Grüetzi, Grüetzi! That's Amoré!: A 2015 Italy/Switzerland Trip Report - Complete!

[lildreamer101]

This was a great trip report!

 

[calypso726]

Thank you for such a wonderful trip report! Anyone I have met who did this ABD has said they absolutely loved it. Sigh ... another ABD to add to my list.

 

[mare1203]

Thank you for your TR!!

Now about that beef stroganoff recipe...LOL

As requested, here is my family's Beef Stroghanoff Recipe:

2-3 Tbsp Butter or Margarine
1 lb Top Sirloin, cut into thin strips (recommend cutting into strips while still slightly frozen)
Thinly sliced onion
Sliced Mushrooms (optional)
1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup

Fry steak, onions, and mushrooms in butter until browned
Sprinkle with paprika, pepper, and garlic powder
Add 1 1/2 cups hot water mixed with 5 tsp of instant bouillon
When meat is done, add 1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup
Let mixture come to a simmer
Mixture can be held on low heat until ready to serve
Add dollop of sour cream and stir just before serving

We serve ours with egg noodles and/or white rice

Enjoy!

 

[mare1203]

Thanks for another amazing trip report!
Between your report and the changes to the time in Lucerne, we booked this trip for 2017 - as a back to back - we will do London and Paris first. We will retrace some things from our Tauck Bridges trip (including the hotel in Lucerne) but we all love Switzerland so I think we can cope.
Looking forward to hearing your impressions from your next trip!

Michele

Yay! I think you all will enjoy this one! Ending in Lucerne, you should definitely bring back some Laderach chocolates, since you're going on a back-to-back and will be gone forever.

Also, I'm not-so-patiently waiting for at least a summary/pro-con of your Norway trip....

Great trip report. Switzerland is just so beautiful and I love the mix of activities on this trip. I think you will love the Central Europe trip. To me it was the perfect blend of museums, natural scenery (Germany), hands-on (marionette making, pretzel making), active (ice cave, salt mines), and kitschy cultural (dinner in Prague, Sound of Music tour)- just great!

Thank you! I've only heard good things about the tour. We ended up between the Germany and Central Europe trips. I asked a friend of mine, who has been on both, and she said Central Europe for the same reasons you state! It looks like a great itinerary that we will enjoy. I'm glad they took out the marionettes as it doesn't seem too up my alley and hopefully opens up more time to explore Prague. The only thing I don't think we'll be able to fit in is a Prague beer tour

 

[sayhello]

Thank you! I've only heard good things about the tour. We ended up between the Germany and Central Europe trips. I asked a friend of mine, who has been on both, and she said Central Europe for the same reasons you state! It looks like a great itinerary that we will enjoy. I'm glad they took out the marionettes as it doesn't seem too up my alley and hopefully opens up more time to explore Prague. The only thing I don't think we'll be able to fit in is a Prague beer tour

There's a several overlaps with the Danube River Cruise, and those days were really great (Prague, Salzburg, Vienna). I think you're going to love it!

Sayhello

 

[tink1970]

Thanks for the summary- especially pro v. con.
I can relate to heat+school starting=crankiness...just add several days of rain/flash flooding in for our part of the world
No surprise I'm dreaming of my time in Central Europe down the Danube in Dec!

Hope you'll post at least your impressions of the trip if not an entire TR, always enjoy your writing

 

[disneyphx]

Is there a fancy Laderach store? Where? We went to the one in the train station - I think because it was open late.
I think the Laderach will melt before we get home......

 

[mare1203]

Is there a fancy Laderach store? Where? We went to the one in the train station - I think because it was open late.
I think the Laderach will melt before we get home......

Yes! The fancy Laderach is about a 5 minute walk from the Lucerne hotel. Go right out of the hotel towards Old Town Lucerne and the big watch store, and just up the street you'll find the delicious chocolate truffles.

My Laderach have survived a plane ride across the Atlantic and a year in my refrigerator, including the unfortunate crisis when my power went out over vacation! I think it would be more likely they wouldn't make it b/c you'd eat them along the way...

 

[*WDW*Groupie*]

Thank you so much for your amazing trip report.

I just got back from Zurich on Monday (I spent an additional day in Lucerne and 2 days in Zurich on my own). I can honestly say your tips (especially about the zip lining) really helped us. I was the second person on the course and zipped (pardon the pun!) through it in no time with my 10 year old buddy! We then went on to do 4 of the other courses (only skipped the "expert" one). My favorite course was the ropes one as it was more challenging (can't recall if it was the red or brown). My son was one of the last ones through the course and he was held up several times by folks that found the course a bit intimidating (and I will say some of the obstacles on the "green" course were pretty tough). If you are somewhat athletic and not afraid of heights try to position yourself at or near the front of the course. After the ropes / zip line courses a group of us went on the hike to the nearby gorge; it was breathtakingly beautiful. We didn't get back to town until 2:45pm, making us the longest lasting group of the season (according to the guides). We (9 of us) ate at the DuPont Restaurant (on your recommendation) and most of us had the rosti potatoes - they were AMAZING.

We also spent 3 days in Milan on our own before the trip. No way was I going to land in Milan -- the fashion capital of the WORLD -- and not stop to enjoy a few leisurely days shopping and taking in the sights (it is SALE season there after all!). If you plan on doing this and want to see da Vinci's The Last Supper please please please book your tickets well ahead. We had a private guide for 6 hours and she told us most tickets are sold out the day they go on sale (3 months in advance). It is definitely worth seeing. We took the train (first class tickets for 2 cost 34 Euro) to Stresa and a 9 Euro cab to the hotel. It was very easy.

My thoughts on the hotel in Stresa...are not great. The room was very small -- I swear I could outstretch my arms and touch the walls width-wise. The bathroom was equally as small as was the shower. I couldn't shower without banging my arms on the wall and door; we had to climb over the bidet to get in the shower. I have said before that I am tall as is my son, so we appreciate more space (I book junior suites when I book accommodations as I prefer at least 400 square feet). The a/c doesn't work like we are used to in NA -- it was okay, but certainly not great. The view was nice as was the small balcony.

The hotel in Zermatt was my favorite of the trip. Such a shame ABD is changing this hotel next year. Nothing can replace the views of the Matterhorn that the Zermatterhof offers IMHO. Even though my son and I had an amazing, newly-renovated, spacious room which shared a balcony with 2 other ABD familes, some of the families had awful rooms that were very cramped. I felt badly for them, especially a family of 3 that was in a room which was smaller than the 1 we had and was likely original in decor and furniture. I thought everyone should have had equal rooms. The lack of a/c wasn't an issue for us as I felt the view we had made up for it and I wouldn't have changed it for anything.

Anyways I didn't mean to hijack this thread, just wanted to thank Mare for posting such an informative trip report. A huge thank you also for the picture of you on the blue (zip line) course. When I was going across the rope with the Matterhorn in the background the professional photographer was getting on his bike to go to another course -- I called him back and posed for a picture (my favorite of the entire trip). I think just myself and my amazing and fearless 10 year-old buddy got those photos.

Things we didn't experience on our trip: no white elephant gift exchange, no offer to hike part way back from the Matterhorn excursion, no chocolates in Zermatt (boo hoo!) and no afternoon hike on the day we went zip lining. We did get to go through the Furka pass on the bus and it was SO COOL to watch our bus get hooked up to the train. Our driver had a great sense of humor and posed for very humorous pictures.

 

[*WDW*Groupie*]

Final thought. I do agree with Mare about the change to the last day in Lucerne for 2017 being positive. The boat cruise was nice as was the bbq lunch, but weren't a highlight of the trip. I think the morning going up Pilatus and the cheese tasting are going to be MUCH better.

I did go up Mount Pilatus on my own and if I had to do the trip again I would skip the boat cruise on Lake Lucerne and do Pilatus on my own. The views were breathtaking and the cog wheel train was fun (48 degree gradient at some points makes it the steepest cog wheel train in the world).


Here is a picture from higher than the 7,000 feet (I hiked up further). The white peaks above the clouds are mountains. I have pictures of the clouds floating over Lucerne -- I hate when clouds get in the way of pictures!

[URL=http://s1102.photobucket.com/user/joylee3/media/IMG_3202.jpg.html][/URL]

 

[LoveMickey]

thanks for your trip reports They are a please to read. Looking forward to your next adventure.

 

[met19]

That would be me. Isn't admitting to an your addiction the first step?

Reading this trip report to get excited about the upcoming Dis trip. Loved this line.

My continuing mediocre coffee habit is fueled by the dealer- Starbucks located in the hospital I work at. Could it get any worse

BTW: must thank Mare for the excellent trip report

 

[Rake 08]

Just returned from a great adventure; it seemed like everyone on our trip had studied your report. Your suggestions were very helpful, many thanks for a great report!

 

[bearsgirl]

Just returned from a great adventure; it seemed like everyone on our trip had studied your report. Your suggestions were very helpful, many thanks for a great report!

Were your guides Summer Rose and Mickey?

 

[Rake 08]

Were your guides Summer Rose and Mickey?

Yes and they were both fantastic.

 

[mare1203]

Final thought. I do agree with Mare about the change to the last day in Lucerne for 2017 being positive. The boat cruise was nice as was the bbq lunch, but weren't a highlight of the trip. I think the morning going up Pilatus and the cheese tasting are going to be MUCH better.

I did go up Mount Pilatus on my own and if I had to do the trip again I would skip the boat cruise on Lake Lucerne and do Pilatus on my own. The views were breathtaking and the cog wheel train was fun (48 degree gradient at some points makes it the steepest cog wheel train in the world).

Thanks for posting your thoughts from a more recent trip and glad to hear you had a great time! I love that pic of you on Pilatus. I'm looking forward to hearing about the new changes in 2017.

And so glad you got that picture on the Blue Run on the zipline. They were some of my favorite as well, seeing as it's such a beautiful shot. But I also think it gives a moment in time of why this trip is so amazing. Too bad it's not actually set-up to happen organically in the adventure.

 

[mare1203]

thanks for your trip reports They are a please to read. Looking forward to your next adventure.

Thank you so much! I enjoy doing them for myself, but happy to hear others find them helpful! My next trip is so close; I have to decide how I want to report!

 

[mare1203]

Just returned from a great adventure; it seemed like everyone on our trip had studied your report. Your suggestions were very helpful, many thanks for a great report!

Oh wow, you're very welcome! I'm so glad you all had a wonderful adventure, and I'm looking forward to hear thoughts from Cousin Orville and any others who went, since I think it's such a great adventure myself!

 

[OKW Lover]

Just returned from a great adventure; it seemed like everyone on our trip had studied your report. Your suggestions were very helpful, many thanks for a great report!

You're right Steve. Found this review pretty much matched our experience too.