Let me stoke your travel dreams for 2009 by sharing some of my favorite European experiences, roughly from northwest to southeast. Maximizing the experience is a dimension of smart budget travel that’s just as important in challenging times as saving money. Imagine these…
High above Interlaken in the Swiss Alps, hike the narrow ridge from Schynige Platte to Faulhorn. As you tightrope along the ridge, lakes seem to stretch all the way to Germany on your left, and the Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau cut like broken glass into the sky on your right. Listen for the haunting legato tones of an alphorn just ahead, announcing that the helicopter-stocked mountain hut is open. It’s just around the corner, and the coffee-schnapps is on. That’s enough to make a Lutheran raise his hands and holler hallelujah.
Pump up your adrenalin in the same Swiss Alps on a rented mountain bike. Tiny service roads, paved smooth as a mansion’s driveway, are designed for the little hay wagons of farmers. While these scenic lanes are off-limits to cars, they are wide open for (and a hit with) bikers.
At the bottom of the Lauterbrunnen Valley (just south of Interlaken), drop by the rough and not-very-inviting Pub Horner. It’s the unofficial clubhouse for base jumpers—the hangout for those daredevils who exasperate local farmers by jumping off sheer cliffs, miscalculating with their little parachutes, and smashing messily into the fields below. Have a beer with these guys, begin to understand their passion for an adrenaline rush, and gain some appreciation that life may be short, but it’s not cheap for these amazing thrill-seekers.
Get as high as you can mechanically in Europe, riding the cable car from the French alpine resort of Chamonix to Aiguille du Midi. Up there, at 12,600 feet above sea level, just climbing a few steps gets you winded. The air is thin. Perfect strangers do the halfway to heaven tango, and people are giddy as they marvel at Europe’s tallest peaks around them. You can almost reach out and pet the white head of Mount Blanc just across the way.
Thanks for sharing travel experience without political opinion. It is refreshing, I must admit.
I forgot to add my most unforgettable Europe travel experience and that was watching the sun rise over Omaha beach from the Casino Hotel room and trying to imagine the fear and anxiety our brave soldiers must have felt at the coming invasion. Then you have to imagine leaving the landing craft amid the German defensive assaults and can only guess at the unimanginable horror they must have felt. Think of those who died before reaching shore. This is rivaled by visting El Alemain and experiencing the wind coming off the most desolate landscape on earth and looking at the grave markers of those who died to turn the war around. The “old man” was 27 and most were under 20 years old. I still cry at the thought.
Rick……. while I’ve yet to make it to the Alps, we did make the journey up to Walderalm (above Hall) and had a splendid afternoon. It was a cool, cloudy day, and the hot goulash soup was well worth the short hike! A GREAT recommendation!
I am one month into a 6 month stay in Switzerland. We had a great time yesterday at the Zurich Fasnacht celebration. Not all of the fun ends here when lent starts. It was a great parade with just the right sized crowd. The gucca bands are lots of fun to see, the whole day is basically free unless you want to count the falafal and coffee we had at a Turkish restaurant and the roast chestnuts we bought from a vendor. The people were wonderful, we sat near people from New York in the restaurant and I stood with a group of high school band members from Virginia who were here on a school tour. I saw these Americans quite by accident, small world.
One of my dreams is ride the cable car from Chamonix.
Sounds like a bungee jumper’s paradise of Europe. I like the hiking trails and scenery of the Alps. :) Happy travel adventures!
At one place we heard the sound of cow bells. We stopped and saw a herd of cows on the side of the mountain with their bells playing a beautiful song. They were loud enough to be heard as we drove. Many times the bells are so large, it is difficult for the cow to reach the grass. When I rang the door bell at the office, a window opened on the second floor, and a very nice man stuck his head out the window, told us to help ourselves, he would see us tomorrow. What a wonderful way to live. While we were in a cable car coming down a Swiss mountain, some people told us about the Swiss dish, Raclette, and suggested a restaurant. We found a parking place then meandered in the light rain. Daughter Linda had written a note (we still have it), “Wissen Sie wo die Beaujolais Restaruant ist?†and showed the note to a well dressed couple. The man took Sweetie’s arm, and the lady took mine, the Lindas followed. They took us through arcades and malls, and up and down the streets, and to the restaurant.
Thanks for the great feeling this morning. Makes me want to retire early and live out of a backpack.
Stayed at Esther’s in Gimmelwald. She was a great host. When I arrived a note on the outside door said…..welcome Bill. ….You are in Room 1 …see you later….at top of stairs was a place to buy cheese etc,…a bowl to put money in on the honour system …..so quiet and beautiful views of the 3 Monch eiger etc.
One of the most unforgettable memories from my honeymoon was the cable car ride up the Aiguille du Midi and the subsequent view of the majestic Alps and Mont Blanc. And yes, the air is incredibly thin — most people were just sitting down, drinking in the view.
It is so enjoyable to hear some great travel stories. In times like this we need to focus on other things. We can be our own worst enemy in these economic times with a bad attitude. The economy will not turn around if people don’t keep moving forward and be productive with their lives. If nothing else keep dreaming!
RICK, what are your thoughts on B.O. selling out the Poles and Czechs security to Russia?
While there is a time and place for all discussions, I preferred to think in this blog of the Poles dug far into the ground to hold up that magnificent cable car in Chamonix and the Checks that the people up there did with their friends–“Can you believe we’re really here?”. And the tales from the paragliders of the adrenaline Rushin’ through their veins as they jump off one of God’s perfectly good mountains. I have used today’s blog as a window out of my grey cubicle which I can’t leave very much anymore for fear they will replace me with someone else. Rick, thanks for reminding this traveler of the beautiful things waiting out there for all of us.
keep dreaming is right! i had to put my Swiss travel funds on hold bc of the economy — staycation. so i guess i’ll watch a show about it? apparently they lead you through all of europe. http://www.ovationtv.com/programs/staycation/
Last June we took our first trip to Switzerland. We rented a chalet in Wengen and spent 8 days with my husband’s 4 first cousins. We had traveled from Missouri to Switzerland to explore that land their family had fled in the 1800’s because of religious strife. While there we met a Fritz Neuenschwander in Langnau and he took us to the village of Neuenschwand near Eggwil in the Emme Valley. The use of the Swiss Pass enabled us to travel on all modes of transportation including the boats on the lakes as well as discounts on cable cars and the train to Jungfrau. There was a lot of walking for us over 60 set, but we would stop and rest get a drink from our backpacks and start again. We are hoping to go back again next year and would love to be able to again rent the chalet from Frau Grauf in Wengen, but since she is celebrating her 98th birthday this year it might not be possible. Our next trip will include more exploring the different regions of Switzerland. By the way I read you book and when we went to the grocery store to buy groceries I felt like a very educated person when I was able to instruct the rest of the group on how to price and bag fruit and vegtables before taking them to the check out like.
My hours at work have just been reduced down to 20 hrs/wk, and I’m not sure what I will do, but I pre-paid my trip to France back in December (when things were brighter…) Now when things are gloomy, I read this post, and am able to look forward and picture my trip to Chamonix in September, and the views that people have described here. Even if I have to live on crackers for the trip, I look forward to being in awe of this great view. This post has made my week a little brighter…
Spent 10 days last September on a tour of Switzerland. Highly recommend the gondola ride up to the top of the Kleine Matterhorn to get a wonderful view of the actual Matterhorn and all the skiers and hikers on the glacier. Our gondola ride down the mountain was filled with young skiers about 13 yrs old chattering away in Swiss German with their instructors. What an experience at that age. While approaching Interlaken by bus keep an eye out for the colorful sails of Hang Gliders coming down over the village. Overall came away with the impression that Switzerland is the cleanest country around.
Spending a month in Europe next September, staying in Interlaken (2 days), Kitzbuhel – Austria(5 days) and another 10 days around northern Italy, any ideas?