Switzerland 2008: Day 8 - Zurich

Our last day in Switzerland was spent in Zurich (and we were feeling sad to leave the country). The first thing we did after checking into our hotel was walk along the Limmat River. On the southern end, we came across these benches to enjoy the waters (and swans).


Although there aren't many swans in this photo, there are dozens right behind me...


...and here is one up close.


We walked under this bridge which looks pretty neat from below, but was a bit odorous.


We then went a little farther south and stumbled upon an open air market...with many vendors like this sausage one.


We then strolled to a park on top of a hill...


...which gave us a view of the city.


The streets were very interesting with the hills.


A series of small shops lined the side of the Limmat River (on the right).

More photos can be viewed here:
Nikon (117 photos) - http://www.flickr.com/gp/51685057@N00/851xEG
Leica (29 photos, 1 video) - http://www.flickr.com/gp/51685057@N00/V8WVc7

Switzerland 2008: Day 7 - Luzern

We spent the second to last day exploring Luzern. It was a beautiful mid size city with crystal clear water everywhere.


This Culture and Conference Center designed by Jean Nouvel is just outside the train station


One of the most well known symbol/landmark is this water tower and covered bridge.


Lake Luzern...clean (for the most part) and peaceful with an amazing backdrop


Swans were never timid among humans


The weeping lion memorial (another important symbol of Luzern)

More photos can be found here:
Nikon (107 photos) - http://www.flickr.com/gp/51685057@N00/UN9185
Leica (28 photos) - http://www.flickr.com/gp/51685057@N00/vGRkrD

Switzerland 2008: Day 6 - Last day in Berner Oberland

Sad that our stay in Berner Oberland is ending, we embarked on another great day-long loop hike. We decided to hike from Lauterbrunnen up to Isenfluh then to Murren and back down to Gimmelwald. We would then take the cable car from Gimmelwald to Stechelberg and hike from there back to Lauterbrunnen.


Glacier melt


The forest became dense at lower elevations


Direction signs along the trail


Sheep grazing on the hills


Our last meal in Berner Oberland: Fusilli with morel sauce

More photos can be found here:
Nikon (86 photos) - http://www.flickr.com/gp/51685057@N00/805u20
Leica (22 photos) - http://www.flickr.com/gp/51685057@N00/jh0UfJ

Switzerland 2008: Day 5 - Third day in Berner Oberland

On the third day, we moved our bags and equipment to Lauterbrunnen. We decided to stay here so that we can more easily explore the east side of the Lauterbrunnen Valley.


A view of a part of the Lauterbrunnen Valley from the cable car.

The visibility up at Jungfraujoch was very low so we decided to take a train to Kleine Schidegg.


The cogwheel tracks help the trains climb up and down the steep slopes with more ease. We hiked down from Kleine Schidegg to Wengen and then down to Lauterbrunnen.


This area was the coldest part of our trip along with strong winds.


We could really see the icy peaks clearly.


Like the other days in Berner Oberland, the views were always spectacular.


We were passed by this shepherd and his flock.

After reaching Lauterbrunnen via a very steep hike, we decided to take the bus to Stechelberg and hike from there back to Lauterbrunnen.


Interesting wire for the fences


We got to finish the day with this natural wonder.

More photos from this day can be found here:
Nikon (86 photos)- http://www.flickr.com/gp/51685057@N00/F3Q32o
Leica (43 photos, 2 videos) - http://www.flickr.com/gp/51685057@N00/w061Fe

Switzerland 2008: Day 4 - Second day in Berner Oberland

We woke up to beautiful views on our second day in Berner Oberland and began our hike shortly after breakfast. We first hiked up to Murren, a town about 200 meters higher in elevation than Gimmelwald.


View looking down towards Gimmelwald, although most of it is not in sight.


We stopped for lunch here near Schiltalp. This portion of the North Face Trail had snow coverage, making it a little more difficult to hike in. Luckily, we had our trekking poles to help us.


Along the the trails, we saw dozens of different wildflowers like these...


...and these.

Our view towards the end of our hike (w/Gimmelwald in the distance).

Complete albums of this day can be viewed at:
Nikon (109 photos) - http://www.flickr.com/gp/51685057@N00/97pbbp
Leica (59 photos, 3 videos) - http://www.flickr.com/gp/51685057@N00/6bq3Bn

Switzerland 2008: Day 3 - First day in Berner Oberland

Our third day of the trip started on the Panoramic Train on the Golden Pass, which extends from Montreux to Luzern. On this day, we took it from Montreux to Interlaken.


A fellow passenger enjoys the view on the panoramic train on the Golden Pass.


Paragliders dotted the Interlaken sky by the dozens.

We stopped and explored Berner Oberland, the Alpine region south of Interlaken, for 4 days. We stayed in Gimmelwald for 2 nights and Lauterbrunnen for the other 2.


Gimmelwald is a beautiful little town (of pop. ~150) suspended on the side of a mountain, making the views spectacular:)


We also got to live among the cows that make the delicious Alpekasse (Alp cheese).


After settling in at our hotel, we went on a short hike before dinner .

Here are links to the full albums on Flickr:
Nikon shots - http://www.flickr.com/gp/51685057@N00/pN4Sa3
Leica shots - http://www.flickr.com/gp/51685057@N00/492141

Switzerland 2008: Day 2 - Lausanne and Montreux

On the second day of our trip, we took the train from Bern to Montreux in the morning, dropped off our extra bag at the hostel and went to visit Chateau de Chillon (near Montreux).


Chateau de Chillon on Lake Geneva, near Montreux

It was a fascinating look at medieval life. The prison and latrines (both with the beautiful views of Lake Geneva) were the highlights for me.


Bonivard's Prison


Latrine, which is open to the lake below, also had views of Lake Geneva

After walking through the Chateau, we strolled along the lake to Montreux. We then took the train to Lausanne, the capital of the Olympic games (home to the Int'l Olympic Committee since 1915). We did a walking tour before it started to rain.


View of Lausanne from outside the Cathedral (Switzerland's largest).

You can view the entire album of photos of our day 2 in Switzerland by visiting Flickr at the following locations:
Nikon shots - http://www.flickr.com/gp/51685057@N00/G1J235
Leica shots - http://www.flickr.com/gp/51685057@N00/McACxP

Switzerland 2008: Day 1 - Bern and Murten

Our 8-9 day trip to Switzerland (May 2008) took us to quite a few places around the country. We will share our photos by day so here is a sample from day 1 of our trip. The entire set of day 1 photos can be found on Flickr:
Nikon shots - http://www.flickr.com/gp/51685057@N00/2P7rKD
Leica shots - http://www.flickr.com/gp/51685057@N00/St9BF2


The Aare River in Bern


A trail along the Aare River, Bern


Large scale chess pieces, Bern


Murten, a medieval town southwest of Bern


Interesting trees at Murten