To make it easier to follow the entire trip, I've placed a link on the right hand side of this page that says "Our Swiss Adventure Starts Here". If you will click on that link it takes you to the start of our trip. Once you finish reading that page, click on "newer post" and it will take you to the next day of our adventure. If you followed my blog during the trip, you'll want to go back and read it again. I've added lots of pictures and links with more information about places we visited ... and included a few web cams.
We've been back in Duncanville for a couple of weeks now. I think I've finally finished updating my blog and will post the final two days soon after James has a chance to review them. For those of you who were involved in the trip, please let me know of any errors in names or spelling ... or let me know if I left something out. I want this blog to be an accurate record of where we went and what we did, so we can go back someday.
I also think I've completely recovered from jet lag ... FINALLY! Waking up long before it was time to go to work, and wanting to go to bed at 7 PM was starting to get very old.
Now that I've had time to reflect about our great adventure, I am more convinced than ever that James and I need to travel more. It was fun ... it was great exercise ... and it was a good mental challenge. There is nothing like traveling to learn new and different things.
Having access to the Internet during traveling is going to be critical I think. The ability to look up information about the places you visit, and maybe learning of someplace you won't want to miss is great.
It's time to start planning our next trip. Who wants to go with us???
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Sunday, September 25, 2011
September 12, 2011-Our Last Full Day In Switzerland (Monday)
Our last full day in Switzerland, and we decided to go for one last hike in the mountains above Zurich.
Fred, Ruth, Lauren, James and I loaded up in the car and headed to Adliswil to catch the Adliswil-Felsenegg LAF cable car. The 5 minute ride took us to the top of Felsenegg in the Albis mountains, to a spectacular view of Zurich and the surrounding areas plus easy access to several hiking trails. Ruth pointed out the house where she grew up ... as we rode the cable car.
We found the conclusion of the planet trail we had found on our first day in Zurich. The Planetenweg represents size of the planets and distance from each other scaled down to 1:1,000,000,000 of their actual size and distance from the sun. On our first hike we found the Sun, Mercury, Venus, and the Earth and moon. This day we found Pluto.
We stopped for drinks on the garden terrace at The Buchenegg, a restaurant with spectacular views of the Sihl Valley.
After a refreshing break, we hiked another 1.5 Kilometers and rode the cable car back down to Adliswil. It was getting close to time to take Lauren to the airport, on the first leg of her trip to Berlin, so we returned to Fred and Ruth's home, loaded Lauren's suitcases, and said our goodbyes.
While Fred and Ruth took Lauren to the airport, James and I started packing our bags. We seem to have accumulated a lot of extra items to carry home. It's a good thing I made James pack an empty canvas bag in his suitcase. Even though we don't have Audrey's wedding present in the suitcase any more, we still needed the extra bag.
We will be very sad to leave Switzerland and our friends. During the past few weeks we have seen lots of new things, met lots of wonderful people and tried lots of good food. This has been the best vacation we've ever had! Getting on the airplane is going to be very hard.
Fred, Ruth, Lauren, James and I loaded up in the car and headed to Adliswil to catch the Adliswil-Felsenegg LAF cable car. The 5 minute ride took us to the top of Felsenegg in the Albis mountains, to a spectacular view of Zurich and the surrounding areas plus easy access to several hiking trails. Ruth pointed out the house where she grew up ... as we rode the cable car.
We started hiking at Bergstation LAF and hiked through woods and farmland for about 1.5 Kilometers. This area is so close to Zurich that it is heavily used by hikers, and we saw lots of people on the well maintained trail. There were lots of places to stop and enjoy the scenery. Here is a web cam showing the view ...
We found the conclusion of the planet trail we had found on our first day in Zurich. The Planetenweg represents size of the planets and distance from each other scaled down to 1:1,000,000,000 of their actual size and distance from the sun. On our first hike we found the Sun, Mercury, Venus, and the Earth and moon. This day we found Pluto.We stopped for drinks on the garden terrace at The Buchenegg, a restaurant with spectacular views of the Sihl Valley.
After a refreshing break, we hiked another 1.5 Kilometers and rode the cable car back down to Adliswil. It was getting close to time to take Lauren to the airport, on the first leg of her trip to Berlin, so we returned to Fred and Ruth's home, loaded Lauren's suitcases, and said our goodbyes.
While Fred and Ruth took Lauren to the airport, James and I started packing our bags. We seem to have accumulated a lot of extra items to carry home. It's a good thing I made James pack an empty canvas bag in his suitcase. Even though we don't have Audrey's wedding present in the suitcase any more, we still needed the extra bag.
We will be very sad to leave Switzerland and our friends. During the past few weeks we have seen lots of new things, met lots of wonderful people and tried lots of good food. This has been the best vacation we've ever had! Getting on the airplane is going to be very hard.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
September 11, 2011-A Visit to the Home of Mr and Mrs Vorburger (Sunday)
We were all pretty tired after the wedding ... Everyone except James would have slept very late but for the early morning phone call from Mrs Vorburger, inviting us to visit their home. Audrey and Robert live in Aarau, Switzerland, about halfway between Audrey's job in Bern and Robert's job in Zurich. Aarau is at the foot of the Jura Mountains ... Jura as in Jurasic. I'm betting there are some interesting fossils in those mountains!
At one time Aarau was home to Albert Einstein, where he attended secondary school at the Canton school.
We passed a couple of castles during the drive to Aarau, including one that was the main residence of the famous Habsburg family. The castles were even more spectacular when we drove home after dark. They were lit up to spectacular effect.
The city was founded in 1240 ... old by U.S. standards but not so old by Swiss standards. The historic old town is very scenic, with its' cobblestone streets, walls, gates, towers and old buildings. We saw several buildings that hadn't been square and plumb in many centuries.
Like Freiburg, many of the streets have small canals running along them. Fred told us of an annual September event called "Bachfishet" where the river and the canals are drained and cleaned. The event goes back to at least 1526 or earlier when cleaning the canals was a job for the entire city, followed by food and drink. For at least 150 years, it has been the tradition that the children greet the return of the water to the canal by parading through the town carrying leafy branches and lights in hollowed out pumpkins. The cleaning is now done by city workers, but the procession of children continues to this day.
Many of the buildings have painted gables or Dachhimmel, which the city is known for. Most date back to the 1600s.
The Justice Fountain (Gerechtskeitbrunnen) was originally a little further east in front of the city hall but had to be moved because of traffic issues. It is now in a square in front of the Stadtkirche. The fountain and statue were built in 1634 and are made out of limestone and sandstone. The original statue is in a museum ... this is just a copy. Visitors can take a tour of the city that includes actors in period costumes portraying scenes from an earlier time. Pretty cool.
At one time Aarau was home to Albert Einstein, where he attended secondary school at the Canton school.
We passed a couple of castles during the drive to Aarau, including one that was the main residence of the famous Habsburg family. The castles were even more spectacular when we drove home after dark. They were lit up to spectacular effect.
The city was founded in 1240 ... old by U.S. standards but not so old by Swiss standards. The historic old town is very scenic, with its' cobblestone streets, walls, gates, towers and old buildings. We saw several buildings that hadn't been square and plumb in many centuries. 
Aarau is one of the few towns with the entire city wall still intact.
Like Freiburg, many of the streets have small canals running along them. Fred told us of an annual September event called "Bachfishet" where the river and the canals are drained and cleaned. The event goes back to at least 1526 or earlier when cleaning the canals was a job for the entire city, followed by food and drink. For at least 150 years, it has been the tradition that the children greet the return of the water to the canal by parading through the town carrying leafy branches and lights in hollowed out pumpkins. The cleaning is now done by city workers, but the procession of children continues to this day.
The city also has an annual Rüeblimärt or carrot market festival in November, which draws as many as 35,000 visitors.
Many of the buildings have painted gables or Dachhimmel, which the city is known for. Most date back to the 1600s.
The Justice Fountain (Gerechtskeitbrunnen) was originally a little further east in front of the city hall but had to be moved because of traffic issues. It is now in a square in front of the Stadtkirche. The fountain and statue were built in 1634 and are made out of limestone and sandstone. The original statue is in a museum ... this is just a copy. Visitors can take a tour of the city that includes actors in period costumes portraying scenes from an earlier time. Pretty cool.
Robert and Audrey live in a very modern looking apartment ... that was originally built around 400 years ago! The apartment is near the train station on a street that is an extension of Laurenzentorgasse in the oldest part of the town. It was a very short stroll from their apartment to the old town. As it was Sunday, shopping opportunities were essentially non-existent. We did pick up a few interesting sandwiches called 'Piadinas', meat, cheese and lettuce between grilled flour tortillas, to snack on.
All too soon it was time to say goodbye to Robert and Audrey and leave Aarau. This was our final goodbye because Robert and Audrey were leaving for a honeymoon in Iceland the next morning and wouldn't be home until James and I were back in Texas. I think we both feel that we have gained a son-in-law and now have another person to miss.
All too soon it was time to say goodbye to Robert and Audrey and leave Aarau. This was our final goodbye because Robert and Audrey were leaving for a honeymoon in Iceland the next morning and wouldn't be home until James and I were back in Texas. I think we both feel that we have gained a son-in-law and now have another person to miss.
Saturday, September 10, 2011
September 10. 2011-The Wedding Dinner (Saturday evening)
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| http://www.diegiesserei.ch/de/index.cfm/restaurant/ |
The wedding dinner was held at a restaurant in Zurich, about 30 minutes from the castle. The Giesserei is in an old foundry ... very nicely renovated and very glitzy! Fred, Ruth and Audrey very graciously identified us as 'parents of the bride' and so seated us at the head table with them. The multi course meal included Tatar Tuna with anti pasta vegetables, salad and bread, roasted venison and red cabbage with chestnuts, fruit salad and, of course, wedding cake.
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| The Wedding Cake |
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| The Marzipan Cake Topper |
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| Dancing |
After a leisurely dinner, the real partying started. Audrey's Texas friend, Lauren, performed two traditional Middle-Eastern belly dances as a gift to the couple early in the evening. Sarah, Audrey's sister, presented a great slide show of pictures. Audrey and Robert danced, and were then joined on the dance floor by many of the guests. Those of us who have already been to our share of wedding parties headed home and were in bed by about 3:00 AM!
September 10, 2011-The Wedding!!!
Today was the day of Audrey and Robert's wedding in Stiftung Schloss Greifensee Im Stadtli! A beautiful day ... perfect weather for a wedding. Nice and sunny.
We started out the day with another wonderful breakfast of assorted breads, jams, meats and cheeses. Ruth and Fred are spoiling us!
Fred and Ruth drove James, Lauren, and I to the events ... thank goodness too because the Schloss for the wedding and reception and the restaurant for the dinner were in far flung locations. We rode an auto ferry across Lake Zurich, then drove through the "Gold" or sunny side of the lake to get to Greifensee. 
Audrey and Robert had a small civil ceremony ... very different from an American civil ceremony, and very businesslike. I understand why Audrey had to practice her signature the day before. She had several chances to show off her new name as she and Robert signed papers so they could officially tie the knot!
As we left the Schloss and walked down the steps with the family, we passed under the garlanded poles that Ruth had worked on until late the night before.
After some photos, we adjourned to the castle garden for the reception. The flowers in the garden were gorgeous and the garden overlooked a small lake, Greifensee. A beautiful setting with lots of traditional food for the 200 guests. We got to meet several family members and friends.
There were some fun activities during the reception. The bride, groom, bridesmaid and best man released white doves early in the afternoon. They were also handed a large bouquet of red and white heart-shaped balloons and a pin. When they popped the balloons, large denomination bills fell out of them. Perhaps James and I should renew our vows... in Switzerland!
Later in the afternoon, all of the guests filled out post cards with their wishes for the bride and groom and an invitation or promise ... We invited them to come and visit us ...
Then the post cards were attached to helium balloons. They were all released at the same time and we watched them float up into the blue sky. Theoretically, people will find the balloons and drop the post cards in the mail.
Finally there was the tossing of the bouquet which went just fine. There is no European tradition related to the garter however, so no embarrassing pictures of the bride. The groom was certainly interested in trying something new but...
We ended the reception with the boats. Out origami boats looked pretty poor compared to some of the elaborate models many people brought. After everyone was photographed with their boat, we all walked down to the lake and put them in the water and watched them sail away. There were some children playing in the water and they started playing with some of the boats ... but many of the boats escaped to open waters. We all held our breath when the bride and groom strolled out to the end of the pier but fortunately there were no catastrophic mishaps.
The new Mr. and Mrs. Vorburger left the reception in a beautiful old silver Bentley, then 47 of the guests piled into cars and headed into Zurich for dinner.
There will be lots more pictures posted on the wedding site at http://www.audrey-robert.ch/fotos
Friday, September 9, 2011
September 9, 2011-The Chocolate Factory (Friday)
I think all the traveling is starting to catch up with me. James got up and around long before I did.
Audrey, Robert, and Lauren had a busy day running last minute errands while Fred and Ruth worked on "top secret" surprises for the wedding. It is a tradition here to prepare something to hold for the bride and groom to pass under after the wedding. Ruth and Fred had prepared decorated poles and Ruth made garlands from plants from their garden to hang from the poles. Hard to describe but they were very pretty.
The highlight of today was the chocolate factory. As Lauren said ... a childhood fantasy filled! Audrey drove us about an hour through the scenic countryside to the small town of Flawil and the Maestrani Chocolate Factory. We started the tour in a room with large bowls full of chocolate candy that we were urged to help ourselves to ... then we were given samples of chocolate fondue. After a short presentation and film about the company and about how chocolate is made, packaged and shipped, we went into the factory. As we entered the factory, our guide put on a microphone and we were all given headsets to wear, so we could hear her during the tour. The entry had a small museum about the company and included some of the equipment used in the past, then we were taken into the factory itself. Sorry but no photographs were allowed. About every 10 minutes during the factory tour we had more candy samples to try during the 1- 1/2 hour we were there. The tour ended in the factory store ... good thing my credit card was working well. The Maestrani chocolate is very good. Some is exported to the US but our guide didn't know if we could get it in Dallas. We HAVE to look for it ...along with some new cheeses and breads!
After our return to Wollerau, we headed to Waeda Braeu, a local brewery/restaurant for an evening with Audrey and Robert. We enjoyed another round of local food, then headed in early so the bride and groom could get some rest before their big day.
Then it was our turn to work on a "top secret" project. A couple of weeks before the trip we received an email from the bridesmaid and the best man asking everyone attending the wedding to make a boat to bring to the wedding. It had to be biodegradable and would be sailed on the lake during the reception. James and I had several discussions about what to do but ended up taking Ruth's suggestion of a paper boat. We got on-line and found some origami boats we liked and got started. Fred helped us by printing out a Texas flag for Lauren, an Icelandic flag for me and a Swiss flag for James, then we filled the boats with rose petals. They turned out nice ... but looked pretty puny next to the boats some of the other guests brought!
Another fun day. This has been a wonderful vacation!
Audrey started the day by practicing her new signature. During the wedding ceremony, the bride has to sign her new name several times, and she wanted to make sure she made no mistakes. If she can spell her maiden name, I'm pretty sure she can handle just about anything else!
Audrey, Robert, and Lauren had a busy day running last minute errands while Fred and Ruth worked on "top secret" surprises for the wedding. It is a tradition here to prepare something to hold for the bride and groom to pass under after the wedding. Ruth and Fred had prepared decorated poles and Ruth made garlands from plants from their garden to hang from the poles. Hard to describe but they were very pretty.
The highlight of today was the chocolate factory. As Lauren said ... a childhood fantasy filled! Audrey drove us about an hour through the scenic countryside to the small town of Flawil and the Maestrani Chocolate Factory. We started the tour in a room with large bowls full of chocolate candy that we were urged to help ourselves to ... then we were given samples of chocolate fondue. After a short presentation and film about the company and about how chocolate is made, packaged and shipped, we went into the factory. As we entered the factory, our guide put on a microphone and we were all given headsets to wear, so we could hear her during the tour. The entry had a small museum about the company and included some of the equipment used in the past, then we were taken into the factory itself. Sorry but no photographs were allowed. About every 10 minutes during the factory tour we had more candy samples to try during the 1- 1/2 hour we were there. The tour ended in the factory store ... good thing my credit card was working well. The Maestrani chocolate is very good. Some is exported to the US but our guide didn't know if we could get it in Dallas. We HAVE to look for it ...along with some new cheeses and breads! 
After our return to Wollerau, we headed to Waeda Braeu, a local brewery/restaurant for an evening with Audrey and Robert. We enjoyed another round of local food, then headed in early so the bride and groom could get some rest before their big day.
Then it was our turn to work on a "top secret" project. A couple of weeks before the trip we received an email from the bridesmaid and the best man asking everyone attending the wedding to make a boat to bring to the wedding. It had to be biodegradable and would be sailed on the lake during the reception. James and I had several discussions about what to do but ended up taking Ruth's suggestion of a paper boat. We got on-line and found some origami boats we liked and got started. Fred helped us by printing out a Texas flag for Lauren, an Icelandic flag for me and a Swiss flag for James, then we filled the boats with rose petals. They turned out nice ... but looked pretty puny next to the boats some of the other guests brought!
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