At the beginning of any of our vacations, after all the planning, packing, arranging, organizing, stressing, and improvising, this photo opportunity is always one of my favorites.
All the work and angst is behind us (assuming flights go as scheduled), and we're at the airport with enough time to grab a quick beverage and bite before the adventure begins.
The fates then take over and we're ready for whatever comes our way.
The photos and descriptions that follow cover a small percentage of the many, many memories from the trip. . .
With minimal rest on the flight, we arrive in Zurich, then transfer by motor coach to Lucerne, Switzerland where we will spend our first few days of the trip. With its chapel bridge and historic painted houses, Lucerne greets us.
A continuing theme for this tour is exploring via different means of transportation. From Lucerne we take a tram to the summit of Pilatus where we wander a bit and take in the stunning views overlooking Lake Lucerne.
Our short stay in Lucerne comes to an end all too quickly, and we board this paddle boat (below left) that will transport us to the beginning of our journey to Zermatt.
I've been on ferries and water taxis, but this unique experience is kinda like an above-ground floating subway, with various stops as we make our way around the lake. At each stop (below center), folks get on and off just like a subway.
Notice the palm trees mixed into the mountain scenery (below right). The lake never freezes, making this a year-round transportation option to avoid the long drive around the lake.
We travel by train past jaw-dropping mountain vistas and arrive in Zermatt. Upon arrival, The Matterhorn, visible from the town in good weather, hides behind clouds, but the town is everything that you would expect of a Swiss village. Chalet-style buildings with loads of floral boxes (below left), and edelweiss (below right.)
Midway through dinner, The iconic Matterhorn makes its appearance. The weather gods continue to smile on us as the sky remains clear - the next day we take yet another train to get a closer look at this famous mountain peak. This picture is zoomed in from the town.
Who is now craving a Toblerone Chocolate bar?
Moving on from Zermatt. Another day, another castle. This time on an island, Isola Bella near Stresa on Lake Maggiore. We arrived by boat, and spent the day touring the castle on the island. This was a little lawn ornament out back in the garden (note the size of the young child in the foreground)
Sometimes, the simple things are the most appreciated when you're on a busy travel agenda. This pasta dish (below left) was just such a simple and tasty lunch in Stresa, Italy. Then it's back to Switzerland, and a stop at a winery for a tasting. Have you ever had White Merlot? Normally a red wine, the Merlot at our winery stop is made from only the center of the grape, no skins.
Alfresco lunch at a grotto restaurant, tucked between the mountains. Our outdoor seating was perfect on what started as a lovely day, but the weather shifted to rain. No worries, we also shifted indoors for dessert in a cozy corner of the restaurant.
On the way back to Lugano where we stayed, we stopped in Bellinzona to visit Castlegrande, one of three feudal castles in the city.
The photo on the right is taken from one of the castle wall-openings, overlooking part of the fortress complex that once guarded a strategic pass through the Alps.
Back to the boats for another water voyage for lunch in Morcote on Lake Lugano. This town was voted one of the Switzerland's loveliest villages. Where ever we went, summer was in full bloom!
Here's a trivia question for you . . . What is the only European capital city that lies directly on the Rhine river?
Did you guess? The answer is Vaduz, Liechtenstein! (The church in Vaduz, below left)
We didn't have to show our passports to cross through this small country, but who knows when we'll be back, so we paid 3 euros for a passport stamp. Just because!
We leave lovely Switzerland and Northern Italy behind us to head into Austria where we'll spend the rest of our trip. We stop in the Tyrolean Alps village of Saint Anton am Arlberg for our first taste of Sacher Torte (below right), a chocolatey Austrian classic.
We arrive at our mountain-side hotel in Seefeld in time to freshen up and head to dinner in the forest. We are introduced to yet another mode of transportation - a horse-drawn carriage (below left)- for our traditional Austrian meal. The cow on the grounds of the restaurant (below right) is pleased to be spared from tonights menu.
A cable car ride from Innsbruck takes us to the top where the panoramic vistas are eye-popping.
Leaving Innsbruck (already?) and on toward Salzburg, with a stop in Tyrol where we visit the Museum of Tyrolean Farms. Dozens of relocated and preserved mountain farm houses showcase 15th century agricultural history.
We arrived in Salzburg Austria, which, like my hometown of Syracuse, made its way into history through the production of salt!
We walked from the hotel in the rain for a chamber music performance. Then the rain continued into the next morning as we toured the city. However, we made a stop in a cafe for the best cup of hot chocolate I've ever had!
The movie/musical, The Sound of Music was filmed in Salzburg and we wandered past many of the movie's recognizable filming locations.
As you likely know, Hollywood, tweaked the Sound of Music story quite a bit from the original version.
One of the enhancements was the location of Maria's marriage to the Captain. This is actually the abbey church where the couple was married. Much smaller and much less ornate from the church in the film. That church is located about 30 minutes away.
The main part of the tour winds down with a visit to The Eagle's Nest and Berchtesgaden.
The Eagle's Nest, the Nazi party's alpine retreat, was impenetrable until it was captured by the 101st Airborne at the end of WWII.
Surprisingly, Hitler himself rarely visited the site. The view is beautiful, in high contrast to the evil plans hatched here.
The tour ended officially in Salzburg, some of the group continued on to extend the stay in Vienna, the imperial home of the former Habsburg empire.
In Vienna, we were 'on our own' to plan our daily agenda. We had some recommendations for places to go and great restaurants. One of our first and favorite stops was the Imperial Treasury. This was like combining a visit to the display of the crown jewels at the Tower of London and the display of first ladies inaugural gowns at the Smithsonian in Washington--multiplied by about 1,000!
Centuries-old coronation robes richly embroidered with gold and silver threads only begins to touch on the huge display of imperial treasures.
The Imperial Crown of the Holy Roman Empire (below left) and an idealized portrait of Emperor Charlemagne wearing it (below right).
As Dave looks at a Chain of the Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece, dating from the mid 15th century, his shirt says "The Best Things in Life are not Things." Hmm.
The Votive Church.
More Habsburg 'stuff' at the Kunst Museum.
These people had a lot of 'stuff' - way over-the-top fancy stuff! These covered drinking cups would have come in handy when the bees were trying to sip our cold beverages in the cafes!
Seems appropriate that the statue to Johannes Brahms (composer of the famous lullaby) inspired the occupants of the nearby benches to take a nap!
I could go on and on about all the things we saw and did during our trip to Switzerland and Austria (with a little bit of Italy, Germany, and Liechtenstein!). This (believe it or not) 'short' photo journal only attempts to capture the essence of the trip.
To travel is to experience . . . history . . . local foods . . . culture . . . Hot Chocolate . . . and new friendships. This was my family for three weeks - what a journey!
This was our fifth tour booked through Smithsonian Journeys. The tour is entitled Treasures of the Alps. I highly recommend it! If you go, and Raffaele (in the foreground above) happens to be your Tour Director, tell him 'buongiorno' for me!
Where are we going next? To be determined!
Happy Stitching!
Head Hummingbird
Hummingbird-Highway.com
What a lovely recap of our trip! Thank you so much for sending.