Switzerland

July 16, 2016January 4, 2018

A Busy Day on a Rick Steves Tour

A good tour leader — especially on a Rick Steves tour — creates a learning atmosphere on the bus, laces together a good balance of sights and experiences, and makes sure there’s lots of fun along the way. In this montage of clips, I get a chance to talk about how the European Union funds ethnic regions (in this case, Ehrenberg Castle in Tirol, which spans Austria and Italy); we visit one of my favorite open-air folk museums (Ballenberg in Switzerland); we poke into an old farmhouse to ring some cowbells; and we rip down the mountain on a summer luge ride. All 26 of us enjoyed two trips each on the longest and most exciting luge course in Tirol (Biberwier, on the road between Innsbruck and Reutte).

(My tour assistant, Trish Feaster, produced this clip. She’s blogging about our tour at her website, The Travelphile.)

This is Day 58 of my 100 Days in Europe series. As I lead tours, research my guidebooks, and make new TV shows, I’m reporting on my experiences and lessons learned in Vienna, the Alps, the Low Countries, England, and beyond. Find more right here on my travel blog.

June 8, 2014January 8, 2018

Fondue Fun

In Switzerland, it seems the traditional lifestyles have retreated to the high country, where they survive with an impressive vigor. That was clear when Otto, whose family runs the Hotel Stechelberg (which our groups love), gave us a lesson in why his fondue is so darn good.

After seeing how fondue’s made, it’s only right to dip in. Trish has the technique down just right. (Many of these photos are shot by Trish Feaster, check out her blog at The Travelphile.com.)

Stark concrete structures in Switzerland, which seem like random bus stops, are actually avalanche shelters. While these are no-nonsense bunkers designed to save lives, there’s no rule against cheering them up. How about a few butterflies?

As a tour guide, I enjoy how different travelers bring their hobbies on vacation with them. Tour members Dave and Terri enjoy geocaching. It’s an impressively extensive network of people playing high-tech hide-and-seek at remote places all around the globe. At each stop, Dave and Terri get out their GPS gadget and search for a capsule hidden by a fellow geocacher. With success, they return to the bus all smiles. Here, at a Stechelberg campsite, they’re about to hit the geocache jackpot. How’s your experience with geocaching?

Our tour guide, Reid, granted us this photo op. And it’s dying for a clever caption. Any ideas?

This tree tried and failed to block our way. Instead, it gave us a photo op begging for a caption. How would you title this shot?

June 6, 2014January 8, 2018

Special Extra Hike

One of the highlights of our Best of Europe in 21 Days tour was our group hike. As this was pretty demanding–and there was a concern about snow on the trails this early in the season–only the fittest of our group participated. For me, it was a joy not to be saddled with research chores but to simply enjoy half a day hiking in Switzerland with a wonderful group of traveling friends.

We started our day gazing down at this high alp--where the cows spend their summers Heidi-style--from the revolving restaurant capping the Schilthorn in Switzerland's Berner Oberland. Looking down at these high meadows, I’m always tempted to actually hike through them. And that’s exactly what we did, taking the North Face Trail from Mürren under the Schilthorn. Coming upon this meadow, high above the tree line, was a delightful reward for the climb. — We started our day gazing down at this high alp–where the cows spend their summers Heidi-style–from the revolving restaurant capping the Schilthorn in Switzerland’s Berner Oberland. Looking down at these high meadows, I’m always tempted to actually hike through them. And that’s exactly what we did, taking the North Face Trail from Mürren under the Schilthorn. Coming upon this meadow, high above the tree line, was a delightful reward for the climb.

Assistant Tour Guide Trish and I both love our Sony RS100 cameras. With this angle, she captured how the alpine flowers were a big part of our experience.

(Many of the photos on this blog are shot by Trish Feaster. For more of her photos, as well as her take on this tour, check out her blog at The Travelphile.com.)

When hiking in the Alps, take layers of clothes, sunscreen, a mobile phone, appropriate shoes, and big smiles. These travelers, the most rugged third of our tour group, were great walkers.

The Swiss organize their firewood like they organize their populace: extremely tidy. It’s dangerous to generalize about different nationalities...but I love to. The Swiss are neatly stacked. How would you characterize the Swiss? — The Swiss organize their firewood like they organize their populace: extremely tidy. It’s dangerous to generalize about different nationalities…but I love to. The Swiss are neatly stacked. How would you characterize the Swiss?

A highlight of our hike was venturing under this powerful waterfall called Sprutz.

Our hike had a happy ending, popping out in a flowery meadow at the tip-top of my favorite Swiss village--Gimmelwald. And, as he has for 30 years of visits, Walter Mittler was waiting at his Hotel Mittaghorn. Way back in my student days, I kept our groups in the rustic youth hostel here in Gimmelwald. Walter invited me to upgrade and keep my groups at his place, and I did. Walter symbolizes our leap from hostels to hotels, and the importance of personality-driven hotels and restaurants in our tour program. While we no longer sleep at Walter’s hotel, I always drop in to say hi to my old friend. He’s 90 years old now...and still going strong. — Our hike had a happy ending, popping out in a flowery meadow at the tip-top of my favorite Swiss village–Gimmelwald. And, as he has for 30 years of visits, Walter Mittler was waiting at his Hotel Mittaghorn. Way back in my student days, I kept our groups in the rustic youth hostel here in Gimmelwald. Walter invited me to upgrade and keep my groups at his place, and I did. Walter symbolizes our leap from hostels to hotels, and the importance of personality-driven hotels and restaurants in our tour program. While we no longer sleep at Walter’s hotel, I always drop in to say hi to my old friend. He’s 90 years old now…and still going strong.

A beer hits the spot after a good hike. Here we sit, in front of Walter’s Hotel Mittaghorn, in Gimmelwald...high in the Swiss Alps. Many travelers have fond memories of a nice frosty (or whatever) treat after an exhilarating natural or cultural experience in Europe. How about you? — A beer hits the spot after a good hike. Here we sit, in front of Walter’s Hotel Mittaghorn, in Gimmelwald…high in the Swiss Alps. Many travelers have fond memories of a nice frosty (or whatever) treat after an exhilarating natural or cultural experience in Europe. How about you?

June 5, 2014January 8, 2018

Floating in a Glass-and-Steel Bubble of Joy

For over 30 years I’ve been taking groups into the gondolas high in the Alps. Whether filled with skiers in the winter or hikers in the summer, there’s a happy energy in that glass-and-steel bubble of mountain joy–especially when the Swiss Alps are out in all their glory. The Schilthornbahn takes us effortlessly (in four stages) to the 10,000-foot summit of the Schilthorn in the Berner Oberland. For about $50 per person (there’s a double discount for the group rate and for an early morning departure) we ride up and down. Sure that’s a lot of money. But when you’re surrounded by cut-glass peaks and breathing fresh mountain air, it’s one of Europe’s great deals. From a value point of view, remember that–all over the Alps–early lifts are discounted and, because of weather patterns, the early birds enjoy the crispest views. The lesson: Pay less and see more by ascending early.

If you can’t see the video below, watch it on YouTube.

June 4, 2014January 8, 2018

Into the Swiss Alps

On our tours, we do whatever we can to save time. For example, room numbers are assigned on the bus as we approach our hotel. Today, we gave the mic to 12-year-old Annaleise who made sure each tour member knew exactly where they were sleeping.

On a Best of Europe in 21 Days tour, we get two days in the Swiss Alps–and the weather is critical. I remember in the early, youth-hostel days of our tour company, we’d wait until morning before deciding if we’d ride the expensive lift to the top of the Schilthorn in the Berner Oberland. It depended on the weather. I’d wake up at the crack of dawn. If it was cloudy, I’d go back to bed–and we’d all sleep in. If the weather was good, I’d wake everyone up, and we were off for the summit. Any guide knows it often clouds up by late morning. Today, we caught the early gondola, were blessed with glorious weather, and enjoyed this view from 10,000 feet.

Tour groups love group shots. I find the regimented “short people in front,” soccer-team-type photos boring. And, invariably, the stranger you pick to take the photograph frames it crazily, and the shot is too much feet and sky. Lately, my antidote to that is a group selfie. For some reason, as we all try to crowd into the shot (and I hold the camera high to make our chins seem nice and tight), everyone looks as happy as we are.