Thursday, May 29, 2014

A little catching up on our activities for this blog edition.

On Tuesday evening, Marg and I ate at the Old Swiss House which was built in 1858.  It was named Old Swiss House in honor of Queen Victoria in 1868 when she declared Lucerne the most charming city she had ever visited.  During WWII, Henri Guisan -- the only General neutral Switzerland ever had -- frequently convened secret strategy meetings at tthe Old Swiss House.  

The food and service were superb; especially the house specialty, weinerschnitzle.  Mmmmm!!!

Wednesday morning, we took another walking tour of Lucerne.  Impressive city.  In the evening, we dined at the world famous Stadkeller restaurant where we ate sweet cheese fondue, roasted swiss brat wurst and meringue with applesauce and strawberry ice cream.  Mmmmm...makes me hungry thinking about it.  

Finally, Thursday morn we took a tour --  by boat across Lake Lucerne -- cog train (apparently the world's longest) -- and gondola to Mt Pilatus.  An amazing site; pics attached.  Upon return, Marg and I strolled to "The Lion Monument" which is a very emotional masterpiece of the early 19th century.  The monument is dedicated to the memory of the heroic fight and final defeat of the Swiss Guard in 1792 which was the start of the French Revolution.  The lion, demonstrates a fight to the death. (pics enclosed).

Tonite, Marg and I will attend a "Farewell Dinner" at the hotel; pack, sleep and be ready for our flight on Friday for home.  Home sweet home.  Cheers!

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Very enjoyable bus trip to Lucerne by way of Bern, Switzerland.  First sign of rain the entire trip we've experienced, but the landscape is remarkably green and lush.  

Once arriving Lucerne on Tuesday evening, we checked into the Hotel Schweizerhof; a turn-of the-19th century facility with is overlooking Lake Lucerne.  A recently remodeled, 5 star rated hotel which is high on service and atmosphere.  A real treat.

A short walking tour of Lucerne on Wednesday morning following breakfast was very enjoyable.  Following luch, Margie and I boarded a city bus for an adventure to the city outskirts where we visited a quaint Quilt shop, Patch Fantasie, where Margie bought some German fabric.  Pretty material.

Margie also a lot of ice cream during the tour. lol.

The following pic are of our morning tour and some random afternoon shoots from the front of the Schweizerhof Hotel.  Enjoy.

 

Monday, May 26, 2014

Hello from Basel Switzerland.  This is the final stop for our river cruise and we will be disembarking tomorrow morning and bussing to Lucerne Switzerland  Along the way we will tour Bern which is the capitol of the country.  We will be touring Lucerne for a few days before heading back to San Antonio at the end of the week. 

Today, we toured "old town" Basel in the AM and learned that it is the 3rd largest city (170,000+ population) behind Zurich and Geneva.  Basel "houses" many scientific research and development centers as well as a large University.  Additionally, it has two smaller port operations catering to the Switzerland population.

Rising high over the town and neighboring countries on the bend of the Rhine River, rests the "Basle" Catherdral which is a striking example of Romanesque and Gothic architecture.  It was consecrated in 1019 AD by its founders, the Holy Roman Emperor Henry II and his wife Kunigunde.   Enjoy the pics.

Sunday, May 25, (continued)

The main square of Freiburg is quite imposing with its "Munster" at its center surrounded by various colorfully painted buildings are amazing.  

Amazing colors, heh?? 

Sunday, May 25, 2014

Sunday arrived and we boarded the bus for an entertaining vist to Freiburg, Germany.  The unique cobble stone lined streets, Freiburg's restaurants and pubs as well as its "Munster" (cathedral) add to the relaxing tranquility which easily relieves any stress one may be experiencing.  

What the canals are for Venice, the Bachle are for Freiburg. Bachle are small streams running through the entire city.  Originally designed in Roman days to provide water to extinquish possible fires; now they are still running through the city, but more for decorative reasons.  

The "Munster", built between 1200 and 1510, is the best known building in Freiburg.  Fortunately, we are told, probably due to precise calculations, the church was the only building in the old town to survive the Allied bombing in 1944. The rest of Freiburg was destroyed.  

The Allies apparently believed that the bombing  of Freiburg -- which had no nazi industrial significance -- would also diminish the German resolve to end the war.  But, in fact, the destruction caused the country to "rally around the flagpole" and further support nazi efforts.  Not at all unlike the added resolve we Americans experienced after the fateful September 11, 2001 destruction of Towers I & II in New York City.

Finally, the cobblestones streets and signs throughout Freiburg are worth mentioning.  The cobblestone signs -- embedded into sidewalks -- reflect the business of the various shops. 

Saturday, May 24, 2014

Busy but enjoyable day today.  We docked at 6:00 am this morning in Breisach, Germany; had breakfast and boarded a bus for a motor cruise to and walking tour of Colmar, Germany.  A delightful town with lots of character.  At noon we headed for Riquewhir, France for a walking tour and lunch. 

Each town visited has its own unique history and character which I  hope the following pics will reflect.

First, explanation of the "people pics": I took some photos of some of the boat personnel...including one of Ferri, our stateroom steward; assistant Hotel Manager, Ramona; kitchen staff, Paula, Imre, and Frankie.  Each of the boat staff has been amazingly responsive to our needs.  

Friday evening, May 23

Busy day today, but rain and chilly weather somewhat tempered the activities.  Marg and I elected to stay aboard the ship for the morning while many of the more hardy passengers took a canal boat ride through Strasbourg followed by a walking tour of the city.  

On the other hand, Mother Nature shined on us in the early afternoon, so we took a shuttle bus into Strasbourg for a private tour of the inner city.  The city buildings reminded me of Washington DC architecture which fashioned many of its own buildings after French architecture.  

The pictures are of people we met on board who we befriended and pretty much ate, drank, and toured together.  Sybil and John (both retired) from New York -- Sybil as a teacher and John as an engineer --have been together for 43 years and are very funny.  Paul and Lorin (also both retired) from Maryland were federal employees and have been together for 35 years.  Each of these individuals are very well traveled: Sybil and John have been on over 97 land and river cruises through the years.  Interesting folks.