Way to Engadine..., january 2014

For few day we went to Engadine

The Engadin or Engadine is a long valley in the Swiss Alps located in the canton of Graubünden in southeast Switzerland. It follows the route of the Inn River from its headwaters at Maloja Pass running northeast until the Inn flows into Austria, one hundred kilometers downstream. The Engadin is protected by high mountains on all sides and is famous for its sunny climate, beautiful landscapes, and outdoor activities.

From Zurich is about 2.5 hour to get there. Our train go throug amazing mountains lanscapes....

Zurich, new year 2014

My next visit to Zurich was in end of december 2013 for new year vacations...

Weather in Zurich was very warm in compare with Moscow... about +5, mostly with sun)

City was decorated nice. Some photos....

This thermal bath complex.
http://www.thermalbad-zuerich.ch/index.asp?id=1406161408451442&kat=home 
I highly recommend this place if you like Spa and thermal baths...very good service with cheap price.

Swiss cuisine, first imresssions...

During my first meeting with Switzerland I tried to eat only meals of swiss cuisine.

Mosty they are very tasty:) And of course many with cheese)

Fondue is a Swiss, Italian, and French dish of melted cheese served in a communal pot (caquelon) over a portable stove (réchaud), and eaten by dipping long-stemmed forks with bread into the cheese.

Normally swiss people eat fondue in winter season but in touristic places you can find fondue all year. 

We ate in restourant but as usual swiss people made fondue at home coz its very easy meal.

Raclette is both a type of cheese and a Swiss dish based on heating the cheese and scraping off (racler) the melted part. The Raclette cheese round is heated, either in front of a fire or by a special machine, then scraped onto diners' plates; the term raclette derives from the French word racler, meaning "to scrape," a reference to the fact that the melted cheese must be scraped from the unmelted part of the cheese onto the plate.

 

Lucerne, november 2013

From Interlaken to Lucerne is just about 1 hour by car.

Lucerne is a city in north-central Switzerland, in the German-speaking portion of that country. Lucerne is the capital of the Canton of Lucerne and the capital of the district of the same name. With a population of about 76,200 people, Lucerne is the most populous city in Central Switzerland. 

Due to its location on the shore of Lake Lucerne (der Vierwaldstättersee), within sight of Mount Pilatus and Rigi in the Swiss Alps, Lucerne has long been a destination for tourists.

 Was cloudy weather but anyway Lucerne is one of the beautiful cities in Swiss.

The Kapellbrücke (literally, Chapel Bridge) is a covered wooden footbridge spanning diagonally across the Reuss River. Wooden bridge first erected in the 14th century. Named after the nearby St. Peter's Chapel, the bridge is unique since it contains a number of interior paintings dating back to the 17th century, although many of them were destroyed along with most of the centuries old bridge in a 1993 fire. Subsequently restored, the Kapellbrücke is the oldest wooden covered bridge in Europe, as well as the world's oldest surviving truss bridge.

Bertel Thorvaldsen's famous carving of a dying lion (the Lion Monument, or Löwendenkmal) is found in a small park just off the Lowenplatz. The carving commemorates the hundreds of Swiss Guards who were massacred in 1792 during the French Revolution, when an armed mob stormed the Tuileries Palace in Paris.

Interlaken, november 2014

After Grindelwald we went to Luzern through Interlaken.

Interlaken is a town in the Swiss canton of Bern. It is an important and well-known tourist destination in the Bernese Oberland region of the Swiss Alps, and the main transport gateway to the mountains and lakes of that region. The town is located on the Bödeli, between Lake Thun and Lake Brienz, and alongside the Aare river that flows between the two lakes.

Little walk in center of Interlaken...

 Cows on field in center of Interlaken...was very surprised)

Grindelwald, november 2013

After Montreux we went to Alps to Grindelwald.

Grindelwald is a village in the Interlaken-Oberhasli administrative district in the canton of Bern.
Village is located at 1,034 m (3,392 ft) above sea level in the Bernese Alps.
From there you can see one of highest Alp mountain - Jungfrau.
The Jungfrau (German: "maiden/virgin"; 4,158 metres (13,642 ft)) is one of the main summits of the Bernese Alps. Together with the Eiger and Mönch, the Jungfrau forms a massive wall overlooking the Bernese Oberland and the Swiss Plateau, one of the most distinctive sights of the Swiss Alps.
But november is not best time to go there. Weather is cold and changed quickly, days is short already.
You cant enjoy walking like in summer and still cant enjoy snow like in winter...no season
 Our nice hotel
http://www.hotel-aspen.ch/
Was bit exepensive, but perfect view, outdoor smimming pool and spa zone

 Grindelwald

 By small train we went up to Kleine Sheidegg, but decided stop here and didn't go up to Jungfrau, coz started snow and you couldnt see nothing from top...So next time:)