December 30th, 2011
I travelled from Berlin to Zurich on the overnight City NightLine train, arriving in the morning and leaving my bag at Zurich's only hostel (which cost more than the train) before hopping back on the train to Sargans to take a bus into Liechtenstein. After walking an hour in Liechtenstein I got back on the bus and back to Sargans, where I caught a train to Bregenz, Austria, before returning to Zurich to spend a long, nostalgic evening with an old friend.
Zurich, Switzerland
Zurich is the financial capital of Switzerland, which in turn is the financial capital of Europe. Prices are out of this world, and so is the surroundings. Switzerland, in its entirety, is a place I will definitely return to.
Sargans, Switzerland
Sargans is a small town on the border with the city-state of Liechtenstein.
Buchs, Switzerland
Buchs is directly across the border from Vaduz, Liechtenstein.
Altstatten, Switzerland
Altstatten is between Buchs and St Margrethen along the Swiss-Austrian border.
St. Margrethen, Switzerland
St. Margrethen is a town on the Swiss-Austrian border near Bregenz, Austria.
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A yard switcher and road engine dance around St. Margrethen station as I wait for my connection into Austria.
December 31st, 2011
I took the train from Zurich to Geneva where I caught up with my family in transit in a different direction entirely, and celebrated New Years at the Hotel Calvy in Geneva.
Zurich, Switzerland
Zurich is the financial capital of Switzerland, which in turn is the financial capital of Europe. Prices are out of this world, and so is the surroundings. Switzerland, in its entirety, is a place I will definitely return to.
Neuchatel, Switzerland
Neuchatel is between Zurich and Geneva.
Morges, Switzerland
Morges is between Zurich and Geneva.
Geneva, Switzerland
Geneva is the southwestern most city in Switzerland, along the French border at the end of Lac Lemac, a beautiful, scenic lake in the Alps.
January 3rd, 2012
We drove to Montreux to explore the scenic city.
Nyon, Switzerland
Nyon is between Geneva and Lausanne.
Lausanne, Switzerland
Lausanne is between Geneva and Bern.
Montreux, Switzerland
Montreux is a beautufil small alpine city at the east end of Lac Lemac, the other end of which has Geneva.
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The Chemins de Fer des Rochers de Naye, a rack and pinion railway, climbs into the mountains out of Montreux station.
January 4th, 2012
I took the train from Geneva to St. Moritz and back. At Bern, all photos the camera took were corrupt for the duration of my trip and I did not find out until getting back to Canada on January 7th. The photos lost stretched from Bern to St. Moritz on the 4th, a trip to Lyon and Grenoble, France, on the 5th, and a short tour of Geneva itself on the 6th on the way to the airport. Bug reports have been filed to both Canon and Nanogear, whose camera and 32GB card respectively failed to communicate passed the 8GB mark with all pictures being written as NULLs with no error generated. The immediate playback from the camera's memory worked so there was no hint of trouble until it was too late. Tragic. Photos of the viaduct and tunnel at Filisur are extracted from the video. Others may follow.
Geneva, Switzerland
Geneva is the southwestern most city in Switzerland, along the French border at the end of Lac Lemac, a beautiful, scenic lake in the Alps.
Romont, Switzerland
Romont is between Lausanne and Bern.
Bern, Switzerland
Bern is the capital of Switzerland.
Chur, Switzerland
Chur is the base of the narrow gauge railway that runs up to St. Moritz and several other communities throughout the region and continues on to Italy through the high Alps.
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I took the train from Chur to St. Moritz and back, a gorgeous run high into the Alps covered by the EuRail pass that I highly recommend anyone who goes to Switzerland takes.
Filisur, Switzerland
The site of one of the most impressive viaducts I've ever seen at Landwasser, Filisur is a junction point on the narrow gauge line from Chur to St. Moritz.
