Innsbruck-Zurich-Bern-Grindelwald

Elese and I arrived in Innsbruck early on Thursday and spent the afternoon in the "Nordpark." I'm not sure the term park does the area justice; it's essentially the entire mountain range above the town. Innsbruck's main claim to fame is that it has hosted 2 winter Olympics, and it's easy to see why the area was selected. The town, divided by a river, is surrounded by towering peaks with extensive ski lifts, dozens of runs, and two cable car lines. The people there are cosmopolitan, friendly, and fit-looking. We explored the churches and main square, then walked along the river to the start of the cable car.

I wasn't entirely enthusiastic about taking the cable car (it was expensive--about $30), but we had an afternoon to kill and not much else to see. It was not at all what I expected. We took a car straight up the side of the mountain, then transferred (twice) to huge gondolas to make the rest of the ascent. Total travel time: about an hour. Total elevation change: 6000 feet. The last car dumps you directly on top of the mountain, overlooking Innsbruck on one side and dozens of mountains on the other. There was still serious snow--several feet--but the weather was warm enough for a bit of exploring. It was absolutely breathtaking.

Innsbruck to Bern (our next planned destination) is about 6 hours. I prefer 2-3 hour journeys between towns, or an overnight train--everything else feels like you're wasting a day. To break up the trip, Elese and I stopped for a little sightseeing in Zurich. We planned to visit the Kunsthaus Museum, but it's currently under construction and has only a portion of its collection on display. Instead, we wandered the both sides of the canal and walked down to the lake at the southern end of town.

Zurich--and Switzerland in general--is incredibly clean. The buildings shine, the streets glisten, and someone clearly puts a lot of work into the landscaping. The water in both the lake and canal was pristine. When was the last time you could see the bottom of an urban waterway? You can in Zurich. There were swans and ducks playing at the shore, along with lots of locals. Zurich looks like a very civilized and pleasant place to live. (As a side note, I've felt a sense of kinship with the Swiss the last few days. They like things neat and orderly; there's a place and a rule for everything.)

Bern is a quick 50 minute commuter rail ride from Zurich. Elese's friend and former roommate Sun-Hee has lived in the town for the last two years with her husband Martin (who is Swiss). We planned for a day here, but no trains leave for Spain until Monday night. I'm happy to have the chance to relax for a few days. I'll save my observations on Bern for the next post.

Sun-Hee and Martin drove us around the Thunsee to Grindelwald, in the Jungfrau region of the Berner Oberland. I've pulled all of those names out of my guidebook; basically Grindelwald is up on the Jungfrau mountain in what is arguably the most scenic part of Switzerland (the entire Swiss population vowed to fight to the death to save the Berner Oberland in WWII). The Jungfrau area has the highest glaciers in Europe, and you can hike right onto them from Grindelwald. We didn't do that. I feel rather inadequate in the Alps; hiking here is a serious business. The town is definitely a bit touristy, but it's cute and surrounded by extremely dramatic scenery. I wouldn't recommend it as a primary destination, but it's a great day trip.

Elese's comments:
My stomach is growling for the raclette that Sun and Martin are cooking up for us right now so my comments will be brief. [Raclette is a fondue-like meal: everyone has a personal raclette cheese-heating pan that's placed under a shared grill. Once the portion of cheese is melted it's poured over boiled potatos or steamed veggies. Yum.] P.S. from Alicia: we just finished the meal; it's delicious. It's a very traditional meal in Switzerland, over 500 years old. We added in pickles and onions, and spiced the cheese with paprika, which is the most popular spice in Switzerland, according to Martin,

Highlights:
- The Swiss: I also share Alicia's kinship with the orderliness of Swiss life. Lots of rules but they all seem to have logical reasons supporting them. Sun & Martin have a good thing going on here in Bern.

- The Alps: Alicia & I had a great time in the Nordpark in Innsbruck running around in the snow & drinking a beer & enjoying the views. The train ride from Innsbruck to Zurich was breathtaking as was today's visit to Grindelwald.

- The beer: Every city has their own local beer, and it's all light & tasty.

- The cheese: Austrian cheese was so-so but it's really starting to pick up in Switzerland. I have four kinds of lcoal cheese from the supermarket's cheese counter waiting in the fridge for lunch tomorrow.

- Traveling with Alicia: It's great having a chance to spend so much time together. We are both rather nerdy about being sure we see the sights in each town, so we're a good pair.

I can't wait for some warm weather (and a tan) in Spain.

Elese