Lucerne and Zurich, uneventful cities

I continued my way north to Lucerne and then Zurich. These are beautiful cities, prettier than most other cities, but I could hardly feel excited. Not sure whether it's because of the been-there-seen-that symptom, the fact that I started to get tired after 20 days no the road, or the prospect of much more exotic and exciting Icelandic nature waiting ahead.

Lucerne

There are some attractions that every tourist goes to, such as the Lion Monument, the Chapel Bridge and Jesuitenkirche at the end of it, and the old town. Go visit them and you can check off Lucerne. I enjoyed climbing some of the Nine Towers and walking the old city wall, because there was a huge rainbow on a sunny day! Be prepared though, some of the tower top smells like pee...

Since Lucerne Festival was on, I really wanted to go to a symphony concert by West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, at the KKL concert hall. But I didn't plan ahead and all thentickets were sold out :(

Zurich Lake

I only stayed one night in Zurich, and it was raining most of the time. Suprisingly luckily, the wearher had been good during the past several weeks, so no complains. For the time it want raining, I sat by Zurich Lake and read. Zurich Lake is therefore the only thing I can comment on and it is very lovely.

On the train to Zurich Airport, I suddenly realized this would be my last train ride in a long time.

Swiss Alps and childhood dreams

I first learned and fell in love with the Alps from watching a Japanese cartoon, like so many other important things taught to me by anime and manga. It's called Heidi, Girl of the Alps, by Miyazaki Hayao. Back then I had no idea about the awesomeness of his studio. So I was purely and completely in love with the beautiful story and pictures. I started to form the idea of a perfect life around a big dog, a caring grandpa, endless blue sky with cotton like clouds, and the most luxurious green grass. Time is recorded by the sun, the snow, the animals, and the plants. Dairy and pastry is prepared slow and fresh. This anime series has done hell of a job to present the beauty of the Alps.

(More on Wikipedia. I'm not the only one loving this anime! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heidi,_Girl_of_the_Alps )

Years later when my teacher asked each of us to talk about favorite countries, I chose Switzerland. Probably I didn't mention a Japanese cartoon as the reason. But my reasoning was apparently appealing enough that one of my classmates moved to Switzerland for school and work because of what I said! When we reconnected not long ago. He told me about that class, which I didn't remember at all. Look how you could influence someone without even knowing it ( trying to keep a straight face here).

All these have made Switzerland special in my heart. I didn't join ski trips to the Alps, because I didn't want my first visit to be sitting by the fire and drinking beer ( however good it actually sounds).

This time it is right and proper. The sun is shining, sky bluest, grass greenest. I am in the most relaxing mode, no Blackberry, no laptop. 

Geneva

Had a brief stop in Geneva. Jet d'Eau, the gigantic water fountain, is worth a visit. If more time in Geneva, it might be interesting to visit the UN building. I'm in Switzerland for nature, not for politics. 

Golden Pass Line from Montreux to Interlaken

The Golden Pass Line may be the most famous tourist attraction. It's a super scenic train routes along the lakes and cross the mountains. Swiss train company CFF smartly design the panoramic train to allow as much view as possible. Same price and same route as normal train. I didn't buy Swiss Pass (CHF287 for 4 days) but got a Half Fare Card (CHF120 for a month) instead. If my total train fare is between CHF 120 and 180, then it will be a wise decision.

From Geneva, we need to go to Montreux along side Lake Geneva to start the Golden Pass Line. Montreux is a wonderful stop to admire Lake Geneva. I just walked by the lake, and sat there eating ice cream.

From Montreux to Interlaken, sit at the left for better view. I didn't reserve seat, and the train wasn't too crowded.

As the train moved higher into the mountains, every picture was prettier than the previous ones. Until, like a dream came true, I saw the exact pictures from the cartoon! It almost felt unreal.

Three hours passed so fast. If I were to do it again, I would use the CFF luggage service to send my luggage to destination. Then I can get off at any small station and spend an hour lying on the grass, imagining how Heidi sees, smells, and feels in the cartoon.

Interlaken and the Jungfrau Region

Many tourist who visit Jungfraujoch or ski stay at Interlaken. It is therefore the typical touristy little town where there are always more tourists than locals. Upside: everything is so convenient for tourists.

I checked the weather on Jungfraujoch, which wasn't promising. Always check the weather before paying +CHF100 going up there, only looking at clouds or fog. And I was not excited at all about joining the crowd to see one snow covered mountain. Jungfraujoch has the highest train station in Europe. Big deal? Understand that Jungfraujoch is the top tourist attraction. I'm not the "check off the list" kind of tourist though.

My hostel has map of all the hiking trails in Jungfrau Region. And I knew then and there that if I didn't hike in the Alps, I would always wonder how great the hike could be. So I did what I always do- following my heart and hiking.

To hike the most beautiful part, I took the train from Interlaken to Grindelwald, then cable car to First where many great hiking trail start. 

First to Lake Balchalpsee

This is a one hour easy hike. It leads to the lake shown on many Swiss advertisements. There were strollers, kids, grandma with mountain sticks, and several happy dogs, but definitely much less girls with full on makeup compared to the Interlaken train station.

Nature is the best gardener and sculptor. The whole trail is blessed with beauty and life. Go in the morning when the shadow of the mountain falls to the other side.

Balchalpsee to Faulhorn

Admit that I enjoy setting goals and conquering them. I continue the hike to Faulhorn at an altitude of 2681 meters. It takes about 1.5 hour one way. The slop is steeper and temperature lower. I put on all the layers on top, but had only shorts all the way...

At Faulhorn is a restaurant. And there is a drawing of the surrounding mountains and their names. I spent 15 minutes trying to figure out the mountains but failed. The view was absolutely great. Overall the best hike I've ever had, all countries included!

I met people who have stayed for weeks, parachuting, skydiving, hiking, mountain biking, and so many other things to do. However, I wanted to leave Interlaken because there are way too many Korean tourists. Some popular Korean TV was shot in Switzerland which serves as the perfect tourism advertsing. Not that I have anything against Koreans. But if I want to be among them all the time, I would just visit Seoul.

Enough of beautiful mountain scenery

I took the other section the Golden Pass Line from Interlaken to Lucerne. The scenery was still incredibly beautiful, but I was not as excited. After church, castle, museum, tomb and garden, scenic mountain has become another category that I've kind of seen enough of the best.

Recharged in Paris

For a trip of more than 40 days, the longest ever for me, I need to stop at some place where I feel comfortable, and can enjoy some down time from all the trip planning. Paris won over London.

Paris can always slow me down. After the first time when I toured all the main attractions following an exhaustive itinerary, the city became my top destination for admiring famous paintings, shopping and window shopping, food, and walking around while doing nothing.

This time I had some plan in mind, such as taking a day trip to Giverny. However, when I actuallu got to Paris, the whether was too lovely to leave the city. It is super sunny but not as hot. So I spent three days in the city without a map or a plan. Now am feeling fully recharged to continue on the journey.

Paris in August

A valid question is that "is Paris shut down in August", considering every August all the colleagues in Paris turn on auto reply and jet off for their summer vacation. Summer can get unbearable for a city without extensive air conditioning. 

The city is still alive! And when the weather cooperates like these three days, it can be even better. Streets are quieter to wonder around. Days are longer and many activities are happening.

Along the bank of River Seine, Paris Plages is attracting all the crowds. The idea is to bring in the sand and pretend you are enjoying the beach. How cute if not desperate. 

Parisians have some innovative eays tomfight the heat, such as-- water spray!

I also did most of the things I usually do when visiting Paris-

Pharmacie shopping for French skincare

It gets easier and easier to purchase French skincare abroad. However, visiting French pharmacie has become a routine for me. Seeing all the French brands squeezed into one place is very satisfying. 

The most famous pharmacie is probably City Pharma (26 Rue du Four, 75006 Paris), because it stocks most brands at very competitive prices. Many complained about City Pharma being too crowded and hard to maneuver. It is pretty quick and easy for me though (living in Hong Kong for three years does bring up my tolerance for crowdedness). I can get everything I want within 30 minutes. Two tips: 1) go in with a list; 2) check out on the ground floor for much shorter queue.

Without makeup bag essentials for two days, thanks to the thief at Oslo central station, I'm finally restocked with my favorite lip balm, hand cream, etc.

Luxury shopping

Since I don't make any money any more, and I've been spending a lot on this trip, I restrained myself from visiting all the designer stores. I do learned quite a few tips regarding shopping in Paris over the past visits.

For tax return purpose, department stores are better than standalone boutiques because you can combine purchases to meet the minimum spending of 175 euro. (Standalone boutiques, especially those along Av. Montaigne, are much better for window shopping) Expect a queue at most luxury brands off Japanese and Chinese customers though.

Between the two biggest department stores, Galeries Lafayette and Printemps, I prefer Printemps. Printemps has better layout, more brands (Goyard as an example), and is generally less crowded. The only problem is the toilet is not free, which is stupid on Printemps part. Moreover, tourists can register online to get extra 10% off on most merchandise.

Food

All the cafes, bakeries, even McDonald I have tried are very good. Everything sounds delicious in French... 

Never a fan of macaroon. I've tried Laduree, Pierre Herme, and many other small shops. None has impressed me. Macaroons to me are too sweet with too much faked poshness.

While others bring home Laduree from the trip, I always pay my last visit to Carrefour to stuff my suitcase with LU's Petit Beurre. This version of butter and salt is not widely available, but most Carrefour City stores have it. It's the perfect amount of butter and salt, resulting in the most delicious texture and layers of flavors. Any cook, even non-cook like me, knows what a heaven,y combination it is of salt and butter.

Mondelez, please bring this biscuit to the US market!

I did go to several attractions for the N'th time: spending a whole afternoon and evening inside the Louvre (several visits are far from enough for the huge collection), celebrating the 850th anniversary of Notre Dame, and walking along the Pont des Arts simply because it appeared in a recent movie Now You See Me.

Why would anyone use combination lock? Doesn't that defeat the purpose of eternally locking down love for each other? Or those couples really believe you should be free to fall in as we'll as fall out of love? LOL

One more discovery: could you recognize Notre Dame from the back?

Norway: the expected and the surprises

It almost felt magical when the train crossed Sweden-Norway border through a big stretch of forest. The broadcaster repeated in several languages "We are now entering Norway. Welcome to Norway!"

Some friend recommended the Norway In A Nutshell trip when I was planning the journey in Nordics. It's not an organized trip. The tourist agent just gets you a set of train/ bus/ cruise tickets, and then you are off on your own to experience Norway fjord. 

One of my favorite reviews described the trip as a big amazing race together with many travelers along the same route. 

YH was half tricked by me to join the trip, without knowing she was in for a sleep deprived weekend. She flew in from London to Oslo on Friday evening, while I arrived by train from Stockholm.

The itinerary:

08:05 Oslo               12:44 Myrdal - The Bergen Railway

13:27 Myrdal          14:25 Flam - The Flam Railway

15:10 Flam             17:30 Gudvangen - Fjord cruise

17:45 Gudvangen   19:00 Voss - Bus

19:37 Voss.             20:54 Bergen - The Bergen Railway

Then we stay in Bergen for the night, and return to Oslo by the Bergen Railway the following day

Before coming to Norway, my understanding of this country is 1) it is rich in natural resources and thus rich financially, and 2) it produces some of the best deep sea fishes and caviar. Think how Norwegian salmon is always way more expensive than farmed salmon.

Who would have thought the first impression is actually-

Oslo is NOT a safe city

Have been traveling in some of the safest cities in the world for several days, I didn't prep myself at all for pick pocketing. Shortly after arriving at Oslo central station, I found my backpack zipper was half open, I didn't check anything immediately. Looking back, I was an easy target for any thieves: alone, arriving by train late at night, tired and not alerted, dragging a silver Rimowa and a big backpack, concentrated on finding the hotel...

Luckily, my backpack was in such a mess that the thief wasn't able to find my electronics or cash/ cards/ passport. But he/ she took my makeup bag. Probably worth nothing to the thief. I was left without tooth floss, eye drop, lip balm, nail clipper and so many other daily necessities. The worst part? I lost my last makeup bag during last trip to Vietnam and Cambodia, and just went through the process of putting together a new makeup bag.

Norway In A Nutshell, the trip

Don't worry at all about getting lost. It is a very mature and ell designed tourist route. Many people travel in the same trip. There are also signs and instructions at every transfer.

The Bergen Railway-

Tis connects the two biggest cities in Norway, Oslo and Bergen. Some nice views of water, mountain and snow/ glacier along the way. After a while, you would probably get tired of all the views.

At Myrtal station:

The Flam Railway-

My favorite section of the trip. The Flam Railway is designed for tourist. It runs slowly among the mountains, introduces and stops at the attractions.

The first big waterfall int he trip. There are two dancers dancing with music up in the mountain. Kinda cheesy but really uplifted the experience.

At Flam station:

The Fjord Cruise-

It was slow. It was cold. It was crowded. Every broadcast repeated in 10+ languages... However, we saw dolphins!! Huge lucky day!!

Even for dolphin watching cruise, half of the times dolphins simply decide a no-show. In the cold fjord and glacier water, there is hardly any trace of animals. Then suddenly a dolphin jumped out to the right of our cruise. Then 3 or 4 dolphins appeared and all did some jumping action before quickly disappearing again. We were all yelling with excitement.

Many people would suggest to take the left side of the cruise, because there are more attractions to the left. I was so glad YH and I accidentally got to the right. 

I was quite amazed seeing so many small villages aside the fjord. How can those residents get through the winter?

The bus ride-

I didn't expect anything for the bus ride as it was merely a transportation to get back to the Bergen Railway. Our driver was so funny that he totally made this ride hugely enjoyable. He talked about the small towns and their history, stopped at vista points, and drove downhill along a road with many hairpin turns!

An artsy country 

I met a backpacker in Copenhagen who is working for an oil painting dealer group in Bergen. At first, I couldn't understand how come such a small city could provide enough artist or customer base. The minute we stepped into Bergen, we can definitely agree Bergen is very wealthy and full of beautiful sculptures and paintings. 

Bergen hotels are very expensive. YH booked a place on Airbnb for ~£150 per night. Meaning: my first time using Airbnb is more expensive than some 5 star hotels... But the place is super nice. It's a penthouse in a nice neighborhood owned apparently by someone in the art industry. Within the first half hour, I said at least three times "when can I have a penthouse like this".

We got back to Oslo, the architecture kept getting more and more artsy.

Oslo City Hall looks different from other city halls I've visited. It also has commissioned pairings on every wall.

Oslo Opera House is strikingly unique and beautiful. The big slop leads you right to the roof top, where the white building matches to perfections with the water, sky and clouds. They even added a glass structured glacier in the water to complete the picture. YH and I agreed it would be the perfect photo shooting spot for red Valentino gawn.

So yes, Norway can be depressing with long and cold winter. But it's rich enough to afford the best art.

Munch 150

This year is the 150th anniversary of Edvard Munch's birth. Munch is probably the only Norwegian painter most people know, myself included. Oslo National Gallery and Munch Museum are hosting the Munch 150 exhibition of the most complete collection of his works. Of the three versions of Munch's famous Scream, two is displayed at Munch Museum and one at Oslo National Gallery.

Both YH and I are galley junkies. We decided to go to the National Gallery even though there was 30min to close. I had no idea why we spent precious time waiting for some stupid fish burgers (actually they are good tasty burgers). Guess we are also big foodies.

The staff at ticketing offered us half price group tickets. Otherwise we would have paid 95NOK(~£12) per person for a glance of Scream.

Really extensive collection. Well organized too. If only we had more time... The collection at MunchMuseum  should be even better, but far from train station. All the running and time constrain may have add more beauty to this experience though. :)

An expensive country

Norway is well known as the most expensive country. People are joking about how tourists in Norway are generally older because you need to really save up for the trip.

Hotels are expensive. Book early may be the only advise available.

Eating out is expensive, but not outrageous. Well, I have always been living in cities on top of the expensive list.

The cheapest and best thing in Norway is tap water! It is the only tap water that tastes like premium water. If you bottle it and ship to other markets, IT IS expensive natural glacier water. Have you ever paid £10 for a small bottle of Voss water at a fancy club?

Stockholm minus the rain

To my former nerdy self, Stockholm equals Nobel Prize. The older and slightly more fashionable me learned the importance of this city in the fashion industry, and started shopping at Swedish brands such as Acne and Filippa K. Google then taught me the most searched item about this city is Stockholm Syndrome.

I've learned so much about Stockholm during the two days. It should have made to the list of cities I like, except the cold rain that caught me off guard. Also, winter here must be terrible. Now in the summer, a hoodie is enough. (Perks of not having a job include traveling around nature's schedule instead of work schedule!)

The (fashion) capital of Scandinavia 

So Stockholm calls itself the capital of Scandinavia. No idea how Norwegians agreed. But Stockholm is definitely a fashion capital. I'm not just talking about H&M conquering the world. BTW, H&M store are at every corner , if not three stores at one corner...

When it wasn't raining, I did a lot of people watching. And Stockholm is hands down one of the best cities for that purpose. First of all, Scandinavian people tend to be tall and lean and model like. Second, the style is so clean and simple, which is why iPhone and white Converse shoes are so popular in Stockholm. Third and most importantly, the large gay community really pump up the fashion scale. Sweden is open and welcoming to anyone. Quoting from a tour guide, this is a place where men can wear tighter pants than women, where men can wear makeup, and where women or men can marry whoever they love.

The Stockholm Concert Hall

Given that it's extremely unlikely that I will be invited by the royals to this Concert Hall in December, I chose it as my first stop to worship the Nobel Prize. There was an exhibition going on about the preparation of Nobel Prize ceremony. 

Everything around the place is more interesting than the Concert Hall itself. I'm sure you would feel differently if invited as a Nobel Prize Laureate. 

There is a market in the square, where fruits and vegetables are arranged in the most charming way. The department store, PUB, across the square is where Greta Garbo first worked as Sales and was discovered.

The Royal Palace and Royal family

My favorite story of all royal families is no longer some girl married a crown prince, it's Sweden's Crown Princess Victoria married her personal trainer who worked at a local gym. I always know PT is a great job! They now have a baby and Swedes love the whole royal family.

(Photo from Wikipedia)

Quoting Princess Victoria, "I think the general idea with the Swedes is that the modern way is to marry someone you love, not necessarily based on where she or he comes from." Sweden is also the first country where the heir tot the throne is the eldest child regardless of gender. Bravo!

Acting as a tourist, I watched the changing of the guards at the Royal Palace, starting at 12:15 everyday and 13:15 on Sunday. It was boring until the band (from the Navy that day) played several tracks to turn the yard into a mini open air concert. Loved it!

Continue for a tour around the Gama Stan or Old Town. The metal fixtures to hold the floors are interesting with different styles since the 16th century.

Royal Island of Djurgarden

Every travel guide says Vasa Museum is a must in Stockholm. It's built on the wreck of royal ship Vasa that went down in the 17th century. I went to the Island of Djurgarden ( Stockholm is made of 14 islands) and saw a long queue in front of ticket office. Perfect excuse for not going in. The only kind of museum I can willingly spend hours is of paintings.

I went for a walk on this super green island instead. What a nice surprise! The island is a big garden! The royal summer palace is in there. Many people were jogging or biking. Although I had on running shoes and Lululemon from head to toe, the stupid heavy camera to stopped me from a good workout. 

A welfare country

Swedes pay high tax, but enjoys great social welfare such as health care, free education, and 16 months paid parental leave. Thus, a lot of moms or dads push stroller around with other moms or dads. Compared to any European country, Hong Kong have way too many workaholics.

Alcohol is heavily taxed, and sold by the state own store, Systembolaget. Swedes must have been heavy drinkers for this level of state control to be necessary. 

Creative sculptures

I didn't expect all the creative sculptures and statues in the city. Had to laugh at some for the great sense of humor.

Cultured dairy product heaven

Milk consumption per capita is very high in Sweden, so I have to check out the local supermarket. Overwhelmed by the dairy section to say the least.

So many dairy products that look like yogurt but have totally different names, most end with "fil", in an unknown language. The worst part? Some are called yogurt! My deliberately acquired guessing skills didn't work at all. I randomly picked some. Later checked with 24/7 teachers, google and Wikipedia, and went back to try some more.

Scandinavian people have been very creative about preserving their milk.

The most common one is probably filmjolk, based purely on the shelf space. It tastes like a thinner version of Greek yogurt. But the bacteria is different. If you understand the words, here is Arla teaching how to eat filmjolk.

While i was at ICA supermarket, I checked out more aisles. Anna's ginger thin is something I used to love. Made in Sweden.

Last is a local all bran crispy thin biscuit/ bread, similar to Wasa or Ryvyka, but in the size of a large frying pan.The packaging is so cute.

Next stop, Norway. "The good thing about living in Stockholm? When you travel, the world seems cheaper. Except Norway."