Follow along as we toured Switzerland and Germany by train: Frankfurt, Zurich, Lucerne, Morges at Lake Geneva, Basel, Munich, Berlin and Frankfurt. The maps below show our travels at each of the destinations and the pictures show up on the map in the location we took them. Each map has a story as does each picture, so make sure to read the story underneath the maps. Click markers on the map to preview the picture or on the title of each map and you will be taken to the full page. Enjoy!
Lucerne
Lucerne has the recipe for a gorgeous Swiss city, cobalt lake ringed by mountains of myth, well-perserved medieval Old Town, covered bridges, sunny plazas, swans in the lake and river, etc. It was a glorious day when we were there. Perfect for touring the lake and the mountains. After lunch and walking around Old Town Lucerne, we took advantage fo the the Golden Roundtrip. The adventure included a nice boat ride across Lake Lucerne, a treacherous ride up the steepest cog railway up Mt. Pilatus to view the Swiss Alps, then a fun ride down on cable cars with more breath-taking views. Click link below to read and see more....
Lucerne Golden Roundtrip at EveryTrail
Zurich
Zurich is an enigma. It's a financial powerhouse, Google's European office is located there (employers refer to themselves at Zooglers), the lake and the natural beauty is undeniable, it has narrow winding lanes and tall church steeples in the ancient centre, but it also has a gritty, post-industrial edge that is up and coming and very hip. It's frequently voted as Europe's most livable city and we would agree. We were able to get on some bikes and tour the city, click link below to read and see more....
Lake Geneva
A visit to Lake Geneva was unplanned but we were glad we made the trek south. It's refered to as Lac Leman to Francophones. It's Western Europe's biggest lake. The northern shores are Swiss, while the southern shores are French. On the Swiss side there are many quaint towns, such as Morges, Lausanne. Up the hill side are vineyards in the Lavaux area. We missed seeing Mont Blanc by a day. It rarely seen but is supposedly majestic when it does reveal itself from beneath the clouds. Morges was an adorable town on the shores of Lake Geneva. We rented some bikes and road to Lausanne and Ouchy. Fun trails, fantastic crepes and a Olympic museum were some of the things we encountered. Click link below to read and see more....
Basel
Basel is a small city, approximately 200,000 people. It's located in the northern part of Switzerland, bordering France and Germany. The Rhine runs through Basel. An exploration of the pharmaceutical industry brings us to Basel. Both Roche and Novartis global headquarters are located in Basel. Carol's adventures in Basel included exploring career opportunities, while Aaron explored the city. The medieval Old Town (Altstadt) is at the heart of Basel. We toured Marketplatz, Rathaus, Spalentor, and the winding lanes that connected them. We loved the public transportation system and the plethora of communters on bikes. Basel is also for it's architectural buildings and famous architects. Herzog and de Meuron designed London's Tate Modern and Beijing's Olympic stadium. Click link below to read and see more....
Basel to Rheinfelden - National Route 2 at EveryTrail
Munchen
Munchen is at the heart of Bavaria. It has been the capital of Bavaria since 1503. It's an amazing, prosperous city. Lots of museums, parks, restaurants, shops and classic architecture. Of course we visited the Glockenspiel at the Neues Rathaus with every other tourist in the country. But it was still a cool scence. We were lucky enough to get a bike tour with a local, Stephan. He took us around town, visited the Bavarian National Museum, watched some river surfing and had lunch at a friend's vegan restaurant. Click link below to read and see more....
We ventured over to Austria to do some hiking or treking. We went with Stephan and his friends. They are pretty hardcore climbers so we watched them dangle from some ropes then headed out on our hike. We ended up at a hut and downed a beer. Gotta love those Bavarian huts with cold beers during a hike. It was very scenic and classic Austrian landscape. Click link below to read and see more....
Schleierwasserfall at EveryTrail
Can't visit Munchen without a visit to the beer halls and gardens. We knew we were visitng during Oktoberfest, but didn' realize it was the 200th anniversary of Oktoberfest. Wow! People (over 7 million) came from all over the world to partake in beer drinking, pretzel eating and singing on tables. Plenty of lederhosen. It's quite a party, beer tents and gardens housing thousands of people, amusement park, ferris wheel, the whole shabang at Theresienwiese. Click link below to read and see more....
Munich and Oktoberfest at EveryTrail
Berlin
Berlin is the largest city in Germany. And what a city it is. Vibrant and growing. It's now strange to envision the city still split in half by a brutal and impenetrable wall for 40 years. Reminants of the wall seem fragile and the Berlingers have done of a good job of moving on. We visit the Brandenburg gates on the first night. The Reichstag on the tip of the Tiergarten was beautiful, but also the location of many historical speeches and events. We could already tell that we would like Berlin. Click link below to read and see more....
First Night in Berlin at EveryTrail
Once again on bikes, we were able to take in a lot fo the city. Starting out at Checkpoint Charlie, we learned about the events surrounding the separation of Berlin. A visit to the Topography of Terror, we learned about Hitler's rise and unfolding events that lead to his dictatorship and ultimately the fall of the Nazi and the 3rd Reich. We rode through the Tiergarten and ended up in Schlossgarten Charlottenburg. Lots of great architecture along the river. Click link below to read and see more....
Berlin Bicycle Tour at EveryTrail
Last morning in Berlin was spent touring Unter den Linden towards Museumsinsel and Berliner Dome. We visited the site of the Nazi book burning. There were many historical buildings on Unter den Linden. Some of the building were ravage with war, but the restoring project has been amazing in bringing the architecture back to life. It was a good way to end our visit to Berlin. Click link below to read and see more....