Thoughts & Reflections

Category: Travel

Bonjour Brussels

One thing I envy those living in Europe is how easy it is to hop on a plane or train for a few short hours and quickly end up in another country. In the brief time we were in France, P and I set aside one day for a quick trip to Brussels. It’s a 90-minute ride from Paris to Brussels and since our hotel was right near the Gare du Nord, it was a walk to the train station from our hotel on a mostly quiet Monday morning.

We arrived at Brussels-Midi station and then took a tram to the town center, which seems to be the only part of town that was busy. Like in France, the Monday we were there was a public holiday (coincidentally the same day as Memorial Day) so most stores and businesses were closed for the day. This at least made our itinerary pretty short and we were able to see the things we wanted to see in the few hours we were there.

The Grand Place dominates the medieval heart of the city, with all the gilded and ornate buildings surrounding the square. Again, there were cobblestones everywhere so yet another day for more aching feet (and alas, no change of shoes all day) but we managed to keep going. We walked along the side streets surrounding the square first, just to see what shops there were and to decide where to spend our Euros later in the day.

I was enamored with the Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert with its wonderful glass-covered arcades and all the sweet shops inside. Seriously, I don’t think I’ve seen so many patisseries clustered together in one place ever. In general, there were so many delicious sweets on display both in the arcade and in the shops all around the main square.

But first, we needed lunch. P had visited Brussels before and was leading the way to a good restaurant she had dined at on a previous trip so we made our way there. We arrived only to find it wasn’t open that day. Oops. Fortunately, that street was lined with many restaurants so there were plenty of other options and we ended up at L’Huîtrière. Many restaurants had outdoor seating and we were seated in a white tent on Place Sainte-Catherine.

The menu offered a lunch set consisting of a starter, entrée and dessert and we went with that.

We both ordered the mussels as a starter (the other choices were a fish soup or shrimp and cheese croquettes). The Moules St Catherine is a plate of mussels gratin covered in tomato sauce and served with a herb and garlic sauce in the middle. It was pretty tasty, despite the cheese (fortunately, it was easy to scrape to the side) and I really loved the herb sauce; I kept dipping slices of bread into it.

For the entrée, I went with the cod (served with a white butter sauce and chive) while P chose the steak (with a pepper cream sauce). The fish wasn’t bad but I wasn’t a fan of the creamy sauce (that’s just me). P’s entrée came with a side of frites which was nice and honestly, her steak looked to be the better dish. And there was only one dessert available as part of the lunch set, which was the chocolate mousse. The mousse was delicious, but P and I had some trouble identifying the edible decoration on top. Definitely not a cherry but I think we concluded that it was a tomato of some sort. (Note – Dec 11): Many months after I wrote this up, I learned that the fruit is actually a cape gooseberry.)

Lunch done, we stopped to admire St. Catherine’s Church at the end of the plaza before making our way back to Grand Place. There were a few shops that were definitely on to-visit list, mainly because P came with a shopping list. One place we had to visit was Maison Dandoy, a bakery that’s over a century old. They sell prepacked boxes of biscuits as well as several varieties in loose form (sold by the gram). I bought a box of speculoos cookies and some ginger and Earl Grey biscuits.

The other place on our to-visit list was De Biertempel, which one can deduce from its name sells beer. P had to buy certain bottles for her husband; since I don’t drink, I ended up purchasing an inexpensive Trappist beer for my sister.

After most of our shopping was done, we made our way to one of the more famous landmarks in Brussels.

The infamous Manneken Pis. It’s tucked into a corner just off the Grand Place but there’s always a crowd in front of the fountain so it’s a bit hard to miss; I had to squeeze through the horde of people to get a decent photo. On the day we were there, the statue was shown in all its nude glory but at times, the boy will be wearing some very interesting costumes.

Once I took enough pictures of the fountain, it was time to sample one last Belgian specialty: the Belgian waffle. Mussels, chocolate (in mousse form), beer were already scratched off the list but we saved the waffle for last. One of the streets that lead to the fountain is lined with shops that sell waffles. We bought from a shop that was right near the fountain and had a high turnover. P bought a plain waffle, which costs €1 at all of the shops while I went with a strawberry and confectioners sugar topping. Hot and toasty, one can’t beat a waffle fresh off the grill.

After finishing the delicious snack, we returned to the Grand Place and started to make our way back to the train station. I think we had about an hour’s wait before boarding and we spent much of the time standing around and watching the departures board along with everyone else to see where to go. The trip back to Paris wasn’t too bad though there was an incident involving the two women who sat behind us (one spent too much time talking on the phone and annoyed the person who sat next to her) but for the most part, it wasn’t too bad. At least we could give our feet a rest.

July 12, 2015
Visiting Versailles

A visit to Paris is never complete without a visit to Versailles as well. Mindful of the crowds, we made the palace our first stop on our first full day in France. After a little hassle buying our train tickets (coin-only vending machines are so not our friends) and figuring out which train would get us there, we boarded an early train that arrived just as the château was opening for the day.

As we approached the gates, we could see the long queues for the security check and I walked very quickly to the ticket hall knowing we’d have a long wait ahead of us. There were signs everywhere cautioning the presence of pickpockets and sure enough, there was a commotion at the head of the line that involved a thief, an Asian tour group and a fight. Thankfully the guards came quickly though the line was stalled as they sorted things out.

There were plenty of people wandering inside the Palace by the time we made it inside. It was a slow moving procession at first but we squeezed through the larger groups and there was a bit more breathing room once we got past the Royal Chapel. Versailles is a lot like other grand palaces open to the public; it reminded me a lot of Schönbrunn Palace, where we just walked from room to room admiring all the grand furniture, richly decorated walls and large portraits of royalty hung in every room.

I think I liked the larger halls better since there was a lot more space and not as dimly lit as some of the royal apartments were. The Hall of Mirrors was spectacular, especially by daylight with the sun reflecting off all the mirrored panels, gilded decorations and on the sparkling chandeliers. I also liked The Battles Gallery, not only for the grand paintings of famous battles involving France but also for the beautiful glass ceiling above our heads.

We exited the palace from the back which led to the great gardens that formed Louis XIV’s backyard. The grounds are huge, spreading out literally as far as the eye could see. Sculptured lawns, broad allées and plenty of water features to catch one’s eye. The most prominent thing to see from the steps of the palace is the Grand Canal as it stretched further and further back. At the end closest to the palace, rowboats are docked along the side, available as rentals to traverse the canal.

There are several admission tiers to the Palace of Versailles. P and I bought the Passport, which includes the main Palace as well as two smaller ones some distance away. A tram runs between all three palaces but it costs extra. We opted to just stroll through the gardens but the map does not reveal just how extensive the grounds really are when traveling on foot; in hindsight, the price of the tram would have been well worth the cost because we were exhausted by the time we reach the Grand and Petit Trianon.

Unfortunately for us, we had arrived too early. After the grueling hike to get there, we found out that both the Grand and Petit Trianon would not open until noon, which left many people (us included) wandering around the nearby gardens to kill time. I suppose that was a good thing after all since our sore feet deserved a much needed rest.

We ended up visiting the Petit Trianon first since it was slightly closer to where we sat waiting for the palaces to open. There was a lovely and tiny courtyard through which we passed to get into the Petit Trianon and once inside, we saw it was really petit, when compared with the main palace. It’s much more comparable to the large mansions of modern day.

Petite as it may be, there are some lovely and large (by modern standards) gardens around the Petit Trianon. Winding paths around the back run parallel to a small lake that eventually leads to a sculpture of Cupid in the Temple of Love in the English Garden. Taking another route would bring a visitor to the French Garden. The garden connects the Grand Trianon to the Petit Trianon and we were hoping to use it as shortcut but alas, it wasn’t opened that day.

We ended up retracing our steps from earlier that morning and entered the Grand Trianon by its main entrance. After seeing so many elaborate rooms, they nearly all looked the same after a point. There were fancy rooms, more paintings but also a lovely peristyle that connected the different wings and provided easy access to the gardens out back. We didn’t stroll through the grounds this time, having seen enough trees and landscaped shrubbery.

After five hours at Versailles, I think we covered about 85% of the entire estate. Our feet really were too tired to do any more walking; there were plenty of cobblestones in the courtyard and the grounds weren’t always level so we did walk uphill at some points. My only regret is that we skipped out on the Hamlet near the Petit Trianon. It would have been interesting to walk through but I do think it would have to be on another visit.

July 2, 2015
Three Meals a Day in Paris, Part 2

I hope I didn’t make people too hungry with the previous post—I have a tendency to do that with food posts on every blog I’ve created in the past.

I had my first crêpe in Paris at Crêperie Suzette in the Marais district. It was lunchtime and tempting as it was to go sweet, I opted for a savory galette instead. Since I am anti-fromage, I ended up with the only one that did not include cheese (mine came with topped with spinach, cream tomato coulis and basil). And of course, I cannot say no to a pot of (Darjeeling) tea. P went for something different and ordered the colorful Niçoise salad.

For the second night in a row, we stuck to dinner near the hotel and it was more Middle Eastern food. This time, we went to Zarame, a Lebanese restaurant. The two of us ordered shawarma plates; I think P had the chicken and I went with a mixed plate of beef and chicken. The platters were huge: slices of marinated and roasted meats with sides of potatoes, hummus, baba ghanoush, and salad. There was also a basket of warm fluffy pita bread for dipping into those delicious mezzes. And I washed it down with a pot of mint tea.

We were gifted a free dessert: Katayef, a Lebanese crêpe with a cream or custard filling, sitting in a pool of orange blossom syrup. It was a very nice and thoughtful way to end the meal. The staff was very friendly and the food was good (and healthy too).

Sunday is traditionally a day when most businesses (food and retail) are closed; that somewhat limited our choices of where to eat from the (incomplete because I left the other pages at the office) list I brought with me. I definitely wanted to check out Poilâne and with multiple locations in Paris, at least one of them was open on Sunday so that’s where we went for lunch.

The Le Marais location of Poilâne offers meal sets for different times of the day. The lunch set includes a soup or salad as a starter, a tartine or a salad entrée, a drink (wine or water) and coffee or tea. One can order à la carte as well but the lunch set was a a good deal for €14,50. I opted for the starter salad and the tartine sardines (sardines, butter, horseradish, wine vinegar, and herbs on sourdough); I was tempted to go for the tartine ecrevisses (crayfish tartine) but the sardine one appealed to me more and it was different, interesting and delicious. I finished off with a pot of green tea while P (who chose the tartine poulet) had a cup of coffee; our drinks were served with a little spoon-shaped biscuit on the side.

We did have Asian food one night in Paris, and of course it simply had to be Vietnamese. Fortunately, Time Out recently published a list of recommendations and after narrowing it down, we ended up going to L’Indochine. We were handed the French version of the menu (they did have English versions but we didn’t know that until another party came in well after us) but it wasn’t too difficult to read even with lapsed lessons in French. I ordered the Pho Dac Biet, which has beef served in various formats, including beef balls. P had the Pho Tai, which is more what I’m used to ordering at home. The bowls came in two sizes and we both chose the small. There were the usual accompaniments but what I liked was inclusion of shacha sauce, which is not an option at my usual Vietnamese places. The only disappointment was the lack of tripe in our bowls, but we got over it quickly enough.

Hot bowls of pho were perfect for the cool evening weather and we washed it down with limeade (me) and a mango milkshake. And I left room for dessert too. From the menu, I went with the Che Khoai Mon: a bowl of tapioca pearls with taro, pandan leaves and coconut milk. It’s definitely not something I’ve seen in New York Vietnamese restaurants (most of them don’t offer desserts). The Che Khoai Mon was different and tasty.

The last dinner (if one wants to call it that) in Paris was so plain compared to all others. We ended up walking from our hotel towards the Metro station and discovered a tiny Halal crêperie inside/next to an electronics shop. For all our walking along that street every day for a week, it was the first time we actually saw the shop, probably because we were walking on the other side of the street for once. Like La Varangue, the crêperie was a one-man operation. There were savory and sweet crêpes available but I wasn’t terribly hungry and went with a simple sugar crêpe. I wish I was more hungry though; the chicken tandoori crêpe sounded most intriguing and I wanted to try it too.

But that wasn’t the very last meal I had in France. This was:

Breakfast at the airport: a cup of tea and a vanilla whole milk yogurt from Paul, and a day-old (but still tasty) croissant from a bakery near the hotel. The yogurt was delicious and came in a black terracotta cup that I considered keeping but couldn’t come up with any good use for it (and there was no resealable cover). Actually, all the yogurt I had in Paris was good and that’s why I’ve been craving it since I returned, though I have yet to find one at home just as good.

June 22, 2015
Three Meals a Day in Paris, Part 1

After five days in Paris, I returned home and refused to eat croissants, baguettes, other Viennoiserie and French desserts for about a week. It’s not that our local patisseries and bakeries churn out inferior goods, but I just had too many sweet things far too often during my trip so I needed a short break from them all. (Though, I did end up craving strawberries and yogurt once I was home because I ate a lot of those things and did not have enough.)

With the exception of breakfast (included with our hotel booking, so the first meal of the day was ever constant), pretty much every meal we ate was something slightly different. From the tiny French restaurant for dinner on our first night to the hole-in-the-wall crêperie on our last, the food was pretty delicious no matter what type of meal it was.

Here’s a look at our main meals in Paris.

Our very first meal in the City of Lights was dinner at La Varangue. My guidebook referred to it as a ‘one man shop’, though Philippe, the owner/chef did have a young assistant the night we ate there. Tiny restaurant, simple but good food, and very reasonable prices. P started off with an appetizer of cassolette d’escargots which was fine but really, I don’t get the hype about eating snails—it’s totally not my thing. Entrées were confit de carnad (duck leg) for P and I had the filet de poulet (a moist chicken breast with potatoes and rosemary sauce). And we finished off with a slice of gâteau au chocolat, though it was hard to choose between that and the crème brûlée. The chocolate cake was delicious and not too sweet. I normally can’t eat much the first night I’m abroad but this time, it worked out well and we didn’t overdo things on our first day.

We paid for breakfast at the hotel so that’s what we ate every day; I would have liked to have gone out to eat but with our crazy morning schedule, it made more sense to grab food downstairs and then head out to our first destination of the day. Each morning was a variation of eggs, meat (bacon, sausage or the charcuterie plate), beans, bread (mini baguette, croissants, or slices from rustic loaves), some veggies (tomatoes, cucumbers), fruit, and yogurt. And always a cup of tea and a glass of juice (orange or grapefruit). And this was why I avoided eating English or continental style breakfasts for at least a week after I returned home.

Lunch and dinner were slightly more interesting during the next several days.

A very late lunch at Fauchon on our second day meant there wasn’t as much variety left in the takeaway area of the café. I made do with a sandwich (smoked salmon with a yogurt dressing and mint), a green juice and a fruit cup that looked like a parfait of jewels. I was fascinated by the sandwich packaging; all of the sandwiches were stored in cute resealable bags ready to grab and go for an afternoon picnic.

The fancy takeaway lunch was followed by a very casual takeaway dinner. There are plenty of restaurants near our hotel and we ended up wandering down a street that had many eateries. Because of the late lunch, I wasn’t too hungry for dinner and ended up ordering a chicken sandwich (more of a wrap) at a Middle Eastern fast food place called Nassim. The sandwich was part of a set meal that also included fries and a soda; the mojito-flavored 7-Up tasted nothing like a mojito but a very sweet fizzy limeade. Maybe I should’ve grabbed the tropical flavored 7-Up instead.

Trying to cover all our meals in one post was a bit much so more food posts will be coming up, but I think we ate well enough on our first two days in France.

June 17, 2015
A Long Holiday Weekend in Paris

One comment I often get when discussing potential travel plans with others is, “Oh, you should go to Paris”. I don’t disagree but somehow I always end up somewhere else when I visit Europe. If the decision was mine alone, I would usually choose London since it’s one of my favorite cities in the world though I also want to visit other parts of the UK as well (Edinburgh, Oxbridge and Brighton are still on my to-visit list).

But now, I can finally cross the City of Lights off my list. I spent a very long (for me, that is) Memorial Day weekend in France and Belgium, traveling with my friend P. She wanted to take a trip this year and I happily agreed to be her traveling companion; it was a new experience since I’ve known her longer than most of my friends (she and my sister went to school together) but this was the first time we traveled together. P made all the arrangements and we set off for Paris on her birthday.

While this was my first trip to Paris, P had been there before some years ago but she didn’t mind revisiting the famous and heavily trafficked landmarks. Of course, there were visits to the Louvre (Mona Lisa, check. Venus de Milo, done. The Winged Victory of Samothrace, ditto.), the Place de la Concorde, Notre Dame Cathedral, and the Champs Elysées.

There was a stroll along the Seine on our first afternoon, crossing the river at Pont Neuf and browsing the famous book stalls on the Left Bank. We were lucky to see the Pont des Arts with love locks intact; Paris officials finally removed them last week and I can’t say I disagree with that choice. A few days later, we hopped on a boat for a one-hour cruise on the Seine, starting at the Eiffel Tower and heading west to the tip of Île Saint-Louis before turning back. And all along the river were Parisians sitting by the banks, chatting the night away with food, drinks and their friends.

We saw both the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe up close but did not climb to the top of either; the lines were insane for the former (even during late evenings) and we arrived too early for the latter to be open. One nice thing about visiting Paris this time of year is the long daylight; sunset began around 9:30pm and it was very hard to want to return to the hotel when there was still a lot of natural light outside. We made the most of it by wandering around the streets of Paris until it grew dark; even then, there were still plenty of people picnicking on the Champ de Mars or having a late (for me) dinner at the bistros.

People have asked me what my favorite part of the trip was and honestly, I don’t think there was any particularly outstanding moment in my mind. Because we were there for such a short time, we crammed as much as we could in the first few days and a lot of it went by almost in a blur. It also didn’t help that the weekend we were there happened to be a public holiday in France so while stores were normally closed on Sundays, many shops and restaurants did not open on Monday either so that meant all our shopping had to be done in between all of the cultural visits.

Even so, I think it was amazing how much we did see in such a short time though our feet were so sore every evening by the time we returned to the hotel. One thing I now have a temporary aversion to are cobblestone streets; walking on uneven, unpaved surfaces were brutal, no matter which pair of shoes I wore nor how often we changed them during the day. Stone streets are lovely to look at but not for ideal for walking hours on.

Stay tuned for more about my trip (and of course, the food).

June 8, 2015
Experiencing Engelberg

After a morning high in the mountains, the last group excursion of our trip was a journey to the Swiss countryside. Listed as “Swiss Heritage” in the travel brochure, it was an optional outing which I think everyone in my tour group took part in. After a short break back in Lucerne where we grabbed lunch, our bus drove south to the town of Engelberg.

In winter, most visitors come to Engelberg for the skiing; there is a cable car that takes people up Mount Titlis. Our driver let us off right in front of the cable car station where we would wait for our next mode of transportation. With the clouds and the rain, it was getting a bit cold and Kate handed out miniature bottles of schnapps to supposedly warm us up. I received a bottle of plum-flavored schnapps which tasted far too similar to cough syrup; after one or two sips, I capped the bottle and ignored it for the rest of the trip. Even Kate admitted that the brand she bought was not very high-quality.

After a few minutes, our ride finally came to pick us up.

It was about eight people sitting in our carriage: six of us in the main seating area facing each other, and another two or three in the higher back row. Had the weather been better, I think the carriage ride would have been a bit more romantic and picturesque. Instead, the top was pulled up to shield us from the rain so the views were a bit more limited but we were all snug and warm with the thick blankets covering our laps.

We were driven around Engelberg to take in the sights, from shops in quaint buildings to views of the cable car and the surrounding mountains. As we drove past Engelberg Abbey, Kate (who was sitting in our carriage) mentioned that there is a cheese factory located at the monastery.

Eventually, we reached the end of the ride and our next destination, a working farm in the town. Ulli, our hostess was the owner and after welcoming us to her farm, we were ushered inside the barn. It was dimly lit but there were lights hung about around the small windows and along the wall. We were given cups of hot tea (with or without the schnapps) and then she spoke to us about the life of a Swiss farmer and the products they produced (especially the cheese).

After a quick Q & A, we feasted on some light snacks. There was a platter of cheese and slices of a beef that was thinly sliced and more reminiscent of salami; the cheese is one that is only available in the country and never exported. That was followed by homemade cheese pie and rösti; I ended up with a huge slice of the pie which I passed along but I did enjoy the rösti (one can never go wrong with any version of fried potatoes. And dessert was homemade gingerbread and Birnbrot/Birnweggen, a Swiss pastry with a pear filling from a local bakery. The former was fine, though a bit too spiced for my tastes but I loved the Birnbrot.

We were free to explore the barn afterwards and that included getting up close and personal with the bovine residents in the next room. The smell wasn’t too pleasant but everyone enjoyed getting close and personal with the cows, though it was hard to take photos of the animals since they kept moving around. In one area in the back were a few calves, and they were so cute that many people wanted their photos taken with them.

When I returned to the main room, Ulli’s son was preparing to play a little music for us. I think he played a few traditional songs and he was pretty good. We stayed a little longer after that and then made our leave after thanking both Ulli and her son for their hospitality. We walked from the farm back to the cable car station, where our bus was waiting for us. It was a long drive back to Lucerne in the rain and then we spent the rest of the afternoon preparing for our very early departure in the morning to Zurich airport. Dinner that night was at a local Italian restaurant along the Reuss River and then we all went our separate ways, either for a final stroll around Lucerne or back to the hotel to pack (for me and M, it was the latter).

And so our trip had finally reached the end. It’s amazing to look back and see how much we actually did in the span of a week. Here’s looking forward to my next getaway.

April 20, 2015
Queen of the Mountains

The last full day of our trip was one of more fun and exciting ones. After breakfast, we drove west to Vitznau where the views of Lake Lucerne were absolutely beautiful. The bus dropped us off at the edge of the lake, where one can take a train to go up Mount Rigi, also known as the “Queen of the Mountains”.

The train that ascends the mountain is a cogwheel train. The Vitznau route to Rigi is the first mountain cog railway in Europe, with service that began in 1871 and is still running well over a century later. We arrived early, so there was plenty of time to take photos at the base and do a little souvenir shopping at the store at the station. The train itself consisted of two cars and there were signs on the doors letting us know where to go since several tour groups had bookings for the first departure.

There were several stops along the way up to the summit. At every stop, one member of staff on the train would exit and make postal deliveries; their were mailboxes at every station shelter. Not only were people living on Rigi but we saw several hotels and even a ski-lift along the route. The higher up we went, the more the landscape changed–the blues and greens of gently sloping hills and the lake below us gave way to frost-covered grass, dark conifer forests and snowy trails.

It was a steep ascent but we reached the summit in about thirty minutes. Rigi Kulm is nearly 1800 meters (approximately 6000 feet) above sea level. It was white all around us and very cold, but everyone really enjoyed stepping out onto the snowy summit. There were plenty of photos taken as well as snowballs being thrown about. There was a path to go uphill where there is a hotel but everything was hidden beneath the snow and it was already a steep climb just up the small hill next to the train station.

Soon, it was time to warm up a bit. Fortunately, there was a shop and fast food restaurant right there so one could thaw with a hot drink, food or a snack. It was far too early for another meal (it was only 10am when I walked in) so I settled for lighter fare.

I ordered a cup of rosehip tea and from the baked goods on display, settled for a slice of a Swiss specialty, the Engadine Nut Tart. The tart was filled with nuts and honey, so it was sticky and a bit sweeter than I like but it was pretty tasty. There were other members of my group already sitting down at the tables when I carried my tray over to the seating area.

Since our arrival on the summit, there hadn’t been much to look at. The skies had been cloudy all morning and we couldn’t see anything on the horizon. That finally changed and the clouds and fog slowly rolled out, giving us tantalizing glimpses of the mountains across the valley. By the time I finished eating and stepped out, I caught a brief glance of the mountains before they disappeared behind the cloudy curtains once more. This happened several times so one had to always have the camera at the ready but the clouds eventually moved on and we were given spectacular views of the alps in the distance and the forests below us.

The descent was slightly different. Instead of riding the cogwheel train all the way down, our group got off at Rigi Kaltbad to board a gondola/cable car to take us to base of the mountain. As we descended, the gray hues of the landscape around us slowly became saturated with color once more. We rode through thin clouds and so the views out of the windows were a bit blurry but very colorful. It’s amazing to see how green the grass is even in the middle of December! We landed in Weggis, which is another village on the lake and where our bus was waiting to take us back to Lucerne.

April 13, 2015
Last Stop: Lucerne

We were nearing the end of our tour and finally we’ve arrived in the last country, Switzerland. From Vaduz, it was supposed to be a non-stop drive to Lucerne. Instead of being welcomed with a view of Lake Lucerne, we were first greeted by members of the Swiss police.

The short version of the story is that we were on the highway, just a few miles outside of Lucerne, when we (and a truck driver) noticed there was something wrong with the bus. Our driver stopped and stepped outside with our guide and after taking a look, the conclusion was that our bus was breaking down. The goal was to try to drive slowly and make it into the city; we would not need the bus for the rest of the afternoon after we checked into the hotel. About ten minutes after getting back on the road, we were flagged down again but this time by the police. Apparently, they saw smoke coming out from the back of the bus and would not permit us to go further. Instead, they escorted us to the nearest police station.

In the meantime, our guide Kate telephoned the other tour group (they had already arrived ahead of us) and explained the situation. Once Dean’s group was dropped off in the city, their driver came to the police station to pick us up so we weren’t stranded for too long. Our luggage would follow later on and suffice to say, it definitely made for an interesting conversation with members from the other group when the two tours had to share one bus and one guide briefly in the afternoon on our way to the hotel.

There was no introductory tour once we arrived in the city. Those who decided not to participate in the optional lake cruise (M and I did not) were on their own for the rest of the day, including finding our own dinners. Since we were unable to check into the hotel just yet, we began to wander around the streets of city. Our first tourist stop ended up being a visit to the Lion of Lucerne.

The monument commemorates the deaths of Swiss Guards during a great battle at the Tuileries Palace in Paris, in 1792. It’s a magnificent sculpture though the scene is somewhat sad; the Lion isn’t sleeping but dying, a spear driven in its side.

We retraced our steps back to where Lake Lucerne meets the Reuss River. There are several beautiful bridges the span the river; the most famous and photographed one is the Kapellbrücke (Chapel Bridge). According to Wikipedia, it’s the oldest covered bridge in Europe, dating back to the 14th century. The stone structure in the middle of the bridge is the Water Tower, named for its location in the river and not as a building that stored water for use. And nearby is another old wooden bridge, the Spreuer Bridge, which was completed in 1408. Both bridges are decorated with beautiful paintings, in the towers and in the gable of the roofs.

We strolled through some of the narrow streets near the river but didn’t really venture too far. The skies were grey and the rain came down all afternoon, mostly a light drizzle though it was heavier at times and it grew dark very quickly

After checking in at the hotel, we ended up walking back towards railway station. I love wandering through train stations when I’m abroad because usually they are far more grand and stately than what we have at home (Grand Central Terminal being an exception). I can’t remember much about it, except that it was dark thanks to shorter daylight hours and there were plenty of people milling about at the time of day. There are shops in the concourse of the station, which were far more interesting, and a mini Christmas Market was set up as well. The holiday market did not interest me much but I very much enjoyed exploring the supermarket at one end of the concourse.

And it was at the market where we procured our evening meal. As I walked up and down the aisles of Coop, it reminded me of upscale markets like Whole Foods and other international markets I visit elsewhere (like the CitySuper chain in Hong Kong). Coop’s prepared foods section was pretty awesome; M and I both ended up with a quarter roasted chicken, while I grabbed a small organic salad (fresh veggies at last), a dinner roll, green juice and a chocolate mousse for dessert. Unsurprisingly, I bought quite a bit of chocolate as well.

We headed back to the hotel afterwards and it was nice to just plop down on the bed or at the desk and eat without making small talk with others. And out of all the meals we’ve had on this trip, it was one of the better and more pleasant ones. I really, really missed having vegetables and a simple salad was pretty satisfying. The chicken was delicious (I wanted seconds), the bread roll soft and tasty, but my dessert was a bit too boozy for me. I didn’t think to read the ingredients (in French no less) beforehand but I was drawn to it regardless. With the exchange rates nearly equal, my meal cost about $15 USD, which wasn’t bad at all and sadly, cheaper than some of my lunches in midtown Manhattan.

April 9, 2015
One Hour in Vaduz

We finally said farewell to Austria and were on our way to Switzerland. But first, we made a stop in one of the smallest countries in the world.

I’ve always been curious about Liechtenstein; back in school, we were told that it was the smallest country (though that’s not really the case) so I wondered just how big (or small) it actually was. Our guide, Kate, didn’t even have much to recommend about the country, which is more known as a place where companies are set up thanks to very generous tax laws.

It was raining most of the morning as we drove west and across the border from Austria. And really, there wasn’t even much to see. We headed straight for Vaduz, the capital of the principality, and somehow our driver made a wrong turn somewhere and we drove right out of the city and had to turn back. For the record, Vaduz isn’t even the largest city in Liechtenstein; its total population is about the same as my high school (which to be honest is very large).

We were dropped off at a bus station right next to the main thoroughfare in the town center. The rain was still coming down and it was foggy above so we could barely make out the outline of Vaduz Castle, perched high on the hill above us. The Castle itself is home to the ruling family and no tours are allowed. Instead, we admired a brightly colored facsimile near the bus stop.

Kate gave us about an hour to explore, which meant mainly walking up and down Städtle, the main street. I think we may have been more slightly impressed if the weather was better and we could see our surroundings in a clearer light.

Other than shopping for souvenirs, the only other advice that was offered was to hit an ATM; neither Liechtenstein nor Switzerland belong to the European Union so we’d be spending Swiss Francs for the rest of our tour. I did some research before the trip and noted that the only souvenir I was interested in was getting my passport stamped at the Tourism Office. It cost a few Euros or Francs (both currencies were accepted) and such a memento takes up no extra space in my luggage. After that, we just walked up and down the street taking a few photos before heading back to the bus stop.

As we left the city (and the country), we crossed the Rhine, which was just as blue as the Inn when we were in Salzburg. And as soon as we crossed the river, we found ourselves in another country.

March 31, 2015
Visiting Innsbruck

Of all the places we visited or stopped in during our weeklong tour, Innsbruck was my favorite. We arrived in the early afternoon so there was plenty of time to take in the sights even though we were only staying for the night. Our hotel was very, very conveniently located and after checking in, we headed for the Old Town, just a few minutes’ walk away. One interesting attraction was the fake cherry blossom tree that “grew” outside of the Imperial Palace. It looked real from afar but then one has to realize, a tree would not be blooming outdoors in the middle of December in alpine country.

As the name implies, Old Town is filled with rather old and very charming buildings and streets. One of the most famous attractions is the Goldenes Dachl (Golden Roof), a balcony with roof tiles made of gold-plated copper. It was cloudy that day but the roof still glittered though not as brightly as on a sunny day.

Continuing on, we walked through the old town, crossed a busy street and then we were in the city center. On Maria-Theresien Straße, the main shopping street, there was a Christmas Market but we ignored it for the moment. Instead, we took our guide’s suggestion and headed straight for the shopping mall. We weren’t there to shop at all but to go to the rooftop lounge where one could get a 360° view of the city and the surrounding mountains. The views were spectacular:

After admiring the scenery, we returned to the Old Town for a bit of shopping and browsing. One of the more interesting sights to see were these huge medieval or fairytale figures on display standing in between buildings, on top of entryways or just sitting on windowsills. You can get a sense of their size when you see how tall I am standing next to a knight in shining armor.

Eventually, we made our way towards the Inn River. The river itself is a beautiful aquamarine color and it makes for a very pretty postcard with the brightly painted buildings that stood on the other side.

On our side of the river was another Christmas market and as we strolled through the stalls along the riverbank, dusk was settling in. In the middle of this Christmas Bazaar was a carousel for the kids to ride, and a tree decorated and topped with Swarovski crystals. I admired some of the ornaments for sale but didn’t buy anything; by this point, I was definitely more interested in other sights besides holiday markets.

I admit to being much more engaged in wandering through the local supermarkets and bakeries. Our guide told us that we should pick up something for lunch for our journey the following day. We picked up a few items at a supermarket and later on, we stopped at a small bakery where I bought a glazed croissant (which ended up being part of my lunch) and a box of cookies for home (they were a bit banged up by the time they arrived in New York but still tasty). And oh, there were some very interesting pastries on display in some other shops but we were on our way back to the hotel for dinner and who knew how much food we would eat that night.

That evening, we were on a tight schedule: M and I chose to join in one of the optional tour excursions that would take place after dinner. We went to see Tiroler Abend, a family-run show that highlights Tyrolean music, dancing, and singing (i.e. yodelling that isn’t quite what we see in The Sound of Music). Two of the performer came to pick us up from the hotel and drove us to the restaurant/theater.

There were other tourists there and overall, everyone enjoyed the show. I think a lot of the women in our tour group that came (it was mostly the women, too) enjoyed watching the men dance in traditional Tyrolean folk costumes, which of course included lederhosen. You can actually watch a show in its entirety here (which I think contained everything we saw, though not in the same order). One nice thing was that they would find out from what countries their audience was from, and give a little speech in their native tongues and as an encore, there is a sing-a-long with at least one song from every country.

March 27, 2015