I think we're in Switzerland unless we're still dreaming!!!

I’m glad you’re having fun, and I look forward to hearing more about your adventures! Thanks for sharing.

Great that you’ve made it there. Is Swiss-German different enough from what you’ve learned than High German? Southern France is easier than Parisian French for me.

Does your bro-in-law seem like a high-roller International cash-wielder? Or maybe a Bond Villian that needed lots of scrutiny at O’Hayre. Cone to think if it, with Swiss prices, having lots of cash might be needed. 😉

That is normal for border patrol to do that. I use work for an airline at terminal 5 and saw that a lot. Your brother in law may have been mistaken for someone else by name.

Happy travels! Be safe and merry.

Carrie, my wife and I are on that flight this coming week, transiting through Chicago from the West coast. Glad the airport and security were a breeze. That gives us confidence for our transfer. We are so happy to see reports of people taking their trips and having fun. Every one of these reports like yours provides useful info and confidence to countless others getting ready to go, so thanks. Have a blast on the rest of your trip.

So glad you're in country! We're in Pontresina now, and everyday is unique and maddenly beautiful. I can tell the pre- flight stress has lifted. Adventure onward!

YEAH CARRIE! So glad you have finally arrived…..my countdown has begun. Hearing that all is well is so encouraging. Your post is hysterical…….esp about your brother-in-law. I had a ticket agent once ask me what grade I taught and were my tests difficult……??????……really weird…….someone said they are testing you to see if you get rattled easily! Ready to use my Swiss Travel Pass as well……maybe you just cannot research enough? Don’t let that discourage you! So ready to see those cows and eat that Swiss chocolate!

Yes!!! I'm so happy for you!

It is amazing how much you cannot learn from books and research :-) it can only prepare you so much, but I find that to be part of the joy of travel.

Hopefully we'll be joining you next week! Keep us posted and enjoy your time there! Such a beautiful country!

"I learned very quickly that book research only gets you so far."

It's like when Sheldon Cooper on The Big Bang Theory taught himself to swim using the internet, lol.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJAakjDrooU

You'll right yourself in a couple of days!

Yikes on the questioning. Maybe it's a Chicago thing since Jazz+Travels is familiar with it? Or a direct flight to Switzerland thing?

Have a wonderful time. Loving everyone's reports.

Glad the wait is over!

Pam, luv the Big Bang analogy!

Carrie, In the Lauterbrunnen area you won’t need the German. 😁

Hi everyone, just to add some additional data points, my wife and I arrived in Switzerland (Zurich) this morning from Newark. We took a direct United flight and it was 2/3 full. We arrived around 8am in Zurich and the airport was basically completely empty except for our flight (wonder if that's because it's a Sunday). Took us maybe 10 minutes to go through immigration and customs. They did not ask to see our CDC cards or our Swiss health QR codes, just asked the purpose of our trip and where we were planning on going.

We purchased second class Swiss Passes when they had the 25% off deal. My wife is a bit nervous about COVID/delta and I had read that someone else upgraded part of their train trip to first class to sit in a less crowed car. We did the same. Was very easy, selected English on the ticket machine, upgrade ticket option, indicated that we had a half price card (Swiss Pass) and it printed two slips of paper. We sat in first class and presented the slips along with our Swiss Pass QR code on board the train and had no issues. Second class did appear to be pretty crowded, so I'm glad we did it. Mask compliance on the train was good, I think I saw one or two people with noses out, but that's it.

We're in Zermatt now, my first time, and we've been walking around doing a bit of eavesdropping and trying to stay awake until it's bedtime in Swiss time and have only heard two couples speaking American English. We've heard a few Australians (checking into our hotel after us) but primarily German and Italian speaking folks. Lots of people walking dogs in town and a really great vibe. Not crowded but not empty either, really just a pleasant amount of people. Reminds me a bit of being in Venice and taking a turn off of main of the streets and finding ourselves completely alone. I'm literally looking at the Matterhorn as I type this, a few small clouds near the very top but otherwise completely visible. We're really glad that we came. We've accepted the new reality with masking, vaccines and social distancing and being here is amazing. I've missed travel so much since COVID began.

Thank you Pete….SO GOOD to hear from anyone that is there. We leave for Zurich in 11 days…..got our QR code this morning and have our CDC vac cards and passports ready. We bought the first class Swiss Pass as well and are looking forward to using it as much as possible…..how is the weather? We hope to get in at least an hour of walking everyday. Keep posting….thank you again for checking in!

Thank you Carrie and Pete!!
I too love reading these upbeat reports, a very welcome antidote to all the negative on this forum. I’ll be in Paris soon.

Quick update on weather. In Basel cool in am (50s) when we're out at 6am. Gradually warming to near 80s!!
Laurel, one more day to laterbrunnen!!! Off to Bern today. Had to move things around. Didn't want to risk Freiburg with German train strike.
Waiting for my sister and bro in law to get ready. So excited for Bern and to be on Swiss trains. French trains to strasbourg and colmar gave us a bit of trouble. Have a few good stories for later.

Edited to add. No jetlag for any of us. We must be operating on pure excitement.
If you're here now or will be soon and u like potato chips be sure to try Zweifel paprika chips. Heard about them before we got here. My sister trying to figure out a way to get a case of them home. Have seen at Migros and at little shops at train station.

Really looking forward to your brother-in-law’s reaction when he gets to “see a mountain” in the BO!

Love reading your posts and glad you’re having a good time after all the planning/COVID worry! And I love the tip re the potato chips, love those kind of tips and have put them in my notes for Switzerland next year.

Great that you’ve made it there. Is Swiss-German different enough from what you’ve learned than High German?

Yes it is very different and not just from High Germany, but also between regions.

I’m Irish by birth and Swiss by choice. I have been here for 31 years. I can understand the dialects spoken in Zürich, Bern and Basle, but when I go into some of the mountains I have no idea what they are saying. But then most of the Swiss don’t either.

Also, we don’t call it High German generally, rather Written German as some people get upset about it.

Hello Carrie. What sort of issues did you have with the French train to Colmar? We will be traveling to Colmar from Geneva on 9/20 with a SBB day pass which will get us to Basel then we'll have to switch over there to a French train to Colmar. We will overnight in Colmar then take the trains back through Basel and on to Lucerne.

Hi dmbcycles, not sure if u know that French side of Basel station is separate. We could not figure out the one ticket machine over there and it was so early in am no one around to help. Finally someone to help but she bought us wrong tix which we didn't realize til on train. Luckily no one checked tix that morning.

So when we got back to Basel we bought our tix to france for the next day from the Swiss side of station from a person at tix counter. If u know your times of travel they can print the tix for you. She told us the French tix machine often has issues. If u can commit to times you might want to think about buying ahead if time.

Switzerland is fabulous. We off to lauterbrunnen for 5 nights then Lucerne.

FYI on Colmar public restrooms at indoor market and train station not great. Bring your own TP and no toliet seats at train station. Also public restrooms in general hard to find. We've found Starbucks to be a good p!ace with clean restrooms.

My favorite place in the world is Mannlichen!!!!!! I'm wondering if I can switch careers--lawyer to Swiss cow farmer. :)

Decided to take advantage of perfect weather and did schilthorn and mannlichen today. Almost had schilthorn to ourselves. The key this trip has been to get an early start. We are out by 6-7.

Tomorrow is Lake Thun and castles. Looks like rain possible the rest of the week.

Remember to pack some aloe. I have every first aid item but somehow didn't think about aloe Bought some at coop today though. My face is beet red. I guess suntan lotion only works if u actually put in on.

My bro in law is still in shock having finally seen "a mountain"

Carrie……such fun to read your latest comment…..and so your BIL likes those mountains! So thrilled you are there and having it all to yourself! Getting our things together and the countdown is now 7 days…..YES! Let me ask you this……have not flown on any flight of any length since Covid and am wondering how the food is…..should I bring my own snacks or are the airport stores/food courts open? Bought some snacks tonight at Target to put in my backpack in case Covid has taken away any decent food service……Thanks again!

Sounds like a great career move, Carrie.

Who suggested those damn Coop paprika potato chips? We're on our second bag.

Oh my goodness- this thread is so fun. I keep bursting out in laughter as I read the posts, and waking my sleeping kitty up. Keep these fantastic posts coming! Switzerland is fast moving up my list of places to visit.

We tried the paprika chips too, Pat! My God are they good! Like barbecue-lite. Addictive!

Swiss chips AND Swiss chocolate - just what I need- two Swiss addictions

Quick note about SBB second class on the trains-
all of our trains have been pretty empty, so no worries about crowded trains, including the Bernina Express non- panorama trains. We crossed a few of the panorama Bernina Express trains, and every seat looked full.
Masks wearing is mandated and folks are in compliance .

Sorry guys. That's my sister who's hooked on the paprika chips. She said she found a p!ace online that will ship to the US. I'm sure it will only be around 300 CHF a bag. Well worth it!!!!!!

Has anyone gotten lost on a train before?? This morning we could not find 2nd class seats. Luckily yet another nice person to the rescue as we tried to open the door to the front of the train.

Can someone please explain how we are identified as Americans before we open our mouths? Despite the being lost on the train part. :) we had a fabulous dinner at pasta and more in wengen tonight and as our waitress handed us the menus she showed us where to find English. Maybe we're from Poland . . . .

And i thought hello was "gruet C" but today I heard people saying "gruet sa" I feel like I learned all my words wrong. I'm afraid to speak now.

And i thought hello was "gruet C" but today I heard people saying
"gruet sa" I feel like I learned all my words wrong. I'm afraid to
speak now.

There are about a million Swiss German dialects, and each has slightly different pronunciation. Don't worry about it at all: Grüezi ist pretty standard (east) Schweizerdeutsch, and everyone would understand it.

About how they know you are Americans: they probably give everyone who looks like a 'foreign' tourist the English menu--they likely don't have Polish, Hungarian, Czech, and Portuguese ones on hand (:

Also, it is easy to tell English nativespeaking people when they speak even a little bit of (Swiss)German--the accent tends to be pretty strong. So even one word of greeting probably 'gives you away' as it were! Not that that matters, of course!

Enjoy the crisps!

Don't worry, you are just hearing the Bern dialect! It's Grüezi (as you say, Gruet C) in eastern/central Switzerland, but in the western regions of German-speaking Switzerland, especially Kanton Bern, they say Grüessech (sometimes sounds like Gruess-a or Gruetz-a).

Jane I'm not big on airport food in normal times. There were p!aces open but they had the seats blocked off so we took food and found an empty spot to eat. Swiss air provided dinner and breakfast on the p!ane.

Azra and hooper thanks for the language tips!!!! I really want to try to get it right even though I know its not necessary. I was proud of myself today that I knew Spiez was "spits" I'm trying to repeat things when I hear them. Have not had many trains that also announce in English but I do pick up a few words here and there.

I wasn't that impressed with Thun today but my bro in law loved the steam boat ride on lake thun. Tomorrow its trumelbach falls and maybe some shopping. We need summer clothes. Its too hot here. and my sister and bro in law requested an easy day for tomorrow. We've been doing about 15,000 - 18,000 steps a day. There's just so much to see!!!!

Carrie, we weren't upset by the rain and clouds today because it's time for a "vacation from the vacation." We had a perfect day for the Jungfraujoch yesterday , so today and tomorrow will be sleeping in and no major plans- Murren is a good location for slowing down . Your trip seem to be exceeding your expectations!

Thanks guys….these posts are THE BEST. You are so faithful in keeping us up on all of the fun and I do appreciate it so……glad to know about the food Carrie…..I am not much on airport food either and hope my goodies I bring will be allowed in by TSA!

Favorite foods: Everything!!!! I'm not even kidding. :) The food is so fresh here. My bro in law loves the vanilla ice cream. My sister and I love the French fries. They must make them different here. The salads are great. I've never had better chicken.

Favorite sandwich p!ace is Brezelkonig found in the larger train stations. My sister and I love the avocado sandwich and I don't even like avocado. Bro in law prefers the salami.

Look for the Frey chocolate bars in the Migros grocery stores. Fav flavor so far is giandor. Not sure what that is since I read German about as well as I pronounce it. u can also get a variety bag of mini bars for around 10 CHF.

Also at the grocery stores look for caran d ache pens. Made in Geneva. I may have bought about 20 so far. :) And about 5000 postcards. And I bought a 1000 piece puzzle today. It had cute pics of Switzerland, including a cow of course. We've already decided we'll buy a duffel bag and just check an extra bag home.

Cannot wait to do this shopping Carrie……just put your dirty laundry in a duffle bag and pack your checked luggage with all of your goodies….works for us every time!

Arrived in Lucerne today. You guys were not kidding about it being crowded!!! The city run taking place today did not help. I miss my cows. :(

My sister hurt her knee a few days ago so we're slowing down a bit. Of course I'd rather go go go! Tomorrow we'll drop off some laundry at jet wash and spend the day in bellinzona. Probably take the little tourist train around.

Waiting to hear back from sprungli in Zurich if we can keep our breakfast reservation for Wednesday. We were really looking forward to chocolate waffles.

We had dinner at zum weisen kreuz Italian restaurant. Super good!!! My poor bro in law checked his credit card statement and said the McDonald's is looking pretty good. I do remember a post here about the Lucerne McDonald's so maybe we'll actually try it. We have 7 nights here. My sizter and bro in law using up credit card points at the Marriott. I will say it is nice to be in a hotel with a good bathroom. I can actually turn around in this one.

Burgers at Burger King in Bern around 15 chf! We have found some great kabob shops with generous portions at 10 chf.

Love reading all the posts especially from all of us who have been here around the same time. I will do a longer TR when home. We are in Paris now and fly out Wednesday for LAX. Best thing was getting the negative antigen tests this morning in 15 minutes! But then took me over and hour to get all the paperwork done for the UK transit. But all done now! Catch you all on the US side!

Had to cancel our breakfast reservation with Sprungli. :( we'll try for a seat on their terrace one morning if the rain continues to hold out. Only had to break out the rain coats once so far. We were pretty excited for the chance to wear them as they're all new.

The Marriott in Lucerne will let us eat breakfast inside as we're guests of the hotel. Although my sister is now obsessed with the chocolate pastry (sort of looked ilke a hamburger bun with chocolate chips) she had this morning from Bachmann in the train station so that may be our breakfast for the rest of the week. Chocolate pastries and paprika chips. Not gonna need a diet at all after this trip. :).

Great relief to have the Abbott Covid test results come in negative !
Yes, tbe BA tracker forms took a long time, just for a transfer thru Heathrow .
Just hope we get home smoothly- BA wouldn't cancel us an 8th time, would they???

Hooray, Pat for your negative results.
Our tour members who flew home today all tested negative too, in spite of being in crowded trains, eating a meal on the train, and eating all breakfasts, some lunches, and dinners together. We were quite diligent in wearing masks indoors.
We fly home through Heathrow, so could you please tell me what was required to transition there. And what took a long time.
Thanks, Carol

We loved Mt Rigi!!!!!! Cows, cows everywhere cows!!!!! We had the perfect day. Fabulous boat ride. Train up the mountain. Gorgeous views everywhere. Way exceeded my expectations. I was not expecting all the cows. Oh yeah, I guess there were mountains too. :)

For those who are interested, Mark twain wrote a short piece called "a trip to mt Rigi "

Pat have a safe flight back home.

Carol thanks for the limoncello recommendation and for reminding me there's a sprungli at the airport. We're gonna head to Zurich tomorrow for some shopping. We will try to get our chocolate waffles outside if the weather cooperates.

And tomorrow is Wednesday gov meeting. Perhaps we'll get some info on acceptance of foreign covid passports. I miss having my computer that translates German for me. The newspaper tages-anzeiger is a great source of up to date info--they report live during the covid press conferences--but I can't translate on my kindle fire.

Carrie, Sprüngli on Paradeplatz has outdoor seating and delicious looking chocolates in their retail store.
There was a long long for the outdoor tables. Perhaps your brother-in-law could wait in line while you and your sister shop nearby.
That’s where we had limoncello spritz and delicious pastry one afternoon.
Take the early train and have breakfast there.
Very walkable from train station; or just hop on tram.

Think I told you Carrie we ended up in Zurich 3 times for transit—2 overnights and one day room as we took the Nightjet one time from Zurich to Vienna (which was a blast). Anyway while expensive we really liked Zurich and the vibe. One day walked all over, down one side and up the other of the river, wandered through Old Town, was great. We stayed 2 blocks from train station each of our transits.

Home!
The trip home was so much easier than the trip outbound.
I had described checking in at the Zurich airport with British Air as time-consuming. There are just so many ways folks can have problems with all the paperwork, and then the line stops moving,
Heathrow was a breeze! Zurich flight to LHR arrived early at terminal 5. Airport was not crowded. We had a two- hour turn-over time. Passport control consisted of placing passports on an electronic screener, at which here were no lines. Even tho we never left the secured area, all travelers still had to go thru the security lines where luggage was scanned ( liquids out) and we went thru scanners, where lines were minimal. Outbound flight to LAX was also in Terminal 5.
Did a little Duty-Free shopping, and found the some GBP notes are no longer being used, so weren't accepted. So much for always coming home with currency for the next trip! Our notes were from 2017 UK trip. Took the loss at the Travelex, as the only option was exchanging them at the national bank in London- when in the future would that be?
We were very pleasantly surprised to find that we were upgraded from Business Class to First Class for the trip over " the pond"! Wow!! The 7 BA flight cancelations, our night in Chicago, and our having to pay for a car service from LAX to San Diego was starting not to sting so much.
Our Verifly was actually checked again at the gate in LHR, so I expect that means that without it, Covid testing paperwork and CDC cards were being checked at the gate before boarding. Flight to LAX was about an hour late leaving, but that just meant another glass of Champaign in First Class.
We landed LAX around 8;00pm. The airport was empty. With Global Entry, all the machine did was take out pix - didn't even scan Passports. Is facial recognition that good??! No lines at Passport control. Didn't even realize we had gone thru Customs- no one stopped us.
So "All's Well That End's Well"-
Quite an adventure, the dogs were super excited to see us, and Trip Reports will be coming. Thanks for all your help and encouragement!

So happy for you Pat. Thanks for your “going home” account. It’s great to go somewhere, but I am always thankful to be back home.
I’m hoping that as time goes by, all the little “glitches” will fade and the positive memories of your time spent abroad will be what remains.
…so when do you start planning for your next trip? 😊

Carol,
We already have BA flights for the end of April, 2022, to Germany [and maybe Austria]. BA had a big sale several months ago. Of course, we now know that the flights we purchases aren't flying- but there's time.
This trip was very special , in so many ways, but international travel isn't so carefree anymore. Actually, being in country in fine, it's the processes for getting into and out of the countries involved that present the paperwork challenges.
Safe travels!

Carol, have you gotten to Luzern yet?

Pat, we are still in Mürren…At the Bellevue Hotel. Wish you were still here. It would have been great to sit out on the terrace with you and your husband. However, You can be thankful you are not here. Weather was cloudy, sunny, foggy, and rainy today.
After reading a couple of comments about Luzern on the Switzerland forum, I’m not as excited to go there. What did you two end up doing for breakfast? Any suggestions for us? We will be there 3 nights.

Carol, we did hook up with an RS Forum member at the Bellevue- thru this site. It was great!
We had a perfect day for the Jungfrau, two good evenings of sunsets, and then rain. It came exactly on our planned slow-down days, so that worked out for us. One the one cloudy day, we hiked down to Gimmewald, bought a small oil painting from an "honesty shop" outside a B&B, and took the gondola back up.
This is our second miss for the Schilthorn, but the Jungfrau more than made up for it.

I like Luzern, but it's hard going to the cities after the Alps. We did Mt. Rigi, and the Stanserhorn. The latter isn't written up much here, but I did review it on the Forum- it's the open air cable car. And- free with the STP, only 20 minute train from Luzern. You can go up for the sunset, and there's a cafeteria and a restaurant on the mountain. I like Luzern, especially in the early mornings, when the old town is so tranquil, and it's usually clear, so you can see Mt. Rigi and Mt. Pilatus. In the evenings, try to get the perfect pix of the Chapel Bridge as it's reflected in the river. We didn't have time to go up to the Hotel Gutsch, but drinks from up there at sunset are great; you're overlooking the whole city . I assume it's open, as the lights were on. You can see it on the hillside as you look towards the bridges.

Breakfast- one day at the hotel, and one day -Saturday- bought fruit, cheese, yogurt, and fresh bread at the Farmers' Market that lines the river banks.

Lunch- one day on the rooftop deck of the Manor Dept store, and one day at the big Coop store.

Back to Murren-
we had a standard room with balcony and mountain views, toward the funicular. It was just as described, small, with a nice, roomy new bathroom. I kept wondering if the corner rooms with views of the Jungfrau would have been worth the splurge??

Enjoy the peacefulness of Murren.

Cchapin, we also liked Zurich. Got a table at sprungli for lunch. My bro in law spent the day car watching and taking pics of all the taxis in Zurich. He couldn't get over the tesla and bmw taxis.

Carol, crowds in Lucerne seem less now. Get out early if u can. Lots of breakfast options. My sister and brother in law like the egg sandwiches at coop. Pastries everywhere. We love bachmanns. There's one at the train station lower level. If u go to Zurich theres a dunkin donuts in the train station much to my bro in laws delight. I have to keep reminding him we're in Switzerland, not America.

Carrie, I’m glad you got to eat at Sprüngli. And…did you order the Limoncello spritz?
I didn’t realize that taxis in Zurich were Tesla’s and BMWs, but I did notice all the fountains and took pictures of the ones I saw. I felt ridiculous when I learned there are at least 100 drinking fountains in Zurich.
Thanks for the breakfast suggestions.

What a great day!!!!! First, we're still in Switzerland. :) Second, 3 negative covid tests. Third, we were allowed to eat INSIDE a restaurant.

But the fact that we tested means our trip is coming to an end. Boooo!!!!

For those in lucerne, Rossini (at end of chapel bridge on non old town side) was nice and let us eat inside after we showed CD cards and passports. We haven't minded eating outside at all though. Lots of places have covered outside areas.

Tomorrow we finally go to freiburg. Didn't make it when we where in Basel due to train strike. We were worried we might get stuck somewhere.

Carol, I ended up with the hot chocolate at sprungli. Seemed appropriate with the not so great weather. But we still have the airport to go to.

We leave on Sunday unless someone knows an uncle or someone with a cow farm looking for help.

Carrie, 3 Negatives! Yea! Such a relief. But…as you mentioned, the downside means your trip is coming to an end.
I’m so happy for you that first trip abroad was so positive . You couldn’t have picked a better country than Switzerland with unlimited outdoor spaces during this time of Covid.
Your enthusiasm brings a smile to my face every time I read your posts.

Carrie, such a great trip, and wonderful reports. Here’s hooding you tun into somebody’s uncle who needs help with the cows, before Sunday!

Thanks carol and cyn. I think we did pretty well for our first trip. Just had to embrace the fish out of water feeling.

No luck finding my Swiss farmer today in freiburg Germany. Go figure. :) we loved freiburg and wish we had more time there. Well we loved it until our return train was cancelled and the next one was delayed and delayed and delayed.

My sister and bro in law were questioned on German train by police when entering germany. There were 8 officers. A little intimidating. Random checks I hope. Otherwise my bro in law has some bad luck--fiirst questioned at ohare and now Germany.

Heard some protests from our hotel balcony earlier but seemed to fade quickly.

Tomorrow we will spend our last day loading up on more chocolate. And my sister is still trying to figure out a way to get the paprika chips home without smashing them. Oh and in Zurich yesterday I found paprika cashew nuts by the same company--zweifel. I have not tried them as I'm saving them for home.

Freiburg is one of my favourite towns. It is just a very pleasant place. And, about the police checks on the trains: yes, there are many more random controls now than before Covid. I was on a train to France a few weeks ago, and also got stopped and questioned. It is just part of our 'current normal' I suppose.

Carrie, do you have any recommendations for chocolate brands; dark chocolate, of course.
I have hardly been in any stores to shop.

Carol, I haven't found a bad brand of Swiss chocolate . In fact, the Coop stores' own brand is pretty good. I luv dark chocolate, but I have to admit the creaminess of Swiss milk chocolate is memorable!

Try Frigor chocolate bars. Hazelnut filling. Milk chocolate is the classic (red package), though they have dark chocolate and other options too. Available at Coop stores (maybe Migros too - just can't remember).

SO happy to read these Switzerland comments……we are finally here and setting in……Lauterbrunnen is wonderful. Had a lovely meal on the front porch last night….weather is great. Getting up in the Alps and Wengen to day to see those cows! The flight over was non-eventful…….I posted in another spot that the only vaccine card check was at customs in Amsterdam. Did not need our negative Covid test we took but was glad we had it anyway. The KLM flight from Amsterdam to Zurich was crowded like sardines in a can…..glad it was only an hour flight! Everyone masked…….the Delta international flight over from Detroit was about 3/4 full……not bad at all…….Seems like everyone is glad to see travelers back out again. Trying our best to understand the train systems and our Swiss Pass after always renting a car……hope to wear that pass OUT!

Carol, i have loved every bite of chocolate I have tried. We like the grocery store chocolate for sampling and the fancier chocolate for souvenirs. Look for the small plastic bag samplers of the chocolate bark. I'm not even sure what I'm eating half the time but it's all so good. And i heard Swiss chocolate is calorie free. :)

Jane, the SBB app will be your best friend. In addition to tram, bus and train stations u can put in, for examp!e, hotel oberland to trummelbach falls. You can pull the route up and see all the stops and fo!low along. If u click show train info it will show you what sections are first and second class so you know where to stand on the platform. I check the night before so we know when to head to train station. Then check again in the am before we leave. We did have one Swiss train cancelled. And I also double check the departure board at train station and the electronic signs at the p!atform. Yes I'm an obsessive double checker but we have never gotten on a wrong train. And some of trains even have electronic signs on the trains you can follow along.

My one complaint about the trains is we have yet to see a luggage rack at the end of any of the cars and we've been on a million different trains. Where are the luggage racks for us non light RS packers???!?! Hard to fit a 26 inch suitcase in the overhead racks and not all are big enough. I know. Get a smaller suitcase. ;(

Off to the airport in the am. :( :(

P.S. for those who like to clothes shop, my sister and I like Kofler. A couple stores in Lucerne.

Azra, I forgot to say thank you. Thanks for the info on the police checks on the trains. I passed the info along to my bro in law and he was releaved it was not just him. We are still missing freiburg. We really enjoyed our very short time in Germany and hope to return to see more. and we are still talking about the long reds. We forgot to look for the black forest cake though. Next time!!

Of course, Swiss chocolate is calorie free!!! No doubts here!

Just wanted to say that we are now in Switzerland-Lauterbrunnen until Friday-and for the first time hubby and I were turned down at an inside restaurant. It seems crazy to me…..like it completely depends on the waiter….but the waiter could not get his reader to read my QR Swiss code and I did not have the 2 hard copies of our codes with me….so he asked us to leave!……..first time since we got here that we were asked for the codes….and when we pulled out our CDC vac cards he did not care…..he wanted the codes…….we grabbed our snack and ate it outside…….it really seems to totally depend on the waiter…..Hotel Silberhorn asks us every morning at breakfast to see our CDC vac cards tho when we checked in they looked at the passports and our vac cards….and it has not changed since we checked in Friday!!! WEIRD……..so who knows! Drizzling rain here but we are pressing through and hiked from Mannlichen to Kleine Scheidegge today in the snow from yesterday…….should be nice tomorrow so we head to Geissbach Falls! Will be turning in trip reports when I have a minute to put them together…..listening to the goat bells right outside my window right now❤️

We are back in the USA and we are not happy. ☹ I think I might miss the Swiss trains more than the cows. We had a horrible driver from the airport who kept fiddling with his phone looking for music. And of course there was the Chicago construction and traffic. And not a cow in sight. ☹ Plus, we all had a bit of jet lag, unless it was just post-trip depression. I guess there’s an adjustment period getting back to real life and work. I did hang up some of my pictures already and that makes me smile.

We’ll be deciding in the upcoming weeks if we want to proceed with planning a trip to Italy in March/April. Not really sure I’m up for another covid trip, but am hoping once I shake the post Switzerland depression, I can look forward to planning again.

Jane, are you sure you’re in Lauterbrunnen? It was sunny and 70s not too long ago. 😊 Glad to hear you are enjoying yourself. Give my best to the cows and the goats. And eat some chocolate for me. I'm thinking we should have brought more home as I'm tempted to eat the chocolate I brought home for my neighbor.

Carrie, my Swiss chocolate supply- bought for gifts- is also dwindling....

After our trip to Geissbach Falls……and it is posted under SWITZERLAND on the travel forum….we spent a little while walking around Interlaken……always a treat to me to go to the Laderach store and buy their chocolate bark…..YUMMY….and we bought a variety pack and enjoyed it on the Northface Trail hike today…..SO GOOD…..I keep reminding myself that we still have Lucern and Zurich to load up so just enjoy it all……so far our favorite is the CAILLER dark chocolate bar with almonds…….WHOA. It fuels us as we walk……the weather was GORGEOUS today….not a cloud in the sky so we took advantage of it and went rode the gondola to the Schilthorn….you just have to see the top of the world in a clear blue sky! We then hiked the Northface Trail on the Murren side of the valley……tons of cows…….3 encounters with them on the road and my hubby could not get them to mooooove……so we lost and walked around them….too funny! Had to side step a lot of cow pies but LOVE hearing those cowbells ringing EVERYWHERE. Have only run into 1 rude Swiss person…..a lady on the trail today at a Pension where we took a hot chocolate break to use her toilet was bent out of shape because we had to use our credit card on our purchase……no cash…….she is not the norm. As we were descending back into Murren about 10 hang gliders came out and jumped off the side of a hill there into the Lauterbrunnen valley right over our heads….SO COOL…..they were fun to talk to……my hubby asked one guy if he was afraid…….he said “No, I am just afraid of being in an office all day and never getting to do this!” It was a great day!!! On to another trail hike tomorrow………and then to Lucern on Friday………… BTW…..the paprika chips are THE BOMB…….a new addiction I have to get over………

Oh, Jane, another paprika chip addict. I checked on Amazon, and because the chips aren't available in the US, it's $13.00 a bag.

I actually wanted to parasail - tandem- in Murren, but accidentally discovered my travel insurance didn't cover injuries from " extreme sports". Guess I'll have to settle with going here in San Diego at the Glider Port at Torrey Pines, high above the cliffs and the ocean.

Yikes, Pat! $13 a bag will help us get over the addiction. Back to tortilla chips in the US, I guess.

Well, as our own super trip winds down, and we have fresh negative covid tests in hand for the long haul back this Saturday (phew!), just want to say this thread has been great entertainment, so thanks. We can confirm the paprika chips are amazing and have consumed plenty during our almost 2 weeks here, so if you are coming or here, give them a try! We never would have tried them but for Carrie and others bragging on them here. Gonna probably try to get some home if there is room in the luggage. Safe and happy travels to all.

Jane, when you're in Lucerne, I liked the area near the lion monument. It was an easy walk to get to and no crowds.

Steve, congrats on the negative tests. What a relief!! Have a safe flight back. My sister regrets not bringing more of the paprika chips home. So, try to pack as many as you can. :)

Carrie, Par, Jane, Solo Steve, and Laurel: Thanks for all the sharing you have posted about Switzerland. It’s made us feel not quite so alone as we navigated Switzerland during COVID.
Like Solo Steve, our trip is over soon; tomorrow we fly home to Oregon. We too tested negative with the monitored antigen test (not going to lie: a huge relief). Fortunately we had very good internet connection in our Luzern hotel.
Having the STP was awesome. So nice to hop on any train.
Thanks to some of your comments about Luzern we were prepared for feeling letdown after being in Mürren and Wengen for a week. So, in Luzern, we headed for the mountains 2 days: To Rigi and to Pilatus. The boat to Pilatus and cog wheel has new hours. First boat leaves at 10:30 am;, so we took the train.
We walked to the Wall and the clock tower. We found a “short cut” heading down toward the lake. The COOP close to The Swiss House restaurant has an elevator that takes you two levels up the hill above. So that would be an easy way to get to the Wall.
We rode the bus headed to the Swiss Transportation Museum just to walk back to town along the lake (We’ve been avoiding museums). It was a very pleasant walk.
We got tired of Swiss food and discovered La Bestia Pizza. Best tiramisu, as an added bonus.
It’s been fun sharing adventures!

And we hooked up with Diane and her husband at the Hotel Bellevue, [via this site], so that makes about eight of us in Switzerland around the same time..
And at the Hotel Bellevue , at the "laundry salon", we ran into some RS fans, traveling on their own, that we had drinks with watching the sunset
It was travel work, but I have NO regrets!
Where is everyone going next? We already have flight to Germany [and hopefully Austria] for late April 2022. Night Watchman's Tour, I'll be there!
Safe travels!

Carol, sorry to hear the trip is almost over. :( Great news on the negative tests. For me, the few hours spent testing and worrying about the results were totally worth it. No regrets on traveling during covid. Sounds like you had a great plan for Lucerne. I definitely preferred all my time in and around the mountains to the cities. I should have listed more to the wise forum members who said you don't go to Switzerland for the cities. :) Regarding the food, we are absolutely missing the Swiss food. We loved everything we ate. Everything was so fresh and was actual food without all the "extras" they seem to put in our food here in the US.

Pat, I think we need a Switzerland reunion for next year. :) Although, I just added up my trip costs and maybe not so quick back to Switzerland. :) This was an expensive first trip for us for sure. But it was totally worth it. And I was fortunate to be able to help my sister and bro in law out with some of the costs.

We (again with my sister and bro in law) are planning on Italy for March 2022. I'm worried though that the Swiss Travel Pass sort of ruined us for normal train travel. You know, where you have to buy actual tickets. :) And there's no nonstop flights in March from Chicago to Italy. We don't want to deal with a connecting flight, especially after Pat's 5000 cancellations. So, trying to figure out a workable plan for flying in and out of Zurich again and training to northern Italy.

Finally, I am tentatively planning a return trip to Switzerland next Fall as my first solo trip. I feel I would be less anxious returning to Switzerland before I try other countries on my own.

Here's hoping travel is a little easier next year. It would really be nice not to have to check 30 websites every day looking for covid updates.

Carrie…..you and all of the others have made this site a delight……it has been something I have looked forward to everyday. We are packing up tonight to head to Lucerne tomorrow…..we have hiked at least 8 miles everyday…..did the Eiger Trail today and almost killed ourselves…..I thought the restaurant at Alpiglen would never show up….as hubby and I say…….DONE THAT!!! It will be nice to be in Lucerne and slow down a little…..walk and enjoy the stroll……tho seeing these gorgeous Alps as you hike was a treat I will not forget…..today a hiker was carrying his Alpenhorn with him on the hike(!!!) and he actually stopped on the trail from Mannlichen to Kleine Scheidegg and played it for us(!!!!!)……we have had 2 GORGEOUS days of clear skies and looks like its that way until Sunday….then rain everyday so we planned our mountain days well. As we have finally become pros with the train app I am loving knowing how to properly use it. The 25% off Swiss passes we bought in July have spoiled us! I will enjoy the paprika chips and will continue to for at least a week…..my only trip trauma so far is that I very stupidly bought 2 gargantuan amaryllis bulbs….which are MY LOVE….from the Amsterdam airport to take home….never even thinking that they cannot travel home with me cause they have no certification papers with them……HEARTACHE….not willing to go to GLOBAL ENTRY jail to get these 2 beauties back to my house so I guess I give them away in Zurich before I fly home next Thursday…….wish they had mentioned this when they so happily sold them to me! Will report again when we get to Lucerne!

Luv that STP and that 25% discount!!!

Before all the flight craziness, we booked BA flights into/out of Germany for late April, 2022. So hopefully it will be Germany/Austria for that adventure. AND- we still need to re-schedule the Amalfi trip that Covid canceled .

This group has been so much fun. Safe future travels!

Jane, yes, be careful with those forbidden items. When we landed at O’Hare, there was a cute little beagle who had sniffed out a woman who had just thrown out an apple. Those dogs are impressive.

If you happen to find yourself at Bachmann’s at the Lucerne train station and you’re looking for a treat, they have a great little chocolate bark sampler. I may have accidently eaten the one I bought for one of my neighbors. I figured she wouldn’t appreciate Swiss chocolate as much as I do. 😊 They also have the best chocolate buns, called schokobrotcen, I think).

Hope you have great weather and no crowds in Lucerne.

Pat, you are very brave for continuing to fly with BA. 😊

Carrie, you saved me from wasting my apples. Our “go to” snack on the trails in Switzerland were apples and nuts. We ended up with 2 apples each we had bought from the COOP.
So, as I’m reading what you wrote about the “lady who had just eaten an apple,” I realized that we have to eat out apples before we land in SFO.
One down; will save the other for later this evening before we land.
Once again, you have helped a fellow traveler. 😊

Carrie, BA upgraded us FREE to First Class for the way home. My husband proudly wears his First Class pj's and slippers around the house. He will never leave them now.....

Hey Swiss Forum pals! Been off the grid for a bit so nice to read the posts and catch up. Carrie I also read people were seeing the cows come down this week and thought of you.

I am of the same mind as everyone else, despite all the complications and added layers of stress, it was totally worth it to do the trip this year. There is nothing that can compare to the Alps. We had the added bonus of some nice locations in Austria and a finish in Paris. It felt good getting the negative test results at the end.

We, too, had the beagle in LAX zero in on my husband’s backpack from apples we had carried all over for all the hikes we had done since we love to eat them on the trail. Cutie pie zeroed right in on that Apple smell. They just had us run the bags through the scanner and we were on our way.

I am planning England next Spring. Hubby stays home, this will be a trip with my brother and his son. Special deal. Like Pat we have massive amounts of BA miles, even more now since we bailed on BA for the trip over to Switzerland this year and just took them back. But since this is to England will work out fine. Also just got my booster shot ! So that’s on my CDC card now and should serve well for travel next year. I also have an Air France voucher to use. Brother and nephew work so have to return from England after about 10 days, should I pop over to Switzerland pals? We didn’t get to do Montreux again this time which I was sad about. Air France to Geneva and a few days in Montreux? Yes, already dreaming.

So nice to have “met” so many great Swiss pals on here. My full trip report in the works. Will enjoy reading all of yours.

Salud! Chris

Chris,
the stresses of covid travel did bring a group of us on this Forum together. I did enjoy the camaraderie .

When in the spring are you going? We accidentally hit Easter one year, and the Prague Easter markets were delightful, in addition to the most beautiful Easter service in the Salzburg cathedral, [and we don't speak a word of German.] I digress.... Anyhow, my point is to either avoid Easter or go for the Festivities somewhere, if the dates match up.

After being in the Alps, the Swiss cities still leave one wanting, altho the French areas are charming.

We head to Germany and Austria late April, 2022.

Cchapin, I so wish I had been there to see the cow parades, but I am still so thrilled to have seen any cows at all. So funny there was another apple sniffing beagle. 😊 Congrats on the booster shot.

I just found out yesterday that my sister and bro in law will be unable to travel next year. So, our tentatively planned trip to Italy in March is out. So, I’m in the process of figuring out what to do. Our recent trip to Switzerland was my first time out of the country and my first vacation in almost 20 years. So, I’m still lacking in travel experience and confidence. I’m leaning towards saving Italy for another time, perhaps when they can join me, and planning a solo trip to Switzerland in May and/or June. Switzerland felt easy to me, in large part I think due to the travel pass, and it felt safe. So, I think I will be less anxious about traveling alone there. I need to ponder this a bit.

Thanks for the Easter tip Pat! Still waiting on their dates but my guess is May or June will be our travel window. Now I have to get on the England boards and start research there.

Carrie, I would have no qualms at all about doing Switzerland solo, especially with the travel pass. It’s safe and easy to get around as you know. Only thing I would not do solo there is any remote hiking, I would only hike well used trails. I will have no fear doing Montreux by myself if I do that after England next year. I used to travel 200k internationally on business for years, learned how to stay safe as a solo female, and most places in Europe aren’t a problem. There are threads and articles here on female solo travel, always lots of good tips.

I hope even though we’re all headed to different spots next year we stay in touch and hear about the new trips. Been so nice meeting you all.

Cheers, Chris

Carrie, it has been wonderful to follow your trip as we forge ahead on our own. You gave me the courage to take the plunge and go this fall despite Covid. And maybe someday you will see the cows come out of the hills. Or go up to the hills. Five years ago when we were in Wengen a group of cows were brought through town to a grassy area right in the center of town. They were all wearing their big bells and were quite a sight. We asked about it at the cheese shop next door and were told the farmers were having a contest of sorts, clerk called it a “cow beauty pageant”. Hubby and I still laugh about this.

Happy planning for your next adventure!

So, my sister found this online company, swiss made direct, that ships products from Switzerland to all over the world. I may have ordered some of the paprika chips. Just as an experiment to see how it is shipping potato ships halfway around the world. 😊 I’ll let you all know the condition of the chips once they arrive and if it’s worth the enormous cost to have them shipped. I’m sure it will be totally worth it!!! 😊

https://swissmade.direct/shop/swiss-food-and-drink/snacks/zweifel-paprika-potato-chips-175g/

They also ship chocolate, for those who are already missing the “real” Swiss chocolate.

Bmills, as you are lucky to be going to Switzerland soon, be sure and check out the Zweifel paprika chips, found almost everywhere, as they will surely enhance your experience. 😊

P.S. A little shopping tip: If you add the potato chips to your shopping cart and then don't complete the order (like i did, as i was just curious about the price), they will send you an email for 10% off your order. I couldn't resist. So, that's how i ended up ordering them. I was suckered in by the discount. 😊

You go Carrie……we just had a PERFECT day in Stein Am Rhein……why don’t we know more about this fairytale town! The building fronts are painted and you will think you are on a movie set…….charm, charm, charm…….the weather was perfect…..we enjoyed it so that we ran out of time and missed going to Rhine Falls but saw them from the train window and they were unreal. RSteves needs to add this adorable village to his tours…….we loved it! Home tomorrow……all documents in order👍🏼

Argh! Carrie, I of course had to order the chips and chocolate from your link. The chocolate mostly because we have already broken into the gift chocolate we brought home for someone else. Guilty.

Jane, glad to hear you really liked Stein Am Rhein. That was on my list of "extras" if we had more time, but we didn't make it. It does look so charming from all the pictures and videos I have seen. Have a safe fight back home. Maybe throw a few apples in your bag to see if they pass the beagle test at the US airport. :)

cchapin100, good, i'm glad i'm not the only one ordering chips from across the world. According to the tracking info, my chips are still in Basel. Will be interesting to see how long the delivery takes. I hope they arrive before next Saturday, when i plan to see my sister. If not, i'll just have to eat them all myself. :)

The paprika chips have just arrived early, direct from Switzerland!!!! They were well packed and not damaged. Expire mid-December. Now, the trick will be not eating all of them before i see my sister next saturday. :)

Let us know if you make it. If so your willpower is to be greatly admired!

Got my chips and chocolate today. Put the chips on the back shelf in the pantry. Alas, they didn’t make it past lunch. At least it’s a nice sized bag. Someone here told me to look at Aldi and see if they carry them. I did put the gift chocolate far up and away so it won’t get touched.

I love Aldi….they have everything tho hubby and I did visit one in Lucerne looking for a Cranberry water that we love to drink here in Tennessee and the clerk had never heard of it!

Cchapin, glad you got your essential supplies. 😊 They make it a little too easy, don’t they? I’m afraid ordering the chips will become a habit of ours. Although, I just did the math and the chips came out to $15 a bag (cost + shipping), which I don’t think is outrageous.

I went to my sister’s today and she STILL had some chocolate left. She was nice and gave me some.

Jane, that cranberry water sounds good. Did you try the rivella in Switzerland. I intended to try it, but I guess I forgot about it. Too busy stuffing our faces with chips I guess.

Rivella? What is that? I am still thinking EVERYDAY about our wonderful trip and how glad I am that we chose Switzerland to travel to as our first “break-out-during-covid” international trip……did not have to worry about pickpockets, renting a car….just walk gorgeous trails through that incredible scenery…..when my hubby had Covid our dear friends showered us with these wonderful flavored waters……one was from Aldi and was Cranberry flavored…..we mix it now with the ICE carbonated flavored drinks (you can find these anywhere) and it is our drink of choice…….SO GOOD……..so we thought we could easily find the Cranberry water in Switzerland but the Lucerne Aldi did not have any….so sad……..got back home and stocked up again!

I tries Rivella and I think it's an acquired taste. Hard to describe- like a weak ice tea with some unidentified flavors. So glad the shipments of snacks arrived safely!

This thread was so great for all of us last year. Pals who went last year (Pat, Carrie, Jane, Jamie, etc.) where is everyone going this year? I know Carrie is headed back, lucky one, but I seem to recall many of us were headed elsewhere this year. I myself leave in a month for England and Jersey (Channel Islands). DH is staying home, this is for some of my family and a roots trip. My brother, his wife and my nephew who just graduated from college. London, then Cambridge with a day trip to Ridgewell to see where our Dad flew in WWII, then to Jersey where our mother’s family has lived for over 500 years. Then brother and wife head home and nephew and I return to London for theater, more museums. The biggest issue is packing! It’s not summer! Wet and cold, have to remember what it was like when I lived in Seattle not Southern California where we are now. Anyway too many people to PM everyone and just curious. Maybe thread will get tossed but thought I would try. We all became such good friends!

Going to Germany and Austria end of April. Am waiting for updated covid rules. Hopefully crossing borders will not require testing. Safe travels to all. I am curious where you all are going!

Cchapin100, I feel like we need a Switzerland reunion. 😊 I wish my trip was sooner. June feels so far away. But then I have Austria in Sept. and Italy (with my sister and bro in law) for next March. England sounds fabulous. It’s on my list, but I’m a little afraid of the airport and the tube. I’m hoping once I get some more travel experience my anxiety over the transportation will lessen. Have a great time and I look forward to hearing all about it.

Pat, I’m waiting to hear all about your Germany trip as I have the rhine valley at the top of my list. Did you hear this about Austria?

https://www.schengenvisainfo.com/news/austria-lifts-all-domestic-covid-19-restrictions-on-march-5/

April is so soon. Have a fabulous time!!!

Carrie, I did see that, but thanks. It looks like no testing for boostered folks to enter the country! Will keep following your travels. The Rhine Valley will be one of our focuses! Safe travels!

Hi Chris, Pat, Carrie: Heading late August-Sept. and RS' South Italy Tour, which begins in Rome and ends in Naples. I'll be in search of the perfect/best Limoncello in Sorrento. And in Naples, for the best Margherita pizza!
We'll be gone over a month! After the tour we were headed to France and then Spain, but couldn't get excited about that part of the trip, so a few weeks ago, changed our plans. We are now headed to Milan and then Varenna after the tour. We had previously been to Varenna on the Best of Italy tour, and wanted to return to Lake Como.
From Varenna,...well, Switzerland was "too close to ignore," so thanks to the influence/enthusiasm of Pat and Chris and Carrie and Jane, we are headed to Pontresina (new), Wengen, and Engelberg (new) to go to Mt. Titlis. It will be our fourth and probably final trip to Switzerland.
Jane, where are you headed?

Carol,
You will love Switzerland, and you are visiting beautiful areas. It's one country I'd return to every year if I was able.

We visited Mt Titlus, and it was the most "religious" experience a non-religious person could have. It's not as commercialized as the Jaugfraujoch, and on a spectacular day you'll not want to leave. Do walk on the suspension bridge- it's not as scary as it looks, and it's very safe. We then took the gondola down to the first stop, and hiked back to town, which took much longer than the sign posted. The RS Tour group visited the Abby for cheese-making, but it took us too long to get down.

I also want to return to Varenna, as covid nixed that trip-maybe 2023?

Have a great time and safe travels!

Oh wow! I can’t wait to read everyone’s trip reports! Places to go, things to see. Always something to have on the books for the future. Sooo happy everyone is planning something and envious of the Swiss returners especially. But it will be a blast to read everyone’s reports and think about future trips and a variety of places. I guess I am first up (3 weeks from Tuesday) so will make sure to pop in and let everyone know where to find my TR.

Carrie, England will be very easy for you whenever you put on your list. It’s English speaking so that is half the battle right there in terms of getting around.
Everyone else please post TRs! So glad to have made good friends here and to get so many good tips on general travel. Pat I am using the very last of my BA miles to fly me and nephew business class but I had a VERY hard time finding mileage tickets, so we’re going out of Chicago. Used your tip of checking Flightaware and at least that flight is very consistent.

I am struggling with packing for this trip, may post on the packing forum. It won’t be summer! And this whole trip is more city oriented so less hiking clothes and more “nice” clothes. UGH!
All the best to my Swiss pals!

Carol, what a great trip you have planned—Italy and Switzerland!!! So happy you are going back to Switzerland. My plan is to try and add Switzerland to all my trips. 😊 When I go to Austria, I will fly out of Zurich. And when we go to Italy next year, we will fly into Zurich and stop in Lugano for a few nights before heading into Italy. I can’t wait to hear about your trip, especially the Rome part as I’m headed there next year. And it sounds like I need to look into Pontresina for a future trip as I keep hearing about it.

Pat, being in Germany and Austria, you will be so close to Switzerland, maybe you could pop in to stock up on chocolate and paprika chips.

cchapin100, I can’t help with the “nice” clothes. All my clothes are from REI and north face—tshirts and fleeces. Good luck!!!

Planning a trip to the Dordogne in France late April to mid-May. We are very excited about going post Covid after a wonderful trip to Switzerland last September. That was a great entry-back-to-Europe trip as we hopefully see Covid on the way out. This is the third time we have planned this trip over the past 2 years and now hope we will see it come to fruition this spring. We have been to France 3 times and look forward to spending the last 5 days in Paris as we have on our last 3 trips. So ready for this adventure in France again! We were scheduled to take a bucket list trip to the Christmas markets last December but cancelled when we got home from Switzerland after seeing that a lot of them had been called off for last winter…..trying now to decide if we will try that trip again for 2022 with Pat’s wonderful prior trip report and planning it all over again….think we will have a better idea on what to do when we return from France in May! Happy travels dear friends!!!

Jane, glad you also have a trip coming up. I had to google Dordogne as I’m not familiar with it. Looks fabulous!!! Have a great time and be sure to tell us all about it.