The Trans Siberia-Mongolian Train

The Trans Siberia-Mongolian Train

Greetings! If you are reading this, it’s thanks to Christine’s Mom and Christine's most wonderful, intelligent, and good looking brother, Peter, who have posted on our behalf as it turns out many sites such as blogger, facebook, twitter and various news agencies are blocked and inaccessible from China. Also, Christine will be unable to attach pictures to the post as she normally does, but photos from our journey on the Trans Siberia – Mongolia Train can be found here if you are interested: http://picasaweb.google.com/christine.root/TransSiberiaMongolianTrain

On our last day in Moscow the sun shone bright and the sky was clear blue. It was a pleasant day that we spent doing a bit of casual wandering around the city, emailing, and buying a few things to prepare for our train trip. After spending most of the day taking things pretty easy, we returned back to our Hotel to get our things and head to the Trans-Siberian train. During our time in Moscow we used pretty much every form of transit: taxi, shuttle bus, metro, and city bus. So when we had to take a bus and a metro to get to the train station, it was little challenge, except manhandling our bags around all the people. When we arrived at the train station stop, the metro was probably one of the fullest stations we have seen in Moscow. The two different metros would pull into the station at the same time and disgorge all of their passengers into the station. There is a mad rush for the escalators and the floor is completely packed in the swarm of people. Then just as the last of the masses are getting to the top platform and there is a small window of space, with only the arrivals waiting for the train in place. Moments later two new trains arrive and the hordes begin again. It is pretty common in metros, but this particular setting seems like something out of a movie.

In total, the train journey was 6 nights, 7 days. The train takes 4 days in Russia, crossing into Siberia and passing through places like Irkusk (a name that will be familiar to any Risk players). The train enters Mongolia on the 5th night and travels for about 24 hours through Mongolia. On the 6th and final evening, the train enters into China and travels straight through to Beijing. Many of the people on the train spent a few days in Ulan Batar, the capital of Mongolia, but given the chilly weather and lack of activities, some expressed regrets at spending so much time in the Mongol city and surrounding areas.

Back in Moscow, Russia, we arrived at the train station a couple of hours before departure to ensure that we didn’t have any trouble locating our train. We were quite excited about getting this long train ride started and enjoying a bit of a slower pace for 6-7 days. Christine loves trains and the thought of a week traveling by one was pretty exciting for her. Our train was a Chinese one, and staffed almost completely by Chinese men, with the exception of a Russian woman in the meal car who prepared the food and a Russian conductor. The food in Russia was Russian, and when the train crossed to Mongolia and China the menu and dining car changed to the native country. Each train carriage had an attendant and ours was a very nice young man. He looked out for us, checked in to make sure we were onboard when the train left a stop, cleaned up the carriage and did general such duties.

Our room was small in some ways, but large enough and well laid out. After spending most of the last 7 weeks in a tent, the set-up was pretty good. We had our own table and comfy chair, two bunk beds, a small closet, and a shared sink and shower with the room next door. The bathroom was right next to our room and was usually kept quite clean. The shower was very entertaining as it flows at a trickle pressure and takes about twice as long as normal to have one. However, we were very fortunate to have a shower for ourselves as most of the other carriages do not and after 6 or 7 days things can get a little manky. The temperature inside the train was often quite hot, and there were some windows that open in the hallway, but not in our room. All in all it was very cozy and a pleasant place to spend a week. Sleeping aboard the train was quite pleasant and the rocking was somewhat akin to sleeping on a boat. One small nuisance was that with the snow on the tracks the train sometimes lost traction and as it powers up to try and gain momentum, the train slips and jerks. One particularly snowy night it was happening quite frequently, which subsequently lead to a sleep of fits and starts.

The samovars and the carriages were heated with coal, and the attendants were constantly shoveling more fuel in to keep things pretty warm. The stops often had coal trucks running down the line of the train to drop off fresh supplies. What this often meant was that there was a distinct scent of coal hanging in the air, and it became quite pungent when passing in the space between the different carriages.

Train life was pretty relaxed and casual. There isn’t a lot to do, except sit, lie down, read, nap, and make new friends. While I spent much of the day reading, Christine spent a good portion napping. At one point while I was writing this she was busy having a nap, it was perhaps her second nap of the day, but certainly not her last. We saved our foray into the very back of the train until the second day and didn’t even think about over-taxing ourselves to the front of the train until the fourth day. Unfortunately, on our way to the front we were stopped 2 cars short of the engine by a carriage attendant, apparently the first two were staff quarters and storage of food and coal and who knows what else.

The train stops about 4 times a day and we get off to stretch our legs and check out the wares of the old women in babushka’s selling various foods to train passengers. The stops are only for 10 minutes or so, but on occasion can be for about a half an hour. Since we largely existed on noodle soup with hot water from the provided samovar, we loved to see if there were any tasty Russian dishes to mix things up. So not only were the stops akin to free time outside, they were also a hunting expedition for something other than noodles to eat. The ladies were polite and not very pushy. Some things like fruit were often overpriced, but there were some very good reasonably priced meals to be found as well.

The people on the train were an interesting hodge-podge of all nations. Christine and I, along with apparently many others, thought the train would be loaded with large, bearded Russian men pounding back the vodka. As it turns out, we saw almost no Russian’s on-board. The people in our car were a mix of Mongolians, Spaniards and an Australian/French couple. A few cars behind us we found a lot of people around our age, and English was a unifying language for conversation. There were a lot of British, Swedish and Australians on the train. One other Canadian, a few Americans and Germans add a bit to the mix. We all took to hanging out together and often filled the dinner car playing card games. While there aren’t a lot of Russian’s pounding the vodka, all the foreigners surely picked up the slack. Every night was like a party, with vodka and beer and snacks and games. Everyone had great travel stories to share, and most people seem to be on long vacations, a couple months for some, 6 months for lots and a few that quit their jobs and are traveling for a year or two, or at least until the money runs out and they get home sick. There was a strong feeling of kindred spirits, and quick easy friendships were formed everywhere. It was sad as some people start getting off in Mongolia or other locations in China, like a loose family breaking up.

The scenery through much of Russia was pretty similar, lots of birch trees, flat rolling hills and run down towns all along the line. It was easy to see the wealth disparity between Moscow and all the little towns and cities that we passed. The further into Siberia we got the colder it got and the thicker the snow hung on the trees. The further we traveled into Siberia, the faster the mercury dropped and the more snow we saw. At some moments when we passed through higher elevations the covering was a dense blanket and hung heavily in the trees. It reminded me of winters in Salmon Arm, except in mid October instead of January. Can you imagine if the ground is iced, the air freezing and the snow fairly thick in the middle of October, how cold it will be in January/February when they are full trapped in the throes of winter? The people must be very hearty hear to endure such conditions. As we drew closer to Mongolia, the snow density began to lighten, but certainly not the temperature.

The scenery was beautiful and very enjoyable from the comfort of our warm cabin. Watching the lazy flakes drift listlessly to the ground became a favourite past time and it was easy to pass much of the day just enjoying the scenery.

On the 5th evening we pulled into the Russia-Mongolia border for a 5 hour stop to get through customs. It was a lengthy ordeal. The Russians came aboard and kicked us out of our room so they could go through it for contraband. We had to pull out our bags and they tossed the sheets, doing a pretty thorough job of it. They even opened up the electrical panels to check for hidden contraband. Then came the Russian soldier with the sniffing hound, trying to find any drugs aboard the train. Christine thought the little dog was cute, but had the presence of mind not to stop and pet it. The Russians took away our passports and we had about 3 hours before they would be back. In the meantime, they were busy switching the engine car over and the dinner car as well to a Mongolian one. We felt pretty secure the train wouldn’t take off without us, especially in the absence of an engine.

Since we were experiencing an unexpectedly lengthy stop, we decided to get out and go for a walk with another couple from the train. Most people chose to stay on the train, I think a few were nervous to stray too far, but we thought we might as well see the border town. This place was a bit rougher than Moscow, and after having a bowl of borsht at a café, we wandered around for a bit. The town was pretty run down and in rough shape, but they did have a well maintained memorial for those fallen in WWII. The Aussie with us wanted to stop by what looked like the only pub in town for a pint with the locals, but there was a private party going on, so we were not allowed in. The small grocery store was a highlight in that it have a bit more variety from that same 5 things that were available on every station platform. After paying, before we were about to leave, a fight broke out outside. Apparently a drunk Russian had dropped his loaf of bread on the ground and so he kicked a car that was parked outside. This did not go over well with the 3 Eurasion Russians inside, so they got out and started a fight. The other guy had a few friends as well, and after a bit of a punch up and some yelling, the 3 men got back in the car and drove off. We figured since it was a small town, they probably knew each other already and perhaps there is some animosity between the white Russians and the Eurasian ones. In any case, we hightailed it back to the train and waited for a bit to pass through to Mongolia.

As we were passing the border, the attendants gave us some new customs forms to fill out for Mongolia, and they were entirely in Russian. After a good laugh and some guesses as to what was what, we asked some of our carriage mates. Most had no clue, but the Mongolian gentleman in the adjoining room could read and write in Russian and spoke broken English. After he kindly walked me through it, we passed the info along to anyone else who needed some help. When it came time for the Mongolians to search the train, they took a completely different approach. Their focus wasn’t so much on contraband as it was on health. They all wore masks and rubber gloves and had us fill out a health form and gave us a brief look-see to make sure we weren’t obviously ill. It only took them about an hour and a half to clear the whole train and we were off into Mongolia, the time now about 2 in the morning. This was not helping Christine and I to start waking earlier and to adjust our internal clocks 5 hours back, but at least we had some nice time on the train to slowly adjust.

The next day in Mongolia was quite the sight. The landscape was so different from in Russia and the Gobi desert seems all encompassing. The picture out the window was nothing but plains and hills covered with a thin layer of snow and short scrub brush. There were a few tiny copses of trees here or there, but otherwise the landscape was both beautiful and bleak at the same time. The people live in a mixture of brick house and round huts. If you see pictures of Mongolia, the huts are usually colourful and look quite unique. However, in the winter they are all bundled up like a Canadian child going out into the snow. They have this white plastic looking covering that must help keep some of the warmth in. The cows here cling to the sides of fences for protection against the wind and perhaps to draw some warmth from human settlements. One set of houses had a line of clothes out to dry. Though the sky was clear and the sun was shining, I can’t imagine that much would dry in the negative temperatures.

As we were passing through the Gobi dessert, which is not surprisingly very sparse, we happened across a camel wandering along. Christine tried to take a photo, but it was a bit late so blurry, but rest assured it was indeed a camel. The sighting prompted a debate amongst everyone hanging out in the dining car as to the difference between a dromedary and camel, and can camels have more than 2 humps. In the end we all could at least agree that there were two humps on this camel. Apart from the camel and some additional yurts (the proper name for Mongolian round huts) there was nothing much to see, but vast tracts of untouched land. Mongolia is the 19th largest country in the world and only has 3 million people (not surprising considering how harsh the landscape is).

When we arrived at the Mongolia-China border, it proved to be another late night, going through customs on both sides and having a Chinese health nurse decide if we were Swine Flu infected. If she was suspicious we would have had our temperature checked like several other people on the train. After much searching and going through all the paper work we rolled into a shed on the Chinese side of the border to have a bogie change. And no that isn’t a top gun reference to communist fighter jet targets (I know it was Russia in the movie, but I have taken some artistic modernization). A bogie change is when the train wheels do not fit the track ahead. Russia and Mongolia have their own rail line, while China is on the same system as Europe. Once the train was pulled into the shed, the wheels were unhooked, large lifts hoisted the carriages and us along with it into the air, and staff set about changing the wheels on the train. Then we were gently set back down and steaming on our way by about 1:30 in the morning.

Our last day on the train was a pleasant and relaxing one, unlike the previously stress filled 5 or 6 . We packed up, had our first lunch in the carriage car for two reasons, we were sick of cheap packaged noodles and they gave us a free lunch voucher when we crossed into China. The scenery gradually began to change as we approached Beijing and some decent jagged mountains, streams and lakes finally started to appear. We also saw a small bit of the poverty that exists outside of the major cities in China.

Upon arriving in Beijing it was quite the vertical sight to see. The number of tall and really tall buildings is astounding. But what else would we expect from a city that has a surrounding population of 17 million and a city population of 13 million.

Pulling into the Beijing station we finally had to say good-bye to our longest home to date, the friends we made along the way and our trusty carriage attendant Chen. We had a wonderful time and it was a very slow paced and completely different experience from everything else. Now we look forward to our Asian experiences as we explore a bit of China, India and Nepal.

From Russia with Love

Christine and I ostensibly see our journey as taking on three legs, Europe, Russia & Asia, and Africa.

I was with mild sadness as we found ourselves pulling into Munich, for what would be our last stop on the European leg of the trip. Munich itself was a city easy to navigate, with wide boulevards, street markings similar to Canada, and sensible German drivers who followed the rules of the road. Unfortunately for us, when we got to our hotel, they informed us that we were a day late and our reservation was for the night before. Christine had called and changed the reservation to just the second night, but the date got lost in translation and they now no longer had a room for us. Fortunately, they called a hotel just around the block and we were able to secure a room there for the same cheap rate. Not as nice, but close, clean and convenient. (Right - the glockenspiel in Munich)

We spent the day wandering through the city and seeing the sights. A glockenspiel performance drew a crowd outside the main square, and the show was entertaining. Our most memorable moments of Munich are to be had in the Hafbraehouse, a massive and popular pub in the heart of the city. This is a place that draws both tourists and locals alike. The waiters have incredible stamina, using a method that allows them to carry 8 huge 1 liter stein glasses in each hand, which are the glasses you see Christine holding in the photo. (Left - Christine with her 1 liter of dark German Beer).

The food and the atmosphere are incredibly jolly, but the people are there for some serious beer drinking. The oompahpah band strikes up in the centre and when people know the song, the beer swinging and signing take off in earnest. We sat next to 3 very nice gentlemen who struck up a conversation with us. Only one of them spoke English and he was taking classes. He used the opportunity to learn some things from us, and it was a very friendly encounter. He had learned the phrase “Very nice to meet you” recently in school, and whenever he had trouble thinking of how to say something in English, he would bust that line out. Christine has a fun video of the three men singing along to the music. Two of the men are friends from Switzerland and one was a friend from Munich. We were never able to clarify how they knew each other. (Right - Friends at the Haufbrauhaus)

Above - the fellows we met at the German Beer Hall

Early the next morning we woke up, planning on getting to the airport to drop of the car and get our seats with plenty of time. Thankfully we set an alarm for the morning, as the requested wake up call never came. We made it with plenty of time to spare. Off we went to start our second leg of the journey – Moscow.

Now before leaving for Russia, we spent a bit of time learning about common scams, taxi problems, etc., just to make sure we reduced any chance of incident upon arriving in Russia since we would might as well have "tourist" stamped across our forehead. Upon arriving, we started looking for names of reputable companies we had researched, and found an official taxi service. The driver looked like a very nice fellow, and so off we went to the hotel. On the way out of the airp

ort, someone whispered to Christine if her if she wanted a taxi, but we figured we would stick with our first choice. We'd rather keep our passports and money, thank you!

On the ride to our hotel, the sky was overcast and gray and the rain was pounding down. The taxi ride to the hotel was largely uneventful, and Russian driving seems to be very ordered. Apart from on and off ramps, the people here seem to be very reasonable and safe in their driving. The only thing of note about the drive is that the traffic was absolutely horrendous and it took about 3 hours to get from the airport to the hotel. This is no small feat considering that the flight from Munich to Moscow was only 2 and ½ hours. The taxi driver was very apologetic, but the traffic certainly wasn’t his fault. Thankfully we had paid the full fare at the airport and the meter wasn't ticking the whole three hours.

Above - The Red Square, Moscow

So now we find ourselves in Moscow, at a very nice hotel, quite a way from the centre. We had managed to find a very nice hotel (which are incredibly expensive in Moscow) and t

he price we paid on-line was about 1/4^th the price we would have paid at the hotel – so our recommendation is to book on-line.

The last two days turned out to be gloriously sunny days with beautiful blue skies – how fortunate were we. Apparently it had been rainy and gray for many days previously, so we soaked up all the nice weather we could. However, apparently the rumours are true and Russia is a pretty cold place. The temperature was hovering around 4-5 degrees, but the wind made it feel a lot colder. A far cry from the 42 degrees of Seville only a month earlier. (Left - State Museum in the Red Square)

Our first full day in Moscow was dedicated to the purely tourist activity. Thanks to two co-workers of mine, Christine and I had a nice list of the “essential” Moscow to be seen. Our first stop on the trip was directly to Red Square. Immediately Christine was offered discount ballet tickets by a shady looking fellow - it's funny, in New York you get offered watches & purses, here in Russia, you get offered ballet tickets. We wandered along through the square and straight to the most iconic image of the centre, St. Basil’s Cathedral. The cathedral is smaller than you might think, but very unique. Each of the bulbous towers is done in a different design, and the entire building is done very colourfully. The only church to match this in colour is San Marco in Venice. The Russian churches also tend to lean towards more gold leaf coverings on the wall, and no stain glass on the window. (Right - St Basil's Cathedral)

Inside the cathedral, there is no central large space, instead there are many small churches, each dedicated to something different. Trained well, like all children of Armenian heritage, I spotted a dedication to an Armenian, St. Gregory the Illuminator. The cathedral winds up and around, and has a completely different feel to it. Perhaps part of the reason is that it is now a museum and no longer a church, so it does not have the same solemnity we are used to from our other visits.

Christine and I dutifully spent some time waiting in line for our turn to see Lenin’s Mausoleum. The line moves very fast, and they take security at this sight very seriously. For those of you who don’t know, the Russians have been keeping Lenin on ice for more than 85 years, and anyone who visits, can see him in his final resting place. When we finally managed to make our way into the sight, there were no less than 15 guards counted inside this very small building. We marched around his glass coffin, and even though there was nobody behind us at all, three times three different guards motioned for us to move along faster than we were. Apparantly you are also not allowed to put your cold hands in your pockets as Christine was politely told not to do this. We can now attest with our own eyes, that Lenin is indeed dead. (Left - Hovan in front of Lenin's Masoleum).

Following this visit, Christine and I went to visit the Kremlin. I have to say that as an avid spy novel reader and movie watcher, it felt pretty cool to be inside the Kremlin walls. The guards are still dressed smartly and the military presence was everywhere, but it was a neat feeling to waltz into a place that so many tried and failed for so many years. We spent a good deal of time wandering through all the various buildings and churches inside the Kremlin, seeing the church where Tsars ascended the throne, and another building where they were laid to rest. What was really interesting was that all of the art and wall coverings were restored under Soviet experts. I wouldn’t have expected the Soviets to invest in restoring tombs and art of the Tsarist era, but it is wonderful for the preservation of history. (Left - Us in front of the entrance to the Kremlin)

After dinner, Christine and I returned to Red Square to see it at night, all lit up, and without too many people. Most of the people were at home, watching the footy match between Russia and German to qualify for the World Cup. People had been dressed up, singing, cheering and waving flags all day. Sadly, Russia lost 1-0. (Right - Communist supporters marching in Red Square)

Red Square at night, however was beautiful. After wandering around, we realized that we had a bit of time before being picked up by the hotel shuttle bus, so we decided to head into the famous GUM shopping mall. If you are looking for a concentration of all the most expensive chain stores a la Cartier and Armani, this is the spot. I had a bit of fun wandering into stores where I had no intention of buying anything. Given that I am dressed in jeans and a t-shirt with a fleece jacket, I really stood out. The fact that I have a really big bushy beard did not help matters at all (Scott, you would be proud of my beard). Every store I went into, an employee would follow me around making sure I didn’t steal anything. They were not subtle about it either, because they would often come in front of me, rest against a display case, and stare right at me. My favourite was in one store, I was bracketed by three ladies, and every move I made, they were all around me, not more than 3 feet away. (Right - GUM lit up at night)

Yesterday, we spent some time sight seeing, doing a few suggested walking routes, etc. We also visited the Old Arbat Street, which is popular shop strip that is pedestrian only. We visited one old Church on the river, whose name escapes me at the moment, but it is near the massive statue in honor of Peter the Great.

What took a significant amount of our time yesterday was trying to figure out if our train left Moscow on Monday night or Tuesday night. The problem was the booking agency was closed, and when we looked closer at the voucher they gave us back in Canada, there were two conflicting dates. We traveled all over town trying to figure this out, especially since we only had booked our accommodation until Monday morning. The train station was a total bust, and our few bits of Russian could our question. Even after lengthy line ups and finding the one employee who “spoke” English, we still couldn’t get a response. Frustrated, we decided to hop back on the Subway and head to another location where we were to pick up the tickets, and ask the hotel staff if they knew. In trying to get back into the train station, however, we kept getting attacked by these gates that would slam closed in front of us, really violently. We saw that it was the exit we had come out of, but we were unable to read the word “Exit” as it was in Cyrillic. We had no idea where the entrance was. After wandering into some very local, non-touristy areas, we were really lost. Finally we asked this nice young man, who introduced himself as Alexander, and he walked us through a maze to the train station. We ended the day totally out of luck and unsure when our train left. (Right - Hovan in front of one of the many beautiful cathedrals).

This morning we spoke to the lady at the front desk of our hotel. She was amazingly helpful and called around to find out when the train left – Tuesday. She was also really helpful in letting us use her computer to book another night in the hotel. She could only offer us the very expensive regular rate, but she showed us which site to visit that allowed us to book a cheap single room, which she said would allow us to stay in our double room. She is definitely our favourite Moscow local. We have spent a bit of today sorting things out and getting our train tickets. We have another day and a half in Moscow, before hitting the train. The weather turned gray and wet on us, but we figure we were fortunate to have the last two days of sunshine, from what the locals say.

One final point about Moscow, the city is itself very modern, wealthy and trendy. The people here dress very trendy, and the cars can be quite expensive and exotic. One spot that seemed off was a back side street that had a bunch of guys in suits, and parked Mercedes, Bentleys, and Range Rovers, along with a couple of Aston Martins, we thought this might not be a place to dawdle (if you catch my meaning). We have been told that the rest of the country is nothing like Moscow, and hopefully we will see some of that through our train travels. The people here are complex and interesting, we have been bumped, pushed and stepped on a number of occasions when people are in lines or trying to get seats on the train. Paradoxically, younger men will gallantly give up their seats for older ladies and children. (Left - Woman wearing fur - real fur is very popular in Russia)

Moscow has been a very nice visit and we are also looking forward to tomorrow and our train ride. We will be out of communication for about 6-7 days while we are on the trans Siberia train to China, so stay tuned for the continuing adventures of Hovan and Christine.

Czech & Mate

Christine and I decided to enjoy another day in Vienna and enjoy a few more sights and in particular some musical performances. The fact that we had such a nice place to stay certainly helped in the decision making and Christine was pretty jazzed from the previous nights performance of The Magic Flute (I also thought it was a wonderful performance).

We spent a bit of the day wandering through Vienna and then took in a late afternoon show of the Vienna Boys Choir. They have these incredibly angelic voices, so pure and sweet. Dressed in little sailor costumes, they are quite the group of performers. The first half of the show was purely acapella, and they performed a variety of old and newer songs. The acapella allowed them to showcase how well they can harmonize with each other. The second half of the performance brought on a small orchestral group to provide music and a male adult choir to join the boys. We were wondering if the adult choir was maybe made up of former Vienna Boys Choir performers, since we don’t know what happens to the kids after their voices change (they do have all that musical training). This part of the show featured very old, traditional songs that were beautiful to listen to, and perhaps the fact that we didn’t speak the language added a great deal to the enjoyment of the performance. There were two of the older boys in particular that had huge solo pieces and they blew us both away with how talented they were, the power behind their singing was incredible. We left the show feeling like it was yet another highlight of Vienna and the trip itself. (Left - the Vienna Boys Choir)

Since we were in the city of music, Christine was trying to soak up as much of the culture as possible, allowing her to engage all of her musical training and education. Not wasting a moment, we zipped straight from the choir over to the National Opera House to see if we could get standing tickets for the evening performance of Pique Dame, a Russian Opera by Tchaikovsky. We had taken a tour of the opera house the day before and it is quite the performance structure. We arrived in time to gather our 3 Euro tickets, that’s right, if you are willing to stand for 3 hours, you can get a ticket for about $5 Canadian. We took our spot on the very upper balcony for the show, and were pleased to see that the translators attached to the seats were also offered to the standing area visitors. This allowed us to enjoy the performance with English on the monitor, so we weren’t completely lost. This was especially helpful since, unlike with the Magic Flute, we had not read the different scenes and acts of this play. The performance was very well done, and the opera singers voices could reach all the way to the top and back of the concert hall. Pique Dame is not considered one of the best shows to see at the opera, however, the Vienna Philharmonic Symphony was doing the musical portion of the performance and Christine really wanted to see them play. Unfortunately, about a third of the way through the show, Christine felt really sick, and we had to head back to the hostel. Thankfully her illness only lasted for about 12-15 hours, but sadly during the performance. At least we didn’t have expensive seats. (Right - the State Opera House in Vienna)

Schnitzel. Now Schnitzel was not the cause of Christine roiling stomach, but it has been a dish that we have enjoyed along the way across Austria, the Czech Republic and Germany. Schnitzel appears in every restaurant, and varies in price and serving style. My personal favourite is the Schnitzel sandwich, that costs about $3 Canadian and tastes like an awesome chicken burger with all the fixings. The serving portions in this neck of the world are quite large, loaded with grease and fat, and absolutely delicious.

After leaving Vienna, we drove the short distance to Prague, a city both of us were very keen to see. Prague suffered almost no damage in WWII, and is a very free flowing city, with winding alleys, beautiful old architecture and a very rich history. I have always wanted to visit Prague since meeting a very dear friend of mine almost ten years ago, Jonathan. Jonathan has always been singing the praises of Prague, a city that he has visited no less than 5 different times. The source of this interest is his dear Uncle William who has lived in Prague for almost 20 years. Jonathan mentioned on many occasions the wonderful tour that his uncle gives of Prague, and sometimes I thought he was laying it on a bit thick. (Left - the cathedral in Prague)

Christine and I spent the first afternoon and evening in Prague wandering the streets and taking in the sights. We were very fortunate to meet up with William and his darling wife Dasha in Prague for the very tour Jonathan spoke of on our second day. I am now happy to say that there is no embellishment in the telling of Williams tour of the city. Christine and I have visited many many cities over the last 6 weeks, but William brought Prague alive for us in a way that none other can compare. The four of us spent the entire day wandering the streets of the old city, while Christine and I learned of history, the architecture, the culture and the people that make up this wonderful old city. William normally does the tour solo, but we were fortunate to have Dasha along this time, she added a lovely element to the tour, being a native Czech citizen. It was really cute to watch the two of them briefly debate a historical point before coming to consensus and moving on with the tour. The passion that William has for the Czech history and people is so evident, that it rings through his voice and shines in his eyes as he speaks. There were several moments throughout the day, when he became a bit choked up, such as when he spoke of the people demanding democracy, and the anger he felt over the theft of the democratization of the Czech Republic by dirty politicians, corrupt businessmen, and the mafia. The day just flew by and we learned so much more than we could possibly ever remember, so perhaps we will have to go back for the tour a second day. (Left - William, Dasha, Hovan and Christine on the river in Prague)

After spending such a wonderful day with William and Dasha we returned to our tent late that night to make a late supper. It is here that we will remember possibly the worst dinner of our trip. We had not been to a grocery store nearby, and unfortunately the gate to the campground was locked, so we couldn’t drive to a grocery store. After looking in our cooler we decided to walk to a nearby gas station to see if they had anything. In the end the only dinner worthy item was a package of bread sticks. So our evening meal consisted of two left-over hard boiled eggs, breadsticks that we tried to smear chunky peanut butter on, one piece of stale bread and a handful of pistachios. Let me tell you now that this does not make for a winning combination.

Our next day in Prague was also wonderful, as William gave us some sights to see around town, including the royal palace and cathedral. William and Dasha told us about some things to look out for, but I can tell you right now, that it lacked the pleasure of hearing William outline the finer points of the structures and the significant events dating back hundreds and hundreds of years. We also visited the site of Prague’s second defenestration. This is word I learned about a decade ago from Jonathan, who learned it from William, and it means to throw somebody out a window. Fortunately for the three men defenestrated, there was a huge dung heap at the bottom, also littered with refuse, and so they managed to survive, however this window tossing led to 30 Years War in Europe. (Left - the streets of Prague)

Before leaving Prague we stopped off to see William and Dasha one more time. William had offered to bring some things back to Canada for us to save us the shipping cost. While we were stopped for our visit, Dasha brought out a homemade pumpkin pie, made with real pumpkin. She knew that we would be away from our family for Thanksgiving, and she had made us a pie so that we had a taste of home on our journey. It was such a sweet gesture and it endeared them even more to us. She also had some other goodies and things for us to take on the road. After we left Prague we both agreed that we hope to meet up with William and Dasha someday in the future.

We left Prague with our next and final destination being Munich, from there we are planning to fly out to Moscow and start the second leg of our journey. Along the way, we decided to take the scenic route and not just fly down the highway. After enjoying the beautiful scenery of the Czech and German countryside, we decided to spend one night in a small town called Bodenmais, before heading to Munich the next morning. The problem was that we fell in love with this town, that is and isn’t touristy. The whole place is set up for a massive invasion of fellow Germans in the winter time for skiing in the Bavarian mountains and forests, so almost every other building is a hotel or hostel. We got an apartment for less than we have paid at some hostels on the trip. Looking up into the Bavarian forest and hills, we knew that we had to stop for one day and take in some hiking. From here on in, the next 3 weeks are mostly big cities, so we thought to catch some fresh air before pressing on. (Right - Hiking in the Bavarian Forest)

Today we spent a good deal of time climbing up a mountain. It was not a terribly difficult climb, but what was most impressive was the average age of our fellow climbers. There were a lot of people out in the forest, and most of them looked to be of retirement age. Many of them were dressed in the same get-up that we saw through Switzerland, but no where else. Pants below the knees and funky socks pulled up above the knees, with hiking poles, wool sweaters and so on. Christine and I felt out of place in our shorts and t-shirts. The day was beautiful and the mountain air crisp. Tomorrow morning we will make our final journey into Munich and then the next day fly out to Moscow. (Left - Typical walking attire in Germany)

I would like to leave you with one final piece of information. When driving a rental car through Europe there are apparently different ways to pay for your use of the highways. Most of the countries have tolls, but not all of them. Christine and I were quite fond of two countries, Switzerland and Slovenia, because they didn’t charge to use the road system. However, on our way into Austria we were pulled over by border security (for only the second time in 6 weeks and 11 countries). The man was asking for something and we couldn’t really understand his terrible English. Christine was driving and trying to use her pretty smile to get us moving, but nothing doing. He kept asking for something, so I went through the glovebox and pulled out folder and paper and any other sundry item I could think he might want. We gave him our passports, and he didn’t even look. We passed over our international drivers license, and he pushed them back, we offered him all the rental car documents and he didn’t even care to touch them. The only thing we had left in the glovebox was some candy, and I was prepared to offer that next in desperation, when another guard came over. He explained to us in better English that we had to purchase a sticker for the car to drive in Austria and showed us where to get it. Apparently they don’t set up toll roads, they just charge everyone a one time sticker price. Apparently we didn’t pick up our stickers in Switzerland and Slovenia, so I guess we’ll just have to owe them. Apparently the fines can be quite high, but the Austrians let us go with a warning – possibly because we looked pathetically out of our depth, possible because Christine was smiling for all she was worth, or maybe they were just in a generous mood. All in all, things worked out well once again.

Venice and Vienna

Our one and only real stop in Italy was to see the city of Venice, one of the largest tourist places in the world. We decided to camp in a place on the mainland and then take some transport into the city. We found a campsite right on the water and a short distance to Venice. One thing to note is that the mainland around Venice is covered with large industrial and shipping complexes and the area is absolutly disgusting. The campground was a small space of trees and grass among all the industrial land, but it served our purpose well enough. Our one complaint about the space is that there was a large tourist group of 20 something Americans at the campground and they were drinking and partying until early in the morning every night we were there. They were quite noisy and it made sleeping a bit difficult, but I guess not every campground can be a jem.

The city of Venice is an absolutely wonderful place to visit, and of all the cities that we have visited in Europe on this trip, it is our favourite. We even had a discussion whether Venice is the all-time stand out in Europe period, which is quite a feat considering we have both been to Europe a few times in the past and seen a lot of the major cities on the continent. But I digress. Venice is made up of 117 islands with hundreds of interlocking bridges and all the canals and waterways to make your way around. Often when visiting cities as famous as Venice, we have preconceived pictures in our mind built up by television and movies and the like. Venice falls into the category of a city that fulfills all the thoughts and images you have in your mind. (Left - the grand canal)

Perhaps one of the most unique aspects of Venice is that there are no cars or scooters or vehicles of any kind on the city streets. This means that everything is quiet and pleasant and you can wander and do the tourist walk all over the city (tourist walk: to twist and weave in whatever direction that catches ones fancy - an adult walk similar to that of a young child who goes wherever something interesting is, lacking any consistency or commonsense to ones path). The canals are all over the place, and apart from the bridges going over the canals, there is absolutley no hills, so walking for hours requires very little energy. The streets are filled with 4-5 different commercial shops and not much else: restaurants, glass stores, lace stores, mask stores and clothing stores. (Right - looking down one of the many smaller canals).

We spent three days in Venice and have marked it as a place that we would like to return to some day. Every morning we took a boat from the campsite over to the islands and spent most of the days wandering through the streets. We got lost a number of times, despite having 4 different maps of the city, but I dare anyone to try to spend a day walking through Venice and not get lost. We did visit Piazzo San Marco a number of times and learned one particular winding route from the square to our boat and back quite well. The church in Piazzo San Marco is precisely as you see it in all the movies, but alas, there was no spy running through the area, being chased by bad guys with the pigeons flying off in every direction, there were just the pigeons, oh yeah, and lots of tourists. The church in the square is beautiful and very different from most other European ones. It is very coloruful and the exterior is made entirely of marble. Inside, the roof is covered in what look like gold tiles with paintings all over it and the entire facade is magnificent. This is certainly a very oppulent resting place for the apostle Mark and is representative of the glory days when Venice was the trading capital to the East and one of the most powerful city states in the world. (Left - the Bascilica San Marco)

We spent half a day on the island of Murano, taking a vaporeto from the main islands. Murano is the small island where all the glass blowing of Venice is done. There are many many shops here, all selling only glass works. We talked to a person in one of the fanciest shops and he took us into the back so we could sit and watch glass blowing for as long as we liked. We watched the blowing for about an hour and a half, and it is fascinating. Though Christine and I have both seen it done in Victoria, it is an artform that is never tiring to watch. There were 3 men working on making fancy glass goblets, and all three were working in perfect unison. It took all three of them on average 35 minutes to make one goblet and they kept changing the type they were making (different styles and different colours). Each goblet would sell in the store for about $350 Canadian. The head artisan who did all the most complicated work was a chain smoker who never stopped. At one point he lit a cigarette on the glowing red glass that had just come out of the blast furnace, before he started blowing it into the glass stem. The team worked in precision clock-work and it was almost graceful to watch, but we don't know how they managed to deal with the heat, we were sweating and were at least 20 feet from the furnace and were just sitting on our butts, they were running around constantly. (Right - the men finishing the glass goblet).

Before we left Murano we contemplated buying some glass art as gifts, in particular I was looking for an art piece for my parents. However, not knowing what there new home in Victoria will look like and the colours they are going to use, it is difficult to guess. The matter is complicated by the fact that mom and dad are a bit specific when it comes to art and the only pieces that I knew they would love were thousands of dollars and just a wee bit out of our price range.

One afternoon we decided that we had to take a gondola ride, since that is the quintessential Venice experience. We had read and heard that they are incredibly expensive and that the drivers don't really negotiate. After asking around and finding out that the price was standard and none of the drivers were willing to budge, we had a bit of luck. There was a young man who was in his first year of gondoling and when we started to walk away he asked if we wanted a better price. I quoted 25% off, trying to get a discount but not to insult him either. He talked with a guy who seemed like his handler and they argued it out, eventually agreeing. The young man wanted the work and the older fellow didn't want to negotiate (probably worried that we would tell all our friends and then they would do likewise if they visited Venice - lucky for him that Christine and I can keep a secret ;) (Left - our gondola driver)

The gondola ride was absolutely lovely. The drivers are complete professionals about there craft, never running into anything, running up the walls with there feet to push off, singing to each other to check if they can turn the corner. The young man showed us a few important structures, such as the homes of Marco Polo and Cassanova, along with the very first building in Venice. Apparently the Venetians fled from the mainland to the islands to escape barbarian hordes attacking the crumbling Roman Empire and there they have remained. It was a graceful and romantic ride through the smaller canals where you can only go by boat. We also passed the only church, of 120 in Venice, to be built on the water. Tradition has it that brides are rowed up to it by gondola and then led inside to be married. One tip from us to you is to take the gondola ride in the evening around 6 or 7, while there is still good light out. In the morning and through the earlier part of the day there are a lot of boats picking up garbage, dropping off food, etc. Our driver told us that we chose a good time of day, because in the early evening there are almost no motor boats going around. It was a nice and quiet ride. (Right - Gondolas on the grand canal).

We spent the rest of our time wandering the streets, seeing the shops and enjoying the atmosphere of Venice. It was definitely a hard city to leave and one that we would suggest anyone to visit.

From Venice we made a straight shot north for Vienna, driving through Slovenia in the process. Slovenia looks very much like BC in the late summer, with lots of coniferous trees that look just a little dry. That is our minimal impression of the two hours spent driving through Slovenia, that and the fact that their highways are not pay tolls like everywhere else.

We arrived in Vienna late at night, and after using a horrible map, we found the hostel we were looking for in a surprisingly short amount of time. Unfortunately the one way and confusing streets made it impossible for us to get close, and when we tried to park in parkades they were all closed for the night. We finally found some street parking, only to arrive at the hostel to find it full. They recommended we go to a place 2 minutes away that keeps a listing of every hostel in town. After we got there, it turned out that every hostel was full in town, a spillover effect from Oktoberfest in nearby Munich. They didn't know of any camping, but suggested we head to an island on the Danube River and just pitch our tent (we would need to get out before anyone spotted us in the morning). We went back to the hostel to see if we could book ahead for the next two nights. The man took pity on us, called his boss and offered us one of 2 private rooms they had. The hostel is the most famous in Vienna and is the best and cleanest hostel we have ever been in. The room they gave us turned out to be an apartment with our own living room, kithcen and bathroom, all of it looks brand new (newly renovated). Truly we are blessed to go from having nothing to a wonderful place to stay.

Thursday we spent the day wandering through the streets of Vienna, saw the old Opera House and took a tour. We talked to some information folks and they recommended we go and see Mozart's opera the Magic Flute. The two men were incredibly snobby about the performances and performers. Apparently becaused we asked for their opinion they guessed we were either Canadian or Australian, since we are the only cultures that seem to ask what they think. They helped us pick out seats, and we worked out a pretty good deal. They recommended box seats (I know - crazy), but Christine really wanted to take in the music scene in Vienna, music being a passion of hers. Christine got a front row seat in a small box with 2 other women and I had this lounging chair behind them. Christine's seat was the most expensive expensive category in the theatre and mine the cheapest, so it averaged out to a very good price. Also, because I am tall I did not miss any of the performance and had all the leg room I wanted, it was a total win. (Left - The State Opera House).

The performance was incredible and the 2 aria's that the Queen of the Night performed were so high in pitch that it seemed impossible, but she did magnificent. The play was a lot of fun and Mozart did a great job, though we both agreed that he needed to use the timpani a bit more. It was a magical evening, and though I thought I would not wear a shirt and tie again until I returned to work, I ended up dressing up for the performance. What a magical night for us watching The Magic Flute. (Left - The singers in Mozarts "The Magic Flute")

The Lion, the Despot and the Praying Mantis

True to my word in the last blog, Christine and I struck out for Eastern Switzerland, deciding where to go after we left beautiful Gimmewald. We started off this leg of the journey by heading to the city of Lucerne (also a brand of milk found in Canada - what came first the milk or the city?)

Above - the famous wooden bridge in Lucerne, Switzerland

Lucerne is a picturesque town on a lake, with a very quaint old part of town, which is common of many European cities. We spent about half a day wandering through the streets, heading up to the defensive battlements of the old wall of the city and spent some time watching a strange animal that doesn't quite look like a llama, but we couldn't figure out what it was. (Right - strange animal in Lucerne).

Lucerne is most famous of a long wooden bridge that crosses the river, and the local tourist info says that it is the most photographed spot in Switzerland. While Christine and I agree that it was neat, it certainly doesn't seem like a sight to rival the majestic panorama's of the Alps themselves. Lucerne is also home to a beautiful carving of a lion that some famous writers and artists have been quotes as saying is the "saddest lion in the world". On our way to see the carving we were joking about how silly a statement that seemed, that is, until we arrived at the site. The carving is very large and done right into the cliff side, into a gorgeous white stone. The lion has this incredibly pained and sorrowful look on his face and a spear through his side. It was an absolutely spectacular carving that we found ourselves taking a while to watch. The carving certainly engendered some feelings of sadness in both of us, and when we left we were no longer joking about how a stone lion could look so sad. (Left - Sad lion sculpture)

After about half a day to Lucerne, taking a few fond memories with us and leaving very little behind. When I say very little, I do mean it. We ended up eating leftovers for lunch, didn't pay a single entry fee or purchase anything. The $5 for parking is about the only thing Lucerne managed to gain from us.

As a side note, driving to and through Switzerland has included an incredible number of very long tunnels, several of which were more than 6 kilometer long. Some of them are a bit newer and have nice wide lanes and are well lit, but a couple of them are older, very narrow and feel a little claustorphobic with trucks whipping around. It certainly adds a different element to driving when you spend half the time going into tunnels and over bridges and rarely seem to spend time out on open ground.

On leaving Lucerne, we headed further east and camped near the border with Austria, still at the base of some mountain ranges, but nothing like the Jungfrau range. The next day Christine agreed to humour my desire to pop into Lichtenstein for a few hours and see what we could. I had done a bit of reading about the country and it sounded fascinating. The country has approximately 30,000 citizens, so only a few more than my hometown of Salmon Arm. The country has an elected body, but the Prince still has significant powers in the running of the country. Several years ago, the prince demanded more sweeping powers to run the country and there was a bit of resistance. He threatened to abdicate and move to Austria, so the country held a referendum. The people overwhelming voted to give the prince his inflated control, showing their faith in the stability of the monarchy or there fear at having the prince leave the country (who knows). The prince then handed over the practical running of the country to his 40 year old son and it sounds like he just enjoys life. How often in todays world do you see a monarch demand MORE power and the people willingly and democratically hand it over. It may help that he invites the entire country over to his home for wine and fireworks on their national day of celebration, allowing him to build a personal relationship with each of his subjects. (Right - the palace where the prince of Liechtenstein lives)

Above - looking down over the capital of Leichtinstein

The country is a pretty place, but it's size is so small and it is pretty much indistinguishable from Switzerland. We spent some time wandering the capital city, with its gargantuum population of 7000 and hiked up to the palace to see the home of the "despot". From there, we could look down into the capital city and see a couple of vineyards right in the middle of the neighbourhoods. Who wouldn't expect a vineyard or two right in the capital. We visited a farmers market and found the first reasonably priced meal since we entered Switzerland a week earlier. One other point of interest is that apparently Lichtenstein is the largest exporter of dentures in the world. An economic table showed us that about 1.6% of the countries industry is farmers. We figure when you take seniors and children out of the mix, there are less than 300 farmers, so they must form a nice tight little community.

After leaving Lichtenstein we went to the southern most point of Switzerland, to a town called Lugano. This is the resort area of the country with the warmest weather and lakes around the area. We decided to slow our pace down a bit, and spent an entire day taking sightseeing boats around Lake Lugano and stopping to see some of the small cities on the lake. A few of the towns have no roads leading to them and so people can only take boats in and out of their town. On the very southern edge, a couple of the towns are inside the Italian border. We spent a few hours wandering through a lovely place called Marcote. It is a town that is a thin strip along the water that has a very comfortable feel. While we were walking through the town I spotted a Praying Mantis on the a stone step (the laser eye surgery really paid off) and Christine and I spent a bit of time checking out this fascinating creature. They look alien and creepy, quite large and walk differently from other insects we have ever observed. (Left - the beautiful village of Marcote. Right - the Praying Mantis Hovan spotted)

During our trip around the lake there were some amazing houses with some beautiful landscaping. For those of you who watched the Bond movie Casino Royale, it had the same sense as the area where he was recuperating after the torture scene or the castle at the end where he captured the bad guy. (Left - Beautiful house around Lac Lugano)

We also checked into our very first 5 star campground in Lugano, and we might be a bit honest in saying that we went to Lugano to find this campground, wanting to see what a 5 star campground was like. It was nice, with lots of amenities, but in the end the camp spot was as open and cramped as all the rest. We have stayed in 3 different campsites around Swittzerland and one thing we noticed is that the Swiss do not have tents. In warmer climates there has always been a mix of tents, trailers and motor-homes, but in Switzerland it is all trailers and motor-homes. We felt a bit like always sitting at the kids table, having a small little tent dwarfed by all these big trailers with their amenities and satellite dishes and equipment. (Right - 5 star camping in Switzerland)

Leaving Switzerland we headed south to Venice, and that blog will be coming very shortly. One last note about Switzerland, similar to our close friend Scott, it has been one of our favourite countries to visit. I think that it is the combination of the mountains and chocolate - probably more the mountains for Christine and the chocolate for Scott and myself, but the country has a beauty about it that is very different from the others we have visited.

Hiking in Switzerland (and a bit of chocolate too)

After spending a day discovering the cheese of Gruyere, we decided to spend some time hiking around the area, see the mountains and follow a "cheese expedition" through the region. Our time in Gruyere is possibly the first few days where the weather hasn't been sunny for us while we were out and about. It has rained before, but usually when we are driving or at night in our tent. Despite the gray clouds and the occasional spitting of rain, we still enjoyed our time there. (Right - Hovan on the "cheese expedition" next to some primary cheese producers... cows).

The campground we stayed at is a real family affair, and almost all the spots were taken up by RV's that looked they were around for the long haul. We were the only tent in the whole campground, but it was wonderfully clean and had all the amenities we could have wanted.

One night we decided to enjoy some traditional cheese fondue and the camp owner offered a discount if we ate at their restaurant. The fondue was incredible, made with a common regional mixture of Gruyere and Vacherin the end, the family sat down to eat their fondue dinner right next to us, so we felt like we were in someone's home and not their restaurant. Their little daughter (2 yrs old) was playing all around us, and when our dinner was served she snagged a big piece of our fondue bread. She did it so fast that her father never noticed. We suspect she has been doing this for quite some time, but she's so cute, who would complain. (Left - Eating delicious Swiss Fondue).

After leaving Gruyere we decided to head even deeper into the mountains. We have spent the last few nights in Gimmewald in a hostel up in the mountains. We had to take a gondola to get up to the hostel, and it is only a small way up the Schilthorn Mountain. The view from the hostel is amazing and there are huge mountains in every direction. Right across from us is a whole range, including the Eiger and the Jungfrau, which is the highest point in the Alps and the tallest peak in Europe. The weather has been absolutely stunning, nothing but blue skies and the occasional puffy cloud. (Right - the mountain hostel where we stayed).

The hostel is very nice and apparently a common gathering point for English speakers. Almost everyone in the hostel is Canadian or American. For the most part it has been pleasant having some good laughs with fellow North American's, playing card games and swapping stories. It is a low point in the season and even though the Couples Room sleeps 16, there is never more than 8 or 10 people in the room. The other exciting aspect of the hostel is that it has a kitchen we can use. We haven't been able to cook a meal for ourselves in the last month, so we loaded up on all sorts of good groceries and for at least 3 or 4 days we have not had to eat a plain cheese and meat sandwich.

The last 3 days we have been hiking up and around in the mountain ranges, enjoying the incredible scenery and soaking up the local culture. The housing in the area is incredibly quaint and you might think that it was a Hollywood set for a Swiss movie. The housing structures here are so different from everywhere else that we have been in Europe and has a very special charm to it. (Left - one of the many beautiful Swiss Chalets).

Yesterday we took the gondola up to the top of the Schilthorn which peaks out at 10,000 feet. We decided to hike part way down the mountain and then back up to the second highest peak and then take the gondola back down. The first portion of the path from the peak was some of the most treacherous that we have ever seen. There were sheer drop offs on both sides, with jagged rocks, loose scree and weird twists. The only thing to compare was the time that Christine dragged me and our good friends Jeff and Joanna over the more dangerous side of Mt. Arrowsmith, but that lasted maybe 10 minutes, this one went on for about an hour. (Right - View from the top of the Schilthorn).


After hiking for about 3 hours I spotted an ibex at the top of a ridge peak, and so Christine and I did a bit of treacherous off-path hiking to get close. The closer we came the more and more ibex we saw, I counted at least 22 of them. The ibex are the Swiss mountain goat and there are not huge populations of them, so we were pretty excited. After carefully threading our way back to the trail we had a tough decision to make. If we wanted to catch the gondola we had 3 hours to get to the station, and the Swiss signage indicated about 2 and 1/2 hours to reach it (the Swiss are a pretty fit mountain hiking group of people). We could either hike down or go up and take the gondola down. Since we had paid for the gondola ride we decided to push it. (Left - Ibex in the mountains).

After a rather pleasant 45 minutes or so we came to a spot that decided to climb about 1000 feet straight up. After reaching the summit of the hill we had a very very depressing view of another 1000 feet climb up a somewhat treacherous cliff to reach the gondola station. At this point we were committed, exhausted and perhaps a little depressed that we were working against the clock. We managed to race the clock and reach the gondola tower with 30 minutes to spare, so we went at the exact pace the sign said, but in the end it was quite an exhausting 7 hour hike. (Right - the view from the top of the first 1000 foot climb).

The other notable thing about the top of the Schilhorn is that when the gondola was built it was the longest in the world (a record I don't know if it still has). Also at the top was built the very first revolving restaurant. The year after this was built, the site became a key movie set for a James Bond movie. Unfortunately for them, it was the worst Bond movie ever, titled On Her Majesty's Secret Service and starring the one-hit flop George Lazenby (that's what you get when you hire a pretty-boy Australian model to play James Bond). Thinking about the Bond movie gives me fond memories of watching all the movies with my father when I was younger, and now that he has moved to Victoria we can watch them all over again. (Left - the gondola that oes to the top of the Schilthorn).

Today we took it a bit easier and did some more relaxing trekking around the town. We spent the afternoon hiking to a town called Murren so that we could use the pool and hot tub to relax. It has been a pretty relaxing day, resting up for the further adventures of Switzerland. Tomorrow we are off to eastern Switzerland, but we have not yet decided where we will go. We can figure that out when we get to the car and will play the next couple of days fairly loose before making our way to Venice. (Left - Hovan filling the water skin from one of the many free flowing drinking water troughs).

Best wishes to all of you.

Christine and Hovan