Travel: Switzerland & France

Lac Leman (Geneva)

Bonjour les amis,
Last fall my husband, and I traveled to Hamburg, Germany before heading to Switzerland for a few weeks.  Why Hamburg? A good friend of our calls Hamburg home and wanted a big celebration for her birthday.  We were close and excited to be part of her big day.
Click here to read about our visit to northern Germany. 
Our next stop: Vevey, Switzerland
After settling in our hotel, the World Traveler was off to work.  When I join him on these long trips I work remotely, and being five hours ahead provides time to explore before sitting in front of my laptop.
I love everything about Switzerland, even Sunday's (everything is closed).
One afternoon we jumped on a boat and took a two-hour ride past Montreau, and over to France where we stopped for lunch.
Here are a few photo's from Vevey: Swiss boat ride to France, view of the Chateau in Montreau, landscape just past Montreau.  Lower: vineyards looking at France, carousel in Vevey, vineyards/Alps past Montreau.
Getting away to Bern, Switzerland:We like to explore Switzerland on the weekends. Bern was a must-see for us.  Friday afternoon we took a two-hour train north to the capital city, dropped off our overnight bag at the hotel and rented bikes to explore.
Old Bern is stunning; it's an auto free part of Bern. After a quick ride through the city, we found a bike trail to ride along the might Aare River.

Upper row: view of Gurten from our hotel, the Bern River from our hotel room, I didn't dare to swim in the Aare River but had to see if it was as cold as they say. The current is 15mph... you swim to a red railing and climb out. Calcium makes the water green.
Lower: I was standing at the Zytglogge tower, a medieval tower built in the early 13th century, looking down the main street.  The first photo was taken on Saturday, the second Sunday.  Almost everything in Switzerland is closed on Sunday's.  The last photo is the restaurant in which we had dinner (Cafe Terrasse). This is a must eat destination when you visit Bern.
Sunday we traveled back to Vevey for week two.  A mix of work and play, we are always looking for day trips.
Imagine driving two hours into France to enjoy pizza while enjoying this view. THIS is Lac Annecy.

What's next?  Three weeks in Singapore and China.  I can't wait to share this experience with you.
Beaucoup amour, Mari