We are on our way home, currently in Paris at Charles DeGaule Airport.    Done nicely but the French don’t know how to organize like the Germans and Swiss.   If you ever transfer in Paris leave plenty of time!  We hated to Leave Switzerland,   every where was beautiful scenery and the cousins treated us royally.   And they tell us we left too little time to see much at all and have to come back with more time.     Charles please thank everyone again, we thoroughly enjoyed our time.    Our biggest regret was not having more time to spend with cousin Emil, our short time was very enjoyable.   We met Emil at one end of Lake Lucerne as we took a 1906 steamer (since converted) to Lucerne.  A wonderful boat ride on a warm sunny day.   We had a late lunch in Lucerne and a little sight seeing.   That was Thursday, Friday we relaxed the morning and then Charles let us up the mountain roads to Amden, a town where Marie’s friend from New Glarus hails.   We had ice cream and took in the sights.

More pictures to come, now getting ready for a long plane ride.   And Monday time in the car returning to Oshkosh.

none of the pictures really do justice to being there.

There is Emil! He reminded us all of Chris’s Dad Frank

On the boat ride to Lucerne, Charles Kathy and Marie

We drove on that road, where there are mountains you need to cut into them and through them

The boat we were on looked similar to this

in Lucerne, covered bridge from the 1400’s behind us

The train to Zurich was very nice, and on arriving in Zurich we were surprised to be met by Marie’s friend Kathy.    Kathy greeted us to Switzerland and helped us to the next train to the Zurich airport and to find the car rental offices there.  The car rental went well and we left with our Skoda wagon.  The GPS is such a wonderful addition!    The ride was less than an hour to Einsiedeln.   And since arriving we have been treated royally by Chris and Marie’s cousins.   Charles is always there for us!  We had a great meal that evening at the hotel, which is right across the street from Einsiedeln Abbey Church /Monastery.  The girls had told me it would be more beautiful than the churches we saw in Germany and it lives up to expectations.   Amazingly beautiful.

http://www.einsiedeln-tourismus.ch/en/abbey-pilgrimage/abbey

We have done a little walking around town, today took a hike on the mountain, actually Chuck and Walter would say Holzegg really doesn’t qualify as a mountain!   But it had beautiful scenery and we spent a good part of the day.   The girls took the tram and I got some hiking in.   So life is grand!   Tomorrow a lake cruise on Lake Lucerne and a little time in Lucerne.   So it keeps getting better.

Abby Church

Charles has a robotic lawn mower that was a highlight

Leaving Charles house

Looking back to Einsiedeln from Holzegg hike

Swiss cows graze the slopes

break time up top

looking down the other side and Lake Lucerne down the valley

something new for lunch

Familia at lunch

Do you know what a Chamois is?

On our hike!

On the railjet train from Salzburg to Zurich.  About 5 1/2 hours, and seeing lots of beautiful countryside.  Yesterday turned out to be a beautiful day for walking Salzburg and today looks the same, warming into the 70’s.   Yesterday morning we found a nice coffeeshop near the hotel for a light breakfast then grabbed a taxi to the other end of old city to the high fortress.  The fortress can be seen from around the city and was one of the few never over taken from the 1200’s on.   Luckily a tram took us up, although you can walk.  Beautiful sights overlooking the city and countryside, amazing how it could have been built.  Salzburg is home to Steigl Bier, and near the base of the fortress is the Steigl bier hall with a garden overlooking the city.   It was now afternoon and a good place to stop for a light kase and sausage plate, of course with a few beers.  After that we continued down into the old city and sightseeing.   Even though most stores are closed on Sunday many restaurants and cafes are open and enough vendors to suit us!   Past Mozart’s birthplace, multiple churches.  The Mirabel Palace and Gardens are beautiful and I think we visited the perfect time of year.   And now we need to rewatch The Sound of Music to try and match the views!  By the time we walked across city back to our hotel it was time for an ice cream and a break!  I caught up on details for today’s trip and then we planned a dinner in the hotel restaurant, supposedly the Pitter has the oldest bier kellar in Salzburg.  And our reservations were necessary since the World Cup Football game started while we were there!  So travel day today, and looking forward to settling down in Switzerland for the rest of the week!

overlooking Salzburg from the fortress

tram up to the fortress

Looking out from the fortress

Stiegl seasonal specialty

platz at Mozart’s birthplace

Mirabel gardens

the girls were models for the statue!