My trip to Switzerland (LONG) - Yada, Yada, Yada

lil_jodi · 10-24-06, 02:26 PM

Our trip, day by day:

Sunday – we arrived.

Took the train to the south where his mom picked us up. Found out his dad was in the hosp for some testing (he came home on Wed).
Monday – went into Bellinzona to do some grocery shopping in the morning. Walked around a little. In the afternoon, we went to a town near the Gottard (long tunnel through the Alps) called Giornico. It has two bridges and a little tiny island in between the river that has a grotto (family-run restaurant out of their home basically with small menu) on it. Walked up to the churches and checked them out. Churches in Europe really redefine what a church is. Actually, architecture in Eurpoe is just amazing. So much is so old and preserved (at least in Switz) and just amazing! Then we walked through the forest and a small hike.
Tuesday – Simon’s mom had to go to the hospital in the morning to learn how to wrap his dad’s legs so we walked around Bellinzona again and then went home and relaxed for a couple hours. In the afternoon, we went to a town farther south called Morcote. Very cute town situated right on Lago Lugano. We shopped and then walked up a million steps to the church, which was of course amazing. Then we walked down to this botanical garden and checked it out. It was very interesting. There were areas for different parts of the world (Asia, Arabia, India, Greek, etc).
Wednesday – We went for a hike in the morning above Claro (the town where his parents live). This was the scary hike! LOL! We started in Claro and walked along the river through the forest to a town called Cressano (don’t mind my spelling…I’m sure I spell some of the towns wrong!). The plan was to walk to Cressano, hike above and the down in Scubiago and then back over to Claro. Well, plans changed! The trails are marked by three lines (white-red-white). Well at some point the trail was marked only with a red line…which we decided later means HARD!!! The trail got so difficult that we couldn’t tell where it went and had to turn back. This is the hike where we had to cross the big boulder and slide down a smaller one into a tree. So we went back the way we came (which means we had to cross the boulder TWICE!!) and walked back from Cressano to Claro. So it was like a 4 hour hike. When we got back to his parents apt, the cat was missing. So we had to spend an hour or so looking for the cat and then trying to get him to come out from under the car he was hiding under. See, this old man came to fix the front door of the apt, so his mom put the cat in her room. Well the old man decided to check all the doors in the apt, and when he opened the bedroom door (with the front door open), the cat bolted…all the way down the stairs and out the apt! He was so scared and shaking when we found him! So that killed our afternoon, but Simon’s dad also came home from the hospital that afternoon, so we spent it at home.
Thursday – We went to Lugano in the morning and explored the city. Lots of churches to see. They also have stores like Versace and Louis Vouiton, but as you can imagine, I couldn’t have afforded to step in the door of those places! In the afternoon, we were supposed to meet up with his parents at his mom’s sister’s apt in Lugano. Well, that was an adventure trying to find this apt in a town we have no clue about! But we finally found it after hiking all over Lugano. Then we sat around while they chit chatted (very boring for me as I don’t know enough German) and then we walked back down to town for a little bit before we all headed home.
Friday – Simon’s sister came back this day. She had been traveling with her friend so the apt wouldn’t be overcrowded while we were there, but had to come home early due to a job offer in Hungary. So on Friday we went hiking again. Again we went above Claro. This time we ran into some very friendly goats on the hike! They were so cute! I took lots of pics of them! It was a very nice hike and we went for 2 hours up and 2 hours down. Then in the afternoon, Simon went up to his parents house (which is being torn down and rebuilt soon) and helped his dad in the garden while his mom and I started preparing for dinner as Urs (his mom’s best friend) was coming over for dinner. So the evening was nice as well because we always love seeing Urs.
Saturday – It was a little overcast and drizzly so we had an easy day. Went to Bellinzona in the morning to shop for the weekend (stores are all closed on Sundays) and then went back in the afternoon to a cheese festival. OMG I tasted some DAMN GOOD cheese!!! I love cheese!!!

Sunday – went hiking again. This time Michelle was with us as well. This hike was quite steep. We went about 2 hours up and 3 hours down (took a different path down). It was a great hike though and really nice. I called it the seasons hike because on the way up, it was like we were surrounded by fall and leaves changing and all that. And on the other path on the way down, we were surrounded by evergreens and it seemed so much more wintry until we got a little farther down and the forest went back to fall. I did, however, slip on this hike and fall in a bed of chestnuts. There are chestnuts EVERYWHERE in the south! And in case you didn’t know, chestnuts are like the porcupines of nuts.

They grow on the tree in a spiky outer shell. Very spiky. I still have spiky things in my hand from my fall. Michelle said “Wow, you jumped up FAST!” I told her to try sitting on the chestnuts and see how fast she jumped up!!

lil_jodi · 10-24-06, 02:26 PM

Monday – Simon and I went to a little town called Melide which had this tourist attraction called Swiss Minatur. It is basically all kinds of different things to see in Switzerland in mini form. We took it as an opportunity to find things we want to see for real and write them down. It was pretty cool, though. In the afternoon we left and went to the north to stay with one of his mom’s sisters and her girlfriend (his mom is one of 5 girls!).
Tuesday – Hiking in Grindelwald. I LOVE this town!

It is the cutest place and I could go there over and over! The hikes are great there, too! I got some great pictures. It was funny, cuz it’s higher up, so in the morning, we were freezing. Then as the sun got higher, it got really warm and was gorgeous! Grindelwald is my happy place.

Wednesday – Went to Bern and met up with his mom and went to lunch with Grandma. We gave her a small photo album of wedding pics and she was soooo thrilled. It made her so happy. Then we went for a walk through the forest while Grandma rested and then went back and went for a walk with Grandma. Then we walked around Bern for a few hours and headed home.
Thursday – Went to a town on the German border called Stein am Rhein. This is apparently one of the best preserved medieval towns. It was sooooooo cute! I loved it! We walked around the town, hiked up to this Burg something or other (which turned out to be closed for repairs!), hiked out to a church on a small island in the Rhein, skipped rocks in the river, and just had a nice day. It was a very enjoyable town.
Friday – in the morning we walked along the lake (his aunt lives on the Murtensee) over to Murten and picked up some chocolate for family and friends and enjoyed walking along the lake. It was very pretty. Then Grandma came over for lunch so we were home for that. In the afternoon, we went to Luzern to do some souvenir shopping. My three favorite places are Thun, Luzern and Grindelwald. We were going to go to Luzern in the morning, but we didn’t want to disappoint Grandma by not being there for lunch. So we made the sacrifice.
Saturday – we left his aunt’s house and headed up to Zurich to our hotel. After we got all checked in at the hotel and put our stuff down, we went back into the city of Zurich. It was ok but I don’t prefer the huge cities (Zurich, Geneva, Basel, etc) as much as the smaller towns that you can really explore and see things. And Zurich was PACKED. It was soooo crowded. No idea why, but it was crazy. I think there is something going on there this week so lots of people were there. We did a little more shopping and went to the Swiss Museum and then went back to the hotel. And of course, as is our “last day” tradition, we walked to the pizzeria down the street for dinner and then shared a big ice cream in the hotel later that night.

This is all in a nutshell so I am sure I am leaving things out. It was great though! I loved all the hiking we did. And I didn’t gain or lose weight. I was hoping to lose due to all the walking we did, but hey, I ate ice cream, pastries, sodas (they have different ones that I really like…Sinalco, Citron, Rivella, Gasosa, etc), cheese, bread, salami, cookies, yogurt, etc and didn’t gain any weight. I could have easily gained 10 pounds if it weren’t for all the hiking!!

PaMOOla · 10-24-06, 02:43 PM

It sounds soo cool!! But you know you have to post pictures!!! I must see pictures!!! I am glad you had a great time. The food sounds good - I would be in heaven - I love cheese!

Whitney · 10-24-06, 02:52 PM

I agree.. pictures pictures pictures!

I would have lost a lot of weight with all that walking you all did! Sounds like you all had a great time

*AmandaAnn* · 10-24-06, 04:26 PM

Sounds great Jodi!!! I can't wait to see pics either!!!

pvtrosalia · 10-24-06, 04:53 PM

WOW JODI!!! Can I come when you go next year???? Sounds like SOO much fun!! I've never been anywhere out of the country!!!

ChanginMyName · 10-24-06, 05:51 PM

sounds incredible!!!! thanks for sharing all the wonderful details. now you gottttta post pics!!! don't you love how the europeans eat... the pastries and salami and good cheese and warm fresh bread! it's amazing!!

jakeNmichaela · 10-24-06, 06:44 PM

Jodi, your vacation sounds amazing

Everything makes me wanna jump on a plane and go

I can't wait to see the pictures.

Char · 10-24-06, 07:34 PM

wow Jodi it sounds like you had a lot of fun!!! I'm sure the hiking was beautiful

wanna see some more pics??? puhhhleasseeeee??? lol when you get time of course..

Mommy2DJ · 10-24-06, 08:05 PM

wow! sounds like you had such a fun time! I agree wheres the pictures!

10-24-06, 02:26 PM	#1 (permalink)
lil_jodi Just a supermod Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 16,510 Thanks: 407 Thanked 779 Times in 606 Posts My Mood:	My trip to Switzerland (LONG) Our trip, day by day: Sunday – we arrived. Took the train to the south where his mom picked us up. Found out his dad was in the hosp for some testing (he came home on Wed). Monday – went into Bellinzona to do some grocery shopping in the morning. Walked around a little. In the afternoon, we went to a town near the Gottard (long tunnel through the Alps) called Giornico. It has two bridges and a little tiny island in between the river that has a grotto (family-run restaurant out of their home basically with small menu) on it. Walked up to the churches and checked them out. Churches in Europe really redefine what a church is. Actually, architecture in Eurpoe is just amazing. So much is so old and preserved (at least in Switz) and just amazing! Then we walked through the forest and a small hike. Tuesday – Simon’s mom had to go to the hospital in the morning to learn how to wrap his dad’s legs so we walked around Bellinzona again and then went home and relaxed for a couple hours. In the afternoon, we went to a town farther south called Morcote. Very cute town situated right on Lago Lugano. We shopped and then walked up a million steps to the church, which was of course amazing. Then we walked down to this botanical garden and checked it out. It was very interesting. There were areas for different parts of the world (Asia, Arabia, India, Greek, etc). Wednesday – We went for a hike in the morning above Claro (the town where his parents live). This was the scary hike! LOL! We started in Claro and walked along the river through the forest to a town called Cressano (don’t mind my spelling…I’m sure I spell some of the towns wrong!). The plan was to walk to Cressano, hike above and the down in Scubiago and then back over to Claro. Well, plans changed! The trails are marked by three lines (white-red-white). Well at some point the trail was marked only with a red line…which we decided later means HARD!!! The trail got so difficult that we couldn’t tell where it went and had to turn back. This is the hike where we had to cross the big boulder and slide down a smaller one into a tree. So we went back the way we came (which means we had to cross the boulder TWICE!!) and walked back from Cressano to Claro. So it was like a 4 hour hike. When we got back to his parents apt, the cat was missing. So we had to spend an hour or so looking for the cat and then trying to get him to come out from under the car he was hiding under. See, this old man came to fix the front door of the apt, so his mom put the cat in her room. Well the old man decided to check all the doors in the apt, and when he opened the bedroom door (with the front door open), the cat bolted…all the way down the stairs and out the apt! He was so scared and shaking when we found him! So that killed our afternoon, but Simon’s dad also came home from the hospital that afternoon, so we spent it at home. Thursday – We went to Lugano in the morning and explored the city. Lots of churches to see. They also have stores like Versace and Louis Vouiton, but as you can imagine, I couldn’t have afforded to step in the door of those places! In the afternoon, we were supposed to meet up with his parents at his mom’s sister’s apt in Lugano. Well, that was an adventure trying to find this apt in a town we have no clue about! But we finally found it after hiking all over Lugano. Then we sat around while they chit chatted (very boring for me as I don’t know enough German) and then we walked back down to town for a little bit before we all headed home. Friday – Simon’s sister came back this day. She had been traveling with her friend so the apt wouldn’t be overcrowded while we were there, but had to come home early due to a job offer in Hungary. So on Friday we went hiking again. Again we went above Claro. This time we ran into some very friendly goats on the hike! They were so cute! I took lots of pics of them! It was a very nice hike and we went for 2 hours up and 2 hours down. Then in the afternoon, Simon went up to his parents house (which is being torn down and rebuilt soon) and helped his dad in the garden while his mom and I started preparing for dinner as Urs (his mom’s best friend) was coming over for dinner. So the evening was nice as well because we always love seeing Urs. Saturday – It was a little overcast and drizzly so we had an easy day. Went to Bellinzona in the morning to shop for the weekend (stores are all closed on Sundays) and then went back in the afternoon to a cheese festival. OMG I tasted some DAMN GOOD cheese!!! I love cheese!!! Sunday – went hiking again. This time Michelle was with us as well. This hike was quite steep. We went about 2 hours up and 3 hours down (took a different path down). It was a great hike though and really nice. I called it the seasons hike because on the way up, it was like we were surrounded by fall and leaves changing and all that. And on the other path on the way down, we were surrounded by evergreens and it seemed so much more wintry until we got a little farther down and the forest went back to fall. I did, however, slip on this hike and fall in a bed of chestnuts. There are chestnuts EVERYWHERE in the south! And in case you didn’t know, chestnuts are like the porcupines of nuts. They grow on the tree in a spiky outer shell. Very spiky. I still have spiky things in my hand from my fall. Michelle said “Wow, you jumped up FAST!” I told her to try sitting on the chestnuts and see how fast she jumped up!! __________________

10-24-06, 02:26 PM	#2
lil_jodi Just a supermod Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 16,510 Thanks: 407 Thanked 779 Times in 606 Posts My Mood:	Re: My trip to Switzerland (LONG) Monday – Simon and I went to a little town called Melide which had this tourist attraction called Swiss Minatur. It is basically all kinds of different things to see in Switzerland in mini form. We took it as an opportunity to find things we want to see for real and write them down. It was pretty cool, though. In the afternoon we left and went to the north to stay with one of his mom’s sisters and her girlfriend (his mom is one of 5 girls!). Tuesday – Hiking in Grindelwald. I LOVE this town! It is the cutest place and I could go there over and over! The hikes are great there, too! I got some great pictures. It was funny, cuz it’s higher up, so in the morning, we were freezing. Then as the sun got higher, it got really warm and was gorgeous! Grindelwald is my happy place. Wednesday – Went to Bern and met up with his mom and went to lunch with Grandma. We gave her a small photo album of wedding pics and she was soooo thrilled. It made her so happy. Then we went for a walk through the forest while Grandma rested and then went back and went for a walk with Grandma. Then we walked around Bern for a few hours and headed home. Thursday – Went to a town on the German border called Stein am Rhein. This is apparently one of the best preserved medieval towns. It was sooooooo cute! I loved it! We walked around the town, hiked up to this Burg something or other (which turned out to be closed for repairs!), hiked out to a church on a small island in the Rhein, skipped rocks in the river, and just had a nice day. It was a very enjoyable town. Friday – in the morning we walked along the lake (his aunt lives on the Murtensee) over to Murten and picked up some chocolate for family and friends and enjoyed walking along the lake. It was very pretty. Then Grandma came over for lunch so we were home for that. In the afternoon, we went to Luzern to do some souvenir shopping. My three favorite places are Thun, Luzern and Grindelwald. We were going to go to Luzern in the morning, but we didn’t want to disappoint Grandma by not being there for lunch. So we made the sacrifice. Saturday – we left his aunt’s house and headed up to Zurich to our hotel. After we got all checked in at the hotel and put our stuff down, we went back into the city of Zurich. It was ok but I don’t prefer the huge cities (Zurich, Geneva, Basel, etc) as much as the smaller towns that you can really explore and see things. And Zurich was PACKED. It was soooo crowded. No idea why, but it was crazy. I think there is something going on there this week so lots of people were there. We did a little more shopping and went to the Swiss Museum and then went back to the hotel. And of course, as is our “last day” tradition, we walked to the pizzeria down the street for dinner and then shared a big ice cream in the hotel later that night. This is all in a nutshell so I am sure I am leaving things out. It was great though! I loved all the hiking we did. And I didn’t gain or lose weight. I was hoping to lose due to all the walking we did, but hey, I ate ice cream, pastries, sodas (they have different ones that I really like…Sinalco, Citron, Rivella, Gasosa, etc), cheese, bread, salami, cookies, yogurt, etc and didn’t gain any weight. I could have easily gained 10 pounds if it weren’t for all the hiking!! __________________

10-24-06, 02:43 PM	#3
PaMOOla My kids are gorgeous and they get it from me!!! Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: NY Posts: 6,084 Thanks: 0 Thanked 41 Times in 40 Posts	Re: My trip to Switzerland (LONG) It sounds soo cool!! But you know you have to post pictures!!! I must see pictures!!! I am glad you had a great time. The food sounds good - I would be in heaven - I love cheese! __________________ Joshua Ashley Samantha

10-24-06, 02:52 PM	#4
Whitney Shit If I Know Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Houston, Texas Posts: 10,394 Blog Entries: 2 Thanks: 255 Thanked 257 Times in 244 Posts My Mood:	Re: My trip to Switzerland (LONG) I agree.. pictures pictures pictures! I would have lost a lot of weight with all that walking you all did! Sounds like you all had a great time __________________ *It took me becoming a mother to learn what true love really is.* http://www.myspace.com/its_me_whitters

10-24-06, 04:26 PM	#5
AmandaAnn Gone... Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 19,456 Thanks: 379 Thanked 107 Times in 100 Posts	Re: My trip to Switzerland (LONG) Sounds great Jodi!!! I can't wait to see pics either!!!

10-24-06, 04:53 PM	#6
pvtrosalia Pvt Hot Momma Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 7,810 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: My trip to Switzerland (LONG) WOW JODI!!! Can I come when you go next year???? Sounds like SOO much fun!! I've never been anywhere out of the country!!! __________________

10-24-06, 05:51 PM	#7
ChanginMyName i love me some nipple clamps Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 3,901 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: My trip to Switzerland (LONG) sounds incredible!!!! thanks for sharing all the wonderful details. now you gottttta post pics!!! don't you love how the europeans eat... the pastries and salami and good cheese and warm fresh bread! it's amazing!!

10-24-06, 06:44 PM	#8
jakeNmichaela Peas in a pod :) Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Arizona Posts: 3,965 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: My trip to Switzerland (LONG) Jodi, your vacation sounds amazing Everything makes me wanna jump on a plane and go I can't wait to see the pictures. __________________ Jacob and Michaela Melissa: MOD OF JEWISH FAMILIES AND MENTAL HEALTH

10-24-06, 07:34 PM	#9
Char Don't gimme that look you son-of-a-bitch... Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 2,890 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: My trip to Switzerland (LONG) wow Jodi it sounds like you had a lot of fun!!! I'm sure the hiking was beautiful wanna see some more pics??? puhhhleasseeeee??? lol when you get time of course.. __________________

10-24-06, 08:05 PM	#10
Mommy2DJ is going to be even hotter very soon! Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Michigan Posts: 43,174 Thanks: 267 Thanked 581 Times in 521 Posts My Mood:	Re: My trip to Switzerland (LONG) wow! sounds like you had such a fun time! I agree wheres the pictures! __________________ One of your Supermods!