Prague, Milano, Zurich, Swiss Alps

All the photos for this trip can be found HERE

I have so much stuff to share! Gera’s parents came to visit us, and the whole time they were here, we were really (and sometimes literally) running around!. They arrived on Friday (march 30th), so after coming home from the airport and resting a bit, we got a chance to finally experience some traditional Swiss food! We went out to a restaurant (zeughauskeller.ch) and had some Zürcher Geschnetzeltes (veal pieces on a creamy mushroom sauce) served with rosti (basically hash browns). We also tried a pork elbow cooked in dark beer and Pork Cordon Blu. It was all very good but quite expensive (Thanks for dinner, suegritos).



The next day (Saturday march 31st) we were off to Prague early in the morning. I have been getting better at the whole trip-planning thing, and usually have a self-made guide with info on things like how to get to the hotel and where to eat (and a map or two don’t hurt), but I was glad to see that Gera’s dad brought a couple of Prague “top things” books.
Prague was awesome! It was classic and cultural, historic and diverse, it had castles and KFCs, (I must confess we ate at KFC and McDonalds!!) and it was very inexpensive. The beer was great (supposedly the best in Europe), and the sights were impressive. We did the typical tourist things around town, like Old Town Square and Wenceslas square (prague experience), Prague castle (a huge complex with St. Vitus Cathedral and a lots of other stuff)(Prague Castle), and Charles Bridge (Charles Bridge) . We also took a day trip to Karlstejn Castle (Karlstejn Castle) (the second most popular attraction in the Czech Republic after Prague). Unfortunately I lost the travel books somewhere in Prague Castle. Fortunately it was out last day there, so it was not such a big problem, but I was quite embarrassed and upset. (note on Prague: a lot of movies are filmed there, interesting… prague movie list)

We returned from Prague on Tuesday (april 3rd), and rushed back home from the airport, grabbed another bag with one change of clothes, and ran back out to the train station to be on our way to Milan (or as I like to call it now: MilanO). We were back in Zurich only for like 2 hours. We arrived in Milan and since we were not carrying big heavy bags, decided to do some sightseeing before going to the hotel. The soccer match was at 8:30 (the main reason for being there was a soccer game between Milan AC and Bayern Munich). The Piazza Duomo was filled with tourists and soccer fans making noise and having fun. We went to the impressive shopping mall next door to sit down for a beer (Galleria Vittorio Emmanuelle). It was the most expensive beer I’ve had! 12 euros!. After that, we went to the hotel and only went out again for dinner, which was a bit of a search since we couldn’t find a place to eat because restaurants don’t open until 7pm. We finally gave up and sat down and waited for 7 o’clock to arrive. We had pizza and some traditional rissoto, Gera and his dad went to the game, and Gera’s mom and I went back to the hotel.



The next day in Milano went by pretty quickly too. We went to the Duomo first, and enjoyed the most amazing sights from the roof terrace. We felt like an Italian Quasimodo! We stood in line for the world famous Panzerottis at Luini’s (luini's), and they were delicious. Afterwards we walked to Teatro La Scala (looks very insignificant from the outside), and then to Castello Sforzesco. The castello now houses several museums, but due to lack of time, we walked the grounds, used their “facilities” and called it a visit. Our last stop of this one-day Milano tour was the Pinacoteca di Brera (Pinacoteca), where we got our dose of Italian art. Unfortunately we did not get to see “the Last Supper” (located at Santa Maria delle grazie) because you have to reserve your 15-minute visit waaaay ahead of time (there were no spaces available ‘til august!), but Milano is so close (only a 3.5 hr train ride), we might go there again some day.





Once back in Zurich (home by midnight on wed. april 4), we wondered about sticking to our plan to go to Jungfrauhoch the next day (very early). We were all so tired, we decided it was best to stay in Zurich the next day and then go to a closer mountain for a view of the Swiss Alps. So we enjoyed a late breakfast in Zurich on Thursday (april 5th), a short walk around Old Town, and a very well deserved rest. That night we made fondue (finally! After 6 months here, we eat fondue). It was a bit “alcoholy”, but very good, made from scratch. And of course, chocolate fondue for desert, yummy!





On Friday April 6th we went to a place called Mt. Titlis. ( Mt. Titlis). We took a train to Luzerne, then another train to Engelberg, then 3 cable cars to the top. The views were breathtaking and the weather was very nice (not cold at all, although I did get a chance to wear a beautiful calorimetry Abril knit for me)( Abril's blog). The place was packed with skiers and snowboarders, but we were there just for the sights. They had an Ice cave (where you walk through part of a glacier), and other attractions (like snow tubing and a cable car called Ice Flyer). It was an amazing experience, definitely one to repeat when we get visitors!

Saturday (april 7) we went to the Zurich Art Museum (Kunsthaus). Gera and I had been there before, but they have such an amazing collection, its worth several visits. They had a Rodin exhibit, and we got to see “the thinker” and “gates of hell”.

Sunday was a sad day because Gera’s parents left, and we were all alone again. But we have a month to get ready for the next European tour, when Abril, Roberto, Baba, and Ali come to visit in May (Venice is on the schedule, I’ll keep you posted).