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It was primarily a lake trip.  We didn’t really intend for it to be a lake trip, but it certainly ended up that way. Our real goal was to spend three days visiting family friends who live on the Bodensee or Lake Constance in Switzerland before turning around and heading back to Barcelona.  Lake Constance (Bodensee) lies between Germany, Switzerland and Austria and we have visited our friends there in previous years (see Life on the Bodensee).  However, Allita has mostly flown into Switzerland and never explored any of the other lakes, of which there are many, so on this trip, we decided to do something new for her benefit.  We went lake hopping.  

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Most of the lakes in this area can be attributed to the Alps.  Makes sense, right?  Huge chain of massive mountains and water runs downhill, so there should be streams, waterfalls, rivers and ultimately, lakes.  In fact, there are so many lakes that sometimes it’s difficult to remember just which one you are passing.  Because we have EU-only mobile phones, we were unable to use our cellular GPS devices in Switzerland, so our trip was conducted entirely old-school.  Thankfully, we had an excellent navigator (my mother) armed with an extraordinarily detailed map, so we were quite never as lost as we feared we were.  Additionally, the lack of computer-automated voice constantly chirping piloting instructions at me was a welcome relief and kept all of us on our toes reading road signs and looking diligently for street names and points-of-interest.  It was a game: the one who could spot the most useful information for the navigator gained the most points.  Usually it was Allita who, from the backseat was not hampered by other duties such as safe driving and had both greater freedom and flexibility for enhanced visual screening.  “I see a MASSIVE BRIDGE up ahead” or “I see ANOTHER lake in the distance!”, she would shout.  Mom would scan her map, identify the most likely name of said object and confirm that we were, indeed, headed in the correct direction.  This was particularly useful in Geneva when we drove through the city on some road we will surely never find again. Somehow, magically, we passed St. Pierre Cathedral, traveled immediately alongside the Rhône and over the Bel-Air bridge, past Pont des Bergues and straight to the Jardins Anglais crossing over the very bridge I wanted Allita to see (Pont du Mont Blanc).   We swept through town and finally stopped at the Geneva Water Fountain to catch our breath and marvel at our urban driving skills.  

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What can I say?  I love Geneva.  I love to ride down the various quai (“docks” or water-front streets) that run alongside the massive lake.  To see things like Maison-Royale and other fabulous buildings, the various parks and beaches, the marinas and yacht clubs.  Why else do you drive to the lake, if not for the fabulous sights along the way?  Well, and the food, of course.  Lac Léman (Lake Geneva) is one of my very favorite places to visit.  We stopped for a short break to stretch our legs, share a small repast and absorb some culture in a tiny town named Thonon-les-Bains.  While there, Allita and I toured an old fishing museum dedicated to the history of fishing on the lake (Écomusée de la Pêche et du Lac) while Mom went people-watching at the Château de Ripaille park.  We enjoyed a miniature frozen treat on the walk back to the car.  I forgot how very small the scoops of ice cream and wafer cones can be in these villages.  Super cute and very refreshing!

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 We spent our first night in a unique B&B overlooking the lake from the cosy town of Lugrin.  Our rooms were on the very top floor of the street-side building that took us nearly an hour to locate because of a gross lack of signage and ongoing construction.  However, the locals were extremely helpful and pointed us in the exact location.  The rest was fairly simple, except climbing four flights of stairs (no elevator!) with all the luggage!  Thankfully, although there was no air-conditioning, our rooms had doors that opened onto a front and rear balcony, allowing cool lake air to sweep across and throughout the suite and cool off the entire place.  Delicious!  

The next day, we woke early and took the scenic route, slowly winding our way through the mountains and valleys that always remind me of Heidi and Ricola commercials. We stopped in Grubenwald for an earlier-than-normal lunch at a typical Swiss chalet-style restaurant, Zum Schlössli. It was magnificent. We all ate too much. As we made our way , we passed the Thunersee, the Brienzersee, and the Sarnersee until we finally entered Lucerne. Mom’s very favorite place in all of the world.  What’s so fabulous about Lucerne, you might ask?  Well, really.  Have you been there?  It’s absolutely gorgeous and massive for the lakes in this area.  They don’t call it Vierwaldstättersee (Lake of Four Cantons) for nothing. 

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Lucerne is a town made for walking.  There are bridges everywhere that cross back and forth over the Reuss (river) and some of them even have names!  We visited Spreuer Bridge and Chapel Bridge to name a couple.  Further, the tiny, winding streets of old Lucerne are really suitable only for pedestrians (although daring drivers in mini-vehicles are allowed!) who can easily and instantly stop and gawk at the amazing architecture and decorations sprinkled liberally around the town.  There are fascinating fountains, random sculptures, painted façades, elaborate signs, brick and stone work that is stunning and a wealth of other visual gems to see.  Also, there are plenty of clocks. The Swiss love their clocks! Suffice it to say, one single day in Lucerne is absolutely not enough time to spend there, but alas, it is all the time we had.  Still, we did park and we did walk and gawk and enjoy many of the city sights, smells and tastes before we made our way to Goldau for the night.  

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Goldau is a lovely little burg snuggled in between Lake Lucerne, the Zügernsee, Lauerzersee and Lake Ägeri.  The biggest boast this town can make is the Natur- und Tierpark (Nature and Animal Park) located just outside of town.  Lynx, wolves and bears – oh my!  We stayed in an absolutely amazing B&B that was actually a private apartment attached to the equivalent of a Swiss mansion.  We had our own private entrance and parking plus our own private gardens that stretched from the front all the way around to the rear and included a lovely patio and huge grassy area.  If I weren’t exhausted, I’m sure I would have welcomed a game of football or frisbee as the location was just so perfect.  The icing on the cake was our hostess who brews her own beer!  Would we be so kind as to taste and offer our opinions on her ales?  A-B-S-O-L-U-T-E-L-Y!  I, personally, would never miss an opportunity to either 1. drink a beer or 2. offer my opinion about something.  She wanted BOTH and for FREE.  I mean, it was heaven.  With a lovely view of the Zügernsee from the front and a kitchen furnished with gourmet coffee and an espresso machine, I could have happily lived there for a month.  However, our agenda did not allow such dalliances.  The next day, we were scheduled to arrive in Rorschacherberg! Bodensee ho!

P.S. Allita totally trounced us on the navigational assistance game. We gave up tallying after she gained a massive lead. Also, I learned this is an excellent way to keep her interested in her surroundings while in the car for many hours! BONUS!!