|
|
We all met
at Nice, after flying in from the USA. |
|
|
|
This photo
is taken on the morning of our second day.
|
|
On the
board walk in Nice. |
|
|
|
November in Nice,
a cold and sunny day! |
The Rivera in
November is cool and crisp. No one was
swimming or near the
water. It was a sunny day and we
had a full day of travel
adventures ahead of us.
|
The famous
Nice Flower market. |
|
|
|
We were
there early and people we just setting up.
|
|
On
afternoon of the 2nd day we bussed to Monte Carlo |
|
|
|
This is the
royal Palace of Monaco. We caught the changing of the guard. |
|
|
|
|
|
Impressive
but not quite the scene at Buckingham Palace!
|
|
Monte Carlo
harbor. A beautiful scene. |
|
|
|
There were
boats of all sizes and shapes in the harbor.
|
|
The world
famous Casino at Monte Carlo. |
|
|
|
You had to
pay admission to enter and gamble. I saved my money!
|
|
All a board
for Geneva! |
|
|
|
After 3
days in Nice we headed to Geneva and our first train ride. |
After of three
days sightseeing in Nice and Monte Carlo we
were at last going to
ride a train. We boarded this train at the
Nice railroad station
and proceeded along the coast until
we got to Marseilles where we
began to head north. We
traveled through Lyon on our way to
Geneva. When we
arrived in Geneva, we were caught up in a rally
of some
sort which made bus travel slow as it took us from the
station to our hotel. The next morning we had a bus tour
of
Geneva. This chair caught my eye. It was an interesting
piece of
art. Geneva is an interesting city.
It was another cloudy and
cool day!
Next we traveled
by bus around Lake Geneva. We had lunch at
Evion.
It was Armistice day and everything was shut down.
We did see the
Veteran's Parade. The ride around the lake was
very enjoyable.
Great views of the lake.
|
Geneva,
Switzerland |
|
|
|
Chateau de
Chillon |
|
|
We had a tour of
Chateau de Chillon on the edge of Lake
Geneva.
A very interesting castle. There was a doorway that
opened
on the lake, this was the
favorite way to dispose of people who
did not cooperate in olden
times. We ended the day at Lausanne
where we spent the next two
days sightseeing. It is an interesting
city. The weather was
cool and overcast which limited picture taking.
On the second day
in Lausanne we bussed half way to Zermatt and
then we rode the
train the rest of the way to Zermatt. Our main
excursion was to
ride the cog railway up to the observation station.
It was a bust
due to low clouds and snow. It was cold and snowy!
I am glad I
brought layers of clothing. My fleece jacket was a god sent.
|
Observation
Station at top of Cog Railway. |
|
|
|
Lots of
snow and cold wind.
|
|
The cog
railway cars. |
|
|
|
I was very
glad that the cars were heated. |
|
Observatory
at top of Cog Railway |
|
|
|
This
facility is used all winter long. |
After our trip to
Zermatt we returned to Lausanne. The next day
we bussed to a
nearby town to board the Glacier Express for
a day long
excursion. A most impressive train. It operates partly
as a cog
train and part as conventional railroad. It was cloudy
and snowy
most of the way. It was hard to get good pictures.
Since it was
November the snow was beginning to accumulate
in the valleys and
on the mountain tops. The scenery was beautiful
in spite of the
weather conditions. After a several hours riding
the Glacier
Express we arrived at a town outside Zurich. We were
bussed to
Zurich train station where we were to board the
overnight train to
Vienna. It was a sleeper train and were
boarded
at 10:00 p.m. During the evening, we had a long and cold
wait
on the station platform. The
train ride was very interesting since it
was dark out we did not
see much. About half way to Vienna we
experienced a failure of
the light and heat in our sleeper car. It made
for a cold night.
I did not get much sleep. Upon arriving in Vienna
we visited
Schonbrunn Palace, toured Vienna and finally got to
our hotel
tired out. That evening we returned to Schonbrunn Palace
for a
traditional Viennese concert. It was terrific!
|
Glacier
Express train |
|
|
|
The train
moved slowly along it route from station to station. |
|
Schonbrunn
Palace |
|
|
|
This is a
truly beautiful spot.
|
|
Ankor
Bakery Clock. |
|
|
|
This clock
put on a performance at noon with moving scenery. Figures
appeared and moved around |
|
Watching
for noon at the Ankor Bakery Clock. |
|
|
|
Here is our
group huddled up against the cold waiting for the clock to
hit noon.
|
November is a
good time to travel but one must remember
it will be cold. Other
side to traveling at this time is that you
will not encounter many
other tourists on the road.
|
