Switzerland Day 4

19/5/16

Wednesday 

Yet another enjoyable day. Today was the last day at Bern. We first went to a biscuit factory called Kambly. They had an array of biscuits and baked goodness. We bought a bag of Meringues for 2.50CHF. 

We then took a trip to Luzern. From there we took a boat to a place where there was a transport museum. The museum had real trains that ran in Switzerland nearly a century ago. We saw a demonstration on the working of a steam train and also went on an airplane stimulation.

The airplane stimulation was for 2 people for 2min. I was the pilot and my sis was the co-pilot. I was driving the plane so i was in control. We wanted to go a complete circle but we I took it 120' before bringing it back to normal. We spent nearly 3 hours there.

Then, again we took the ferry to a place called Weggies. There we walked nearly 2km uphill to Rigi. We were so exhausted by the time we reached up. My fitbit showed that we made 1,500 steps and climbed 35 floors. At Rigi we took a cablecar to to uphill. It was so cool. I just can't explain the beauty.

We got down the cable car and then took a train all the way up the mountains. We ate some snacks and took a train all the way down. From there we took a train back to Bern. 

In the station we bought some ice-cream at coop. When we reached home, we started packing our luggage to go to brig the next day.

Switzerland Day 3

18/5/16

Tuesday

This was the best day so far in the entire trip! We got to play with snow.

Again, we got up really early. Since the temperature on Jungfraujoch (pronounced as Yuf-rong) was below 0'C , we wore layers of clothes to prevent ourselves from freezing.

So to get to Jungfraujoch, the top if Europe, we had to take many trains. First we went to Interlaken and the to Lautenberg and several others. The last train took us up to the top and was entirely in a tunnel.

It was almost noon wen we reached. It was freezing when we reached. Four layers of clothing and a jacket was not enough. We first visited an ice palace, with sculptures made of ice. After spending some time there, it was time to go play in the snow.

There were a lot of clouds and it was foggy though it was noon. There were chilly, icy breezes which I couldn't withstand. My face and hands were just frozen! My sister and dad went to play but my mom and I stayed back. And returning back inside the building, my mom warmed my hands but I couldn't feel anything. I know this is a stupid thought but I thought I got a frostbite. Later on they were fine.

When all of us were back, we ate our lunch along with some Hot French Fries. I really regretted not going into the snow and playing. When I asked my parents and they said yes. All of us went out and played in the snow. We made snowballs and threw them at each other. The temperature was -10'C, nevertheless we played like anything! 

After that, we took the train and stopped at the next station. It snowed there so we played longer there. Since it wasn't so high as Jungfraujoch, the snow was softer, but melted faster. We climbed up a hill and slid down it. It was so thrilling! 

We then caught the next train. Our pants were wet so we removed them. Mind you, we wore three pants. 

We reached our hotel quite late, at 8:30. We ate dinner and I slept as soon as I could.

Switzerland Day 2

16/5/16

Monday

Today was one heck of a day! We we hopping on and off of trains all day long!

We left the hotel after breakfast. We didn't really have a variety but it was okay. We then took a bus to the train station. We got on a bus heading to Broc, where we visited the chocolate factory.

The Chocolate Factory (Cailler):

First we got our tickets, free with our Swiss Pass. We had a departure at 11:15 so we had to wait for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, we watched a short film and had a chocoquiz. There were 20 questions but we had to leave after 11 as it was our turn to go.

First the history of chocolate was told to us. In the beginning, the cacao bean was first used to make a bitter drink. Then sugar was added to make it desirable and so on...

We were then introduced to the ingredients used. Also there was a small demonstration of the making of a chocolate, which we got to eat.

Later, we were asked  to sample chocolates of all kinds - White chocolate, dark coffee chocolate, Nut chocolate and many many more. 

Unfortunately, after the sampling, it was done. But I enjoyed it thouroughly. It was the best so far.

So after the factory we caught a train going to Gruyères, for the cheese factory.

The Cheese Factory:

Not as good as the chocolate factory, but we saw the production of gruyère cheese. Gruyère is a famous cheese in France. We also got to sample some cheese. We got three varieties of gruyère: one aged for 6 months, one for 8 montes and the last for 10 months. The more time cheese is aged, the more saltier it gets.

After the cheese factory we decided to see south-west Switzerland. We took the train to Montreux and then one to Geneva. In Geneva, we saw the UN headquarters. It was a picturesque sight. It had 4 rows of flags with a pathway in between two rows. 

We also went to see a fountain which rose up to about 5 meters. Idk the significance of it but it was nice.

Then we took a train to Bern. We then did some shopping in the station before heading hoe.

I'm really thrilled for tomorrow! We are going to The top of Europe, to the Swiss mountains. We also get to play with snow! The only thing I'm not looking forward to is the long 4 hour journey to Jungfraujoch...

Switzerland Day 1

15/5/16

Sunday

As I mentioned, we were taking a train journey today all the way to Switzerland. We left the hotel early and depart to the Gare de Lyon where we boarded the train.

We first went from pair to Fransce where we had a connection. Then we went to Nauchatel. From there we took a train to Bern.On the whole the train journey was 5 hours. 

We took a taxi to our hotel, 'Ibis Styles' where we would stay for 4 days. Switzerland is an expensive country, so we expected a not so good room. But, fortunately, the room was insanely huge for a hotel room. Right to the entrance was a cupboard and in font of you was a bathroom which was 3-4m long. And left of the entrance was a room with a bed and a sofa which could be made into a bed.

As soon as we came to our room we ate lunch and headed out. We visited some art museum with paintings called Zentrum Paul Klee. Not a very great place and quite expensive but we had a Swiss Pass. On the way back we went to the bear park. But we could spot only one. But the scenery is spectacular and took lots of pics.

We went To the Bear Park too. Unfortunately we didn't see many bears. But, again, the scenery was really good. We also took some ice cream on the way and took a stroll on a street.

Then we headed back to the hotel where we ate dinner. We got some ready to eat Indian food from India which we ate tonight.

Tomorrow I am going to the chocolate factory in Broc and the cheese factory in Gruyères.

Paris Day 3

14/5/16

Saturday

The day was started again with breakfast at the hotel. Unfortunately, it was the exact breakfast we had yesterday.

At 9 we took the metro to a wax museum. Grévin wax museum has many statues of famous people around the world. There isn't much to say about it but we enjoyed it! 

Next we went to The Paris Story. It is a 50 minute film about the history of Paris. We also stopped by at Lindt, a chocolate shop.

Then we took a stop at Montparnasse Tower. It is a 56 story building and has sensational views of Paris. We ate lunch there too.

At around 3pm we took the metro to the Eiffel Tower again. We took a few pics and headed to Bateaux Parisians. It is an hour long cruise along river Seine. We saved about £20 by using our Paris Pass.

The cruise ended at about 5pm. Then we just roamed around. We went to Saint-Michigan known for its crêpes. But instead we ate some Pizza and Brushetta. We then used the bus and metro to get to our hotel.

But we did not relax. Tomorrow we are leaving to Bern, Switzerland. So we had to pack all our suitcases while we readied ourselves for a long train tomorrow.

Paris Day 2

13/5/16

Friday

Well, today was totally exhausting. We started by getting up in the morning at 6am. So early? Yes, I slept at 7pm last night due to my fatigue. Breakfast was next. It has a large variety of food: Croissant, bread, pancake, yogurt, muffin, cheese, and I can't remember the rest.

Anyway, before we could start our sightseeing we had to go collect out Paris Pass. The Paris Pass is a pass that allows you to see most of the attractions in Paris for free. But, you have to pay to get the passes.

 So this pass includes:

- An attraction pass

- A museum pass

- A transport pass: Allows free transport on metro, bus and tram.

We went yesterday to collect the pass but we didn't make it in time. 

After this we started by the 'Big Bus Tour'. We stopped at many places: Notre Dame, Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, Le Loure.

Notre Dame:

It is beautiful! But in my opinion, it wasn't so great inside. Outside the cathedral were lots of pigeons. My dad went there and stretched his arms to welcome them. Surprisingly, they sat on his hands and on his head. The rest of us were kinda scared to do it so we left it alone.

Arc de Triomphe:

This is a 50m archway built in 1806 by Napoleon I, to honor the victory of his Grande Armée. We got a free entry with the Paris Pass. We climbed up the spiral staircase inside the pillar, which had about 300 steps. The view from the top of the arc is just Awesome! Twelve avenues meet here at this attraction. There is also a bonfire, that never goes off, to honor an unknown soldier.

La Tour Eiffel:

I'm pretty sure you know a lot about the Eiffel Tower already. It is a structure made of iron and was built by Gustave Eifel. We did not climb up the tower but took loads of pics! We also had crêpes for lunch, which was not as good as I thought it would be.

Le musée du Louvre:

This is basically a glass museum with pieces of Art, including the famous Mona Lisa painted by Lenardo da Vinci. I did not enjoy it much but those interested in history might love it. 

After all these attractions, we headed to back to our hotel room in Novotel. And got ready for our last day in Paris.