Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Zurich, then home
We spent our last day in Zurich on a nice city tour. They took us to some of the area just outside of Zurich that we would not have gotten too, as well as some parts of the old town we wanted to see. Zurich has the financial side (which everyone knows about) and then the social side. Many young people just hanging out. The weather was great, and the guide was very informative. We are at the airport, starting our trip back to Kansas City!
Our Last Day in Murren
We went for broke our last day in the Alps. Up early on a clear day we went for a hike up in the alps. The sky was clear so the views were great. The hike was good along streams, cows and wild flowers.
We had been watching the paragliders all week float down through the valley. So since our life insurance was paid up, we said...why not. We floated like birds down through the valley. A great experience.
We took the train from Interlaken to Zurich, and today we are doing a tour of Zurich before we head home tomorrow.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Folk Festival
Today we went across the valley (train, tram, train, tram and $40 each) to a village called Mannlichen. I use the term village loosely because it is at the top of the tram stop, has a couple of restaurants, and B&B's. But they had a folklore festival today that was very good. It was also good for the restaurant. The place was packed. They had different groups perform. Yodelers, alp horn players, a dancing group, and a couple of swiss bands playing polkas and other tunes. It was quite nice,and gave Lyla and I a chance to take a long alpine walk. Unlike yesterday, when we had 
the trail to ourselves, today it was quite different. It was Sunday, a popular trail, and the festival crowd. I am sure that from above it looked like ants going to and fro. The weather was great, a few clouds, but the sun was out, and I was glad I had the suncreen on. I am becoming quite the fan of "rosti" or hash browns. Every menu has them, and they are all prepared a little differently, so it is fun trying them all.
Tomorrow is our last day in Murren. It was been very relaxing. No cars or scooters. The people are very nice, and the scenery is great all around you. Sorrento was the opposite of all of those.
We walked around the village tonight, and noticed all of the gardens. Potatoes are the favorite crop. Everyone has them. Followed by lettuce, carrots, cabbage,and other veggies. No rabbits to worry about, and they grow stuff on a slope. Composting is in.
Daniel and Sondra run the hotel we are staying at. Hard workers. Owning a hotel is a tought business. They have a son, Dominick, who is 9 years old. He attends school in a town in the valley, Lautebrunnen. He rides his bike to the tram (skis in the winter), and takes the tram down to the valley in the morning. Brings it back up for lunch, back down again after lunch, and back up again at the end of school. Kindergarden and first grade are here in Murren, 2nd thru 5th in Lautebrunnen, and 6-8 in Gimellwald ( a short tram ride away). He has 5 in his class. When they get to high school, they either go to Lautebrunnen or take the train 30 minutes to Interlaken.They go to school year round but have several 2 week breaks throughout the year. Why is this interesting? Because there is such a push to close the schools and send the kids to the valley. Sounds like rural Minnesota, South Dakota, etc. only on a different scale.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Mountain Walking
We got an early start (10 AM) today and took the funicular up about 1500 feet and started a walk nice mountain walk. The clouds were low, but it wasn't raining. The mountain tops were covered with clouds, so it wasn't quite as grand a view as it was a couple of days ago. There were not a lot of people out on the trail,at times we would go 15 minutes without meeting anyone. However, we ran into a couple from Overland Park. They live about 2 miles from us!. We stopped at a small dairy that makes cheese and yogurt and bought some cheese that they make there. We are going to spend a quiet night in Murren.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Mountain Biking
We spent the day biking down the mountain. Sort of.We rented bikes in Murren and then coasted down the mountain to the valley. We basically rode the brake for 90 minutes. The grade going down is very steep, and winds down switching back and forth, back and forth. The views were good, but dare-devil biking was interesting. Lyla asked numerous time if my life insurance was paid up.
At the bottom of the valley is a town called Lauterbrunnen. It is the last town in the valley that cars can get to, so it is popular for
that reason, along with the fact that it has great views on each side of the valley. Its a great place to people watch and get the flat tire on your bike fixed.We went to the Trummelbach Falls which is snow melt from several of the mountains.It is actually 10 water falls inside a mountain. We've never seen anything quite like it. You can not really take pictures of it, but we tried.
Tonight we had dinner at a local restaurant. There are several Japenese groups in town right now, and 2 of them enjoyed Fondue
We are getting to recognize people that are staying in Murren, and that's kind of fun.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Murren, Switzerland
We spent yesterday traveling from Sorrento to Murren. What a change in scenery. From sea level to alpine mountains.
This morning we woke up to this!!! This is the view looking out of our room.
We opted to take an alpine meadow walk. The meadows are filled with wild flowers. Lyla took 5,482 pictures of wild flowers. Oh well, it was very nice. They are in full bloom. We ate lunch at a farm house that makes and serves their own cheese. Our stroll turned into a 5 hours walk with great scenery. I took a video clip of the very happy cows, and some of the great scenery. You get to Murren by cable car, and there are no cars in town. You walk. No scooters either!
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Sorrento
We spent the day around Sorrento. Lyla laid by the pool and read her book for a while, and I.....rented a scooter. What fun. We rode up into the hills and got some good views and then had lunch at the Foreigners Club (overlooking the bay), followed by some shopping. Then I got to do laundry and Lyla strolled the streets, shopping. Tonight we had a great dinner at a place close to the hotel that overlooked the bay. Delicious.Tomorrow, we are off to Switzerland. Taxi, ferry, bus, airplane, train and finally a tram. From sea level to 8,000 feet!
Naples, Italy
We spent the day in Naples dodging rain drops, and speeding scooters and cars. Naples has a great archeological museum that holds many artifacts from Pompeii (we were there the day before). The King at the time of the excavation told the archeologists to “bring everything good to Naples” so there is quite a collection of frescoes, statues, pottery, and other items. The mosaics that were in the floors of the wealthy were really quite good. The pieces are 1/16” and are laid in a design that can be 2’ x 2’. The shading of the different tiles was excellent.
One of the more enjoyable lunches we have had on this trip, we had across from the museum on a busy street corner. In Rick Steve’s book, he talks about the driving in Naples, so we sat and observed and these are the driving rules in Naples:
-If you see the light turn from green to red, which means that you can keep going through the intersection. So 4-5 cars blatantly run the light every time.
-Scooter drivers are color blind. The only color on the stop light they see is green.
-Most cars have dented fenders. Most on both sides of the car. You are crazy to buy a new car and drive it in this city. You are insane if you RENT a car and drive in this city.
-As soon as the light turns green, the guy 10 cars back starts honking his horn, and then others join in. The guy at the front of the line of cars had better have one foot on the gas and the other on the brake when that light turns green.
-Turning right from the left hand lane, or left from the right hand lane….no problem.
-If you see the light turn from green to red, which means that you can keep going through the intersection. So 4-5 cars blatantly run the light every time.
-Scooter drivers are color blind. The only color on the stop light they see is green.
-Most cars have dented fenders. Most on both sides of the car. You are crazy to buy a new car and drive it in this city. You are insane if you RENT a car and drive in this city.
-As soon as the light turns green, the guy 10 cars back starts honking his horn, and then others join in. The guy at the front of the line of cars had better have one foot on the gas and the other on the brake when that light turns green.
-Turning right from the left hand lane, or left from the right hand lane….no problem.
Oh, one other thing.Pompei had 40 bakeries, 40 chariot repair shops and 30 brothels. In the brothels, there were pictures of the different services that were offered, you just point. Also, outside the stall (I mean stall), each prostitute had a rating card chisled into the wall. The patron put a chisle mark next to "bad", "good", "REALLY good". Some of the brothels even had services for the homosexual patrons. Very very weird.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Pompei
We spent the day in Pompei at the ruins. Established over 2000 years ago by the Romans,one day in 67AD they saw the mountain nearby explode and then a day later the whole town was covered in Ash followed by lava coming down the mountain 100mph. Most of the city has been excavated and with the help of the trusty Rick Steves book, we wondered through the city.
This is a picture of the main square. In the distance is Mt.Vesuvius. Picture it with one peak and you get the idea what happened.
One of the displays is of a plaster image of a person caught in the action. When they were excavating, they determined an air pocket, so they filled it with plaster and then took away the ash. They found a skeleton, and the remains of a person just as he was 1950 years ago. The belt around his middle indicated he was a slave.
Another picture is of one of the streets. The large stepping stone was so that a person could walk across the street when they were flooding the street (to wash away the sewage) or in heavy rains. They were spaced so that the chariot wheels could go over and around them. We guess the horses mana
ged somehow. See how the ridges from the chariot wheels wore in the stone.
We got back right before a monsoon started, and are sitting in the lobby watching people come back soaked to the bone!
Amalfi Coast
We spent yesterday touring the Amalfi coast. It started with a 40 minute bus ride termed the "greatest white knuckle ride of all time" and it lived up to its name. The road was built over 700 years ago when there were no big tourist buses. Mostly one lane, when there is oncoming traffic, the bigget vehicle gets to go first. The bus drivers are amazing as to how they maneuver on the twists and turns.However, the views of the coast were great, and the ride was worth it. Our first stop was Positano, a village that was built into the side of the mountain hundreds of years ago. There is only one small, narrow road through the village, otherwise it is one foot ahead of the other. There are several small hotels throughout the town, and the porters get to 
carry,pull,push luggage up several hundred steps to the top of the town. The picture above, shows three things. The view along the coast, the roof of a building that is filled with sand, and one of the outlook towers that dot the coast. Many of the buildings have a "dome" on them. The dome is actually a pile of sand that has a covering over it. The sand acts as a insulator. It keeps the heat out in the summer and the warmth in in the winter. Not sure of the weight of the sand, but it has to be several tons. There are a series of towers alongthe coast. They were used as watch towers to warn of Turks, and others pirates coming to invade. If a watchman saw evil coming he would light a fire, and the next tower would follow, and so on and so forth. Each tower is different, so it makes for interesting viewing. The beach at Positano is small rocks and pebbles. No sand. But people do not seem to m
ind. they lay right on them anyway. You can rent a chair and umbrella for more comfort.
carry,pull,push luggage up several hundred steps to the top of the town. The picture above, shows three things. The view along the coast, the roof of a building that is filled with sand, and one of the outlook towers that dot the coast. Many of the buildings have a "dome" on them. The dome is actually a pile of sand that has a covering over it. The sand acts as a insulator. It keeps the heat out in the summer and the warmth in in the winter. Not sure of the weight of the sand, but it has to be several tons. There are a series of towers alongthe coast. They were used as watch towers to warn of Turks, and others pirates coming to invade. If a watchman saw evil coming he would light a fire, and the next tower would follow, and so on and so forth. Each tower is different, so it makes for interesting viewing. The beach at Positano is small rocks and pebbles. No sand. But people do not seem to m
ind. they lay right on them anyway. You can rent a chair and umbrella for more comfort.We took the bus further down the coast to the town of Amalfi on the Amalfi coast. This town used to be the major city. No more. Just a small hub for buses and ferry boats, makes this a stop for almost all tourists going one way or another. All of the bus drivers sit and watch the other bus drivers try to park in a space that has 6" on each side of the bus. Parish the poor driver that can not park his bus. The peer pressure is humiliating. We had a nice lunch on the water. The beach here was pebbles and rocks also. No one seemed to care.
As we were geting ready to leave Amalfi, we watched a sport called kayak polo. A kind of soccer in Kayaks. They maneuver their kayaks around and then try to throw a ball into a goal. The opposing team can block the shot with their oars. The players are throwing the ball from a sitting position in a moving kayak into a bobbing goal. They made it look easier than it really is. Besides that, the mean players ram their pointed kayaks into the bodies of the other players, and the players can get whapped on the head with an oar. Not sure why you would aspire to play this sport, but there was quite a crowd watching. The good players had biceps that were well developed, and the Italian chicks really liked these stud muffins.
Instead of bussing it back to Sorrento, we opted for the ferry ride back. Great views of the coast, and not the heart palpatations that went with the bus ride. In the evening, Sorrento closes down the main street and locals and tourists alike, fill the street and stroll along to eat and people watch. We had dinner, found a nice gelato shop, and then walked back to the hotel. A beautiful evening.
Today we are relaxing on the patio, looking out at the bay. I am blogging, and Lyla is writing in her journal (she keeps a journal on all of our trips). This afternoon we may goto Pompei, the town that was covered up in a volcano a century ago.
Friday, June 19, 2009
Capri (KA pre)
Yes, it is not pronounced like the pants. so that is the first thing you have to learn.
Yoe take a large boat over to Capri (jet boat). Nice island. One of the attractions is the Blue Grotto. So you get a ticket on a boat that takes you over there, and then you transfer to a little dingy, and buy another ticket. The little boat angles toward the smallopening in the grotto, and then the driver grabs a chain and pulls you in. The wter is a beautiful blue because the sun shines on the limestone bottom and reflects up so the water lights up. Very cool. Then you get on the boat that got you there and take a spin around the island. Lots of history (2,000+ years) and lots of good scenery.
We had lunch and ice cream (gelatto) and then came back to Sorrento in the afternoon. Tonight, we went down to the harbor and ate dinner on the water. Very nice.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Sorrento, Italy
Lyla and I arrived in Sorrento this afternoon. The trip went off without a hitch.
Our hotel looks out over the Bay of Naples. Across the bay is Naples, and we have a reat view of Sorrento. Our room looks out over the bay and is aboout a 10-15 minute walk from town. Downhill is not bad, coming back uphill is tough on us.
Lyla got to sit in First Class from Detroit to Rome. The extra wide seat basically folds flat out to a not half bad place to sleep. However, we are drained and are looking forward to a good nights sleep.
It is VERY warm here. Air conditioning OK, but finding a drink with an ice cube... forget it! I swear there is not an ice machine in this whole contry!
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Upcoming Posts
Please watch over the next couple of weeks for some interesting blogs!
