Spring time in Switzerland

With the factory shut for a week, I planned a holiday in Switzerland with Kim. We spent time with both of our parents in Lausanne and Zug.
Day 1. On Saturday the 2nd of April we left Dundee at 05:20 to make an 08:45 easyjet flight. Did a wee bit of shopping in duty free we bought gifts for the parents and I bought myself an mp3 player. Kim kindly bought me a chai latte
The 2 hour flight arrived just before noon to French/Swiss Basel. We saw Mum and Dad through the glass doors as we waited for our bags. After introductions we drove to the capital Bern, which was about an hour from Basel. After a few difficulties we found a carpark building in the city centre. As our stomachs were rumbling we stopped in to one of the first restaurants we came across. Kim and I had vegetarian buffet. I found it surprising that they didn’t weigh the bread.
We then wandered the old town of Bern. The old town is built on a peninsula surrounded by a sweeping river. We passed exquisite chocolate shops, shops with cellar stores, cobbled streets with a steady traffic of trams ready to run you over, water fountains (which according to Dad the water was safe to drink), swiss statues (figures on 10 foot poles). We passed under the Zytglogge tower, a landmark medieval tower built in the early 13th century, it has served the city as guard tower, prison, clock tower, centre of urban life and civic memorial. The tower is one of Bern's most recognisable symbols and, with its 15th-century astronomical clock, a major tourist attraction. At the end of the old town we crossed a bridge and peered into the famous bear pit on the opposite bank. One bear was particularly active, charging up and down the bank and splashing around in its pool. I took about a thousand photo’s of this bear. Near the bear pit we also watched three guys playing the big swiss horns. We wandered back along the edge of the old town, passed the cathedral and had some great views looking back towards the mountains and over the river. We also stopped and watched some of the locals play the large open air board games. We crossed over parliament square where there was a large contingent of Indians gathered for what we believed was the cricket world cup final celebrations.
We really enjoyed wandering around Bern on a glorious spring day. Lausanne was a further 1 hour drive south.
After showing Kim around Mum and Dad’s place I strapped my running shoes on and went for a 15k tempo run. Kim came with me on Mum’s bike. I ran along the lake shore through Ouchy towards Geneve. It seemed like everyone in Lausanne was out enjoying the evening sun, I had to dodge my way through the crowds. I got home and happy hour was well under way. Mum cooked a really nice chicken casserole for dinner.

Day 2. Unfortunately a break from work didn’t necessarily mean a break from running and Sunday was big run day. So after a light breakfast Mum, Dad and Kim dropped me off at one end of Lake Geneva at Villineuve near Chillon castle and I ran home. It was a scorcher of a day, but the run was really good, particularly the section between Villineuve and Montreaux. After a bit of a recovery and lunch we ventured off to France to Le Saleve. We weren’t quite sure how to get there so I went on to google maps and printed off a map. I then stupidly left the map at home on the bed. We did manage to find it ok though. It was a steep windy drive up the mountain and we caught great views over Geneve, the French alpes and lake Annecy. Up the top were model plane enthusiasts and paragliders who were both taking advantage of the updrafts off the cliffs. On the way home we passed through Geneva checking out the International Red Cross building, the United Nations and a chair with a missing leg, which is a memorial to victims of Land mines. Home for happy hour, dinner and quiddler.

Day 3. Woke up to Dad’s alarm as he was leaving early to catch a flight to Argentina. I went for a short run with Kim on the bike along the lake again. Unfortunately it was persisting down with rain. After lunch we went to the Olympic Museum then afterwards we caught the bus up town to the wooden tower overlooking Lausanne. We walked back through the old town, popping into the cathedral on the way through. By this stage Kim was starting to lose energy, so we dropped into a co-op and picked up a few snacks and sat in a nearby park which was full of flowers. Once at home we launched into a game of quiddler during happy hour. Unfortunately Mum took it out (she must have cheated!) We had late dinner, delicious lamb casserole.

Day 4. Travel day. Mum had a dental appointment so we opted for an early train. We narrowly missed the opportunity of jumping on an even earlier train, but caught the next one no problem. The train travelled up past lake Neuchetal to Zurich. We then caught a connecting train back to Zug. It was a beautiful day in Zug and I was very impressed with the modern clean railway station. It was a short walk to Alan and Jane’s apartment. Jane was home and after a tour and quick unpack we sat down to ham and cheese encompassed by a baguette for lunch. The tickets that we used to travel up to Zug were Switzerland day passes. So virtually any public transport in the whole of Switzerland was covered by this single ticket. So we decided to make the most of it and catch a train to Arth Goldau at the foot of lake Zug and catch a mountain tram up to Rigi Klum. Our timing for the mountain tram was not good so with 45 minutes to wait we indulged in icecream from the train station kiosk. The car travelled up the 1400m mountain, through tunnels and past waterfalls. We had amazing views from the top of Lake Zug. We even managed to zoom with Kim’s camera on her parents apartment. From Rigi Klum we walked along the ridge line to Rigi Kaltbad. It was one of the most amazing mountain walks I have ever done, definitely a wow moment. We took our time and we nearly missed our train down to Vitznau. From Vitznau we caught a ferry to Lucerne, the lake was calm and it was a pleasant trip. We only caught a glimpse of Lucerne but from what we saw it looked really nice. Our final train trip of the day was Lucerne back to Zug.

Day 5. Today Kim, Alan, Jane and I planned a day on the slopes skiing. We travelled just under an hour from Zug to Englebert. We went to the ski shop and hired our equipment. Wearing the boots definitely took a bit of practice. Then the four of us took a 2 staged gondola up the steep slopes to the top tier of the ski fields. Because it was April, there was no snow on the lower fields. Only Kim and myself were skiing that day as Alan had a conference call and Jane preferred to watch our antics from the restaurant. Our 2 hour lesson was booked with a young guy named Elias. The sun was beaming down and up, and I had soon ditched my ski jacket because I was sweating so much. On the beginners slopes he started taking us through the following drills. 1) Wedge stopping 2) Wedge stopping and turning 3) Turning with extended arms 4) Turning with no arms 5) Lifting one leg. Having had a bit of experience on the snow I seemed to pick it up quite quick. One thing I had to remember was keeping my knees slightly bent, leaning forward and coming up out of the corners. Kim worked hard on her stopping and had mastered it by the end of the day. We stopped for lunch and we were both famished and quite thirsty. We had swiss style pizza and apple juice. I did a bit more practice around the beginner slopes after lunch then I felt confident enough to go higher up the slopes on some of the red runs. I was maybe a bit too confident because on my first run I fell about 6 or 8 times and it was a pain when I temporarily lost my ski. The next run was a lot better and I only fell over twice. The others went sight seeing up the top of the mountain as I bundled my way down it. By 5.00pm it was time to call it a day, my feet were killing me and my back was aching a bit, but I had a great time.

Day 6. Today was my challenge to run around lake Zug. According to rumours lake Zug was approximately 44 km to circumnavigate it. So with Kim on her Dad’s bike as support crew I set off around 10.30 am. I ran at tempo pace for the first seven miles then I picked up the stitch and struggled the last few miles until lunch. At about the 12 mile mark we stopped for lunch at Imanscee. I had a salad with some tiny meat pieces scattered in it and Kim had mince and pasta. It was tough getting going after lunch and the sun was beating down. We went passed an industrial area away from the lake then over the rolling pastures until we stopped again at a park by the lakeside. I continued on for the last leg past Cham. At Cham I came across another runner who passed me. I suddenly found an extra burst of speed and started matching his pace. I passed him up a hill and then he came back at me. It was suddenly all on! Unfortunately he pulled out before Zug. But he was exactly what I needed at that stage of the run. Back to the apartment for a bit of recovery, Kim came up with an ingenious way to ice my feet using wine coolers! As mentioned it was another gorgeous day so Alan finished early from work and we hired a little run-about boat and took it out on the lake. We took our togs so crazily decided to go for a swim (Kim and I), although Kim took a bit of coaxing. The water was like ice! And we didn’t stay in long! We enjoyed drinks and crisps in the late evening sun. For dinner we drove up the hills at the back of Zug to a restaurant that specialised in one dish. Capons, or more commonly known as testicleless chickens. It was very succulent and went well with risotto. We shared ice cream for dessert. The restaurant was in a traditional style wooden house. Outside there were superb views over Zug and the lake. If only I had not forgotten the camera!

Day 7. I went for an early hill run up to near where we had dinner last night. During my run Kim visited a Swiss dental practice to get an idea of what it involved. Next we decided to take a train to Zurich, the world banking capital. The train arrived early afternoon. We picked up a city map of the old town and started to wander. The traffic was very busy in Zurich, but it was a pretty place with lots of buildings, fountains, trams and hanging flags. Our stomachs were rumbling so we popped into a bakery/cafe. I had a tuna baguette and Kim had a meat sandwich which didn’t sit too well with her. I also ordered a passionfruit milkshake which somehow turned into a 10 swiss franc banana frappe!
After lunch we wandered next to the river, up to an old roman fort and down to a church with unique stained glass windows. It was a hot day and there were a lot of people milling near the lake front. Then we decided to depart from the tourist trail and go on a little adventure to the Dolder Grand. It was basically a hotel on a hill. But first we had to find the cable car start point. I found the entrance whilst Kim had fun with the public toilets. To buy the tickets I just pushed the yellow button, unfortunately this only gave us 30 mins of travel so our trip to the top was rather brief, the view of zurich was just ok. Back down and we hopped on a tram that dropped us back on the trail. I found a fountain to dunk my head in and cool off, then we found some benches in the shade of the buildings to rest our weary legs and sip on diet coke. Back at the train station I picked up a cinnamon scroll whilst Kim found our train back to Zug. The station was bustling and there were a lot of young men dressed in army apparel, with big guns hanging over their shoulders. We had to get the slow train which stopped at Thalwil. Next mission was to find the Lindt chocolate shop, a local had to point us in the right direction. I found it tough being in probably one of the world nicest chocolate shops without being able to eat the chocolate (I was on lent), so when Alan and Jane joined us I sat in the car and edited the photo’s from the trip. Back in Zug, we packed, showered then went for dinner at a Mexican restaurant on the lake side. It was a beautiful setting with the sun sinking into the hills behind the lake, and the fahitas were delicious. A great way to end the trip!

Day 8. A very very early start. We woke up at 4 am for a 4.30 am taxi. The taxi arrived at 6.00 am at Basel. No problems getting through to Edinburgh. Here endeth our trip.