How to describe beauty?

There is always enough time for another little trip in Europe... So, I joined a fellow intrepid traveller for a few days in the Swiss alps. For me, Switzerland is more than just a destination holiday as the journey to get there is just as impressive. I flew into Geneva and then took the scenic three hour train journey east. There was so much to admire outside the window that I didn't even pick up the book I had with me.

We headed to the small, car-free hillside village of Gimmelwald in the Bernese Highlands. With a population of about 100, this place is popular for hiking in the summer and skiing during the winter. If there is an off season in this magical part of the world, it is now. There was basically too much snow to hike and not enough snow to ski, but I didn't miss out completely! It dumped on the first night we were there, so there was plenty of fresh powder in the morning. :)

Gimmeldwald is definitely off the beaten track, but has become more popular following the mention of this village in Rick Steve's "Europe through the Back Door". To get there we had to take a train, a bus, a gondola and a mini-van. The gondola ride in itself is certainly not for those who have acrophobia (fear of heights). It was a near vertical rise as we headed over the 600m sheer rock face. No one could possibly argue with the view from the top. The photos hardly do them justice.

We stayed in a quaint hostel, suitably named the Mountain Hostel. We had some fun at the hostel, including a few games of 'Ultimate Jenga'. (Yes, your eyes are not deceiving you... there is a Frisbee & a block of local cheese in the stack!) Considering the location & serenity this place has to offer, it's not surprising that a couple of the guys at the hostel that originally planned to stay here for a few days have now been here for a few months.

The highlight (literally) of the trip was venturing up to Jungfraujoch, known as the "Top of Europe". It is actually the endpoint of the highest railway station in Europe at 3,454m. Once at the top, we headed up further to the Sphinx Observatory (at 3,571m). With clear blue skies , the panoramic views over the Great Aletsch Glacier were picture perfect. For the movie buffs out there, this area was used in the James Bond movie - "On Her Majesty's Secret Service". The temperature was about -10oC as I was standing outside the observatory for the photo.

Return to a favourite

Time is certainly flying by. With little time remaining before I leave the UK, I returned to one of my favourite countries in Europe, Spain. The main objective for the week was to unwind. With gorgeous mid-20 degree weather, it was not a tough ask to relax as I travelled through central Spain from the capital of Madrid down to Seville in the South. With the trusty Lonely Planet & phrasebook on hand, I find Spain one of the easiest European countries. Here is a little glimpse into my week:

Madrid

Travelling around Madrid is quite easy with an efficient and easy to use metro system, although I tend to prefer gaining my bearings on foot. The buildings are grand in Madrid, including the Royal Palace (below left) built in the 17^th century. There are also many squares & plazas to wander through, including one of the most famous being Plaza Mayor (below right). The first public ceremony in this plaza was the beautification of Madrid’s patron saint, however it became regularly became the venue for bullfights until the Spanish inquisition in the 18^th century.

One of the things I love about Spain is their creative street signs. To the right is an example of the colourful tiles that are often used.

Toledo

An hour bus ride from Madrid is the walled city of Toledo. It is a quaint Spanish town, very clean & certainly has the authentic feel of an old Spanish town with narrow winding streets. As we are in the off season now, it is a fantastic time to visit Toledo with considerably fewer tourists than in the summer and very pleasant weather. The photo below is of the Alcazar, the building on the highest point of the city. It was once the royal residence and was later turned into an army academy.

Cordoba

I had two hours to enjoy the Spanish countryside as I travelled south on the high-speed train to Cordoba. The countryside is typically quite sparse, but is dabbled with green pencil pines and grey olive trees along the way. The number of orange trees substantially increased the further I headed south. With population of around 300,000, Cordoba is a sophisticated modern town with a small old town that was originally founded in 152BC by a Roman colony.

In addition to drinking the local speciality (in this case wine was cheaper than water!), I tasted my way through various tapas dishes during the week. It was in Cordoba that I tried Rabo de Toro a la Cordobesa... bulls tail! If you forget for a moment what you are eating, it was simply tasty tender beef which fell off the bone. Cordoba is most famous for its mosque – the Mezquita. In one word, it is HUGE. The structured Islamic architecture is shimmering with golden mosaics and rows of red & white stripped arches disappearing into affinity.

Seville

Seville has long been on my “want to go” list and it was great to have the chance to visit here. This is a superb city to get lost in with its extensive narrow winding streets. Having a map is great, but with plenty of time on my side it was great to put it away and just wander through the streets. I couldn’t get too lost, could I?

Moving on, the two most impressive tourist activities include the Alcazar & the Cathedral. The Alcazar was originally built in 913, but it has been expanded and modified over the years as is has changed between Muslim & Christian ownership. The Cathedral was completed in 1507 and holds the tomb of Christopher Columbus. The original mosque’s minaret, La Giralda, still stands on its eastern side, although the topmost parts were added in the 16^th century by the Christians. It was a magnificent view of the city from the top of the bell tower.

Puddings & illuminations

With my departure of the UK impending, I could not possibly leave this great country without one last road trip in the countryside. With Tom our trusty GPS in hand, we headed on the M1 up to the north of England. We had a full day to explore the delights of York, including treating ourselves to a quint-essential English high tea at the local infamous cafe, Betty's.

York is an old city, with first Roman inhabitants recorded in 71AD. Examples of York's history still exist today. One of the old streets in York, known as "the Shambles" (below left), has buildings dating back to the 14th century. Also, Clifford's Tower (below right) is part of York Castle and the 3 miles of walls which surround the city. The tower was built in 13th century.

Like most English towns, one of the key sites of York is its cathedral. York Minster is the second largest gothic style church in Europe (next to Cologne). In addition to visiting Evensong, we were conveniently in town for the "Illuminations" festival. We joined thousands of people to see a 10 minute artistic light production being shown on the South Transept. Called "The Rose", the artwork transformed the Minster's rose window.

On Sunday, we took the scenic tour back to London via the Peak District. As recommended by the handy i-phone (where would we be without technology!?), we had a tasty hearty lunch at a quaint pub, The Royal Oak, located in the middle of nowhere. Afterwards, in an attempt to walk off just a little of what we had just eaten, Belle, Ivan, Victoria & I had a little stroll along one of the many trails in the area. Of course, a trip to the Peak District is not complete without some local pudding... in this case, the Bakewell pudding (not to be confused with the Bakewell tart!!).

It's just not a trip to Austria without a schnitzel!

Farwelling my new friends in Budapest, I departed on the short 3 hour train journey across the border to Austria. My destination was the capital city, Vienna. I chose a hostel that was slightly off the tourist trail & it was well worth the effort. Situated in the hills of Vienna, this Eco-labelled hostel offered something that no other hostel could offer - a sensational panoramic view over Vienna. The photo below left gives a small glimpse of the view and the surrounding nature park at dusk.

VIenna is an easy city to navigate around and even though I don't speak any German, I felt quite at home in this city. Below are a few photos around Vienna...

• View of the Lower Belvedere Palace & the Baroque gardens, built in the 17th century.
  
• St Stephen's Cathedral (Stephansdom), built in the 12th century has colourful glazed tiles for the roofing.


• Rathaus, the City Hall built in a Gothic revivial style.


• Memorial fountain, located in the business district of town.

On a final note, in response to the title of this blog, I'm pleased to say that had 2!

Buda and Pest

Continuing on with our Eastern Trekker experience, we had a day driving through Slovakia before arriving in Hungary and its capital, Budapest. Following a feast of local specialities of goulash, chicken paprika & local vino, we relaxed on an evening river boat cruise along the Danube river... the river which divides Buda and Pest. The photo to the right is of one of the pillons on the Chain Bridge.

With a full day to explore Budapest at our leisure, by far the easiest way to see the town was again on a bike. Some of the key places of interest in Pest include:

* St Stephen's Cathedral, where we were able to St Stephen's preserved right hand - bizarre! St Stephen was the first king of Hungary (11th century) and is regarded as one of the most popular saints in Hungary. There are numerous statues and monuments across the city built in his honour.

* A statue of an anonymous scribe for King Bela III. Legend has it that touching the pen will provide inspiration for writing

* Hosok tere (Hungarian for "Heroes square"). The centre of the square is the Millennium Memorial with statues of the leaders of the seven tribes that founded Hungary in the 9th century and other historical figures. On the last part of our bike tour we crossed the river to climb the hills of Buda. From the top of the palace we had panoramic views across the city, including the Parliament buildings in the photo below (top right).

As a good conclusion to our Eastern experience and by far the highlight of Budapest for me was our evening trip to the Gillert thermal baths. Over a few hours we relaxed in the baths, saunas & plunge pools. It's amazing how 20 degree water is surprisingly enjoyable after 5 mins in a 80 degree sauna! What was a superb way to end the trip. [The photo below of the thermal baths is courtesy of Google images.]