Ouzo, Schnapps, Rosé & Prosecco

[Gem56]

Luzern - a very pretty place

 

[OZDUCK]

Is that bicycle part of a wreck dive for snorkellers? (It does look very pretty otherwise.)

 

[Jacques Vert]

I think most of you have probably guessed that Gem56 and I are not still in Switzerland We made it back home mid-July and have been a little busy since then. So it's about time we finished the TR

Next day we wanted to head up one of the mountains. As Gem56 said earlier, we had originally thought about Jungfrau and after checking the webcams for all the mountains near and far, it wasn't looking promising. Oh well, let's see what tomorrow brings...

 

[amaroo]

Thanks to your timely post I've been able to pull my socks up and catch up on this wonderful trip report.

There had been a storm which took all the sand away, so they were in the arduous process of trucking sand in and then spreading it out. This went on from 9pm to 6am each night. Each morning we could see the sand (presumably what had been spread out the just hours earlier) washing around in the surf. JV mentioned they should be perhaps looking at a dredge, We think they must have been listening... the morning of our departure a dredge was just sitting a few hundred metres off shore.

There were 2 of these big tippers bringing the sand.
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LOL looks like Noosa main beach.

 

[Jacques Vert]

On checking the webcams the following morning, there was thick fog everywhere on the mountain tops; everywhere except Jungfrau that is, which was above the clouds. However, we soon realised that by the time we got there, the clouds/fog would have lifted to the top of the mountain and it would likely be as bad as all the others. Weighing up the mind-boggling cost of taking the three trains to the top against the likelihood that we wouldn't be able to see anything once we got there, we decided to head for the much lower and closer Mt Rigi which was showing signs of clearing later in the day.

On the road...




and it's not looking promising up top.....

 

[Jacques Vert]

As we had stayed in Luzern the previous night (actually at the Holiday Inn Express in Kriens, about 3.5km south of the CBD), we were given a visitor card: www.luzern.com/visitorcard

This card not only gives you free use of buses and trains within zone 10 (wherever that is), but also discounts at cableways, museums, etc. So for Mt Rigi, we drove to the Cable Car base station at Weggis and purchased a Rigi Day Pass: CHF57.60 per person after the 20% discount with the visitor card. (Normally CHF72.00, the day pass is free if you have a Swiss Pass or, of course, 36.00 if you have the half-fare travel card).

The day pass from Mt. Rigi Railways includes the cogwheel train from Vitznau and Goldau up to Rigi Kulm and the cable car from Weggis to Rigi Kaltbad and the cable car from Kräbel to Rigi Scheidegg. MT. RIGI RAILWAYS DAY TICKET | Rigi

On our way:











Hmm...

 

[Jacques Vert]

So after checking out the offerings at the hotel/bar at the top of the cable car (Rigi Kaltbad-First)...




and considering the gloom higher up the mountain....




we decided to take the train up down the moutain to Vitznau and check out the scene down there:




Opened in 1871, the Vitznau-Rigi Kulm is Europe's oldest mountain railway (although probably not electric at the time of opening)...

 

[Jacques Vert]

Vitznau

 

[Jacques Vert]

After taking in the sights of Vitznau we decided to have another crack at the summit of Mt Rigi...











But by the time we got back to Rigi Kaltbad-First, things were not looking promising:






So we decided to stop here and have lunch at the pub near the top of the Cable Car; the one we had checked out a little earlier in the day.

+1 spotted these on the menu. A glass of wine in Switzerland is often around CHF 10 to 15 and that's for 100 to 130 mls

However these were only CHF6 for 500 mls A bargain and it tasted good as well...





And some lunch; this was probably the best value tucker we had in all our time in Switzerland...

 

[Jacques Vert]

After lunch it was time to head up the mountain; now or never...




Weather doesn't seem to have improved...





At Rigi Kulm, after arriving at the station you walk up the hill to the hotel. But rather than climbing all the way, you can take a short cut and enter the lift at the end of this tunnel....





We arrive on the deck at the hotel but the weather is still not kind...





So we wait, and we wait, and we ....

 

[Jacques Vert]

The train goes once per hour. We have been here for a couple of hours already; do we catch the next train or wait another hour........ or two?

We are flying out of Zurich tomorrow so we have to make a decision soon. It will be an hour ++ back to the car park, a 30-40 minute drive back to the hotel to pick up our baggage, an hour's drive back to Zurich, then we have to drop the car off at the airport and back to our hotel for the night on the tram, check in, dinner, etc., etc.

Decisions, decisions....

 

[Jacques Vert]

Eventually we decide we cannot wait any longer; after all the weather will not improve so we are just wasting time...

 

[Jacques Vert]

The weather clears as we head lower...










And looking back at the top of the mountain the weather is....





Oh well, there's always next time!

 

[Jacques Vert]

As we had picked up the rental car at 10:00 AM, we were due to drop it back (this time at the airport) before 10:00 AM. However, we weren't flying out until 15:15. We decided that rather than head out to the airport early morning, we would take the car back the evening before. This would allow us a bit of a sleep in and a couple of extra hours in the morning to get organised for the trip home.

Hotels in Zurich are expensive and our digs, the Kameha Grand Zurich, Autograph Collection was no exception; about $A475 per night. However, only 25,000 Marriott points, so we took that option.

Our room...

 

[Jacques Vert]

So next morning after a leisurely breakfast, we packed our bags and heading for the airport in ZRH.

The tram line to the airport runs directly out the front of the Kameha Grand Zurich, Autograph Collection, although unfortunately it's exactly midway between between two tramstops.

After an approximately 500m walk we board a tram for the airport which takes about 15 minutes; the trams come about every 8 minutes.

Our flight RJ153 departs on time for AMM, via Geneva.




There's some big hills not far out of Geneva...

 

[Jacques Vert]

No service on the short (tag) leg ZRH-GVA but after we leave GVA it's time...

 

[Jacques Vert]

After arriving in AMM, we have a little over 4 hours in the lounge. I forgot to take any photos, sorry. The lounge is OK but nothing remarkable. I always to find it interesting in AMM that the alcohol is at the back of the bar out of sight of most patrons; you help yourself to whatever is available.

Then it's onto RJ182 for another tag flight: this time to HKG via BKK. Service on the AMM-BKK leg was perfectly acceptable but definitely overshadowed by the Asian-based crew who joined us in BKK for the flight to HKG.

 

[Jacques Vert]

We are staying overnight in HKG at the Hong Kong SkyCity Marriott adjacent to the airport.

There is a shuttle from the airport to the hotel a short distance away. As you exit from Immigration/customs, you head to the right and after a short walk towards the end of the terminal there are a number of hotel desks on your left. We book our seats on the next bus, but as a Platinum we are soon paged and provided with a private car and driver; very nice.

Of course, being back in Asia, the hospitality is exceptional and the room very nice:

 

[Jos888]

We are staying overnight in HKG at the Hong Kong SkyCity Marriott adjacent to the airport.

There is a shuttle from the airport to the hotel a short distance away. As you exit from Immigration/customs, you head to the right and after a short walk towards the end of the terminal there are a number of hotel desks on your left. We book our seats on the next bus, but as a Platinum we are soon paged and provided with a private car and driver; very nice.

Of course, being back in Asia, the hospitality is exceptional and the room very nice:

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Looks nice and comfortable after a long flight

 

[Jacques Vert]

Looks nice and comfortable after a long flight

Yes indeed. Especially when that long flight was in fact 4 flights, back to back.