With a planned visit to friends in Zurich, we looked at our transport options: car, flights, and rail. We opted for buying an InterRail Pass.
Our itinerary took us on the Eurostar to Lille, then to Strasbourg, and finally to Konstanz on the shores of Lake Constance. We then travelled to Zurich to meet up with friends from our boating days on Ribs. After a couple of days in Zurich, we moved on to Interlaken, then Zermatt for some magnificent views of the Matterhorn.
Our last Alpine stop was Chamonix in France, to see Mount Blanc and the Aiguille du Midi, and to enjoy the train ride to the ‘Mer de Glace’. We also enjoyed an excellent meal as the snow fell in the town and the surrounding mountains.
Finally, we ventured to Geneva en route to Lyon, then returned via Lille again for our Eurostar train to the UK.
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STRASBOURG
From Lille, we then enjoyed a fascinating day in Strasbourg. After walking past our hotel, draped in scaffolding, we double-backed and found a lovely hotel beneath the tarps: absolutely no noise, a comfortable room and a great breakfast. The city was compact, well served by trams, and the river trip was enjoyable, particularly for its history and its status as the second seat of the European Parliament. A lovely meal was found in Le Gruber restaurant. Where you could hear the cathedral bells ringing from across the passageway.
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KONSTANZ
Fortunately, Konstanz is relatively compact, as we left the train one stop too early and eventually followed the iPhone Sat Nav to reach the hotel after what seemed a long walk. The hotel provided bus passes for a much shorter trip into town. The central railway station served the centre, forming an integral transportation hub for trains, boats, taxis and buses. An enchanting city on the German shore of Lake Constance.
The Alps could just be made out across the mist of Lake Constance. The River Rhine flows through the vast lake, forming an important waterway in Europe.
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ZÜRICH
From Konstanz, we then travelled to Zurich. Our accommodation was a boutique hotel. A key card with no room number (just one chance to take a picture in case one forgot), and once inside, everything was controlled by an iPad – the TV, lights, blinds and curtains. The notices were also unique.
A boat trip around the lake before our departure to Interlaken.
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INTERLAKEN & GRINDELWALD
After four cities, we moved to the heart of the Alps and the start of our scenic rail tour. The vistas were superb, with lakes and mountains on either side of the train tracks. We had planned to spend two nights here, as well as at our following two stopovers.
Interlaken is a picturesque Swiss town in the Bernese Oberland, known as the “adventure capital” nestled between the turquoise waters of Lake Thun and Lake Brienz. Serving as a gateway to the Jungfrau Alps for year-round outdoor activities like hiking, skiing, and paragliding.
We chose to visit the popular glacier village of Grindelwald on a stunning scenic train journey which lies at the foot of the mountains of Mattenburgh and the Eiger, north face. It is the diversity of the glacier village that makes it so attractive.
The ladies above left arrived on our train to Grindelwald themed all in white which reminded us of snow queens. Magificent sculptured eagles adorned the village centre.
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ZERMATT
Returning to Interlaken we then moved to Zermatt the following day. Back on the mainline track we travelled to French-speaking Martigny. Located on the left bank of the Rhone Valley, at the foot of the Swiss Alps. It is a junction of roads joining Italy, France and Switzerland. One road links it over the Great St. Bernard Pass to Aosta (Italy), and the other over the col de la Forclaz to Chamonix (France). Not that we were travelling by road, but following a short coach transfer we then caught the montain railway with some stunning views of the Rhone Valley looking back towards Martigny. Changing trains at Visp to transfer to the Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn train directly to Zermatt.
Zermatt is a car free mountain village reknown for its iconic Matterhorn views. The train ride was spectacular passing along with some intresting stations enroute, in partcular St Nicolas.
in mountains
Zermatt has an empathy with the English from the days of the first ascent of the Matterhorn. An expedition led by Edward Whymper, a mountaineer and explorer, made the first ascent in 1865. Four members of his climbing party were killed during the descent. The Matterhorn was the last great Alpine peak to be climbed.
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CHAMONIX – Mont Blanc
It had been many years since we last visited Chamonix, in the days when I used to visit this part of France monthly. Then we had an exciting cable car trip to the top of the Aiguille de Midi. This time, it was under maintenance and not running.
Time to visit the magnificent Mer de Glace!
A two carriage electric and gear wheel driven train took us on an twisting route from Chamonix to the glacier. The snow covered route gave us an opportunity to look back along the valley where we had come from.
A good look around the town with a stop for coffee at the bright pink ‘Rose du Pont’ before enjoying a lovely evening dinner at the ‘La Caliche’ restaurant. La Calèche is more than just a restaurant; it is a true museum of the past. The interior is adorned with antique woodwork, copper-trimmed staircases, and an old-fashioned stove. Vintage skis from the last century and a bobsleigh relic from the 1924 Winter Olympics add to its charm. The walls are lined with old mountain photographs and display the history of the guides’ company in Chamonix from days gone by.
Our last evening in Chamonix was bathed in fresh snow.
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GENEVA – Lille & Home
Our mountain rail journey from the French Alps took us back down the valley to Martigny mainline station to catch our train to Geneva. Le Châtelard-Frontière, the border village between France and Switzerland was a pretty place, which we found with no border controls whatsoever.
Arrival in Geneva and it was pouring with rain. We trudged a short distance to our accommodation before hading to view the Arrival in Geneva and it was pouring with rain. We trudged a short distance to our accommodation, checked in using the internet – no reception! We then headed to view the famous fountain on Lake Geneva. Alas as I framed the fountain in my iPhone it simply fizzed out in front of our eyes. We had heard that during poor weather, with strong wind and rain, it was often switched off!
Never mind we had the opportunity to visit the Christmas Market along the lakeside, virtually all to ourselfes as the weather was dauting for most visitors.
The following day we caught the train, firstly to Lyon for a TGV connection to Lille, then an overnight stay before the next morning, using the Eurostar, back to Blighty
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