Long weekends without any travel plans are wasted; long weekends without any travel plans with good weather are the worst kind of wasted weekends. We had a long weekend in mid-May. Thankfully we were blessed with good weather for more than half the days.
We left home on a Saturday morning at 9AM, with the car packed with food, utensils, few clothes and all weather jackets.We made a quick stop for gas and air.
The weather was near perfect. The sun was blazing down on us. It was 23 degrees outside!. The autobahn was flooded with cars and mobile caravans- all indications that every one was going on a holiday here. We made another stop for breakfast, in one of the autobahn pitstops, at Schønbuch West. Bread & jam/ peanut butter and mixed vegetable salad in quark made a wholesome breakfast -on- the- go.
Our first stop enroute to Switzerland,was Lake Titisee. Titisee, is the largest natural lake in the Black forest, named after the Roman emperor Titus (who reportedly was enchanted with its beauty), situated at an altitude of 845m at the foot of Mount Feldberg. The last 30 kilometers or so, of the route to Titisee, takes you spiraling around the hills that are home to the "Black Forest" or Schwarzwald, as the Germans call it . The paths are so well sign-posted, that you really do not need a navi here. One is left gasping at the picturesque views of vast fir forests, meadows and green fields, along the drive.
We reached Titisee- Neustadt a little before lunch time.The lake and the town was no less enchanting, than the forests around it. Like Titus, we were blown away by the scenic beauty of the place. We went on a pedal boat for half an hour. This was a fun experience, (especially for my toddler son who steered the wheel like a ship's captain) and also a great way to work up an appetite for lunch!.
Lunch was simple- tomato and cheese baguettes and a plate of Kråuterquark (potatos with sour cream), all less than 10 euros. I have said this before- Germans are the kings of potatoes - the simple, low cost, dish was awesome!.
We spent some time collecting souvenirs, shopping for a cuckoo clock and just lazing away in the sun. The town even had an antique market, full of kitschy stuff.While here, we discovered that the famed Black Forest cakes are called so, not because they resemble the forest landscape under a blanket of snow, but rather from the specialty liquor of this region, known as Schwarzwälder Kirsch(wasser) that is distilled from tart cherries. This is the ingredient, with its distinctive cherry pit flavor and alcoholic content, that gives the cake its flavor. Every souvenir shop was selling the traditional Kirschwasser.
Post lunch, we were back on the road. In about an hour's time, we reached the German-Swiss border near the district town of Weil am Rhein, which is the most south western town in Germany, situated in a border triangle between Germany, Switzerland and France. At the border, we were required to have a vignette (car toll) affixed on the car windscreen. Surprisingly, the Swiss issue vignettes for 1 year duration only, for a rather hefty sum of 33euros!. Wonder why they don't issue lesser costing vignettes suitable for shorter trips?.
Across the border, in Swiss country, the first major city we passed was Basel. The Swiss highways were nearly on par with their German counterparts, except for being narrower and with speed restrictions, many tunnels and green sign boards. The signboards indicating Swiss towns and cities are all abbreviated with the initials "CH", standing for "Confederatio Helvetica", the Latin name for Switzerland. The name is also inscribed on all Swiss currency (some shopping places take euros thankfully!).
Our plan for the Swiss holiday weekend, was selected by my brother. Being a seasoned tourist, and having seen more than half of Europe in his nearly 4-year stay here, we left the decision to him.My brother made a rather off-beat choice- a holiday home in Lungern, high up in the mountatins.
Driving up the mountains, the views were breathtaking!. Unfortunately, the closer we got to our destination- the more "confused" our navi got!. Eventually, we gave up on the navi, and asked for help- the old fashioned way!. We followed a tractor, up on a narrow, winding path, up the mountains to our destination. At first it was scary. But over the course, we got more used to its twists and turns. The same road was to be used for coming down!.
The house itself was warm and cozy!. It had 3 bedrooms, a living room with a fireplace and a modern kitchen. We spent the first night at home celebrating my brother and sister-in-law's 10th wedding anniversary.It was a first of a kind experience, living high up in the mountains!. There was no TV and no wi-fi, which left the kids disappointed. All around the house were absolutely amazing sights of waterfalls, dense pine forests and winding mountain paths.
On our second day, rain played spoilsport in the morning. Drizzle and gloom kept us indoors in the morning. Thankfully it cleared up in the morning and we decided to explore the cable car drive up Mount Pilatus, which was a short drive away. The hour long journey in the cable car was a heavenly experience.
Switzerland is all about scenic beauty- and one never runs short of it here. Everything here is so amazingly picture perfect. On our last day in Switzerland, we traveled by train along the panoramic route between Lungern and Interlaken (a scenic town between two lakes).
Interlaken was absolutely stunning!. It is no wonder, this picturesque town is a famed destination for our movie moguls. We wandered around the little town. It is a made-for -the-tourist kind of town!. It has wonderful gardens blooming with flowers. It has tourist shops filled with kitschy merchandise.
On our way back, we made a stopover at Mettingen, to get a look at the Sherlock Holmes museum. That was a wee bit of a disappointment- it was a small place in a basement of a church. Although small in size, it gave us a lot of information about the world famous fictional detective- almost making him seem surreal.
We also made a pit-sop at the beautiful Lake Lungern- its breathtaking, turquoise blue, still, sparking waters, making a perfect background for the final photo shots of Switzerland.
All in all, our Swiss vacation was a scenic wonder- a real paradise-on-earth experience.
We left home on a Saturday morning at 9AM, with the car packed with food, utensils, few clothes and all weather jackets.We made a quick stop for gas and air.
Our first stop enroute to Switzerland,was Lake Titisee. Titisee, is the largest natural lake in the Black forest, named after the Roman emperor Titus (who reportedly was enchanted with its beauty), situated at an altitude of 845m at the foot of Mount Feldberg. The last 30 kilometers or so, of the route to Titisee, takes you spiraling around the hills that are home to the "Black Forest" or Schwarzwald, as the Germans call it . The paths are so well sign-posted, that you really do not need a navi here. One is left gasping at the picturesque views of vast fir forests, meadows and green fields, along the drive.
We reached Titisee- Neustadt a little before lunch time.The lake and the town was no less enchanting, than the forests around it. Like Titus, we were blown away by the scenic beauty of the place. We went on a pedal boat for half an hour. This was a fun experience, (especially for my toddler son who steered the wheel like a ship's captain) and also a great way to work up an appetite for lunch!.
Lunch was simple- tomato and cheese baguettes and a plate of Kråuterquark (potatos with sour cream), all less than 10 euros. I have said this before- Germans are the kings of potatoes - the simple, low cost, dish was awesome!.
We spent some time collecting souvenirs, shopping for a cuckoo clock and just lazing away in the sun. The town even had an antique market, full of kitschy stuff.While here, we discovered that the famed Black Forest cakes are called so, not because they resemble the forest landscape under a blanket of snow, but rather from the specialty liquor of this region, known as Schwarzwälder Kirsch(wasser) that is distilled from tart cherries. This is the ingredient, with its distinctive cherry pit flavor and alcoholic content, that gives the cake its flavor. Every souvenir shop was selling the traditional Kirschwasser.
Post lunch, we were back on the road. In about an hour's time, we reached the German-Swiss border near the district town of Weil am Rhein, which is the most south western town in Germany, situated in a border triangle between Germany, Switzerland and France. At the border, we were required to have a vignette (car toll) affixed on the car windscreen. Surprisingly, the Swiss issue vignettes for 1 year duration only, for a rather hefty sum of 33euros!. Wonder why they don't issue lesser costing vignettes suitable for shorter trips?.
Across the border, in Swiss country, the first major city we passed was Basel. The Swiss highways were nearly on par with their German counterparts, except for being narrower and with speed restrictions, many tunnels and green sign boards. The signboards indicating Swiss towns and cities are all abbreviated with the initials "CH", standing for "Confederatio Helvetica", the Latin name for Switzerland. The name is also inscribed on all Swiss currency (some shopping places take euros thankfully!).
Our plan for the Swiss holiday weekend, was selected by my brother. Being a seasoned tourist, and having seen more than half of Europe in his nearly 4-year stay here, we left the decision to him.My brother made a rather off-beat choice- a holiday home in Lungern, high up in the mountatins.
Driving up the mountains, the views were breathtaking!. Unfortunately, the closer we got to our destination- the more "confused" our navi got!. Eventually, we gave up on the navi, and asked for help- the old fashioned way!. We followed a tractor, up on a narrow, winding path, up the mountains to our destination. At first it was scary. But over the course, we got more used to its twists and turns. The same road was to be used for coming down!.
The house itself was warm and cozy!. It had 3 bedrooms, a living room with a fireplace and a modern kitchen. We spent the first night at home celebrating my brother and sister-in-law's 10th wedding anniversary.It was a first of a kind experience, living high up in the mountains!. There was no TV and no wi-fi, which left the kids disappointed. All around the house were absolutely amazing sights of waterfalls, dense pine forests and winding mountain paths.
On our second day, rain played spoilsport in the morning. Drizzle and gloom kept us indoors in the morning. Thankfully it cleared up in the morning and we decided to explore the cable car drive up Mount Pilatus, which was a short drive away. The hour long journey in the cable car was a heavenly experience.
Switzerland is all about scenic beauty- and one never runs short of it here. Everything here is so amazingly picture perfect. On our last day in Switzerland, we traveled by train along the panoramic route between Lungern and Interlaken (a scenic town between two lakes).
Interlaken was absolutely stunning!. It is no wonder, this picturesque town is a famed destination for our movie moguls. We wandered around the little town. It is a made-for -the-tourist kind of town!. It has wonderful gardens blooming with flowers. It has tourist shops filled with kitschy merchandise.
On our way back, we made a stopover at Mettingen, to get a look at the Sherlock Holmes museum. That was a wee bit of a disappointment- it was a small place in a basement of a church. Although small in size, it gave us a lot of information about the world famous fictional detective- almost making him seem surreal.
We also made a pit-sop at the beautiful Lake Lungern- its breathtaking, turquoise blue, still, sparking waters, making a perfect background for the final photo shots of Switzerland.
All in all, our Swiss vacation was a scenic wonder- a real paradise-on-earth experience.
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