3 hour hike in Valais, Switzerland.

The other day Pascal, Terri, Dan and I took the hour long train ride from Thun to the Canton of Valais, Switzerland to go for a hike in the Alps. Adriana is fighting a cold so she stayed home and rested so everyone is healthy for Greece (we leave tomorrow).

The weather in Valais was beautiful, and sitting a little South of the Canton of Bern it's normal for it to be a little more warm there. Pascal has done this particular hike before, so we felt comfortable that our Swiss Sherpa would guide us well on our approximately 8 mile hike.

Our route took us by several waterfalls, train bridges, breathtaking views of valleys and alps, and the path was paved with wild flowers in early summer bloom. About the halfway point there was a small restaurant for hikers to sit on the picnic tables outside, so we stopped for a bit and had a beer. We all got a good belly laugh when Dan was trying unsuccessfully to communicate with an older Swiss woman as he was trying to explain that she needed a bathroom key he had in his hand to enter the toilette around the back of the restaurant on the trail. As he finally handed her the key with a confused look on her face, her table of other Swiss hikers referred to Dan as "Forrest Gump" under their breath that Dan overheard. He was pretty offended, but took it in good cheer. Needless to say, Dan has a new nickname for the rest of our vacation. :-)

After some more hiking Pascal surprised us by pulling out a bottle of wine, crackers, cheeses and meats from his backpack and we took a much needed break at an outcropping with stone tables overlooking a beautiful valley. Talk about a great way to dine al fresco!!

We ended the hike at a small hotel owned by a wonderful Canadian man and his beautiful Swiss wife who said they don't see too many Americans there, and they chatted with us for quite awhile before we jumped on the train back to Thun where Adriana had her delicious homemade lasagna waiting for us! Another epic day.

Loving Luzern!

Yesterday we hopped on a train to Luzern, Switzerland (Lucerne in English) with Pascal, Adriana, and Pasci's buddy Markus. I've always loved Luzern and wanted to take Dan and Terri there. Luzern is the second most visited city in Switzerland behind Geneva, and boasts the famous Chapel Bridge, a wooden bridge built in the 14th century that spans the Reuss river through the city.

We strolled along the hotel-lined river near the city center, explored the shopping district, and had lunch in the city. We chose an old restaurant that has been there since the 1800's and Dan and Terri and I had Rösti, a popular Swiss dish that resembles hash brown potatoes. After lunch we walked up to the Lion Monument (Löwendenkmal) in a small park just off the Lowenplatz. The carving commemorates the hundreds of Swiss Guards who were massacred in 1792 during the French Revolution.

We then stopped off in Bern (The capital of Switzerland) walked around the city for a bit and had dinner and a movie (The Hangover 3, which nobody was impressed with, BTW) and got to Thun before midnight. Another great day in Switzerland! Today we are watching the weather and have plans to go hiking in the canton of Valais, if the clouds and rain clear out. If the weather stays wet, we'll probably hang in Thun and do some shopping.

BBQ with a Swiss view!

Yesterday, we slept in late and Pascal and Adriana made us a great breakfast. Their place in Thun has a great view of the Berner Oberland Alps, always a nice backdrop from their dining room table. After breakfast, I headed out for a jog along the Aar river in Thun and then ran some stairs up to a viewpoint above the city. It was nice to get some exercise in after so much indulgence over the last few days.

As the early afternoon approached, we all walked over to the other side of town to where Pascal's father (Walter) lives and borrowed his car for the 15 minute drive to Thomas and Erika's beautiful Swiss Chalet in Aeschlen, Switzerland. Aeschlen is between Thun and Interlaken and resides above the Thunersee (Lake Thun) and is about as breathtakingly beautiful as a Swiss village can be.

We hung out on Thomas and Erika's patio overlooking the lake and alps and enjoyed bacon-wrapped dates and other appetizer's and wine, and did a lot of laughing as we remembered our day in Geneva and our cow costumes. After a short walk around their picture perfect hillside village, we came back to their chalet and Thomas fired up the grill. Thomas and Erika are quite the hosts, and Thomas is quite the cook.

We feasted on salmon, T-bone steak, corn, salad from their garden, and other yummy food. Thomas entertains like I do, serving lot's of food and wanting no help in the kitchen. Everything was amazing, and as usual we all sat at the dinner table with lots of laughter until our sides hurt! The seven of us really, really click and I can't wait until we all head to Greece in a few days! Today we leave for Luzern for the day and will be joined by a buddy of Pasci's. I've been to Luzern before and love the city, so I am excited for Dan and Terri to see it.

Cows invade Geneva!

Yesterday Pascal surprised Dan, Terri and I with Swiss cow costumes to wear to the World Cup qualifier soccer game in Geneva, Switzerland. They were hysterical, and we gladly donned them and seven of us, (Pascal, Adriana, Thomas, Erika, Dan, Terri and I) hopped on the train from Thun to Geneva (after a quick change of trains in Bern).

The train ride was around two hours and Dan and Terri were stunned at how beautiful the Swiss countryside is as we approached Lake Geneva, passed through Lusanne and finally came into Geneva. The weather was very muggy and warm, perfect for hanging out in the city for several hours before we had to head to the stadium.

Our cow costumes certainly got loads of attention, and as we made our way from the train station to the famous Geneva fountain via the lakeside promenade we were stopped by at least 30 people/groups for photo ops and several honking cars. It was awesome to put so many smiles on so many peoples'faces. After visiting the lake and the fountain, we ate lunch at a lakeside cafe and received great service from the staff who got a kick out of having a table full of Swiss cows. After lunch we took a quick tour of the city and finally made our way towards the stadium for the soccer game.

After more photo ops at the stadium by the Swiss soccer fans (we'll be on a minimum of 75 Swiss people's Facebook pages) we headed in and watched Switzerland score the winning goal against Cyprus in the final minute! The crowd erupted and we left Geneva elated and in a celebratory mood. The train ride home to Thun was full of laughter and joy.

We arrived back to Pascal and Adriana's at around 11:00pm, changed out of our cow costumes and headed into the city for more celebrating. It was Saturday night, the town was buzzing, and the seven of us ended up at this super cool bar underground with a cave-like feel. I'm not sure I've laughed more hard and had more fun in my life as we all shared stories of the day, many jokes, hugs and drinks. One of the best days I can recall in my life, and so special to share it with close friends. My heart was filled to the brim with happiness.

Today we are relaxing, (I'm going to run some stairs and get some much needed exercise) and this afternoon we are going to Thomas and Erika's to barbeque at their home in the hills above Lake Thun between Thun and Interlaken, with their spectacular view. It's going to be another great day!

Paris photos

A great but short time in Paris!

Arrived in Switzerland yesterday, but not before we had a great time in Paris.
My flight arrived Thursday morning and I took the train into the city, and was happy to see our hotel was close to the Eiffel Tower and the Champs l'elysée. Dan and Terri wouldn't arrive for a few hours so I found a great little French bistro near our hotel and sat outside and drank some great wine and ate some cheese and bread.
My server didn't know a lick of English so we communicated through hand gestures and me pointing at the menu.
At this point I had been up for over 24 hours and the jet lag was creeping in, so I went and slept for a few hours until I heard Dan and Terri knock on the hotel room door. After big hugs all around, everyone unpacked and we were off to see Paris. However, before we ventured too far we explored the neighborhoods near our hotel and hopped into several street side cafe's and enjoyed more wine, laughter, and bread.
Our first point of interest was the Eiffel Tower, which was a short walk. It's bigger than I thought and simply a stunning piece of architecture. It was crowded, and we had no chance to go to the top so we took lots of photos and people watched, and the weather could not have been better.
Then, we hopped on a rickshaw and headed over to the Champs l'elysee, which we absolutely loved! We walked pretty much the whole length and explored the area thoroughly until ... You guessed it... We sat at a street side bistro and ordered another bottle of Bordeaux!
Afterwards, we hopped on another rickshaw and the driver took us back by the Eiffel Tower just in time to see it light up (darkness was setting in) and blink with thousands of lights! It was amazing.
Before we turned in we had a snack near our hotel and met some students from the US who were there studying abroad, and had a great time laughing and talking with them.
The next morning we grabbed some coffee and croissants and made our way to the train station for our high-speed train to Switzerland, but not before having a bite outside the station (we got there two hours early) and a cold beer at yet another street cafe.
Our train ride was awesome, mainly because we sat next to a 55 year old special forces commander from the Austrian military named Freddy. He was this bigger than life personality who has been stationed everywhere from the Golan Heights, Damascus (Syria), Afghanistan, and most recently Kosovo. He bought us a round of Heinekens and shared some great combat stories from his peace keeping missions and showed Dan and I some hand to hand combat moves! This was no poser, and he gave us his card and asked that we keep in touch. A gregarious man who laughed with us the whole 4 hour train ride and pointed out some great points of interest along the route, including Dijon, France (yes, where the mustard comes from) as we passed by. We will never forget Freddy, and meeting people like him around the world is why I love to travel.
We arrived early to Thun, Switzerland after changing trains in Basel (home of Rodger Federer). Pascal and Adriana greeted us with big bear hugs upon arrival, and I have to say it a bit emotional for all of us to be in Thun! Pascal had dinner ready for us, and Adriana looked beautiful! She has recently lost 40 lbs and looked great. We were joined at dinner by Adriana's sister and her boyfriend, and I was happy to realize my Swiss-German came back pretty fast.
After dinner we walked into downtown Thun, and the warm evening ensured the platz was full of young people sitting on the outside bars and we chatted away over drinks outside until after midnight.
This morning we leave for Geneva with Pascal's cousin Thomas and his wife Erika to see the Swiss national soccer team play Cyprus in a World Cup qualifier. I am so excited, and wait for some special costumes we'll all be wearing! Photos coming tomorrow!!!!

Off to Paris today via Seattle

Heading out in 30 minutes to PDX for a connecting flight to Seattle, where I leave on a direct to Paris that puts me there tomorrow morning at 11:00am Paris time (2am Portland time). Dan and Terri's flight lands in Paris 3.5 hour later and they are meeting me at our hotel near the Eiffel Tower (Eiffel Seine Hotel www.hoteleiffelseineparis.com)
It will be too early to check in so while I am waiting for Dan and Terri I plan on dropping off my bags and wandering around the area near the Eiffel Tower and find a bistro for some good bread, cheese and some french wine and hopefully do some reading.
Au revoir!