tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10991135.post114376044441228057..comments2024-03-24T05:42:24.847-05:00Comments on Taking Wing: The Grand PlanSam Weigelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06332414897030323612noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10991135.post-50142578652212946052008-05-24T17:08:00.000-05:002008-05-24T17:08:00.000-05:00If you get stuck in munich for an additional day, ...If you get stuck in munich for an additional day, you can come to Nürnberg (Nuremberg) and visit the medieval city center with the caste (Burg), and the nazi party rally grounds (Reichsparteitagsgelände), which you might be interested in after the concentration camp in dachau. Lots of hitler's gigantomaniacal architecture. Seeing both is doable in one day.<BR/><BR/>It's just a 60 minutes train ride from munich via the new high-speed rail line opened last year.Markus Waltherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07375352673338622123noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10991135.post-1149474672996757252006-06-04T21:31:00.000-05:002006-06-04T21:31:00.000-05:00I went to the University of maryland-munich from 1...I went to the University of maryland-munich from 1980-82. kloster andechs was the site of my great saturday afternoons.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10991135.post-1143856427896986532006-03-31T19:53:00.000-06:002006-03-31T19:53:00.000-06:00I will definately be living vicariously through yo...I will definately be living vicariously through you and Dawn...this sounds like a fabulous vacation!Flygirlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03949594485104912940noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10991135.post-1143829511880824222006-03-31T12:25:00.000-06:002006-03-31T12:25:00.000-06:00I didn't realize that about the first 2 weeks of J...I didn't realize that about the first 2 weeks of July. We'll be in Zurich/Bern/Luzern then; our hiking kicks off in Zermatt around the 12th. That's right on the Italian border, suspect it's dryer. <BR/><BR/>We actually are doing the Swiss Pass...I ran all the possible options, and it's cheapest to do a 3-day Swiss Flexipass, because on "off days" it functions as a half-fare card, for trains as well as local transport, cablecars, funiculars, etc. We'll use pass days on our three most expensive pass days and the half fare option on the other days, and altogether are keeping train costs down to about $190/person. <BR/><BR/>Good tip about sending luggage ahead, I'd heard about that but didn't realize there was an overnight option to watch out for.<BR/><BR/>We'll be mainly in German areas, so I've been learning that. 'Course that doesn't guarantee I'll understand a word of Schwyzertütsch.Sam Weigelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06332414897030323612noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10991135.post-1143826426889702822006-03-31T11:33:00.000-06:002006-03-31T11:33:00.000-06:00My wife and I were in Switzerland for out honeymoo...My wife and I were in Switzerland for out honeymoon last July. It was beautiful. If you are going in the later part of July, you should have better luck with the weather than we did. Apparently the first 2 weeks of July are pretty reliably rainy. The exception to this is the areas around the Italian border as it is far drier down that way. <BR/><BR/>The Jungfrau region was our favourite hiking area. Lots of hiking choices. Go for the swiss rail passes rather than combo type passes if you are spending a bunch of time in Switzerland because pretty much all the rail lines and municipal transports are covered. It's kind of nice to just randomly get on trams in Zurich to go explore. <BR/><BR/>If you have luggage and are wanting to do a multi-train hop across switzerland with some exploring, and you are at a decent train station, you can send your luggage ahead and it arrives at 5 that night at your final destination. It costs a bit (20 swiss franks a bag?) but allows you to explore unencumbered. Make sure to ask for the one that gets there that night, because they have another type that gets there the following day, which can be a pain (as we found out). <BR/><BR/>Also, here is our experience with languages. In the more french regions, they speak french, german and english in that order of fluency. In the more german areas, they speak german, english and then a little french (I am french english bilingual, and it was interesting communicating with a hotel proprietor in poor french, when he was fluent in English but just didn't realize that we spoke english, he just knew we didn't speak German). In the Italian regions, they speak Italian. <BR/><BR/>DAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com