Here and There

Scott and Jackie's Travels – Thousand Trails Reviews, Campground Reviews, Fulltime RVing, European Travel

Author: grscott

2023 – Chur, Switzerland

grscott

Our Switzerland train journey continued with a ride through the high country between Brig and Chur.  Once again we climbed up above the snow line.  Rather than traveling on an express train we journeyed on local trains, needing to transfer to other trains a couple of times as we continued our trip.  Our train was full of skiers out for a day on the slopes.  A few stops were high in the mountains right at ski resorts with no town close by.  We lost count of all the cable lifts we saw.  We passed miles of cross-country skiers following a route through a valley and along the train tracks.  As we looked out at the mountains we could see people off in the distance skiing down.  Some train riders had snow sleds for their kids.  Honestly, if I headed out to the slopes, that would be about my speed!

We took lots of photos and I confess that, after a while, they start to look alike.  After all, when you’ve seen one amazing, beautiful, snowy mountain you’ve seen them all, right?

We arrived in Chur (pronounced “Coor”) and found our hotel a short distance from the big train station.  Chur has a very long history, dating back 3500 years before Christ.  This makes it one of the oldest settlements in all of Switzerland.

Our hotel is in a vehicle-free portion of the city, adjacent to the old town section of the city which is filled with narrow cobblestone walkways lined with shops and housing.  We explored the area and took photos but took full advantage of our planned off day in which we had no major sightseeing planned.

One nice thing we have found about the hotels in this part of the world is that most have electric plug adapters available if you ask for them.  Apparently, Switzerland uses a plug that is a bit different than other European countries.  The voltage is the same, just the plug is different.  Because of that, hotels keep adapters available.

In case you don’t know it, our US electric is different than that in most of the world.  Because of that, you can’t use any device with a motor in it, like a hair dryer.  However, almost any electronic device like a cell phone or laptop will charge up just fine if you have the right plug adapter.  To be sure, just look at the charger that plugs into the wall.  On the small print it will have something like: “input 100-240v.”  That means the charger will work fine on US voltage of 110 and European voltage of 220.  All you need is a plug adapter.  Also, our phones and IPad can be charged from the USB ports built into many electric plugins here.

By early afternoon we settled into our hotel room to relax and prepare for tomorrow’s train trip on a major excursion train higher up into the Alps than we have gone yet.

2023 – Brig and Zermatt, Switzerland

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The primary theme of our Italy-Switzerland Adventure is train trips.  We rode the train *under* the Alps from Milan to Lucerne, and now, we are traveling the amazing train routes up into the Alps.  Our trip from Lucerne to Brig, Switzerland included time in a famous tunnel that has a double spiral (like a figure-eight.)  The funny thing is, aside from being in the dark for more than 20 miles, there was no sensation of going round and round.  The spirals allow the train to gain altitude in a short distance and as far as I could tell the train never slowed down through the entire trip.

We arrived in Brig and, after finding our hotel, we looked around the pretty city, surrounded by snow caped mountains.  The weather has been unseasonably warm here (mostly in the 40s).  Because of that the snow level is confined to the mountains around us.  We think that is just right!  The hotel is adjacent to Stockalper Castle.  It is impressive to look at, but doesn’t offer tours in the winter time.  The other thing Brig is famous for is that the train station here serves as a major interchange for some important rail lines.

There are two famous rail excursions in this part of Switzerland.  The Glacier Express travels between two major ski areas.  However, it travels on the regular tracks and the regular trains that offer service to the same places have nice big windows.  I say that to explain that over the next two days we are traveling trains on the Glacier Express route, but not on that particular excursion.  The nice thing for us is that we can hop on and off the trains wherever we like rather than needing to stay with a tour.

This morning we left Brig and headed up deeper into the mountains to a world class winter playground: Zermatt, Switzerland.  The train climbed up above the snow line.  The scenery is amazing.  For many people Zermatt is all about skiing.  There are thousands of hotel rooms and chalet rentals.  Only electric powered, small taxis and a couple of small, free, electric busses are allowed on the streets.  There are several ski lifts and a cog railway offering access on up to the ski areas high above the town.

And, from most anywhere the Matterhorn, which towers over 14,000 feet can be seen.  It is beautiful beyond words.  We looked around, took photos, checked out an area where buildings dating back over 400 years have been preserved.  After having lunch we returned to Brig.  Due to the time difference, we got back to our room just in time to catch Sunday School and church in Texas!

Here are a couple of travel tips that might be helpful to some.  First, there’s a free app called “Google Lens.”  It has other uses, but it’s translate function is great for people traveling.  Using Lens you turn on translate.  Your phone camera comes on and you can aim it at any text.  The app translates the text to English and on the screen the words actually morph from whatever language you are looking at into English!  Tonight we were buying sandwiches to bring back to our room.  The labels were in German, but when I looked at them through Lens I could see that they were turkey.  We don’t speak hardly any German, but we were able to navigate our way through the store and get what we wanted.  Really cool!

Another thing: on the train and many other places, announcements in Switzerland are repeated in German, then French, and then English.  That makes it easy to get around.  Aside from that, since we are in a major tourist area, we hear English spoken most everywhere.

Tomorrow, we continue the Glacier Express route.  What a way to start a New Year!

2022 – Lucerne, Switzerland

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On Thursday, we left Milan, Italy on a high-speed train bound for Lucerne, Switzerland.  The train was very fast, very quiet, and quite comfortable.  Our route took us *under* the Swiss Alps.  The Gotthard Base tunnel is the longest and deepest tunnel of its type in the world – over 35 miles long!  When not in the tunnel the scenery was very nice.  We enjoyed the journey and it set the table for the world class rail journeys yet to come on this trip.

We’ve heard a lot about Lucerne, and it measures up to the reviews.  We walked through the old town area which is filled with shops and restaurants and beautiful old buildings.  The city is divided by the Reuss River which has two historic covered wooden bridges.  The oldest is the Chapel Bridge which was built in the 1300’s.  There are photo opportunities galore in the old city.

The most famous sculpture in Lucerne is the Lion Monument.  It’s a sad but beautiful work of art dedicated to 1792 Tuileries war heroes.  After seeing it we took a short bus ride back to the train station, bus station, and ferry dock for our cruise on Lake Lucerne.

Here are some things for people considering a trip to Switzerland.  First, everything here is expensive.  Even a hamburger will cost $15-20.  Food is always good, but never cheap.  We did a load of laundry at a self-serve place, and it costs over $15 for that single load washed and dried.  Second, for $20 you can get a sim card from Sunrise Mobile that will give you unlimited data most anywhere in Switzerland for a week.  Unless your phone accepts multiple sims or e-sims your regular number won’t work while the Swiss sim is inserted, so keep that in mind.  Still, it’s a really good deal that lets you get email, use your maps program, etc. while in the country.  Third, we stayed at a neat old hotel named “Drei Könige.”  The name means “Three Kings” and the logo of the wise men is everywhere.  I thought that was pretty neat, especially on the week after Christmas.  It isn’t unusual for hotels here to include breakfast.  And they really mean it – we had a hearty breakfast each morning.  That’s a real plus when you consider how expensive the eating places are.  Fourth, when you book a hotel in Lucerne you are given free bus access.  That’s a big savings and sets you free to explore the city.  Finally, most everyone speaks a little English (German is the most common language).  It never hurts to know a few common phrases.  Even saying “Thank you” in German will bring a smile as a response.

The highlight of our stay in Lucerne was the Lake Lucerne cruise.  The passenger ferry boats run regular routes around the lake.  We paid the winter day rate to give us unlimited time on the ferries.  Honestly, that discount rate is about the same price as most round-trip tickets.  By having a day ticket, we were able to decide just how much time we wanted to give to the cruise even while we were already underway.  To our delight the scenery was amazing, and we opted to go for the longer route, not returning to Lucerne until after dark.  Words can’t describe the beauty!  We were reminded of our Alaskan cruise but also of time we spent in Colorado at Rocky Mountain National Park.  We took tons of photos and hope you will enjoy them.

2022 – Milan, Italy

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The day after Christmas we boarded an EasyJet flight from Manchester to Milan, Italy for our first visit to Italy and then Switzerland.  Air fares are quite good around Europe, and we didn’t want to miss the chance to do some exploring.  As we approached Milan we could see the Alps (Italian or Swiss?) down below us.  That marked the beginning of our Adventure.

Milan is a big city, filled with activity everywhere.  We got around using public transportation, mostly the subway.  I specifically picked our hotel based on its easy subway and train access – right across from the Milan Central Train Station.

Since we don’t speak Italian we were concerned about the language barrier.  We learned just a few phrases, but before long we realized that everyone seems to speak English.  Some people just looked at us and switched to English (apparently, we “look” like tourists).  I tried my few Italian words out, but, apparently, even my Italian sounds like American English because they would usually answer me in English anyway.

We bought 3 day transit tickets, so we could hop on and off of the subway or trolley where ever we wanted.  That set us free to explore the main sights of the city.  The subway, by the way, is very popular and more often than not it offered standing room only.  Most of our trips were 3-5 stops, so that wasn’t a real big deal except for the afternoons when we were getting leg weary.  We never rode the subway during rush hour.  I can’t imagine the cars being more crowded than they were.

One of the highlights of the city is Leonardo da Vinci’s famous mural, The Last Supper, which was painted in the late 15th century.  We had to buy tickets early to see it, but we felt it was well worth the effort.  The painting is on the wall of the church.  Amazingly, it survived Allied bombs that hit the church during WWII.  It was humbling to see the famous art in person.

In route to see the painting we walked around the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II.  This is a very upscale shopping area, filled with luxury stores.  The entire area was crowed to the point that it was hard to walk around. I think everyone was touring like us, although a few people had shopping bags, so some people were there to actually shop!

The heart of Milan is the huge Duomo Cathedral. The church dates back to the 1300’s and construction continued on the building over 600 years!  One feature not to be missed is the rooftop tour!  By going up on top you get a more close up view of the amazing architecture of the building.  There are statues, latticework, and spires everywhere.  It is amazing to me that statues would be placed in areas that could never be seen from the ground.  We took the elevator up but ended up climbing up and down many stairs as we followed the route up higher and higher.  Of course, the views of the city are magnificent.  Then, even from the roof top there are still more spires towering high above.  The inside of the building is amazing too.  This ancient church seats 40,000 worshippers!  It seems that every square inch of the interior is carved, decorated, etc.  There are stained glass windows everywhere, including some huge windows made up of smaller windows that tell the story of the Bible.

After finishing up our tour of the church we hopped on the subway to visit the Piazza Gae Aulenti.  Visiting this ultra-modern shopping area after exploring the Cathedral nearly gave us “architectural whiplash!”  From an ancient building we found ourselves surrounded by the latest, most modern buildings you can imagine.  The Christmas market was still in operation, and there was a giant “tree” constructed of snow sleds.  It was very interesting.   In the near distance there are two “forest” sky scrapers.  These big apartment buildings are covered with trees!

For meals we had mostly pasta.  One night I had a pizza that was quite good.  The next night I had lasagna that was even better.  Jackie loved the Alfredo with mushrooms she had one meal.  I enjoyed a coffee they have called a macchiato.  It is similar to a latte but somehow better.  It seems that there are coffee shops and pizzerias on every corner.

I think we could have continued sightseeing Milan a few more days.  It is an interesting and fun place to visit.  If you come, don’t miss the Cathedral rooftop or the “Last Supper.”

2022 – York, UK Christmas Market

grscott

York, England is about 70 miles from where we are staying in southern Manchester. The train trip, including the journey from our flat to the train station, is about 2 hours. York, which was founded in 71 A.D. has Roman walls, a huge and famous church, an ancient and still-operating shopping district, a castle, and is the home of the National Rail Museum. Honestly, there’s more than anyone can hope to see in one day.

This time of the year, famous Shambles Street is the epicenter of a huge Christmas market. We checked out the wall, which is easily reached from the rail station and then headed to the Christmas market. Our plan was to look it over and then visit York Minister – the world-famous church.

Our plans didn’t work out because the Christmas Market was absolutely amazing. Every time we thought we were coming to the end of the market we would look down a street and see another street filled with stalls of food and gifts.

By the time we finished, we were running out of energy and time. We may well return to York in a few months just to see some of the above-mentioned sights. At least we have a better idea of what to expect on a future adventure there.

2022 – Manchester Christmas Market

grscott

We took the bus to Manchester Piccadilly Gardens and the Christmas Markets.  There are many food and gift booths.  We enjoyed a sandwich and fries.  Jackie also bought some good fudge.  In spite of our going on a Tuesday afternoon in November it was pretty busy with lots of shoppers.  The weather was good for this time of the year – in the 40’s, overcast, but no rain.  I took a few photos, but my photos don’t do a very good job of capturing the energy of the event.  Still, it was a fun and interesting way to spend our Tuesday.

 

2022 – Stockport Air Raid Shelters

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2022 – Stockport Air Raid Shelter

Just a few minutes from the campus of Nazarene Theological College where we are volunteering is Stockport, still within the confines of the Manchester metro area.  We’ve visited the shopping mall there several times.  Today, we visited a historical site just steps from the mall.  The Stockport Air Raid Shelters are tunnels dug out of limestone to provide protection for the citizens of the area.  Today, this site serves as a reminder of what life was like for the people of this area during World War II. Because Manchester was a major manufacturing hub of England it came under German fire many times, including a major attack over Christmas of 1940.  Hundreds died and thousands were injured during the Manchester Blitz.  During that raid, and others, people in the Stockport area found shelter in these tunnels.  It was sobering to imagine women and children hurrying into these tunnels as air raid sirens sounded the warning.

2022 – Northern Wales

grscott

Our bus tour to north Wales was amazing. We enjoyed the towns, good food, and beautiful scenery. Honestly, it was hard to believe we were less than a two-hour drive from Manchester.

Llandudno is a seaside town that is especially popular with beach goers in the summertime. There’s a long pier with a Ferris wheel and all the things you would expect of a summer destination. We walked around a bit, stopped off for a nice snack, and took photos. It was a bit windy and our bus driver, Frank, remarked that that was an indication that it was going to be very windy at our next stop. He wasn’t kidding.

From town we drove up a steep series of twists and turns to the top of Y Gogarth Great Orme Country Park. In addition to the road up, there’s also a cable car that makes the steep ascent. The views out across the Irish Sea are great. On a clear day, we were told, you can see the Isle of Mann off in the distance. And, yes, it was a tad windy. My guess would be 50 mph. I say that because it was a challenge to walk! There’s no telling what the wind chill was, but after making the final climb while fighting for balance, we took some photos and joined everyone else in retreating back to the bus. It was all quite invigorating to say the least!

We now headed inland and onto highway A5 – the route into Snowdonia National Park. The highway passes through tunnels and some climbs up into the park. Our driver took us off the highway to a one lane road on the opposite side of the valley from the highway where we enjoyed some stunning views. It would be hard to imagine a more beautiful setting. From there it was on up to the nearby Ogwen Partnership Centre and a beautiful waterfall.

Our next stop was the village of Betws-y-Coed – a town with the nickname “Capitol of Snowdonia National Park.” We looked around a bit and then found a place for coffee before boarding our van for the next stop.

I’ve never seen anything like the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct. To understand it, you have to know that England has a vast network of canals. These canals were originally used for transporting goods on long, narrow barges pulled by horses on a tow path. There are many hand-operated locks that allow navigation up and down the terrain. In 1795 the decision was made to link two canal systems that were divided by a deep river gorge. That was accomplished by building an amazing aqueduct across the gorge. This is no small bridge. It is 126 feet high and over 3 football fields long and took 10 years to complete. The tow path is now a walking trail and long boats, now very popular for recreation, can still use the Aqueduct to cross the gorge.

The weather was no longer windy, but it had been raining off and on throughout the day. It was raining when I started across the aqueduct, but suddenly the sun broke out in the west. As the light rain continued, but most beautiful rainbow I’ve ever seen formed to the east. It was a complete, bright rainbow – the perfect conclusion to a wonderful day!

Everyone had told us that northern Wales is a special place, and we agree. I recommend the Busy Bus tour, but honestly, they can only offer a too-brief taste of this beautiful area.

2022 – Day trip to Liverpool

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It’s less than 40 miles from Manchester to Liverpool, so we hopped a train for a day trip there.  The early October weather was decent, although the wind made it feel rather chilly and we were glad we wore warmer coats.  There are a lot of interesting things to see there, really, more than you could see in a short visit.  It will come as a surprise to no one that Jackie loved seeing the Central Library.  As you can see from the photos it is a beautiful and impressive building.  We did a bus tour of the city; that gave us a nice overview of things.  I think on a future trip that we might want to focus on the two major cathedrals there – very impressive buildings.  Then, after grabbing some lunch, we joined a Beatles Tour.  The guide was entertaining and gave us a lot of information about the group.  We made two stops for photos – one at Penny Lane where we saw the barber shop, bank, and other spots mentioned in the song.  The other stop was at Strawberry Field, where we learned the story of John Lennon’s connection there.  We drove past the nearby house where he was raised.  I think those who have a deeper fascination with the “Fab Four” might want to take a small, private tour because some of the significant places in the history of the group aren’t accessible by a big tour bus.  We also walked up Liver Street (pronounced “Live-er” we were told) where we checked out some of the shops and enjoyed a nice coffee break.  From there it was back to Lime Street train station and a ride back “home.”

2022 – American in the UK – random observations

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  • Apparently, all overcoats zip on the woman’s side
  • Even if you think you are a fast walker you’re still likely to be passed by young mother pushing a stroller
  • Dogs are almost universally well behaved even when off leash
  • Even though people usually ignore others when they meet on a sidewalk (called “pavement”) if you’re a couple in your 70s holding hands they will smile
  • No outlets in bathrooms
  • Public bathrooms are called toilets… Or the loo, or gents – but not bathrooms unless you can take a bath (or shower) in them
  • Just because it is raining it doesn’t mean the sun won’t be out in a minute or two… Or the reverse
  • Americans tend to be louder than Brits in public settings
  • Because of TV Brits know most American ways of speaking, but at first, they may have to ask you to repeat so they can adjust their listening for an American accent (which is okay, I often have to ask for a repeat too)
  • From what I can see Brits like coffee better than tea
  • People in the UK like lots of milk (not cream or creamer) in their coffee
  • UK bus drivers are amazing
  • Brits have no idea what side of the pavement to walk on – most every time you meet an oncoming walker you have a moment of figuring out which side is correct for this specific encounter
  • When an ESL student from Asia doesn’t understand you repeating it in Spanish doesn’t help
  • Nazarenes in the UK sing with more enthusiasm than we sing in the United States
  • At any given time you will see people wearing tee shirts and shorts and others in heavy hooded coats – over the next 30 minutes or so, both will be properly dressed for the weather
  • Tylenol is paracetamol here, it is cheap, but you can only buy small packages of bubble cards of them, and no more than two packs at a time. Prescription meds come the same way
  • $13 will buy enough Chinese food to feed two people for two meals each
  • You never have change in your pocket because everyone everywhere does credit card tap and go, my smallest charge so far was 60 cents – I think this might be especially tough on street people asking for change
  • Using grocery delivery makes all kinds of sense when you would otherwise have to carry it all home about a third of a mile