Gaby and her husband Philip live in a very spacious and splendid house in Lyss, about two hours away from Geneva, and only 20 minutes away from Bern, the capital of Switzerland. They were such incredible hosts, treating us almost like we were visiting nieces, and this trip was them showing us the incomparable Swiss scenery and food. The weather was so pleasant and warm, a welcome change from the nem-trendy cold of the Baltics, and we sat around in the yard drinking wine and gabbing almost every evening. I have naught but pleasant memories from this part of the journey and I was routinely blown away by the beauty around and Gaby and Philip's generosity.
The first day, we drove a few hours and took 4 gondolas up to the peak of Schulthorn mountain where we had dinner in the rotating restaurant that is featured in a James Bond film (On Her Majesty’s Secret Service).
The Rotating Restaurant
The views were incredible, though the altitude got to us a bit. We walked through Muerren on the way down, which is a tiny mountain town with no driving in it, and loads of adorable wooden houses with little gardens complete with garden gnomes.
Gnomes!
The second day was loads more driving (thank you Philip), South into the wine region, a stop at an incredible steakhouse, and then through some mountains/passes, where we saw a Glacier and a dam, and the most beautiful lake the color of aqua and framed on all sides with the grand Alps. It’s cheesy, but seriously, everywhere you looked it was an unforgettable sight. I tried to do justice with my camera but at some point I stopped getting it out---you simply have to visit and see it for yourself.
No explanation necessary.
What a color!
This was once a REALLY large glacier
Of course, even with the grand scenery, we couldn’t always take it all in: Me & Kate + (car ride>30 minutes) = asleep.
I want a house like this one day
The next day we went into Bern, visited the art museum, had lunch and wandered around. On the fourth day, Gaby and Philip were heading off for their own vacation to Spain, and Kate and I went to Lucerne where we were going to take a bus at 8 pm to Croatia. Bern and Lucerne were very nice, definitely a different style from much of the European architecture I’ve been seeing the last few months, but also heavy on the shopping.
Bern
Lucerne
Kate has already blogged about this trip and I don’t want to repeat too much so check hers out: Kate's blog post about Switzerland
Now for the most significant: Swiss Cuisine
At Schulthorn I tried Rosti which is basically fried potatoes in a hash brown sort of way. Good but not exceptionally original. For dinner that night, Philip made cheese fondue. This was brilliant and fitting that I should try this for the first time in Switzerland. Melted cheese is just…the best. Fact. But I don’t recommend dipping the bread in schnapps and then cheese as Philip said the ‘hardcore’ do it. Guess I am not that hardcore. In Bern I tried Spatzli which are little irregularly shaped eggy noodle dumplings that you can combine with any sort of toppings…bacon, melted cheese, onions, or just assorted veg, etc. I approve.
Photos
