France and Switzerland 2014 - Day 13

Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Today is the last day of our trip.

I awoke to the news of Robin Williams committing suicide and was in a funk for a good part of the morning. So very sad. I finally kicked myself in the butt to stay in the moment of enjoying this trip, in this place, at this time.

After breakfast we spent some time in the garden of the hotel delighting in the fine day and its perfect temperature and light, gentle breeze. We caught the 1:00 boat into Zurich to do some last minute errands. Werner wanted to buy a new Swiss Army knife, Susan needed a back pack and wanted to check out a painting she had seen earlier in an antique shop. I was still in search of presents for the grandkids.

We discovered an amazing toy store on the Bahnhofstrasse. It was four floors of toys,

books, etc. with a kids' haircutting salon and at least two cafes. Totally amazing. Totally expensive! After looking in two department stores (the multi-floored kind that we used to have in our downtowns in the US), we finally found a store in the train station that carried the knife Werner wanted.

Dinner was early today at an outdoor fondue restaurant. It was totally delicious and fun people watching.

We then caught a boat to head back to the hotel.

 When we got here, we again sat in the garden to watch the sunset and talk about how wonderful this trip has been on so many levels. From Paris to Burgundy to Zurich, we enjoyed everyday; the scenery, the experiences, the culture, the people, the food, the activities, the learning, the laughs, the fun. Most of all, we had a trip we didn't think would happen and we are so very much appreciative.

France and Switzerland 2014 - Day 12

August 11, 2014

I'm finding it harder to blog as we count down the days until we return to the US. I'm missing my grandbabies and kids a lot and can't wait to see them. I'm also missing our barge pals. It feels like they should be along for this portion of the trip.

It rained throughout the night and into the afternoon. It definitely cooled down the temperatures for which I am most grateful. The view from our hotel room revealed clouds lowering across the lake and then lifting to reveal the houses.

We headed into Zurich in the early afternoon. Susan and I went to check out the shops we had scoped out yesterday. Rick and Werner explored the Clock and Watch Museum. We met up at Spruengli, a famous, extraordinary, confiserie on the Bahnhofstrasse. I'm totally blown away by how expensive everything is here. The charge for three ice cream sundaes and a cup of coffee was $62.00! I was going to buy gifts for the babies but couldn't bring myself to buy a wooden puzzle for $39.00.

We took the boat back to the hotel. It was the long way around the lake but was called the short round trip. I'm still getting a kick out of all the "fahrt" and "gasse" signs.

After returning, Rick and I walked to the restaurant we had eaten in last trip. It was a bit confusing but we think it was replaced by a stationery store. We ended up eating at the hotel. Susan had the best French fries ever!

France and Switzerland 2014 - Day 11

Sunday, August 10, 2014

What a delight to sleep in this morning! We made it to breakfast with about 15 minutes to spare. The Swiss are very prompt. The buffet was to close at 11 and it did! My breakfast of bacon and scrambled eggs was fabulous though.

After breakfast, we wandered the grounds of the hotel and then rested prior to boarding

the boat that circles the lake. It's much like a bus which stops at many piers around the lake. We got off at Zurich. Rick and Werner then took trolleys to the Tram Museum. Susan and I headed over to a neighborhood where they stayed the last time in Zurich.

We wandered around the narrow streets looking in shop windows. Most shops are closed on Sunday. I didn't take many pictures. I think I enjoy rural and village pictures more than city ones.


We met Rick and Werner in time to take a boat back to our hotel to get ready for dinner. We were meeting some very special people in Werner's and Susan's lives; the family of Werner's secretary, Hanna, when he was in Germany, in military government, after World War II. Hanna, is no longer alive but we were met by her husband, Erich, his girlfriend, Ester, Matthias, her son, and his wife Ines, their son Felix, Regina, Hanna's daughter and her husband, Peter.

It was an amazing, formal dinner that lasted from 6 to 10pm in a private dining room in the Storchen hotel. A few of the conversations were in English but most were in French and German. It was incredibly hot. The Swiss don't seem to value air conditioning. I kept surreptitiously putting ice cubes into my napkin and then rubbing them on my wrists and face to cool myself down. Everyone was talking so much I don't think they noticed!

After a group picture, we took a taxi back to the hotel. Matthias promised we would see them again in Boston when we celebrate Werner's 100th birthday on 12/26/2017.

France and Switzerland 2014 - Day 10

Saturday, August 9, 2014

After our last delicious breakfast, we packed and prepared for catching our trains (Kyle to Paris to catch his plane back to Boston, and the rest of us to Zurich). The trains were departing within about 20 minutes of each other around 2:00pm. Jim drove us to the train station in time to have lunch in a Dijon cafe.  He was so sweet to join us for lunch and stay with us until we were safely aboard the train.

We said a tearful farewell to Kyle and Jim and boarded our train. I so enjoyed getting to know Kyle and am so grateful for the opportunity to spend extended time with him. What a great guy! Here is a photo of Susan and him from a few days ago.





It took about 2.5 hours to get to Zurich on the fast train. It was pretty warm on the train

and I was really relieved to get off. It was fun to be greeted by this lady whom I met last time we were here!

This is our third stay at the Sonne. It is an incredibly lovely place on the shore of the Zurichsee in the town of Kusnacht. Parts of the hotel date back to 1641. After checking in we had dinner in the self-serve restaurant right on the lake. We enjoyed an amazing sunset while watching the people around us and the boats cruising the lake.

The evening was heavenly.

Vacationing is getting exhausting for me though. All this fun, relaxation, and good company is making me lazy! I was the first to go back to the room and get ready for bed

France and Switzerland 2014 - Day 9

Friday, August 8, 2014

Today is our last day of cruising. We spent the morning and early afternoon making our way to

Dijon. Susan and Rick walked for several locks. Kyle did his usual run. Werner and I admired the countryside. It was bittersweet knowing that our journey was coming to an end. I found it difficult to stay in the moment but was still able to take-in the beauty that surrounded us.

We arrived at our final mooring spot outside of Dijon at around 2:00pm. 

Jim drove Rick and I into the old city and gave us a great, quick tour.

 I love the timbered buildings mixed in with the stone ones. Jim shared

the history of Burgundy and then took us into a museum to see the tombs of two of the kings. He also showed us how during the revolution, the citizens chiseled the religious markings off the facade of the churches.

The city is very touristy and after wandering into a couple of churches and a mustard store, we headed back. One thing he pointed out were some markings where the original Roman town had be on the site of Dijon now.

There are other barges parked where we are. The one next two us is a bit bigger, perhaps 20 passengers. They came out to enjoy the evening on their deck. We were much relieved that we weren’t them! They were in formalwear for dinner and had to listen to a pretty crappy singer who barred the exit so they were stuck. We were kind of stuck too, since they were right next door.

Of course we had to have a last game of Petanque. This photo is of

Cedric and Jim. We also took a group picture in front of the barge.

So sorry Abi and Finley weren't there to join in the picture. They were down preparing our last dinner. And what a dinner it was! We started with a poached egg in wine, followed by beef tenderloin and veggies, and then a citron tart.

Following dinner we had drinks with our crew, Cedric, Jim, Abi, and Finley. What fun it was to relax, learn more about each person, and laugh with them.

France and Switzerland 2014 - Day 8

-->

August 7, 2014 (Actually posting from Zurich because of poor internet connection on the barge.)

Our field trip today was driving along the ‘Route des Grandes Crus’ and through the vineyards of

the Côte du Nuits. These vineyards are incredibly old. This marker is from 1723.

We stopped at the Château of Clos de Vougeot, which was the perfect setting to learn about the importance that wine played in Burgundy’s history. Clos de Vougeot is a wine farm established in the 12^th century by monks. In the 16^th century a chateau was built. It is not a working vineyard now but it now is a museum with the original wine-making equipment.

 We then went to experience a wine tasting at the Domaine Rion Bernard. It was really

interesting to taste the different classes of wine Burgundy produces.

 When we returned we were served a lovely lunch and the spent the afternoon on the deck cruising until dinner. (I will post a page of photos of our meals when we get home and have better internet. They were a gorgeous as the pictures of nature!) What a life!

Among the beautiful trees and meadows we observed, we were curious about trees we have

seen along the way. They seem to have ball-shaped growths. I don’t know the name of the trees they grown on or if they are not picky about what trees but Jim told us that they are Mistletoe and are parasitic on the trees. I always thought Mistletoe was cultivated. Go figure!

Dinner was another adventure in dining for me. We started with salad niceoise with scallops and black pudding. The black pudding actually was little black disks that were delicious. I totally ignored the fact that when we asked what they were made from we were told it was blood sausage. I thought they were made from quinoa, which I really am not fond of, so I ignored what they were!

The salad was followed by duck prepared two ways; one shredded and deep fried to a crunchy texture and the other sliced with a sweet and sour sauce. This course was followed by a sticky toffee pudding in a butterscotch sauce. We listened to Segovia while dining. Very civilized!

France and Switzerland 2014 - Day 7

Wednesday, August 6, 2014

After breakfast, Jim took us to Beaune. What a great field trip! We started with wandering

around the Wednesday outdoor market. Then toured the Hospices de Beaune, a medieval charity hospital that was established in 1443. It operated until 1971 and was supported by annual wine auctions and the wine produced in a multitude of vineyards the hospices acquired from the wealthy patients it also served.

We then enjoyed a two-hour lunch in the outdoor dining room of an old hotel. Having a white and red wine at both lunch and

dinner is becoming a habit. For an entree (appetizer) I had eggs poached in wine. It was amazing and a dish I'm going to try to replicate when I get home.

Our barge was finally repaired and we drove through beautiful vineyards to rendezvous with it several locks south of where we spent the night. I was pretty sleepy when we returned so Rick and I decided to read in our cabin while the others stayed on deck as we continued our voyage.

We awoke two hours later! We are “parked” in a little village. Jim pointed out the home of Steve Smith, co-author of Rick Steves’ books about France. Apparently, he and Cedric are good friends. I pumped Cedric about the time Rick Steves was on the Papillion. He said they both Rick Steves and Steve Smith are really nice and seemed to really be able to relax while they were filming their segment on board.

I had another taste adventure at dinner. Finley had prepared lamb. I remember having lamb when I was younger and hating it. I’ve never tried it since. So in my new adventurous spirit, I tried it. Happily, it wasn’t like I remembered. It was pretty rare which is not much to my liking but I plan to try again when we get home.

Van Morrison was our dinner music. We have an early start in the morning for our tour of some vineyards and a wine tasting, so we are making it an early evening.