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Plan a trip to Switzerland this summer. Re-watch The Sound of Music (even though it was filmed in Austria the scenery is the same)...re-read Heidi (even though that was filmed in Germany)...practice some yodeling...think about scrumptious pastries and if that's not enough... We've traveled the country from one end to another with ease but I'm encouraging you to visit Davos because they have a fantastic deal in 2008. Davos is offering FREE buses throughout the valley...FREE , unlimited rides on their mountain railways, gondolas and chair lifts. If you've ever visited Switzerland or any other European country for that matter, you'll understand what a great deal this is. Any transportation in Switzerland is costly...think lots of $$$ for each gondola or bus ride and we have never heard of them giving anything for FREE. The Davos inclusive card will be given to anyone who stays in Davos at least one night in a paid accommodation.
Not only can you hike but there are unlimited mountain bike routes. Rent a mountain bike, get on a bus, train or gondola, head for the day's destination up in the mountains or in one of the side valleys, ride as long as you want and take public transportation back to where you started. Take a trail with very little incline or huff and puff your way up a harder one.
blue trails are easy, red a little more difficult and this isn't a complete trail map
Continue reading "Summer in Davos, Switzerland" »
Another bit of information. There is always a TV station in both Austria and Switzerland that does nothing but show all the ski mountains, temperature and snow conditions every morning, along with a dedicated TV station in each resort letting you know what is going on that day.
Before heading to the mountains on this gorgeous day, and after another humungous breakfast (this is why we have to exercise), a little walk down the main street from Davos Platz to Davos Dorf to see what's interesting in the shops. There was one store that had the most unusual display of fiberglass and porcelain cows for sale. Each and every one different and unique collectible. As a Chicagoan, I was instantly reminded of the Cows on Parade Art Exhibit in 1999 when 100's of cows were promenaded through the streets. The Cows were works of art that were painted and conceived by Chicago artists, architects, photographers and designers. This display was originally conceived by Beat Seeberger-Quin and presented in - where else - Zurich, Switzerland, in 1998. When I questioned the owner about these personality-plus cows, she told us they were "Made in America"...in Kansas City no less by CowParade and the prices for these adorable cows is one-third less than the Swiss prices. (When was the last time you saw anything that wasn't made in China?)
Elvis and Indians
Continue reading "The Rhinerhorn and Jacobshorn on a Beautiful Day in Davos" »
Perhaps because ex-Marine and I are getting older, this was the first time that we noticed the inordinate amount of people walking...not hiking...walking. And the average age was at least 70 years old. We saw seniors, slowly walking on the level promenades, up gradual inclines (not climbing), mothers pushing baby carriages and walking hand-in-hand with little tots UP the mountain. Almost everyone using hiking sticks, doing some version of Nordic Walking and ocasionally resting on the many benches along the trails, taking in the views.
If you are curious about all this emphasis on burning calories, I have been waiting all my life for the "good fairy sisters" - "eat all you want" and "you'll never have to exercise again" - to visit but they still haven't made an appearance. This (and my high genetic cholesterol) forces me to plan two out of every three trips with some sort of exercise. Lots of walking, hiking, trekking or snowshoeing...trying desparately to get my heart rate up and burn off some of the many calories I manage to eat. It's easier and more fun than dieting and I'm also interested in some new and interesting way to burn those calories.
seniors resting on bench after walking along the Promenade
Continue reading "Nordic Walking Around Davos Platz" »
Swiss towns are so beautiful. We'd start our day tanking up at the ArtHaus Hotel's typical Swiss buffet breakfast. Four different kinds of cereal, ham, cheese, jams, butter, croissants, hard rolls, wheat breads, two kinds of yoghurt, juice, fruit and coffee. That would see us through the day...easily. Relax a little bit (Europeans are fairly laid back about waiting until around 10am to set out for whatever they plan to do that day). Catch one of the free buses that ran every 20 minutes throughout the valley to wherever we wanted to snowshoe.
Other suggestions for food - look for a COOP, SPAR or MIGROS, the main grocery chains in Europe to buy almost anything. A perfectly adequate bottle of wine there is $3. They even had some for $1 but I was a little leary... a dollar... don't know... Bakery goods, cold cuts, and once again almost everyone speaks English. If they don't, just gesture, use charades and you'll have no problem. I loved the COOP in Davos - two floors and the escalators even had a separate escalator for the shopping baskets. Just push the basket on this dedicated escalator and it rode up or down with you. Very clever idea.
baskets on the left - people on the right
Continue reading "Snowshoeing, Walking and Food - What We Enjoy In Switzerland" »
Walking up a side street, we saw this striking, colorful and cheery-looking hotel View image...and went in to see if they could accommodate us and what the prices were. Little did we know that this would turn out to be our lucky day. The ArtHaus Hotel Quisiana is run and owned by the extremely personable artist, Diego Do Clavadetscher. The hotel is decorated beautiful with his works of art, Diego Do was very helpful, the prices were reasonable for Davos and WI-FI was included. Only one caveat, if you decide to stay here, there is no elevator. We chose a very spacious room on the 3rd floor and climbed up and down 55 steps many times a day. But, it was very worth it because of Diego Do's helpfulness and the outstanding Chef de Cuisine.
You've heard me tell many times how I dearly love good food and ArtHaus Hotel's chef was truly outstanding. We opted for 1/2 board (pension). and were thrilled that we did. Dinner was 25SF a person and it is impossible to eat in Davos for that amount and for the quality of the food. Even a McDonald's Whopper Meal (there is one in Davos Dorf) runs over 10SF, to give you an idea. If there is something on the evening menu that you don't care for ("Bunny foo-foo" or "Bambi" in our case), they will substitute something else with no problem. If just wish my salads looked as appetizing as the salad the Chef de Cuisine prepared....
dinner salad
Continue reading "Some Miscellaneous Information About Davos, Switzerland" »
For Winter, 2007, Davos had many different packages to choose from depending on what category hotel you wanted and whether or not you skied. For example, 7 nights at a ** Hotel, breakfast and dinner daily, welcome drink and 6-day lift ticket cost around 1061 Swiss Francs (SF from no on) or about $800 per person. An apartment ran 690SF (a little less than $580 per person. The apartment included 7 nights lodging including breakfast delivery, welcome drink and 6-day ski pass for the Davos-Klosters area. Klosters is the area where Prince Charles and family usually ski...very ritzy. But don't choose an apartment unless you are prepared to cook. Dining out is very expensive in Switzerland. We always try to take half-board (also called half-pension), breakfast and dinner with all services and taxes included, the best bargain in this not inexpensive country. Sorry to tell you but there is no way you will be able to find a restaurant costing less than $20-30, usually just for a salad and entree. ...View image...At least when you take half-board, the various hotels and pensions usually include anywhere from a 4-5-course meal. That could include: soup, salad (possibly a salad buffet), sometimes an appetizer, entree and dessert. Wine, soft drinks and/or coffee at dinner is always extra. Ask for a carafe of tap water instead of paying dearly for a bottle of mineral water unless the hotel/restaurant refuses to serve it. If so, you are stuck.
The wait staff is usually very obliging about this and we are here to tell you that Europeans are coming around to our way of thinking and it's not unusual to see carafes of water of their tables now.
part of a breakfast buffet
Continue reading "Davos, Switzerland In The Winter" »
There is nothing not to like about Switzerland except the high prices. Switzerland has always been pricey and probably always will be pricey, but there are ways of working around it and it is definitely worth a little brain-work. I can't think of country in Europe that makes it easier for novices or pros to get around. From the moment you land in Zurich's Kloten Airport, on trains and every little town...people speak English, make announcements in English and go out of their way to help us linguistically challenged people.
Zurich Airport has a new terminal, E, which connects to customs and baggage claim via a spanking-new people mover train. Standing on the train, Swiss scenes painted on the walls rolled by, Swiss music with alpenhorns played in the background complete with mooing cows, and clanking cow bells. Even jet-lagged, everyone in the train car started laughing.
how to get to Davos
Continue reading "Davos, Switzerland in Winter or Summer" »
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