Incredibly Interesting Itinerary!
As usual, morning came bright and early with breakfast at 7. Dimitri had given us a little test. Instead of leaving the hotel as a group with him, he wanted us to find our own way to the train station, meeting him at platform 2.
Once everybody was at platform 2 we made the switch to platform 1 to wait for our train.
Once everybody was at platform 2 we made the switch to platform 1 to wait for our train.
We took the train to Levanto where the bus was waiting for us. Once again, Little Ricky had the TV monitors down and the bus camera on so we might enjoy the crazy and scenic drive. Off to Switzerland!
Around noon we stopped for lunch at an autogrille (always good!). Outside, after our meal, I was intrigued by this billboard.
Curious Capture
We also made a scenic picture stop near Lake Lugano. It was absolutely stunning!
Memorable Moment
Another thing that we saw once we crossed into Switzerland, were all of the paragliders, flitting and flying around the mountains. So pretty!
Little Ricky keeps a very tidy bus! He took advantage of our pit stop to pick up some crumbs.
Curious Captures
We stopped in Interloken for a while. Lannie and I walked around and did a little shopping and just had fun!
During our bus ride, Dimitri came upstairs to give us some language lessons. He explained that we would be in the Swiss German speaking part of Switzerland. While most Swiss can understand German, the Swiss German dialect has its own special words and pronunciations. He told us how to greet people, saying Grüetzi. He demonstrated how to say it, in almost a sing-song, exaggerated way. When Lannie and I went shopping, we walked into one store and were immediately greeted by the clerk. I decided to practice my Swiss German and called out all sing-songy, "Grrrrrroot-SEE!" I must have done a really good job! The clerk then started a conversation with me in Swiss German. I had to quickly interrupt her and apologize. I confessed I had just used my only Swiss German word! She laughed and complimented me, telling me she had been certain that I was a local!
We ran into a massive traffic backup that brought us to a standstill for a good half an hour or more. It didn't bother me a bit as we were stopped surrounded by beautiful mountain views. Nearby was a logging camp and helicopters carrying massive logs out of the camp.
It was a late arrival when we arrived in Stechelberg. Just one look around us and all cares melted away.
Stechelberg had our most simple rooms, and I wouldn't want it any other way. We were split up into two buildings. Our building shared a bathroom and a shower. The rooms had no TV. No TV is needed when you have views like the one I enjoyed. I opened my window to the fresh air and started taking pictures.
I post this picture of Little Ricky's backside, not just because of the view (though I know some of you won't mind *winkys*, but because it gives you a chance to peek into his personal bus stash! You can see his rows of shoes on top. He owns more shoes than Bayer has aspirin!
Curious Capture
A better view of Little Ricky's closet, courtesy of tour-mate, Julie.
Home Happy Home~ Hotel Stechelberg Oberhus
My group was in the oberhus (upper house)
This was the view out of my window. Seriously. I could hear the sound of the waterfalls in the mountains, the mooing of the cows and the tinkling of their bells. There was also an adorable cat who slept just a few feet away. I didn't ever want to leave the beauty of Stechelberg.
Around 9PM we had a "Welcome to Stechelberg" drink and fondue demonstration. We were also given a menu if we wanted more drinks.
The fondue demonstration was both interesting and tasty! Several tour members copied down the recipe so they could make fondue at home. We had two fondue pots per table and baskets of dense bread were passed around. There were special forks to jab our bread, dip and eat with. We didn't want to stop. It was so good!
But we still had dinner to look forward to, so had to force ourselves to stop. Dinner started with soup, then moved on to roast pork with mashed potatoes, beans and carrots, and ended with ice cream!
But we still had dinner to look forward to, so had to force ourselves to stop. Dinner started with soup, then moved on to roast pork with mashed potatoes, beans and carrots, and ended with ice cream!
After dinner Lannie and I took a walk. We were joined by Tom and Ila. We decided we needed to find those cows were hearing! I really wanted some great pictures of cows with their big, Swiss cow-bells! We took a path behind the hotel dining area and found the cows. It was getting dark, so I grabbed my camera- only to discover my batteries were dead. All three of them! No problem, I grabbed my phone. I went to take a picture- and my phone died. No cow pictures.
A short time later we all decided to call it a night.
A short time later we all decided to call it a night.