Switzerland

And drawing our journey to a close…

As we wing our way home we reflect on 5,500k worth of France, Italy, Switzerland and a touch of Britain, 17 beautifully appointed, quaint lodgings, countless incredible vistas…ah! Has indeed been a huge six weeks…

Fun and laughter, giggles and snorts, headaches and sore feet, aching backs and tears. So many happy tears – over candles lit for passed ones, breathtaking sights, historical tragedies, frustration with hotel communication breakdowns…and those special tears, you know the ones you have from laughing too hard?…just before wetting your pants?…

20110606-092800.jpgQuirky situations – a shower recess so small that dropping soap meant poking ones butt out the door to retrieve, another resembling a space capsule that washed places you hadn’t thought shower nozzles were designed for, a loo in a cupboard, another under the sink, opera singing dogs, steps so steep ascent demanding all fours, a wonderful host waving an enormous British flag to herald the entrance, a delicate lace doily serving as a curtain.

20110606-092855.jpgTouching memories such as the dear little French man who happily assisted with automatic petrol pumps and an unexpected health emergency, private tour guides who went way beyond expectation, wait staff with wry senses of humour, Dicky stepping up with the most beautiful gestures…just when he was due a fork stab in the eye.

Breathtaking moments – the immediacy of the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Eiffel Tower suddenly bursting into sparkles, sleeping in a Medieval tower, viewing a magnificent panorama from a roof top attic, a woodpecker tapping on our windows, the sheer brilliance of Pompeii’s origins.

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Scary moments – streets so narrow, folding the car mirrors in a must; a maniac Italian reversing at 40k, swerving to avoid those behind simply to stop and chat with a parked friend, oblivious to building traffic mayhem.

So many memorable imprints fueling inspiration and desire to plan the next journey…

Thank you for coming along with us, for your comments and for your encouragement…we hope you’ve enjoyed the journey!

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Fifi (Jenny), Pixi (Jane), Dicky (Ross)

A fond farewell from Cast and Crew:

• Richard (Dicky) Seville Lyons the III – Intrepid, fearless driver
• Fifi de Murgatroid Lyons – Lodgings extraordinaire
• Giovanni (Ducky) de la Rhodes – Tour guide champion
• Donnutella (Bella) de la Rhodes – Fresh Produce specialist
and
• Penelope (Pixie) Bogsworth Winterbottom – Blog Queen
Honorable mention to:
• Rupert Smythe Farquharson and Hortense Higginbottom Farquharson – my gracious and graceful hosts in Cambridge.

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Bella and Ducky
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Fifi and Bella
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Dicky and Fifi

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Pixi, Fifi, Bella

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Succumbing to all things Swiss…

Nine in the eve…admiring Lake Lucerne as the last of the yachts make their way home and the many swans retire for the eve; marveling at the snow tipped Swiss Alps in the distance fading to dusky pink for it is almost sunset, sipping a red and thinking…what a fabulous contrast! Switzerland v Italy – Italy v Switzerland.
20110525-055422.jpgFriendly people who chuckle at our attempts to grasp this new language and quickly adjust to fluent English to make us comfortable, the city clean, so clean, the traffic calm…and then there’s the Reuss river…crystal clear, icy blue in hue thanks to the water flowing directly from alps to lake.

A stroll into the old quarter reveals stately buildings adorned with intricate artwork not dissimilar to20110525-055244.jpg those in Prague and Vienna yet displaying a uniqueness all their own..quite special actually.

Swiss cow bells, Swiss army knives, Swiss cuckoo clocks and Swiss chocolate abound…as do Swiss watches. Dicky’s in raptures and bags himself a mighty fine time piece, Fifi trawls for cooler clothing while Pixi spends the afternoon wandering and snapping this new architectural style in the old quarter, feeding the swans and yearning to dip tired toes in the cool clear waters.

Hankering for a Swiss fondue tonight but settle for room20110525-055254.jpgservice sandwich and French X Factor on the Bang and Olufsen telly, snuggled under the perfectly fluffy Swiss doonah, nestled between perfectly feathered Swiss pillows. Fifi’s legs need recuperating from all that walking and as this country appears to be the most expensive in Europe, may have had to do Swiss dishes for a week to pay for that chunk of melted Swiss cheese. Instead think of waistlines. Oh wait…waistlines??

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