Europe 2024
September 3, 2024
It was good to find ourselves back in Switzerland. The plan began as a visit to Germany and the Dolomites, adding a return to parts of Switzerland. As our eyes studied the map, we extended it to include Austria and beyond, with a final addition of a foray into France. All in all we spend seven weeks, with just two days spent in many locations and a handful of overnight stays in others.
We arrived in Zurich and took a morning train to Lauterbrunnen. I realized too late that I could have visited the café Cabaret Voltaire in Zurich, but by then was unable to fit it in.
The walk through Lauterbrunnen continues out into the valley until you arrive at a tram leading up to Murren, which we took. From there a small train follows the mountain top to another tram taking us back down to Lauterbrunnen, full of amazing views on this sunny day.
Two nights in Wengen offered views of the mountains and deep valley. A tram takes one up the mountain and over partially forested hills until it descends into the town of Grindelwald, where we returned by a small train. The houses and outbuildings scattered throughout the hills seem so picturesque and sketch worthy, and the distant sound of cowbells is curiously comforting.
From Grindelwald we took the tram up to First Summit Mountain and walked around in the alpine country.
Fussen, in the Bavarian part of southern Germany, was a good place to explore the castles of Schloss Hohenschwangau and Schloss Neuschwanstein. We had a 3rd floor room looking out over the main oldtown activity.
We arrived in the Dolomites on the day that it snowed in the high mountains, much earlier than usual. While we did take the trams to the highest points, hiking was severely limited due to the icy trails crisscrossing those otherwise green fields and meadows.
In Munich a highlight for me was a visit to the Lenbachhaus museum where we saw an exhibit of artwork by a group of early expressionist artists known as the Blue Riders, which included Kandinsky and Franz Marc. We also visited Munich's famous Haufbrauhaus brewery, and saw the Marienplatz with its Glockenspeil clock turn to noon, becoming a giant cuckoo clock for the moment.
We found Salzburg to be interesting, fun, and accessible. Staying in the old town put us in the middle of their festivities, which were building up to their weekend version of Octoberfest apparently. Loved seeing all the people in costume, with lots of outdoor vendors and groups of men singing songs.
Salzburg's old town stretches from Salzach River to the hill that the castle is perched on. We rode the funicular up, did a self-guided tour and had coffee at an outdoor shaded cafe, enjoying the views over the city and distant Alps. We made a second visit next day to take in more exhibits and museums.
On our way to the beautiful lakeside town of Hallstatt, we made a brief stop to visit the family home of Viktor Schauberger, a 20th century mystic/inventor who used nature’s vortex implosion as an energy source in his inventions. He was called the water wizard. His grandson was gracious enough to give us a tour of the place, which is apparently not open to the public.
Further travels took us to the cities of Vienna, Budapest, and Prague. We toured the opera in Vienna, explored the Budapest Central Market, Buda Castle and Fisherman’s Bastian in Budapest, took in a classical concert and a tour of Prague’s clock tower with its astronomical clock.
Driving the Romantic Road in Bavaria on our way to the Black Forest, we stopped overnight in the medieval town of Rothenburg. It felt like a fairytale village with its quaint well preserved half timbered houses, cobblestone streets and decorative wrought iron signs.
A bus took us from Prague to Nuremburg, where we traveled by car south into Germany’s Black Forest. The Black Forest Open Air Museum showed styles of farms and living from south, central, and northern Black Forest areas. I love the old multi-purpose barns with their various uses. We saw cobblers, wood carvers, weavers, sawmills. All quite interesting, with a large visitor center featuring numerous cuckoo clocks for sale.
Originally our plan was to book a river cruise along the Rhine River. We were glad we didn’t as the weather was cold, windy, with a bit of rain. Still, we saw all that we wanted by car and foot. So many interesting castles and old towns.
Pfalzgrafenstein Castle is on an island in the Rhine River near Kaub, Germany. It has an impressive presence, as one would expect considering it was built in the 14th century for collecting tolls.
We got up early, had a quick breakfast and drove through the fog ascending a narrow winding road, past a few towns until we broke free of the fog into blue skies and wide views over the rolling hills. We took the tour of Eltz Castle, a fantastic place. Best to go early as the ticket line and crowds of people waiting for their tours were huge when we were leaving.
Our days in Bacharach were somewhat dampened by rain, wind, and cold weather, with occasional openings of sunshine. We took a boat ride up the river anyway, clinging to our lattes as we sat out in the wind. On our last morning we packed the car and headed south, stopping to hike up to explore Rheinstein Castle on the hillside next to the highway. The self-guided tour was well worth it, endlessly interesting and with such expansive views.
With a quick flight from Frankfort to Lyon, France, another rental car got us to the town of Orange where we visited the ancient Roman ampitheater and museum. I remember well the live concert there by The Cure, filmed in 1986. A stunning backdrop of the band at its height.
France offered nonstop sketching opportunities, so much so that I fought the urge to “document” the whole country!
We find the small backroads the favorite way to explore, seeing small towns and farms, arriving just a little later than we would by highway.
A highlight of our time there was a stay with good friends Craig and Ann in their country home in the south central French area known as Dordogne. Our stay included a visit to the stunning cliffside old town of Rocamadour, and a boat trip down a river in an extensive cave nearby.
At Mont Saint Michel we awoke to the sunrise streaming out over a clear sky. Taking the shuttle out, we walked the steps through the old town and up to see the Abbey on top. Again, stunning views out over the land and Atlantic.
The last days of our trip found us visiting places including Chateau Chenonceau, Rouen, Chartres, and in Paris Notre Dame, the neighborhood of Montmartre, and a visit to Le Procope restaurant where Voltaire once spent time writing.
