the Spriingli chocolate cakes:

A Night Alone in Zurich

(September 21st, 2013) As Kim made her way across the Atlantic, I was left with a night to myself in Zurich. I had instantly fallen in love with the city upon disembarking from the train. I think that the warm weather and blue skies had something to do with that after my time in Stuttgart. 

After dropping my bags off in my hotel, I set out for a ten mile jaunt along the waterfront, passing through the old town first. Like many other European cities, old town Zurich is a giant pedestrian mall. I love those car free areas, and deeply wish that we had more communities like that planned throughout the US. Perhaps one mistake that I made when I first arrived in Zurich was assuming what the exchange rate was. During my run, I saw hotdog stands selling hotdogs for, approximately, 7 Swiss Francs. Somehow, I got it into my head that the exchange rate must have been 3:2 (oh boy, was I mistaken when I later realized it was 1:1).

After my run, I headed to Oepfelchammer for dinner. I sat in the old room where only water and wine could be served with dinner (nothing with carbonation) due to the age of it.  The room had hundreds of years of names carved into the walls, tables, door, and rafters.  Character.

Dinner itself was amazing. For my first course, venison carpaccio with poppyseed mousse.  So creamy. Sometimes a dish is meant to have all ingredients eaten together, but not this one...each portion was so good on its own.  The tender and smokey venison carpaccio almost melted in your mouth, and was paired almost perfectly with an aged balsamic and juicy, juicy radishes.  The poppy seed mousse was a striking contrast, smooth and creamy...perfect for spreading on bread.

Next, for my main course, wachtelbrustchen an portosauce auf ratatouille serviert mit orangenrisotto: quail with ratatouille and risotto.  By contrast, this was meant to have all ingredients eaten together.  The savory quail, the creamy risotto (with a hint of citrus zest), and the tart ratatouille.

To drink, a local rotwein...himmelsleiterli from a grape I've never heard of before (Beerenaromatik?), and for dessert, apple beignets with vanilla sauce. Served with quince, mini kiwis (mini kiwis!), blueberries, and gooseberry.  Those of you that have been to New Orleans know that one beignet is decadent.  Well, 4... The apple tasted subtle but nice. There was actually a layer of apple within the beignet that made it even more fantastic.

Afterwards, a stroll through the city by moonlight before turning in for bed...

Hohenzollern

(September 21st, 2013) All good things must come to an end. And, unfortunately, towards the end of my week in Stuttgart, the experimental equipment decided that that was it. And so, Pascal took me to Hohenzollern, the ancestral seat of the Prussian royal house, for my last day in Germany. The castle's origins date back to around 1100-1200, so nearly one thousand years ones.

The castle itself was perched atop a hill, so the views from it were incredible...

 

Lastly, we lucked out and got to see a falconry demonstration. Didn't understand a word they said, but the birds were certainly fine.

Next stop, Zurich.