Sunday, April 01, 2007

Switzerland, Here I Come!

Having just returned from an enjoyable week's stay at the Grand Timeo Hotel in Taormina, Sicily, courtesy of Edward Jones travel program, I confess I was thrilled to learn that I had also qualified for the next trip. So it's off to Switzerland I go at the end of July - 3 days in St Moritz, 3 days in Lucerne and then 3 days in Interlaken and Grindelwald. Wow!

The guided portion of the trip will be in St Moritz and Lucerne so there will likely be plenty of laid on advice, day tours and sight-seeing provided by the travel agency that works for Edward Jones. But I've chosen to extend the trip by three days to focus a little more on the scenery and the out of doors in central Switzerland in the Interlaken and Grindelwald area.

If anyone reading this has any experience in Switzerland, any words of wisdom, any hints or ideas, lay 'em on me! Please! I'm all ears.

7 comments:

Rebecca said...

Hello, I dropped by from the TBR Yahoogroup. Switzerland is beautiful, but ridiculously expensive. St Moritz especially - we once had 3 cokes there and it cost us £20. You will also need to carry your passport everywhere - the police will stop random people and ask them what they're doing, how long they plan on being in the country, etc etc. That's happened to us on three seperate occasions. Also, be aware of what part of Switzerland you're in and whether they speak French, German or whatever - it always helps to at least say 'please' and 'thank you' in whatever they're likely to speak.

Having said all that, it is beautiful. Crisp and gorgeous, like a storybook. If you can, go into the mountains and just be!

Backcountry Muse said...

Thanks for that heads-up, Rebecca. I'll be sure to carry the passport with me at all times.

Stephanie said...

You lucky dog! ANOTHER trip?? Sounds like a wonderful one!

Backcountry Muse said...

No luck, Stephanie! This is a standard part of Edward Jones' compensation package. The idea is to work like a Trojan in order to achieve a certain production level. Everybody who achieves that level wins a trip like this. The really neat part is that they have a selection of about 25 destinations from all around the world that you can choose from. I honestly feel privileged to work for such a great firm.

Aarti said...

I love Interlaken, Paul. It's gorgeous and the people are so friendly, and it looks straight out of Heidi :-) Be sure to take as many great pictures as possible! And if you're there in July, there will probably be a lot of random waterfalls on those mountains, so keep an eye out.

Gavin said...

I've been to Zurich and Lucerne recently and enjoyed it thoroughly !
It's the most beautiful old-world place you could ever imagine. Try to go out on one of the lakes as well as up one of the mountains. The views are spectacular !

Backcountry Muse said...

I'm drooling!

You just can't imagine how much I'm looking forward to this.