Swiss Style

Traveling in Europe has made me realize that each country we have gone to has its own style.  One would think that the looks of restaurants, houses, barns and use of flowers would be the same in Switzerland as in Germany, but there are ever so slight differences.

Germans seems to use more flowers on the outside of their houses than the Swiss.  We saw some beautiful flower boxes on our road trip around Switzerland, but the Swiss style seems to be a bit more simple.

Restaurants in Germany are cozy with lots of decorations on the walls. Swiss restaurants tend to have a less is more look.  One restaurant in Saas Fee we ate at was done in beautiful wood that seemed modern and ski oriented. Many restaurants in towns in the Alps have ski stands outside their establishments.

All of Europe loves to eat outside so there are decks hooked to restaurants if they can fit them in.  We were outside eating at a restaurant in Austria one September and as the day cooled off, large propane heaters were lit and blankets were available at every table. Up a mountain in Saas Fee we ate outside with the clear mountain air and sunshine giving us doses of vitamin D. It was glorious  

The Swiss tend to believe that quality is more important than quantity.  It is an expensive country to live in, but their roads are well maintained and they live in much smaller spaces than Americans.  One thing I found interesting is that waste must be very difficult to get rid of.  In most hotel rooms we either had two very small waste baskets or just one in the bathroom.  It wasn’t that we had a lot to throw away, but it seemed they were discouraging massive amounts being left in hotel rooms.

Cars are smaller and more fuel efficient.  We were driving a Citroen diesel and every time we stopped, the car shut off and then started again when Hack pushed on the gas pedal.  In the 10 days we were there we only filled it up twice.  Once in the middle of the trip, and then close to the airport so the tank would be full when we turned it back in.  

The pictures I am including in this blog are just shots I took to show what I thought was beautiful.  For the most part, the pleasure in going to Switzerland is to drink in the scenery.  If one can do that, the images will follow a person back home.  I thought it might be our last trip to this beautiful country, but my husband said he will never say it is his last trip to Switzerland. Who knows?  There is a hotel in Beatenberg where I could spend a few more nights and soak up the scenery once again.  

Flowers

The shabby chic shutters, wooden building and geraniums make a noteworthy scene.

A beautiful combination of flowers in a window box on the main street of Saas Fee.

Flowers in Saas Fee.

Buildings

House and barn hooked together in Signau.  (Photo by Hack)

Old wood and flower boxes....a wonderful combination.

Colorful tile roof on a church steeple in Schlatt, a small farming community.  

This barn looks like it was just built.  It has a very interesting design. (Photo by Hack)

Fountains

These water features can be found all over in all kinds of designs.  I want one.

They used a huge stone for this water fountain and it was in a cemetery.  

A large log was hollowed out to make this water fountain.  Simple and beautiful.

Food

Apricot brandy made in the fall and on sale in a store in Saas Fee.

Lots of candy for sale in a shop in Interlaken.  Priced unbelievably high I might add.

Fruit at a small farmer's market in Lucerne.

Delicious cakes in Conditerei Heini in Lucerne.  

The candy side of the conditerei in Lucerne.  I bought one piece of candy in Interlaken and it cost me close to $2.00.  Was it worth it?  I really can't explain how worth it it was.  Swiss candy can't be beat.  

A Swiss Wedding

From our hotel balcony I took pictures of the wedding proceedings in Saas Fee.  

It was a chilly day and the bride was wearing a beautiful white jacket.

There were four bands leading this processional.  They were on their way to a reception at a hotel around the corner.

Marching back from the reception we could see the Swiss folk dress.  (Photo by Hack)

A close up shot of the beautiful bride.  (Photo by Hack)

Cool Designs

There was just something about this old wooden door and how the yellow watering cans lined up.

The porch of Hotel Gloria in Beatenberg.

Another scene outside Hotel Gloria in Beatenberg.

The Charm of Stein am Rhein

Stein am Rhein is a walled medieval city in northern Switzerland on the Rhine River.  The main street is a pedestrian zone and from there one can view frescoes on buildings, flower boxes and some beautiful fountains.  

The city was bombed in 1945 by the Allies, but was built back to its original look after the war. Unlike the houses in the mountains, houses in Stein am Rhein are half timber design. The buildings that weren't destroyed in the war are so old that they seem to have tilted a bit over the years.  

The waterfront, where one could catch a boat ride, was peaceful and serene. The river looked very clean unlike what we had seen at other points of the Rhine.  

When Hack suggested we take a look at the back alleys I was glad to follow with my camera in tow. This is where I found delightful scenes that we would have missed had we just walked the main street and the river front.

Main Street

Beautiful frescoe building on the pedestrian zone.

People live in the upper stories of these magnificent old buildings.

Signs that never go out of style.

I would love this in our yard.

The art of beautiful flower boxes.

The Rhine River

Art work on a building along the river.

Back Alleys

I love to find and photograph cool old doors.

The people who live here have a way of displaying things that is unique.

This seems like a bit of modern art in all the antiquity.

These shutters are the only blue color I saw in all of our walk.

Half timber architecture.

Just old and wonderful texture.

A simple bright spot of beauty on a door.

This looks like a happy place.

If a flower box looks gorgeous, I will probably take a photo of it.  Couldn't resist this one.

Mountains, Valleys, Lakes and Streams

The flight to Europe is always exhausting for me and as we left the Zurich Airport, the weather was gray and drizzly.  We had a hotel reservation in the Emmental, a region where green hills and valleys are a rich paradise for cows. But from the expressway I was just feeling tired and could hardly wait to get to our hotel.

Hack looked at the map and after we had tea and cake at an expressway rest stop he decided we could take a country road and get where we needed to go. That was the beginning of returning to the Switzerland we love.

The Emmental Valley is a region in Northwest Switzerland that contains spring green farmland. Even with the gray day it was lovely. We stopped at a cheese factory we had been to several times before. There is nothing better than European cheese.  There were many samples and we bought a chunk to take with us.   

We stayed two nights in the mountain ski town of Saas Fee.  It is one mountain over from Zermatt and the famous Matterhorn. We discovered this small town in 2002 when we traveled with Hack’s brother Joe and his wife Dort. We have returned to this town three times since.  The mountains that surround this town are magnificent and snow covered. The first road to this village wasn’t built until 1951. It has not grown like Zermatt and in September it is very quiet as ski season is the high season and that doesn’t start until late November. However people can ski year round here.

We put our car on a train car and traveled for twenty minutes in complete darkness under a mountain to cut off a day’s driving to get to Saas Fee. Cars must be parked in a lot outside the village and only electric carts are allowed on the streets.  

On a Sunday afternoon we took a cable car up a mountain behind the village and enjoyed eating on the outside deck of a restaurant with the big mountains in view. We chatted with a man from Canada and a woman who owned a shop in Saas Fee.  

From Saas Fee we traveled to the mountain town of Beatenberg where we stayed in Hotel Gloria.  All rooms in this smaller hotel faced the Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau mountains with Lake Thun below. This hotel also had a restaurant which served some of the best food we have ever had in Switzerland.  We took a cable car up the Niederhorn which was just behind the hotel and enjoyed some Ramseier Cider at the top.  It was an overcast day, but the view was still clear of the three major mountains. From the top of the Niederhorn we could also see the town of Interlaken below.  

Lake Lucerne is a spectacular lake with deep turquoise blue water and it was our next stop. We stayed in the town of Weggis and spent a lot of time just sitting by the lake and enjoying its beauty. We did take a trip into the city of Lucerne and walked its streets.

The Emmental Valley

Pastures in the Emmental 

The processing plant where Emmental cheese is made.

In a small outbuilding they were demonstrating the old way of making cheese.  Very labor intensive.

Saas Fee

A fridgid stream rushing down a mountainside near Saas Fee...

Skiing is done year round on the peaks around this mountain town.

Eating outdoors with the sun shining on our faces and the mountains so close was a unique experience.  

We didn't eat in this restaurant on the main street of Saas Fee, but it looked inviting.

When the sun is shining in Saas Fee, it is difficult to leave this special place.  Coming out of the hotel, we only had a few short alleyways to manuever our luggage to the car.  It is always worth the inconvenience.

 The Bernese Alps -Central Switzerland

This was taken from our hotel balcony in Beatenberg.  The large mountains in the background are the Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau.  Lake Thun is below us

This shot was taken at dusk on a side deck of Hotel Gloria, where we stayed for three nights.
The moon was visible.  When it got dark, the moon reflecting on Lake Thun below was a sight
to behold.

The mountains at sunrise from our balcony.  (photo by Hack)

Even though the day was gray, the view from the top of the Niederhorn was spectacular.  

On the other side of the valley from Beatenberg is the Lauterbrunnen Gorge.  This deep deep valley sees little sunlight in the wintertime.  

On a rainy day a woman was herding her cows from one place to the next.  

Above the clouds.....

Mountain Lakes

Lake Sarner

Lake Lungern

Lake Brienzer

Another shot of Lake Brienzer.

The city of Lucerne is a lovely place.  The river behind me flows from Lake Lucerne.