Switzerland. "Danke, Merci, Grazie" (Part 1)

A new day, and the plan was a relaxing one. Our final destination would be St. Moritz, however first we would be making our way to Vals, where we would visit the famous Therme, Thermal Baths designed by architect Peter Zumthor. Again, another architectural visit (though this time with a relaxing twist), one I had been looking forward to particularly to see how it would hold up. My gosh did it ever! The baths themselves are beautifully designed, certainly feeling as though you were descending at the start into a quiet, blissful network of caves with a series of baths at different temperatures and each with a particular theme. 

The exterior of the thermal baths complex

One of the interior baths

The most spectacular however is the baths which leads outside and with a view that is breathtaking. The cold temperature actually made it quite dramatic as it caused a field of steam to hang over the baths, making it a little mystical!

Exterior bath with Alps backdrop

Exterior bath with the veil of steam!

Unfortunately I could not capture the exact view with a photo (you aren't allowed so I have borrowed some from elsewhere!), but with my words and some context photos, try and picture relaxing in a hot thermal bath, overlooking the Swiss Alps not 200m away! 

(For a more in depth architectural review of the baths, see http://www.greekarchitects.gr/en/degrees/made-of-stone-and-water-for-the-human-body-id2843) 

After a greatly relaxing and extremely refreshing few hours, we caught the bus back to town (which itself was an unforgetable short journey rounding some very tight cliffs and passing through some massive gorges) and caught the train on to St. Moritz.

Arriving at just after 8pm we caught the bus to our hostel and walked a short way to reach our destination. Feeling a "little" cold we walked inside and saw the thermometer reading of the outside temperature; -19degrees celcius – blooding freezing!! 

The lovely meal awaiting our starved selves at the hostel.
First steak in over a month! Below; James' response...

Waking up early once more, we stocked up on the inclusive breakfast and rushed out to catch what would be an activity in itself, the Glacier Express. Travelling from St. Moritz to Zermatt, this scenic railway makes its way through the Swiss Alps, ranging from 600-2000m above sea level. This journey would take us 8 hours, and sent us through some sometimes 'nervy' but nevertheless always breathtaking terrain. The views were consistently stunning everywhere we looked and we could not have had a better day; perfect bright blue cloudless skies! Consider that area of the world well and truly photographed.

The Glaciar Express making it's way through the Alps

James (hilariously) reduced to wearing ski goggles

One of many picturesque views

Picturesque view number two

Picturesque view number three

We arrived in Zermatt around 5pm and after settling into our hostel (which was located up an unpleasant number of steps – James aptly noting that he couldn't recall the hostel mentioning it was located actually on the Matterhorn), we then explored the town and got our bearings and info down pat so we could jump straight into skiing the next day. A beautiful sunset and an early night read for a big day ahead.

View from our window the next morning

Rising as early as we felt we could (7am...laughable I'm sure, but we were tired!), we smashed down breakfast, very much excited to get onto the mountain ASAP. Our hired ski gear fitted; we decided which runs we wanted to explore and went to the relevant station to catch the train (yes, train. ..seriously Australia take a hint) up to the slopes. Climbing through the trees and up the incline to 3000m we got our first proper glimpse of the Matterhorn in full breaking daylight – what an awesome sight!

This impression is even without skiing yet, and setting foot on the slopes for the first time we got a look at what we would be exploring that day. The best word that comes to mind to describe the conditions are phenomenal! Everywhere you looked was worthy of a thousand photographs. Being able to ski in such a fantastic environment, we felt almost privileged (despite probably deserving it given the amount we'd paid..). Looking back now, we were insanely lucky to have two days in a row of perfect weather and fantastic snow conditions so we were feeling very grateful towards mother nature! 
  

Skiing in front of the Matterhorn (left)

View from one of the chairlifts

The skiing itself was great fun, with a good variety of runs which meant after mastering one there were plenty more to challenge. Certainly not professionals, we stuck to blue and red (beginner, intermediate) runs which even still seemed to stack higher than home (swiss blue = aus red roughly...) and then occasionally through either improved confidence or sheer stupidity went down the odd yellow and black (hard, expert) runs., That being said, we did quite well I think, only falling a couple of times when attempting a jump or something a little out of our league. I wish I'd caught one of James' mighty falls when he went flying down a slope, over a jump and flying, legs and ski's pointed up landing right on his ass – directly next to a waiting rescue helicopter which was airlifting someone injured down to the base. 

 

We explored the Gornergrat and Rothorn runs

Halfway through the day we found ourselves a little parched, and so as you do, we found ourselves a drink; at an igloo ice bar located midway through a run and probably at 2000m. A great novelty; I grabbed a beer, sat back and took in the view. They even had deck chairs.

Another early night to rest our bodies and we were back skiing again the next day. Choosing a different part of the mountain we started at the top and found a beautiful sweeping run which rounded the edge of the cliffs providing unobstructed views of the Matterhorn and the surrounding Alps, not to mention the sheer drop to the town below.

View from top of Rothorn. (Sorry about dodgy stitch!)

A little hungry, we spotted a restaurant so took off our ski's and walked on over. A large timber deck hanging off the edge, outside bar and some great live music all backdropped by the Alps created yet another surreal moment.

The restaurant deck with Alps in the background

Getting back onto the slopes, I definitely did not want to leave! Unfortunately the day eventually came to an end, but not before exploring a few more runs on the mountain; and some interesting moments; James nearly colliding with a squirrel that ran out of the tree's.

James showing his skills. Taking off goggles not one.

Later that evening we found a bar for a couple of drinks and ended up watching a live jazz gig. The band were straight from the US, with one of the members, on sax apparently playing with James Brown for 10 odd years. Needless to say; some great music and very catchy stuff.

The next morning we said a sad goodbye to Zermatt and James and I also parted ways with Yen who would be travelling to Italy. We jumped on a train and made yet another spectacular journey down the Alps on our way towards Interlaken.

Part 2 of Switzerland coming soon...

Munich. ''It's not German, it's Bavarian!''

Travelling from Bratislava to Munich we travelled via Vienna and crossed through the beautiful Bavarian landscape where we saw our first real snow. Passing through Salzburg before we entered Germany was just amazing; so you have to see it really – check out the photos and video!

 

The idyllic views greeting us in Bavaria

We made it into town at around 3pm and so took the opportunity to walk around, wandering along the main stretch of shops and centre of town; Marienplatz. Getting dark at about 4pm, the street and central square lit up and looked quite magical! Heading back to our hostel, we went in search of some food and found a busy little cafe with a great atmosphere. Not particularly traditional but definately delicious, I grabbed a bowl of gnocci and to make up for it, a big Bavarian beer. An early night to round out an exhausting day of travel!

Entering the city gates at Karlsplatz

Marienplatz with the neo-gothic Town Hall on the left

The close-up of the Town Hall

Walking back along the shopping strip once dark

The next day we decided to tag along on a city tour with what turned out to be quite the energetic and thoroughly entertaining guide; Ozzie. He was very much focused on 'getting us local' so we were questioned and taught more about Bavarian history and culture and introduced to many sights of the city; Ozzie not forgetting to teach us the actual significance of each one. A worthwhile and unexpectedly entertaining tour of Munich.

Walking past the Spielzeugmuseum

Yen and James at Odeonplatz

 

Following this we had a few spare hours left in the day, so we quickly made our way to the BMW Museum; something I had been looking forward to for some time. It didn't dissapoint; the building itself a fantastic display of deconstructivist architecture by Coop Himmelblau. The 'welt' form of the building itself was great to see up close and really is awesome. Additionally the entire complex features some cool lighting, effects of which can be seen in the photos below. The museum was very cool, even for myself as I am not really a large fan of cars, nor bikes or planes; but of course I appreciate them either way and the exhibits certainly were good fun.

Exhibition space inside the BMW Museum

James and I with a BMW concept car

Standing in front of the 'welt' and lit up museum

To round out the day we decided to embrace being a tourist and visit the very-tourist-based Hofbrauhaus. Either way, I enjoyed it; a second time round! A hearty pork goulash with potato dumplings and a litre stein of dark beer always go down well. To top it off, a breaded dessert with thick warm cream, yum!

The 1L stein matched Yen's head. Cheers!

The next morning was a comparitively sombre start to the day. For the second time, I visited Dachau Concentration Camp with James and Yen. Whilst I had been here just two years ago it was still a cold and sobering place and again an arrestive look at a terrible time in history. I could not reccomend going any more greatly; definately something that should be seen at least once.

Dachau Concentration Camp grounds.

A memorial with an important message.

With less time than we had hoped, we then visited the Deustches Museum. A little over 2 hours was certainly nowhere near enough time to see a museum which claims you need 2 full days to see all the exhibits. We decided to split up and just have a look at what we each wanted to see. Having also been here before, I skipped over the fantastic mining, military, metalwork and shipping/automotive exhibits and decided to take a look at the nanotechnology and modern/future science areas. All very interesting and so much to take in! 

The famous Deutches Museum

A little peak of what is inside! Entire ships!

Without even noticing, as we had been pondering around the Museum, a few inches of snow had fallen and had created a beauitful blanket of white across everything! It created a very pretty scene as we walked back to catch the train.

The snowfall at dusk, a beautiful scene!

A chilly walk back through the fresh snow

James just happy he could
build a snowman

Our last night in Munich was spent at the hostel bar, with a few beers, quiet for me, however Yen and James stayed and exploited the 11 free drink cards Yen had received and piled on the shots and cocktails – needless to say a slightly tipsy Yen walked in the room later that night! However, nothing compared to the young British 'lads' who rocked up at about 4am, full of conversation. "Y'aright then?" as they would say...

Leaving Munich early the next morning we set off for Zurich, however we would be making a stop at Neuschwanstein Castle, a few hours out of town and luckily on our way. Arriving at the base of the mountain atop which the castle sat, we bought our tickets and began a 30min walk up the trail to the courtyard where our tour of the grounds and building would start. As we climbed the hill we were greeted with some spectacular views of the surrounding landscapes with the small towns below. Topping this by far was the awe-inspiring, post-card view of the castle set amongst the mountain, high above the trees. It has to be seen to believe, so take a look at the photos! This castle was famously the inspiration for Walt Disney's fairytale castle.

James and I with the castle

View from the Castle windows

The fantastic scenery from the castle gates

Setting off again we made our way via train to the point where we had to change, however unfortunately we only had minutes to catch the connecting train and a delay meant we missed this. A two-hour stopover was created so we went in search of dinner. Finding a Croatian restaurant we tucked in and killed some time.

Back on the train, it was 11pm before we made it to Zurich and made it to our hostel. We all settled straight to bed, keen to prepare for what would be just as big a day tomorrow. (Not for James however, he wasn't content with spending a Saturday night inside, so he went looking for somewhere to party! Sadly however all he managed to find was a gay bar and a number of strip clubs, so he resorted to buying a rather expensive bratwurst before returning. At least this is what I heard...perhaps James can expand later?)

Bratislava. Nowhere near Berlin!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbcH_qYkeTc&feature=related - worth watching for a hilarious (fictional) insight to Bratislava.

The closest two capital cities in Europe, Bratislava and Vienna are only around 45km apart so it only took us an hour to arrive this morning. Very cruisy compared to the multiple-hour train rides we had been used to by now!

The start if the tour, near the centre of the Old Town

After navigating our way to the hostel we relaxed for a little in our top floor private 3-bed room (cheap prices convinced us to get some privacy for once!). James found us a free tour that was starting up just after midday so we headed off to this, finding the main square of the town and meeting up with the guide there. A brief discussion of the history of Slovakia and Bratislava and we were off touring through the Old Town. Like others, the Old Town in Bratislava was very pretty and featured quite a number of Baroque buildings and quaint cobblestown walkways and squares. Given the small size of the city, it did not take long to walk around and see many of the sights. 

A number of these scultpures popped
up around the Old Town

Yen, James and I in one of the centre squares of the Old Town

More Old Town quaint..ness

Bratislava Castle from afar

'The Blue Church'

So, after finishing up we went in search of some Slovakian cuisine with two friends we had made, one from Italy and the other New Zealand. Finding a large authentic pub, we all crowded inside and cosied up in the warmth. Opening the menu we were greeted wyouith a couple of things. First, you simply cannot argue with 0.5L of proper good beer for 0.90euro cents. Second, there were some very funny order descriptions for food. For example, some were listed as "the cheap student", whilst the best was "what to order to impress your girlfriend". Grabbing a beer, we then decided on the local delicacy; potato dumplings (very small, similar to gnocci) covered in sheeps cheese and diced bacon. It was delicious and worked very well with beer; but then so does everything!

Yen in front of the Bratislava Castle lit up at night

One of the fantastic views; showing the 'UFO bridge'

Walking outside into the cold again was a sharp slap in the face! Wrapping up, we decided to walk up to the castle and see what the view was like. A short walk, wandering up through some fairly poorly lit and crumbling stairs (which no doubt in Australia would probably have resulted in the whole castle being shut whilst it was repaired – not here!), we made it to the grounds at the top. It was deifnately quite cool up here and there were certainly just as cool views. Though, saying that it was a little dissapointing that the Castle was closed due to renovations. Can't get them all I guess!

The next day we decided to check out a couple of things missed on the walking tour. The first was a small novelty, the national radio station building which took the form of a reverse pyramid which was pretty cool to see. Following this we made our way up the many, many steps climbing up the nearby high terrain to the Slovak Soviet memorial. This place reminded me of the Shrine of Remembrance with its laf arge orthogonal landscaped spaces in front of a vastly scaled central shrine. Unlike in Melbourne however, this memorial towered over the city and presented views that stretched far into the distance.

The Slovak Soviet Memorial

Yen demonstrating the scale of the memorial complex

As it began to get dark we heeded advice we had received earlier from the tour guide and went to the large shopping centre on the banks of the river that ran through the city. The reccomendation was to walk through to the area at the back which would provide great views across the river to the castle and surrounds.It didn't dissapoint and produced some great shots.

The shopping centre, 'Gherkin' copy

James with a pretty lit up embankment and river

Rounding up the day, we head back to the hostel just in time for the free blues gig that the hostel was hosting that night. With a couple of 1.30euro beers, we sat back and took in the great free music – a nice relaxing end to yet another exhausting day!