Having only been on the road 24 hours (and with no sleep, I might add), we already have some super funny stories to tell that include Gina nearly getting herself handcuffed to her seat after going off to a decidedly unreceptive flight attendant about their (and I quote) “shitty” service. We have also decided that the Amazing Race is not for us. Although we have sprinted through terminals twice now, we have not made either flight. In addition, there has been a little bit of yelling that we wouldn’t want broadcast to Nielsen families around the world. Our only hope would be that Gina’s ultra-competitive nature would yield a win, as she managed to get us first on the standby list, ahead of 5 other racers.
Hope everyone is well back home and enjoying the first day of daylight savings! We’re off to see if we can get a seat to Switzerland …
Email Sent on 11 March 2008
Well, it went from bad to worse before getting much much better. British Air couldn’t get us on any of their flights out of London so they booked us on a late afternoon Swiss Air flight. Finally, after 30 hours of traveling with no sleep, we touched down at our intentional destination. Unfortunately, we could not say the same for our luggage, which we surmised was either at JFK or London, as it was not in Zurich. Could have been on American, could have been on British, could have been on Swiss, or could have been on rye with a pickle on the side, for all we knew. At least we were savvy packers and had a change of clothing with us. We needed it, although not for too long, as our bag was waiting in our room for us last night. Apparently tired of hanging out with the many other lost bags of American Airlines, it decided to hop a Swiss Air flight to Brussels for a little R&R before arriving here to service us once more.
Also on a positive note, our room is quite nice, if you like looking at smokestacks and the competition (Pfizer). Welcome to Zurich! At some point this week we’re going to go next door and see what kind of trade-in we can get on Gina’s 14-yr-old Geo at the Renault dealership, upon which we would fall if we chose to launch ourselves out our hotel room window.
But actually, it is a very nice (and free!) room with a Tram stop right outside, making our day trips into the city quite simple to navigate. So that is what we did yesterday, enjoying a long walk along the Zurichsee (Lake Zurich) and ambling along the cobblestone streets in search of towers to climb (we found one), an afternoon tea and cappuccino (we supported the local Starbucks), and biking maps of the country (what else?).
Today was spent risking life and limb in the small medieval town of Schaffhausen, a 38 minute (the Swiss are quite exact when it comes to telling time) train ride north of Zurich. The train wasn’t dangerous, nor really was the fresco-decorated town and fortress, but the Rhine Falls, a 4-km walk from town, were replete with slippery precipices and water-scourged overlooks that we had no choice but to climb down and out onto, with the water raging literally a few feet away and under us.
I’d show you a picture, but we don’t have our camera download cord and after searching the web for similar photos, I’ve come up empty-handed, as no one else in their right mind has ever apparently been daring (reckless?) enough to walk out there. You can guess who’s idea it was.
The next few days are all about working for me, but Gina is contemplating paragliding off Mt. Pilatus outside of Luzern and/or climbing the north face of the Eiger. I’ll be sure to let you know which one she survives.
Email Sent on 23 March 2008
Greetings from Seattle, where we have safely returned, this time with only one American Airlines re-booking and one other delayed flight (making their ineptitude 2 for 2 on our return). As soon as we’re done with this email we’re going to start on our complaint letter. Not sure how much good that will do, as we really don’t want any vouchers or free upgrades for flying them again. Ever. But enough about our flight challenges and on to the good stuff …
After finishing up the work week, we took the train to Luzern for an overnight stay in perhaps the most beautiful city in all of Europe. Gorgeous mountains ringing a gorgeous lake ringed by gorgeous architecture. Gina planned for us to go for a run around the lake, not realizing that it’s the fourth largest in Switzerland. Luckily for me, part of the running route was closed, thus saving me from several hundred miles of breathless “I can’t stand it!(s)”. We spent our non-running hours wandering the city’s many bridges, ramparts, and cobblestone streets under sunny skies, discussing which mountains to head to next.
Decision: the Lauterbrunnen Valley, south of Interlaken.
It’s nearly impossible to describe the utter beauty of the valley and surrounding Alps. In fact, rather than try, we will direct you to a photo link soon enough, where you can view it for yourself. Suffice it to say that the area looks like what you imagine the Swiss Alps to be – green valleys, waterfalls (not fully frozen), and towering peaks, including 3 of the 4 most recognizable mountains in Switzerland … the Eiger, Monch, and Jungfrau (with the Matterhorn nowhere nearby).
It’s in this region that our adventure truly gets underway. First, there is the cable car ride from Lauterbrunnen up to Grutschalp. Preferring cars that run along the ground, rather than along dental floss strung vertically up a mountainside, this is not the highlight of my trip (although also not the scariest cable car we will take, which I do not yet realize). Gina, of course, thinks it’s super. I use the fingernails I have left to next grip the edge of my seat as we ride a tiny toy train for 3 miles along the lip of an enormously ridiculous and slippery cliff into the small, car-free ski village of Murren. We decide to call this home for the next 3 nights. Having not gotten a big enough thrill from our dance with death to get up here, 1600 meters above the valley floor, Gina books us a room at the Alpina Hotel, which sits not just on the edge of this nearly mile-high cliff, but actually somewhat over, with a loosely-anchored deck railing the only thing between us and the valley floor below.
Way below. She, of course, thinks the setting is super. I admit that I enjoy the view as well, particularly given that I see it often every night, after waking from dreams that I am falling. Imagine that.
The adventure continues as we spend a day learning how to ride toboggans down ski slopes (imagine bobsledding without the steering and brakes). We have decided this is our new winter sport, now that the bruises have healed.
We also ride the cable cars up to Schilthorn (these are the truly scary ones, rising another 1300 meters above the ledge upon which Murren sits). A 1969 James Bond movie was filmed here. Gina contemplates reenacting his ski scene down the vertical slopes, but I talk her back from the edge with the promise of hot chocolate from the revolving restaurant.
Our remaining days in the Lauterbrunnen Valley and surrounding Alps and ski villages are spent doing much Nordic walking, taking tons of photos of the endless, amazing scenery, and planning our next toboggan trip. We end our fabulous week with a quick First Class (!) train ride up to Bern, the capital of this beautiful country, where we stroll for a few hours before training back to Zurich.
