Tag: Switzerland

Duke planned for us to return our rental car to Basel airport which is just over the Swiss border in France, because if we returned the car to a country other than France, where we rented it, there would have been a $2000 surcharge!

We left Lucerne relatively early this morning so that we could return the car by 11. We got to the airport with no problem but when we got to the rental car return counter the lady said that we needed to return the car to the French part of the airport and we were at the Swiss part of the airport. It turns out that the airport is divided in two. We followed the signs to Car Rental (CH). We should have followed the signs to Car Rental (F). We packed up our bags again and got back in the car. It was about a ten minute drive to go around through customs to the other end of the terminal. But we got it done and successfully returned the car.

From the Basel airport we took a bus to Basel train station and then a train to Zurich where we are tonight.

Once we had checked in to the hotel in Zurich we went for a walk down to Lake Zurich and then stopped for beers along the river.

For dinner we went to a nearby beer hall.

Rick and Elaine fly home tomorrow.

Our road trip through Switzerland is almost finished. Tomorrow we will turn our car in in Basel. Today we drove north and a bit west to Lucerne. It was basically clear and cold today, a wonderful day to enjoy the Alps. We stopped to stretch about an hour into the drive at the GOMS suspension bridge.

Then we took another car train. This time we were on the Furka car train which takes about 15 minutes and goes about 9.5 miles.

In Lucerne our hotel is right next to the train station. We parked the car, checked in and then went for a walk.

Today we spent the whole day exploring around Le Locle.

We started our tour by driving to Champ du Moulin in Areuse Gorge. In Champ du Moulin we stopped for coffee.

Then we drove to La Chaux-de-Fonds where we visited the Farmers and Craft museum. The museum is in an old farm house built in 1612.

We drove back to Le Locle, had some lunch and then went to Cave Mills “Col-des-Riches”, a subterranean mill built and first used in the seventeenth century. We had an audio guide and went down into the caves where the mills , waterwheels and workshops were. It was cold, wet and fascinating.

For dinner we went to a crepe place a couple of blocks from where we were staying and had galettes. They were savory crepes.

We took it easy at our hotel in La. Tour-de-Peilz this morning. Our room overlooked Lac Léman aka Lake Geneva. It was fun to watch women going ready to go out rowing.

We had a short drive today to Le Locle where Elaine’s father was born.

This afternoon we had beer and hot wine at a local bar near our hotel.

Then we went across the street to a local restaurant.

The first thing on the menu is horse steak. Duke and Rick had the second thing on the menu. It was a very good beef steak. Elaine had a half order of the roast beef. I had a Swiss specialty, number five on the menu Bolets roesti. It was a kind of potato pancake with mushroom stroganoff. It was all very good.