Engaging the Senses in Switzerland

     It has been a lifelong dream of mine to see the Swiss Alps. For whatever reason, this has been in my consciousness ever since I could remember - not withstanding the fact that the Alps encompass eight countries. Needless to say, we just had to be there! Making the decision on where to go proved to be harder than I thought, though.

     At first, I really wanted to go to Matterhorn but time and distance prevented us from doing so, so we contented ourselves with making Luzern as home-base, to visit Mount Pilatus. Actually, we stayed at Kriens which is a suburb of Luzern and is literally at the foot of Mount Pilatus.

     Upon reaching Switzerland, we were so elated that that unfortunate Paris incident was buried into oblivion. We just loved Switzerland - there was just something about that air and yes, those Luxemburgerli at Sprungli (their version of the classic French macaron) weren't too shabby either!

     After checking in  at the hotel, which has an "in your face" vista of Mount Pilatus, we decided to take the train to Alpnachstad, where we were to board the world's steepest cogwheel train to reach the top.

     The views were breathtaking. I just so loved it up there! But it was oh, so cold!

 

     After we had our fill of the amazing wonder of God we were fortunate enough to behold, we decided to take the gondola to descend to Kriens. Little did we know that it was a two-ride descent, so much so that we alighted where we were not supposed to so these gentlemen yelling in German some incomprehensible words were apparently telling us to go back to the cable car to finish the trip. We laughed at our mistake the whole third of the way down. We said that it was a good thing we didn't understand them, for they might already be calling us names for not being able to follow simple instructions. Come to think of it, how would we have descended if we stayed there? There was not enough snow to ski down. Ride down those cows grazing in the meadow? Ah, but I loved the charming sounds those cow bells made.

     Later in the day, we went to Luzern to find some raclette or fondue for dinner but there were none. They said that they only do them during winter months. I was kinda disappointed since what could be more Swiss, aside from the chocolates, than melted Swiss cheese? We settled with some Chinese cuisine then headed to the grocery to feast on some honest to goodness Gruyere!

     We started the lazy next day just opening the window wide, staring at Mount Pilatus, at the same time pinching myself to make sure I was not dreaming.

The view from our hotel room

      Finally, we got the courage to check out, while leaving my heart by that window, since more adventures were awaiting us. We went back to Luzern, locked our luggage in the lockers by the station for nine euros, then explored the city on foot. We crossed the old and new parts of the city via Kappelbruk, then had a sumptuous lunch of German bratwurst, with hash browns, caramelized onions with red wine reduction sauce, albeit stiff on price. But man, the taste more than made up for it. Surely, we got our money's worth! There, we met some half Filipino, half Swiss gents who were nice enough to accompany us to Coop to buy some reasonably priced Swiss chocolates to bring back home. We also saw the Dying Lion monument and passed by the Hermes Store near the Hauptbahnhof. Then it was time to say goodbye and take an hour's trip to Zurich.

     We did not have the time to explore in Zurich since aside from the fact that we got in late, it was also raining, so we just ended up finding some quiche and Coke for dinner then called it a day. Next stop - where all roads lead to - ROMA!

When in Paris, Google Translate to the Rescue

     After saying goodbye to Amsterdam, we took the early morning Thalys train from Schipol to Paris Gare Nord. It was a relaxing three hour trip, while chatting with a Dutch lady about her former work as a painter in a Delft Blue factory. I was hoping we could still grab some Belgian chocolates in the Brussels station but it was too short a stop that we counted Belgium as another place to go back to sometime in the near future.

     We got to Paris mid morning, eager to start our short stay up and running...but it was not meant to be. I had this "it could never happen to me" moment in the Metro when I was pick pocketed by two girls who already alighted on the first stop after which I realized that my purse was open, with my wallet, sandwiched between our passports and the envelops containing our pocket money, gone. It was not about the money (I had 40Euros and $11) but the hassle of losing my cards (good thing I had photocopies of them), my driver's license and above all, my lost sense of security that rattled me. So instead of proceeding to the Louvre, it was le poste de police we ended up in. On a Saturday, there were only a few of them there and none of them spoke any English at all. I filled up my complaint form and waited to be interviewed. After what seemed like an eternity, I was called in by a lady who was supposed to ascertain that what I described on paper was exactly what happened to me. She asked me: "parlez vous Francais?" "No" was the simple answer. The problem? She, too, doesn't speak any English! At that point in time, I was asking myself, why couldn't this have been Spain, where at least, somehow, I can understand words and some phrases? So...Google Translate to the rescue!

     The problem with that, to me at least, was: it translated words, not phrases which would have, in one way or another, made sense to me. I felt sorry for the lady for I knew that she was frustrated in typing the whole report to me but even if it was in English, some things still were lost in translation. Why didn't I take up my uncle in suggesting to me to study German and French in college before? Oh well, that was that and there was nothing I can do anymore. I could have allowed it to dampen the whole experience but this was Paris! And Laduree was waiting for moi!

     So after, arranging stuff with the credit card companies, we hit the streets of Paris, first agenda: Cathedrale Notre Dame - the quintessential French Gothic architecture known the whole world over. Not to take away from the picturesque facade and the impressive interior, I was after all just a normal Roman Catholic girl rearing to light a candle and say my petition to Our Lady! I promised myself that the next time, I would hear an entire mass there - yes, even if it is all said in French!

     Next stop? Avenue des Champs-Elysees - for my Laduree fix! Ranie was so funny when he was kinda hesitant to try the macarons but guess what, he was the one who finished it - relishing every flavor there was in his small box :)

     While licking his fingers to savor the last few crumbs of the macarons, en route to the Arc di Triomphe, he saw the ultimate destination for a chez like him -  Joel Robuchon's! He was dying to go in but we were not appropriately dressed for the occasion. This was Paris, after all! So there goes again that next time adage!

     And another thing that caught our attention...well, I'll let the picture tell the story:

     I wish I were her - sans the stiletto heels :)

     We took a few pics by the Arc di Triomphe then visited Gustav Eiffel's wrought iron masterpiece. We passed by the Louvre and my heart skipped a beat but I had to remind myself that Paris really was not a destination but just a short layover so I was appeased with the thought that more and better things were to come.

     Missing rice, instead of feasting on French food, we had Thai instead, with oh so many Filipino staff. Food was great and yes, we got what we paid for.

     We had an early night...too exhausted from all the ebbs and flows of this one eventful day...besides, another early train ride to Luzern, Switzerland awaited for us in the morning so it was time to say: "Au revoir, Paris!"

Of Tulips, Windmills and Holland

     This has been long overdue but nevertheless, here I am with whatever I can recall regarding our European Sojourn Part Deux...

     After working 12 hours the night before, we went straight to the airport, boarded our flight to Philly, en route to Schipol Airport. Hoping for at least a short nap in the plane was too tall an order for my adrenaline has already taken my mind and my heart to Amsterdam way ahead of our flight.

     Springtime in Holland - only one thing to do - see the tulips! Knowing that they are my favorite flowers in the whole world, we made sure that we scheduled our arrival in Amsterdam during the time that Keukenhof was still open. While we were kinda concerned that we were arriving late in the season, Keukenhof was a sight to behold. Words could never do justice as to how beautiful this garden is. I love tulips - what more can I say? Ranie's downside? Eating the raw herring (which is one of the staples in the Netherlands). He kinda had a short Andrew Zimmern moment but recovered quickly enough to continue our search to see a real windmill.

    
     After spending a little over half of our first day in Keukenhof, it was time to explore the rest of Amsterdam. We took the train from Schipol to Amsterdam Centraal where we took a canal cruise to enjoy the sights and neighborhoods of this liberal city. I loved taking pictures of bicycles parked by the bridges that bypassed the countless canals we went through. For me - that was the epitome of Amsterdam; the Amsterdam I used to see in pictures! As for Ranie, he had two things in mind - an authentic Dutch meal and the Red Light District!

     Lucky for us, one of my closest friends in college lives in Netherlands and she was able to show us around, describing Amsterdam from a local's point of view. Of course, it didn't hurt that she spoke fluent Dutch so there goes that language barrier - although Dutch people are very fluent in English, maybe because UK is close by?

     The next day was spent with another family friend, this time the destination was Noord Holland - in desperate search for whatever was left of the tulip fields - all for moi! While we found what we were looking for, I found another thing I loved about Holland - Goat's cheese salad with baby spinach, walnuts and honey dressing! Hmmm, just thinking about it makes me drool!

     As if it were not enough, we were treated to another surprise - Kastel de Haar in Utrecht. Too bad, it was already closed but nevertheless, the lady was kind enough to let us in the grounds to appreciate a real Medieval castle from the outside.

     Surely, two days was not enough to enjoy everything about Amsterdam and the Netherlands (haven't even started on Van Goghs, Rembrandts and Anne Frank!) but as what Ranie said: "then, there's a reason for us to go back." Amen!