We left the hotel early to do the Golden Roundtrip to Mount Pilatus. We took a bus from the main station to a ferry for sight seeing around the Lake of Four Cantons. Then we rode the world’s steepest cog railway from Alpnachstad to the top of Mount Pilatus. The view was breaktaking – we could see the whole valley. At one point we broke through the clouds and could only see the tallest mountains of the Alps jutting above the clouds. Amazing.

Atop Mount Pilatus we had lunch in the crisp mountain air, people-watching and listening to the alphorn musicians (video). Amy and I did a little exploring – around the back of the observation center to the stairways that take you up the side of the mountain so you can see the valley and hiking trails, and up above the observation center to a little platform with an even better view.

We rode the massive gondolas half-way down the mountain to Seilpark Pilatus, where we rode alpine sleds (when hauled back up the mountain I passed close enough to more soft, belled cows that I could’ve touched them) and did this crazy ropes course. Cargo nets: HARD. We took a cable car the rest of the way down.

Back in Lucerne, we walked through the city and across the Chapel Bridge to Old Town Lucerne. A lot of the buildings are painted and there was a lot of cool old architecture. We found this street musician (video) and I wish the sound was better – the noises he was making with his mouth and instrument were enchanting.

We left Zermatt and bussed to Berne. We stopped for lunch at the famous bear pits and watched the bear play and ham it up for the crowd. We made a comfort stop in Interlaken where I saw the longest bike parking rack ever. in the Haslital Valley we saw a Swiss Air Force jet landing over a field of cows, and we passed the military airport as we drove up the Brunig Pass.

In Lucerne we saw the beautiful and serene Lion Monument. It was so so beautiful and sad – the most breathtaking work of art I’ve ever seen. The Monument is carved into the rock face with a reflecting pool in front and surrounded by trees; the area is quiet and cool. I could’ve stood looking at him for hours, but we only had a few minutes to grab photos and take from the memorial what we could.

We also saw the famous Chapel Bridge, a covered bridge with painted panels dating to the 17th century. Some of the panels are intact, but most of the bridge and panels were destroyed in a fire in 1993.

That night we walked across town to have dinner at a fondue restaurant. We had a raclette feast! There was a complicated-looking contraption to hold and melt the cheese so it dripped down onto a plate. We had more potatoes and vegetables than we could eat with the delicious cheese. Our waiter was a very friendly Indian man – if I remember correctly, he was in Switzerland as a student, learning the hospitality trade. After dinner (and a lot of walking around) I managed to cram in some gelato; there’s always room for gelato.

I also managed to tag a wall next to a hip-hop-ish storefront with a Good night, TV! logo sticker, so hopefully that’s driven some European traffic their way.

not a lot of photos since i was mingling and drinking, not photographing. i have really attractive friends, by the way.

Arden and I spent a whole day at LACMA and gallery openings. At Hancock Park we had a nice surprise – ran into the Underwear Affair pre-race party. Lots of great costumes, free drinks, and a really inspiring and fun atmosphere.

We awoke in Zermatt and took the Gornergrat Bahn up to see the Matterhorn. The Fates were with us, and the sky above the Alps was crisp and clear. We had a perfect view of the Matterhorn. At the Gornergrat overlook, we had our photograph taken with some cute St. Bernards. Amy, Mom and I opted to hike down to the next station and it was lovely. We had breathtaking views of the Matterhorn, glaciers and the valley. There were all kinds of tiny colorful flowers poking out between the rocks and a pretty, still lake.

Back in Zermatt, Amy and Laura left to meet their guide for a mule trek to the next town. Aunt Pat, Mom and I walked to the Mirabeau Hotel for our spa appointments. While we waited we were served wine and chocolates. Mom and Aunt Pat had massages and I had a facial (my first!). Afterwards I had the goats’ milk cream and lavender blossom bath in the copper bathtub in this large stone-floored room with views of the lawn and surrounding Alps. You can see a photo of it on the webpage linked above – it was heavenly. The water stayed so hot and afterwards I was sooooo relaxed. I got to soak for longer than scheduled because at that time of day we were the only people at the spa.

After my soak I emerged and found Mom and Aunt Pat similarly noodle-ized. We floated our way back to our hotel and relaxed with some wine while we waited for Amy and Laura to return and de-mule themselves. We walked around the corner and had dinner at a Chinese restaurant; by this point in the trip we were a bit tired of meat and potatoes.

Isola Bella is one of the Borromean Islands of Lake Maggiore in Italy. We took a ferry from Stresa. The palace and grounds were beautiful and felt like a fairy tale. Outside of the palace the twisty narrow city streets are filled with vendors. We ate some delicious gelato here and had a lovely lunch sitting at a cafe by the water watching the people go by.

We left St. Moritz by way of an extremely steep and twisty mountain road. Driving down Alpine switchback roads in a giant tour bus gets the heart pumping at 8am.

We made a comfort stop in Chiavenno, Italy and had time to see the old city and bridges over the river. We stopped at Menaggio on the shores of Lake Como and sat by the water – it was so beautiful; no wonder George Clooney owns a home there!

By lunchtime we arrived in Lugano, which is in the Italian part of Switzerland. We had lunch at an outdoor restaurant in the main square. Aunt Pat, Amy and Laura ate at the restaurant the last time they were in Lugano and recommended it for the pizza and people-watching. After lunch we walked around the city streets and down the lakeshore to the Parco Civico. The gardens were breathtaking and the view was perfect.

Before dinner we rode the cog rail up Mount San Salvatore. The ride itself was fun, but the view once we got to the top was amazing. We could see almost all of Lake Lugano spread out below us. A small church said atop the mountain, just a short hike up from the main observation area. Then you could climb up on the church’s roof too. The view was worth it, but the Biblical-scale swarm of big black flies on the roof meant we couldn’t stay very long.

After dinner Amy, Mom and I walked from our hotel in Paradiso around the lake back to Lugano. We saw the bust of George (Giorgio!) Washington, a neat rhino sculpture and beautiful views of the lake and surrounding cities lit up at night.

This was by far my most memorable experience from the trip. In Pontresina we took an hour-long open-air horse carriage ride through the Roseg Valley up to a restaurant with views of the Roseg Glacier. I cannot emphasize how crisp and fresh was the air; a welcome change from the tour bus and completely exhilarating.

Our route followed the beautiful stream that originates at the glacier, and we saw a lot of alpine walkers and cows. Each cow wore a large bell and the sound of the herds carried throughout the valley. At the top we had a beautiful view of the Roseg Glacier and ate heartily at the restaurant/lodge.

After a relaxing ride down the mountain we drove on to St. Moritz and checked into our ritzy hotel. We took the afternoon to walk down to the lake and watch the sailboats. We looked in the expensive shops, saw a line of Rolls Royces, and I bought myself a birthday present – a Swatch with cherry blossoms on the strap. Then we had a few glasses of wine in the lounge before dinner, as was our custom on this trip!

Happy Birthday, Aunt Pat!

We drove through the Iselsberg pass at approximately 6000′ to the Italian border. We made a ‘comfort stop’ at the Iselsberg Cafe where we had a gorgeous view of the Dolomites. We lunched in Cortina, the Olympic skiing resort in the Dolomites, where we wandered through a clothing and produce market. Then we drove on to Innsbruck via Lake Misurina and the Tyrolean Alps. Lake Misurina was lovely – clear and a beautiful blue.

In Innsbruck we went to the Swarovski Crystal Gallery and saw the beautiful Tord Boontje installation – a winter wonderland of crystal, cut paper and light. We spent some more time sightseeing around Innsbruck and saw the famous Golden Roof.