Europe: France, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Italy, Vatican City, San Marino, Slovenia, Austria, Hungary, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Andorra & Monaco 2011

Before I forget, I'm posting the summary of photo albums from my Europe trip last November 2011. We drove through Europe visiting France, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Italy, Vatican City, San Marino, Slovenia, Austria, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic. And I later took a train to Andorra and Monaco. Here are the photos from Eurpoe that have been uploaded to the Ivan About Town FB page.

November 8 - St. Gallen, Switzerland / Vaduz, Liechtenstein / Zürich, Switzerland
November 9 - Bern, Switzerland
November 10-11 - Florence, Italy
November 11 - Pisa, Italy
November 12 - Rome, Italy and Vatican City
November 13 - San Marino / Venice, Italy
November 14 - Ljubljana, Slovenia / Graz, Austria
November 15 - Budapest, Hungary / Bratislava, Slovakia
November 16 - Vienna, Austria
November 17 - Prague, Czech Republic
November 22 - Lourdes, France
November 23 - L'Hospitalet-près-l'Andorre, France
November 24 - Andorra la Vella, Andorra / Toulouse, France
November 25 - Monte Carlo, Monaco / Nice, France
November 27-December 2 - Paris, France
December 1 - Versailles, France
December 2 - Chantilly, France

Switzerland: Old City of Bern (November 9, 2011)

From Zürich, we motored to Bern, the Bundesstadt (federal city and de facto capital) of Switzerland. It was an hour and 30 minutes away by car. The Old City of Berne is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

It's quite easy to walk around the old town. You can finish the basic route in half a day. We got to see the House of Parliament and Government designed by Hand Auer and finished in 1902; Kafigturm or the Prison Tower which was built in 1643 and served as prison until 1897; Zytglogge or the Clock Tower, a defense tower and part of walls of city; Einstein House which is at 49 Kramgasse, the house where Einstein developed the special theory of relativity; and the Munster Cathedral, the largest in Switzerland and its most important late Medieval church which was built between 1421 to 1893; among many other structures in the old town.

It looks like my backlog is piling up again. In the meantime, check out the Bern, Switzerland album in the Ivan About Town Facebook page for photos from Bern.

Switzerland: An afternoon in Zürich (November 8, 2011)

As soon as we got back from Vaduz, Liechtenstein, we made our way to the historic center of Zürich, Switzerland. The charming buildings along Limmat River and Zürichsee (Lake Zürich) are a must-see.

We had a traditional local dinner which included Ganze Schweinshaxe (ohne Schwarte) mariniert mit frischen Kräutern, im Ofen gebraten, abgelöscht mit dunklem Fassbier. Serviert mit frischem Kartoffelsalat / Whole pork (without rind) marinated with fresh herbs, roasted in the oven, deglazed with dark beer. Served with fresh potato salad; and Burgermeister Schwert - 400 gr marinierte Babybeef-Paillards um die Schwertklinge gewickelt und fettarm gebraten. Dazu eine grosse Schüssel Mischsalat oder Rösti oder Pommes frites, sowie Knoblauchcurry und Barbecuesauce / Burger Master Sword - 400 g marinated Babybeef-Paillards wrapped around the sword blade and fried in fat. Served with salad or French fries or hash browns, garlic and curry and barbecue sauce, which was indeed served with a long sword. Check out the Zürich, Switzerland album in the Ivan About Town Facebook page.

Switzerland: Driving through Sargans & the Canton of St. Gallen (November 8, 2011)

My Europe trip began with a disaster that turned into a blessing in disguise. I had purchased a Eurail Pass the day before I left for Europe. But to my dismay, when I tried getting seat reservations in Paris, there were no more allocations for pass holders. We ended up renting a car!

We drove from Paris to Zurich. As soon as we arrived in Zurich and found our hostel, we decided to drive to Vaduz, Liechtenstein which was just an hour and 30 minutes away. We stopped by the town of Sargans to take photos of Schloss Sargans (Sargans Castle). On the way back, we went through one of the stopover areas to enjoy the picturesque view of Walensee (Lake Walen). Here is the album from the canton of St. Gallen on the way to Vaduz. Read more...