Gossau, Switzerland - Tuesday September 29, 2015

We woke up a bit later than usual today, catching up on sleep and finally getting over our jet lag.  After another wonderful breakfast we were off for a hike in an area southeast of St. Gallen.  We hiked for a total of about five miles, from the area of Sitz, Schwellbrunn to Chäseren, Switzerland .  Today, the weather was absolutely beautiful with bright sun and very few clouds in the sky. We hiked over hills through farmland on designated paths for hikers.  As we roamed the hills, we passed numerous groups of cows grazing in the sunshine, with their “cow bells” creating music in the air.  We had to be extremely careful as we walked due to the piles of cow dung everywhere.  In addition to the many cows, we passed a farmhouse with an attached barn housing over 180 pigs, who were very excited to see us.  The scenery along the way was fantastic and extremely picturesque, which was perfect for postcards. Mountains in the distance even had snow on top, as you can see in the last photo on this page prior to the "cow video".  We hiked for several hours before returning to Gossau for a wonderful lunch of bratwurst and beer.  Once we finished lunch and had a few good laughs with the Giger’s, we relaxed, read some emails, caught up on the news and I became somewhat depressed as I looked at the stock market results for the past few days.  I cannot let the markets get to me, as we are having a wonderful time traveling the world, enjoying friends and staying fit and healthy.  What more can one ask for?  Tomorrow we are off for a few days in  Münich for the Oktoberfest.  We board a train in Gossau at about 8 AM and arrive in Münich about 12 noon. Most likely I will not update the blog while we are in Münich, as we will be extremely busy enjoying the party and drinking bier.

Gossau, Switzerland - Monday September 28, 2015

Gail, enjoying the local animals

Today we woke up a bit later than usual, catching up on some well-needed sleep.  After another great breakfast we were all off for a mid day hike about ½ hour from Gossau, to the Waldegg, Teufen  and Schäflisegg, Teufen area of Switzerland. We walked through the forest and hills of the area for a few hours admiring the beautiful Swiss countryside. Many cows and goats roamed the hills along with us, which made our walk even more pleasant.  After our hike we returned to the Giger’s home in Gossau for some coffee and snacks.  Relaxing a bit, we played some board games prior to and after dinner.  Today, Eliane made some homemade Spaetzle and veal for dinner.   As usual, it was a very tasty and delicious dinner.  It was another fun day with some good hiking exercise in the Swiss fresh air.

Click on any photo for a larger view

Gossau, Switzerland - Sunday September 27, 2015

This morning we were off for a train ride to Germany and then a boat ride on an extension of Lake Constance.  We got on the train in Gossau and after approximately one hour arrived in Konstanz, Germany.  Konstanz is located at the western end of Lake Constance in the south-west corner of Germany, bordering Switzerland.  After arriving in Konstanz, we walked around the city for awhile and then sat outside for a nice lunch at a small café.  After lunch & bier, we boarded a  boat for a two hour ride up the Untersee and Rhine River, which connect to Lake Constance (Bodensee).  The weather was very cooperative; the sun was shining, but a chill was in the air from the wind.  The ride up the river was very scenic, with Germany on the north and Switzerland on the south.  We stopped in many small towns along the way in both the Germany and Switzerland as we headed to our destination of Stein am Rhein.  Along the way we saw many people in smaller boats out for the day, as well as those wind surfing and kite surfing.  On board we enjoyed some coffee to warm up a bit ..........  since the boat traveled to Germany and Switzerland, both Swiss Francs and Euros were accepted as payment for drinks and food.  Once we arrived in Stein am Rhein we walked around the town and then took a train back to Gossau. It was a very picturesque ride on the train that "hugged" the coast of Lake Constance.   The entire day was great, as we took a train ride through scenic Switzerland, visited Konstanz in Germany, had an enjoyable lunch and took a scenic boat ride up to the lower segment of the Rhine River.  This is what travel is all about .......... seeing & experiencing new places, encountering other cultures and eating diversified foods. Once arriving back in Gossau, Eliane made another wonderful dinner before we relaxed for awhile and then headed to bed.

           Click on any photo to enlarge it.

Gossau, Switzerland & Bregenz, Austria - Saturday September 26, 2015

We slept a bit late today and then had a great breakfast prepared by Eliane.  We had a wonderful assortment of cheeses, pastries, eggs, juice, coffee among other items.  We lounged around the house for awhile this morning and then we were off for a short journey to Austria.  We journeyed to the Austrian city of Bregenz which was about a one hour drive from Gossau, Switzerland.  Bregenz is a major harbor city on the Bodensee (Lake Constance, which borders Switzerland, Austria and Germany). Once in Bregenz, we parked the car and took the Pfanderbahn  panoramic cable car to the top of the Pfander mountain.  From the top we had a panoramic view of Lake Constance and the surrounding area.  At the top, in addition to the magnificent view, was the Alpine Game Park that houses many interesting animals.  We walked around the top area for a bit, went into the Berghaus restaurant for some coffee and then took the cable car back to the bottom. Once we reached Gossau, Eliane now prepared a wonderful dinner.   After dinner we relaxed, looked at some family photos and had some dessert.  By 10 PM were went to sleep to prepare for another exciting day tomorrow .......... we are off to Germany by train to do some more sightseeing.  Thus far Gail and I are having a superb time with the entire Giger family, and this is only one day into our stay!

So far the weather has been great, sunny and temperatures in the mid 50s.  It so hard to believe that we are actually in Switzerland and visiting the surrounding countries of Austria and Germany.

Zurich, Switzerland - Friday September 25, 2015

We boarded our United Airlines flight to Zurich about 6 PM.  For reasons unknown, we did not take off until 7:30 PM.  The flight was extremely smooth and we arrived in Zurich at approximately 8:45 AM Zurich time (2:45 AM New York time).  Our friends Ivo & Eliane met us at the airport and then we were all off to do some sight seeing in downtown Zurich.  Zurich is a very pretty city with both a newer modern section and old.  The new part of the city has many upscale stores selling high end watches, clothing and accessories.  As I recall from visits to Zurich in the past, there are many shops selling great pastries and chocolates. The older part of town has many smaller shops and restaurants. We hiked a bit, took a few trams,  and then a boat ride down the Limmat River and on Lake Zurich.  We had a great lunch and cold bier in a quaint Swiss restaurant prior to the boat ride.  By 3 PM we were heading back to Ivo & Eliane's home in Gossau, Their daughter, Seraina met us on the train on our way back to Gossau.  As many of you might know, Seraina was an exchange student of mine in the 2006 - 2007 school year........ and one of my best students!!!  After a bit of relaxing, Eliane made a great dinner.  We all chatted a bit, had some good laughs and then headed to bed early.

Click on any photo to enlarge it

Rhinebeck, NY - Sunday September 20, 2015

Gail and I have been planning this trip for almost a year now and our departure to Zurich is less than a week away. We are both very excited and look forward to another exciting adventure.  Packing our bags is a rather daunting task; we will be in various climates requiring warm clothing in Northern Europe and shorts and sandals in the Caribbean.  We must also pack all kinds of wires, chargers, cameras, etc. with the hope that we leave nothing behind. 

In addition to the many new places we will visit, we look forward to seeing and staying with several friends of ours that live in Switzerland and Germany. 

Please check back regularly and follow along as Gail and I set out on another great journey.

"We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us." 

Rhinebeck, NY