Paisano European Tour 2010 - Day 12

 Day 12 is September 18

This morning we got up early. had a great "Euro" breakfast with great coffee and wonderful fresh bread, Yum!  Soon there after we are on our way. The we in this case is Frank & Heike, Marc, Jana & Jana's friend Nathalie, Momma & I.  Frank was nice enough to rent an Opel van and did all the driving.  We hit the door and the road around 8:30am.  It generally takes about 2 1/2 hrs or so to drive to Berlin, even on the autobahn.  Of course, with the Opel, things seem a bit longer.  No offense, of course, there Was plenty of room in there for all of us.

The first thing we noticed as we arrived in Berlin was the huge amount of people and of course the history staring you right in the face.  We parked and then walked the rest of the day.  I Do love being able to walk around and not worrying about finding more parking spaces and such.  As we were walking around, we went past museums, state buildings from before WWII that were so blackened & you could almost smell the smoke, as well as great street vendors and amazing architecture, both new and old.


We started our tour by walking around, looking in and around shops and street vendors and taking in the scene.  Since we were doing a walking tour, we made our way down to Check Point Charlie.  On the way towards the "landmark" there are billboards and signage that explains how the Berlin Wall came into being and we were able to read the countdown to the division of Germany, which leads right up to the Check Point Charlie area.

The sense of history here is amazing.  I'm almost embarrassed to admit it, but I know So little about Germany and the Berlin Wall and all of that.  What little I know comes from history books and American High Schools, so you know what that means, yep, I didn't really have a clue what it was all about or what it would feel like.  We saw the brick lines in the road that indicate where the Berlin Wall used to be.  One can only imagine what the Germans in the area went through.  The area definitely has a militaristic feel, even after all these years. 

Even though the border and crossing were there since the end of World War II, the "wall" wasn't constructed until 1961.  As history tells us, there was such an outpouring of mostly young and educated people from East German at this time - approximately 20% of the population, the former Soviet Union decided that a permanent wall would be built.  There is such a stark contrast between the two sides of Berlin, especially right in this area.  I realized the total change that residents underwent when the line was drawn.  People who were neighbors, friends & family were suddenly not allowed contact one another.  Simply amazing. 

Our next stop on our Berlin Day trip was the Berlin Topography of Terror Museum.  This museum is located on the site of the former SS & Gestapo headquarters.  As I understand it, there is both an inside and outside of this museum.  Today we decided to stay outside and take in the time-line portion of the rise of Adolf Hitler.


To say this was an emotional portion of our trip is a huge understatement  This was so amazingly powerful I felt like the souls of the victims were reaching out from the past.  Our time here was very surreal.  In fact, even the weather was acting on it.  The time-line here worked through the grim reality of that period of human history in which Hitler moved his way up the ladder of German government until his death. 

As I continued to read the history, the clouds started rolling in until finally it started to rain.  This was not the type of rain that comes in a downpour to cleanse the earth.  This rain was so much more.  The rain was soft and gentle and much more a gentle weeping than anything else.  This rain brought with it a profound sadness and the spirit of those who perished simply because of a perceived "difference".  When I looked up at the sky I saw two very different things.  At first, the sky was dark and gloomy and perfectly matched the overwhelming sense of despair.  

Later on, as we were finishing up the trip down the time line, I looked up again and was impressed to see a sky that had turned from dark and gray to one that was now half filled with beautiful blue.  To me, this shouted out that even though there has been sadness, heartache and pain, there is still hope and a new day will come when things like this will no longer happen.  It took quite sometime for me to shake the feeling that there was someone else there with me while I read the history along the foundation of the SS building, in fact, as I tell the story of that day & even now as I write this, I still get 'goosebumps" on my arms.  That is an extremely powerful place, when one leaves their heart and soul open to experiencing it.

I find the power of cruelty in humans, especially to other humans to be utterly UnfreakinBeleivable.  We cannot forget that one of the reasons Hitler came to power was because of his rhetoric, passion & ability to be charismatic, theatrical and had the ability to convince people that what he was saying & doing was a good thing.  My biggest kudos go out to the German people for admitting the mistakes of a madman and for attempting to make amends.  Perhaps more importantly for trying and succeeding in learning from mistakes.

We learned a tremendous amount about the history of Berlin and Germany today and we also had the opportunity to really connect a lot of dots along the way, while we were.  Again coming from someone who really knew so little about German history other than the bad things, it was an eye opening experience.    We got family pictures in front of the Brandenburg gate; which is impressive, to say the least and after having a Starbucks we were right across from the Potsdam station and then on to the Sony Center.
















Later in the day we also saw the holocaust memorial.  This was another amazing place in Berlin.  It is another area of the city that shows Germany's willingness to learn from the past.  After we left this area, we walked around more and then went to see the Bundestag.  There was even a demonstration at the Bundestag while we were there.  A very full day and we're still exploring.


As we were winding our way throughout the city, we all decided that it was time to take a break and grab something to eat.  We had a great dinner in a cool little place across from one of the many museums in the city.  This was really great because we were just a few people in the pub and the food was great.

Finally, we started heading back to the Opel and and got ready to let Frank do the driving on our way back to Pinneberg.  This was a hugely educational day and one simply filled with history, amazing architecture and great family.  Oh yes, and we can't forget the German chocolate either.

Danke for a wonderful day!

Paisano European Tour 2010 - Day 11

Day 11 is September 17

Today we hop the train from Bern to Zurich.  Luckily, this trip was uneventful which was rather nice.  I still can't get over how much nicer 1st class is.  It is Such the way to go.

While we were talking with Miki at the EF office in Bern, we decided that we would try to rub elbows with the "higher ups" at EF, but that didn't quite work out like I would have liked.  I KNOW you're surprised by that.  Ha!  I just couldn't figure out how to "conveniently" get out of the airport, visit and then get back for our flight to Germany, so we decided to put that on the list for next time.


We did, however, spend our day wondering around the Zurich airport and bought our first bunch of Swiss chocolate.  Naturally, we didn't bring All of it back.  We had to taste it and make sure it was OK, you know.  Thankfully, airports, especially international type airports have come along way and the food there isn't so bad.  Decent places to sit and relax as well.



Dank der Schweiz und aller erstaunlich wundervollen Leute, die wir und die schönen Aufstellungsorte uns trafen, wir sahen. Es war eine Wahrscheinlichkeit einer Lebenszeitreise. Michael und Eva, sind Sie immer in Kolorado willkommen

Because Momma & I are on a bit of a budget, before we left "home" we booked our flights from Zurich to Hamburg, Hamburg to Trondheim and Trondheim to Zurich.  When we did that, we looked mostly at cost and you know what happens when you only look at cost, right?  Something usually happens.  Our Air Berlin flight was delayed about 1hour.  I figured that if we would have flown Lufthansa it would have been fine because we would have just told them we know THE Frank Wilkens ;)   Things would have been Perfect.  Oh yeah, my suitcase showed up with a broken wheel.  Oh well, that's OK, it was there with us when we got off the plane.

It was So Great to see Marc, Heike, Jana & Frank.  I sure have missed my German Sohn.  I am very sorry that we made them stay out so late for us.  It's a bit of a quirk of mine.  I always prefer to make my way to and from the airport.  Not that I don't appreciate someone there for me, I just hate making someone wait on me, because it seems more often than not, my flight is late.

After the drive from the airport in the big - by European standards - rental van, we got settled in and chatted a bit and then turned in. It was so nice to be "home".

By the way, as you can see, it was a rather slow picture taking day, sorry.

Tomorrow is our day trip to Berlin.

Good Night All!

Paisano European Tour 2010 - Day 10

Day 10 is September 16

Momma and I got up, got ready and went up to our rooftop garden breakfast spot.  We left Hotel Crystal without issue, which was expected because this was a great hotel.  We drag our bags, (again ;) to the Metro.  Again, the innkeeper was a great help, so we knew exactly where to go.  The Metro got us to the Bahnhoff in time to catch our train to Bern from Lausanne.

Our trip from Lausanne to Bern was actually really nice.  I can safely say that going first class is THE best way to go. While we were traveling I sent a sms/text message to Michael & Eva.  Michael and Eva are Mom & Dad to Mona.  Mona is an outstanding EF student who is living in Lakewood/Denver, Colorado.  I was actually quite surprised at how quickly we got to Bern.

When we arrived in Bern at the bahnhof we were met by our "hosts" in this great city.  Mike & Eva are Wonderful!  They were so nice and got us to the tourist station so that we could book our hotel, then Michael drove Momma to the hotel Jardin while Eva & I rode the metro.  We got rid of our luggage, yay no need to pull around the suitcases! After getting checked in & dropping off the stuff, we then joined Mike & Eva at the Rosengarten for lunch.  The food was great, the service was very good & the company was outstanding! All was great, but I have to admit it was a touch loud, so I had to strain a bit to hear everything, but it was a wonderful lunch with outstanding conversation.

After our lunch, we got a chance to look out over the city and to get a few photos.  We got a really great one with Mike & Eva, too.  Unfortunately, they had other commitments, so after a brief drive around near

BärenPark and Old Bärengraben (Pit) next to the Aare River, we said our good-byes.

Momma and I walked around & saw some cool architecture, great old buildings & even walked past Parliament.  Michael had said that Bern was a small city but we really had no idea until we suddenly ended up at the rail station.

Momma and I stopped for a bit of a rest & an espresso at a nice little spot on the street in Bern.  While we were talking, I looked over Momma's shoulder and saw what appeared to be an EF flag.  I say  "appeared" because my eyes are getting old and it was backwards for me.  I know what you are thinking...why would that matter, Joey is "backwards most of the time anyway.  Yeah, well, Ha Ha...  So, we finished up and checked it out as it was on the way to the metro.  Turns out, I was right it Was an EF flag.  Anyway, we went up, rang the bell and hung out with Miki for a bit.  She was very nice & we had a great conversation.  It's always a pleasure to meet folks from our other offices, all over the world.

After we took our leave from the EF Office, we walked the two blocks or so back to the metro and hoped on the right train..well I Thought it was the correct one, until I didn't recognize a single thing.  As you might remember, I get a bit directionally challenged sometimes, so I was not so much lost, but "temporarily unaware of my physical surroundings as the related to our destination.  Of course, we figured out that it was just the opposite end of the same line and when it came back to the station and then went the other way, viola!  We got to where we wanted.

After a brief  "freshen-up", Momma and I walked back to Ticino Restaurant/pizzeria for one of the best meals we've had on the trip, especially in relation to the amount of money we spent, (not much)& mostly cheap.  I love the feel of this area because they've got great food within walking distance of the flats, businesses and hotels, great mass transit, until my hometown and great people as well.  lastly, we went back to our hotel and ended our adventure with a caffe and ice cream.

Today was our last day exploring Switzerland and we had another great day.  Thanks, certainly in part to Michael & Eva.

Have a Great Night!

Paisano European Tour 2010 - Day 9

 
Day 9 is September 15

Today we were able to sleep in a touch and relax.  This is our first day since we arrived in Zurich that we are spending more than one night in the same place.  That was pretty nice.

Did you know that Lausanne is the home of the International Olympic Committee & Museum?  Lausanne, Switzerland - Olympic Museum,  Me either.  Pretty cool stuff, especially since the US Olympic Training Center is in my town of Colorado Springs, Colorado.            


  Once we were up and (nearly) ready for the day, we had a pretty good breakfast upstairs on/in the roof garden.  As you can see, Momma was enjoying herself and laffing at her son.  That's OK we are here for Her 80th birthday!

  While up there, we got some pictures from the garden.  What a great view & the weather was wonderful.  As we were finishing our caffe, we spent some time with a nice young lady and took a tourism survey.  That was a kind of fun way to start and we learned a few things as well.

 
Our hotel is just off the square that is right in front of the University.  On the other side and my point of reference as I found myself geographically challenged through our stay, was the cathedral.  Just amazing buildings and scenery everywhere we turned.  We spent the day relaxing and walking around the city. 





We did a pretty fair amount of window shopping as well.  Momma did buy a little bit, but I decided to hold off.  So far, I just haven't really found anything that I just couldn't live without, except, of course, the awesome pictures I've been taking . 

As we were walking around, we found the Giraffe Bar.  I guess even the animals need to have an adult beverage from time to time.  Of course, this bar is strategically situated midway between the University and the Cathedral.  Coincidence??  Maybe...but then again.  Anyway, it was still early at this point, so we didn't check it our, but I'm guessing there were some really High table, you know, for the Gi Rafs.




As I'm sure you all have guessed, I, of course, got us lost, again...it's a rare talent I have, I guess.  I should look into the GPS, EPS or whatever you call that stuff.  The one redeeming thing throughout all the "getting lost" stuff was that I did, nearly always, have the opportunity to take more cool pictures. 
   This time out,  I found a really cool outdoor music venue.  You see, I seldom do just one thing at a time, so pretty much the entire time we've been in Europe, I've been looking for good possible venues for our musically talented friends in the bands In The Machine and Channel 27.  I think I found at least one possible place.  I SO need to spend more time around these parts.



 After our outing, we decided to head back to our room for a bit to let Momma relax a bit.  She's always so awesome about walking around everywhere and even better about dragging luggage around.  After a little rest up, it was time to head back out again.  Our first stop was the Bahnhoff so that we had our train tickets ready for us so that we could head out in the morning.

We got some good news, it turns out that the pass I bought did have a benefit.  Our trip from Lausanne to Bern was pretty inexpensive and it seems like our trip from Bern back to Zurich should be free.  Free is nearly Always good, even in another country.


Dinner tonight was pretty good.  We ate at a nearby Vietnamese restaurant.  The food was pretty good, but I think my brain is just on overload.  I'm really struggling with trying to think & speak in French while we're here.  By the end of the day, I'm exhausted.  I have Absolutely Loved our time in Switzerland, but so far, I've tried my hand at Swiss German, German, Italian and French.  I SO wish I would have taken a (several) languages when I was in school.  Oh well, it's all part of the adventure.  I do also have to say, that most people we interacted with were very great about speaking English to us.  Thanks for that, but I'm still a bit embarrassed that I can't speak other languages better.

As I said, we were out and near the university, so I was able to shoot some pretty cool "twilight" pictures.  Oh yes, these were Not the Twilight vampire type pictures.  These were much more fun & well, realistic.

We're just about to turn in because we need to be rested and ready to head to the banhoff around 9am.  Tomorrow, we are on our way to Bern.  It will be another Great day because we get to meet Mona's parents; Eva & Michael.

Another wonderful day has come to an end.
bonne nuit

Paisano European Tour 2010 - Day 8

Day 8 is September 14

Hello and Welcome to a New & Beautiful Day!

Momma and I had a pretty good night's sleep and a good breakfast.  Now, we’re ready for the day!  We've got our stuff packed and we're ready to go.  We decided to take the bus this morning rather than a taxi because those are a touch expensive and the bus stop was only about a block away from the hotel.  Here we go again, dragging our luggage down the street.  Hey, maybe we just look like well dressed homeless folks or maybe just those "touristy"American folks.

I swear, I REALLY tried, but I couldn't find anywhere to buy a ticket.  I guess we should just consider that minor payback for some of the previous days’ hassles.  Once we got to the Bahnhof we were sitting around

waiting for our train to Interlaken.  We kept looking around, thinking and stressing about Lucerne to Interlaken part of our trip.  While this was going on, the Golden Pass Line train was actually sitting right there.  Well, I finally decided "What the Heck" and walked up & asked the very nice porter gentleman there if there was some possible way we could get on this train, rather than going to Interlaken first.  To my surpirse, (and relief, too) he said "No problem, you can take this train".  Yay!!  All that AND we got first class all the way.  We did end up changing trains a couple of times but that was Totally not our fault and things were really fine.  Our last "special" train of the trip; I believe it was from Ziewiess was Awesome!

On the Golden Pass Line  we were sitting in the middle of 1^st class & the porter(ess), lady told us we had paid for the front of the train;  that Absolutely ROCKED!  Our seats were in the very, very way far up front area.  The train driver(is that engineer? pilot? wagon master?) was right above us, so we had an  unobstructed view & it was just like driving.  Rock On!  I think I got some pretty great pictures, (Momma did, too), from that part of the ride.  Being Right On the rails and sitting there in the front was simply Amazing.  The feeling of seeing Everything that was on the track was a chance of a lifetime.  I'm SO glad I got the opportunity to share that with Momma.

As we were rolling towards Montreux; I, of course, had “Smoke on the Water” in my head the whole way there.  Once we arrived in Montreux, we still had to head to Lausanne because we actually did some research on that & determined that it would be cheaper to stay in Lausanne.  After de-training, (that's like de-planing, only not).  By the way; "de-plane" is NOT the same as De Plane! for the little guy on Fantasy Island.  Anyway, we got off the train, luggage pulling along behind and checked with the rail ticket counter.

Well, we checked on the Chocolate Train trip that we had been looking forward to and one of the reasons we decided to stay 2 nights in Lausanne and well, you guessed it…sold out!  UFB.  We were told we   “could” have booked it the day before…Arggghhhh!  Why do I feel like I've been here before??

So, after I come down from my stress high, we got our tickets that we needed to get us to Lausanne.  The train was packed with school kids, but the view along Lake Geneva was pretty cool.  In about 20 minutes or so, we arrived at the station in Lausanne.  Once again, we're off dragging our luggage across the train station and up the ramp on the other side.  As we've been doing in the past, we decided to grab a taxi to the hotel rather than trying to figure out how to get one the right bus or metro.

Our cab driver got us to Hotel Crystal, our new home away from home for the next two nights.  Our cabby was, well, kind of a "turd".  He got us there safe and sound but refused to take Euro for the fare.  OK, I understand we are in Switzerland, but everyone else was OK with it & gave us change back in Francs and had no problems with it. I had to go into the hotel & get change.  Heck, even the gentleman at the front desk was frustrated with the cabby.

We got ourselves checked in & are nearly done for now.  The guy at the front desk is very cool.  He said something as I was signing in & I answer “si”.  Of course, I feel like an idiot but he just laughs and says “it’s OK, I am from Italy.”  Things are back and going well again.  He gave us free tickets for metro/buses for our 2 night stay.  We finished up with the check-in & relax a bit.  After a little rest we decided to head across the street for dinner at a French restaurant.  The food was really pretty good.  The service was, well…  I feel like I'm really struggling here because I struggle because my French is pretty much non-existant.

After dinner we set out for a walk & pictures.  We walked up around the cathedral and out too far and of course, got lost, (again).  I would have been upset, but I decided it was not a big deal. 

That is, not a big deal except I feel bad that I’m dragging Momma all over, not quite Everywhere, but certainly Switzerland.  We finally found our way back to the hotel, head upstairs and call it a day.

Good Night Folks and stay tuned for another day.

Paisano European Tour 2010 - Day 7

Day 7 is September 13

Well, today starts off in a much better "place" than the end of yesterday.  Momma & I both had a pretty restful night at the Holiday Inn.  We had a decent breakfast in the morning and got ourselves ready for another day on the rails.  I asked the front desk about getting back to the rail station and because we were in a decent place, I got some good info from the front desk clerk and found out we were able to just walk up the street to take the bus back to train station for 1.60 ch (that's Swiss Francs, by the way), instead of the 30 ch for the taxi the night before.  That's good stuff.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, uh, train station, we're trying to get on the Wilhelm Tell Line.  Unfortunately, that was a big fat no go.  The cool part about this time out was that the lady behind the glass was Very nice & tried to help.  She wasn’t able to book the Lucerne to Montreux portion of the Golden Pass Line, for some reason.  She said she could only do Interlaken to Montreux  & that nobody could do the full trip.  To me, that just didn’t make any sense as the literature I had didn’t say Anything about this trip being this way.

In the end, we booked a train from Lugano to Lucerne as that’s where we’re staying for this night.  It's not like we could really hang out in Lugano for another day.  Too bad really, I think Lugano looked like a great city.  The rail trip cost us an additional 60 ch.  By now, I'm getting rather tired of paying extra for Everything.  The pass I bought was supposed to be for 1^st class & 50% discounts, which we didn't seem to be getting much of.  All of that being said, I'm pretty sure this agent did give us the discount anyway. 

In the end, we had a very good trip, but we were told we could have been in 1^st class, even thought our tickets said 2^nd.  In reality, 2^nd class is still pretty good stuff.  At this point, my frustration was on the rise again because I felt the $700 I spent on the rail pass seemed like a bit of a waste.

We arrived in Lucerne or Luzern as the Swiss call it, at a reasonable time and for the most part had a pretty stress free ride.  It would have been nice to have taken the other "touristy" trip, but hey, we didn’t have to change trains,   Yay!!!!

After we got out of the station, I wondered around looking for our hotel.  I don't think I would have walked around lost, except that the information I had, said it was about 900 yards from the station.  Well, OK, perhaps my measurements are off, (I'm a guy, after-all), I just couldn’t find it.  I got back to the little lakeside cafe I "dropped" Momma at and then we took taxi again.  This time it was a 20 ch ride.  That was OK because the hotel was a bit out of the way.  Out of the way & small, but very cool and quaint.




Again today, like the rest of this trip, Momma has Totally rocked.  She's been Great as I’m running around trying to find crap & has hung out with bags more than I would have liked.

 Tonight, we stayed at Hotel Drei Koenige - Lucerne, Switzerland

We got ourselves checked in by a very nice lady and
then we were up to our room.  This room was by far the smallest we had, but it was pretty nice.  We still haven’t gotten much at all for souvenirs because we’ve been using our resources in different areas and other "fun" stuff like that.  I'm not at all pleased about that because I'd really like to have gotten some really cool stuff, but that's the way it goes.  As much as I'm bummed about all the extra money spent, I have to remember that the most important thing is that I'm hanging out with Momma for her 80th birthday and That, as they say, is Priceless. 

 

Dinner was next door to the hotel in a nice little pub.  The food was really good AND the service was Great!  We ended up having 2 different waitresses.  The first was just fine, but the second waitress was cute with tattoos.  I find it always interesting to get in a conversation with someone from another country & discuss things like tattoos, motorcycles, music, food, wine and other things like that.  More often than one might think, there is a common ground.  How cool would it be if Everyone would take the time t listen to someone else's opinion and of course, could have their opinion heard without anyone having the need to tell the other person they are wrong or don't know what they are talking about.   The young lady I talked about ink with had two great things to share.  A.  If a person doesn't like my tattoos, that's OK, they don't have to look and 2. my tattoos are an expression of who I am are are very personal.  I don't need permission & if you don't understand, that's OK, I still like YOU because of who you are, not how you look.  Bravo!  I know there's at least one person out there that will ask.  No, I don't remember her name.


Dinner was quite good & Not hugely overpriced…yay!  As we were eating, Momma and I got to thinking about how cool the area was.  This was a nice little “neighborhood” with the pubs & restaurants right there, along with little shops & businesses.  Houses and flats, too.  If it were like that here, maybe living in the city wouldn’t be all bad.  You know, a person wouldn’t even really need a car.


 
After dinner, we wondered around a bit and got a look at the buildings, the neighborhood and the really awesome university area, the theatre section and shops.  This was a very cool little city.  Tomorrow, we on our way again.  This time we'll be heading to Montreux.

Cheers to you & enjoy.

Paisano European Tour 2010 - Day 6

 Day 6 is September 12

Today we hit the road or rail, if you prefer and are on our way to Lugano.

What a day!

Got to the airport & rail station & had to wait until they opened.  One woulda thought they would be open 24/7.  They weren't/aren't, so of course, we deal with it.  Before leaving the US, I purchased the Swiss Rail Pass and paid extra for the first class option.  It seemed like an Awesome idea.

As we got our opportunity to talk with the gate/rail agent, we got the pass validated and then...we were told that the 1st class coaches for the Bernina Express were full and we would need to travel second class.  By the way, the Bernina Express line is from Chure to Lugano.  As you might remember, we're in Zurich at the moment.  Zurich is a rail trip from Chure, where we start the Bernina adventure.  Oh yeah, we also hear that the bus from Ticino to Lugano is full.  We were told that we would need to book the bus online.  Nice thought, but since I wasn't traveling with my laptop AND there was no time to use an internet connection at the station.

The train from Zurich to Chure was fine & clean.  I had never really ridden on train before, so most of this week in Switzerland was a new experience for me.  We traveled nearly exclusively by train all over the country.  It was definitely a great experience AND a learning experience.

The Bernina Express Line was very cool, but since we were in second class, it was a touch full & well rather tight and small.  We sat next to two young German students.  One of the poor guys was blowing the whole time.  Luckily and good for us, there no sniffing or other yuck like Americans teens all too often do.

During this trip I got TONS of pictures.  This trip was amazing.  We went past several lakes and glaciers; ALL the scenery is Beautiful!  There were several places on the way that went through great small Swiss villages & towns.  During this particular trip I started thinking about future trips & how cool it would be to take a bike, (that would, of course, be Motorcyle), trip over here.

Here is the link to the Bernina Express Line:
http://www.raileurope.com/train-faq/european-trains/bernina-express/index.html

When we got to Ticino; which is very near, (as in the office sits Right on
the border), with Italy.  I spoke with the gal at the counter and found out that the bus was full, (that was part of the price…), so I had to get us a train to Lugano, where we were staying for the night.  We had a choice of going back the way we came for part of the way or to go on the Italian side.  I generally hate to go the same route on trips, so I opted for the Italian side.   Unfortunately, this again cost us.  The good part of this trip was that we got to travel through the Italian countryside, lots and lots of interesting stuff.  This trip was from Ticino to Monze via the Milano line.  This adventure "allowed" us change trains in Monze & then then head to Chiasso.  At Chiasso, we change again and head to Lugano.  Luckily, for these two traveling Americans, the trains in Europe are pretty prompt & are a viable mode of transport, so other than changing several times and lugging around luggage…(apparently, that’s where the word comes from),  it wasn't bad, except that for whatever reason, most of the stations we were in (in Italy) didn’t have ramps, so I got to haul bags up & down stairs at every station change.  This part of the trip was a bit stressful.

Finally, we get ourselves to Lugano & we think that things will be golden from here out, well, guess what…

We stood in the que to talk to a Very frustrating, sweaty, absolutely Worthless "customer service" agent, to try to book tomorrow’s trip to Lucerne on the Wilhelm Tell Line.  The classic line we heard was;  “you need to do that more than 24 hours in advance”.  I next asked about the following day’s trip, (Golden Pass Line from Lucerne to Montreux.  Conveniently he couldn’t do that because "they" were closed.  Seems to me that he just didn’t want to help out at all.  Luckily, this "gentleman" was not at all representative of the rest of the assistance we got, throughout our trip. 

By this time, my veins popping out f my head & said “gosh darn it!"

We ended up taking a taxi to our hotel because I just couldn’t figure out how to get there from the station.  I guess my head just wasn't working any more at that point.  We get to the hotel & I was totally not feeling great about it, but we got our stuff out of the taxi and up to the door.  There was no discernible way to get in & there was a note on the door that said “go around back" or some crap like that.  I hit the intercom button and got a very nasty lady on the line yelling at me about the stupid note.  We start walking around the block with the bags; because the hotel is in the middle of the block and there is no other way to the back side.

I finally get smart and find a place for Mom to sit down and hang out with the bags.  I finally figure out how to get into the bar area where the “reception” area is supposed to be.  I see the keys, but of course there’s no one around.  The phone on the bar is supposed to be used to connect with "someone".  I try but can't reach a soul.  Unfortunately, I'm just getting more frustrated by the second!

As I get out of the other place, I remember seeing a Holiday Inn, so I walk to that, get checked in and we spend a night there.  What an ordeal.  Our other hotel was pre-paid, so I have to fight them on that.  The day's meals were a total of one granola & gelato.  Our dinner at the Holiday Inn was poor because of a tour that had the dining room completely filled up.

After dinner, I called Swiss travel folks & got no where fast.  This day was Very frustrating, but we had a place to sleep & that’s important.  Through it all, Mom has been a real trooper.  No complaints & she kept trucking.

After all was said and done, we still had an amazing day, we got to hang out, had great conversations and learned a tremendous amount about life.  The pictures, as you can see here were pretty awesome, too.

Cheers for another day and I can tell you that the trip got MUCH better the next day.

You know, in looking back over this post, I realize that this really had a pretty negative tone.  While all of what was said here was/is true, the trip, the experiences and the time spent with Momma were well worth the price and I'd definitely do it again.  I just have a great many things I learned along the way.  One of the most important things I learned was that being kind to those around you and open to Everything that the Higher Power chooses to send our way allows us to experience SO much more than we would if we just sat in our little box at home.

Peace to you all.