The Journey Home

The night before our departure for Mexico City on a non-stop Lufthansa flight from Frankfurt, I tried to check-in online.  However, I was unable to do so.  The check-in process was stopped dead in its tracks when I was told that my reservation did not match my passport information.  I wanted to kick myself! Stupid me!  When I made the reservation I had not supplied my middle name which appears on the passport.  I have traveled internationally enough to know that the name should exactly match the name on the passport.  I tried calling Lufthansa's toll free numbers in Mexico, in the U.S., and in Germany, but my calls would not go through.  I went down to the reception desk of the hotel.  The fellow there said there would be no problem; just get to the airport a little bit earlier.  In spite of what he said, the worrywart in me kept imagining that I would be denied boarding, that I would be stuck in Germany.

Our flight was supposed to leave at 1:30 PM.  We were up early to have breakfast at the hotel as soon as they began serving at seven.  After breakfast, we went upstairs to get our luggage, checked out, crossed the street to the train station, and bought tickets to go to the airport.  We arrived at the airport at around 9:30.  I hoped that four hours would give me enough time to clear up the situation.

When we entered Terminal 1, I immediately saw a Lufthansa desk that said "Special Assistance".  Not realizing that it was for passengers who needed wheelchair assistance, I went there and explained my problem.  The guy the previous night at hotel reception was right.  It was no big deal.  The lady at the "Special Assistance" desk was very nice.  She printed off our boarding passes and checked our luggage.  I was so relieved.  (I do wonder, however, if the situation would have been more problematic if I had been flying out of the United States.)

We passed through security and passport control fairly quickly.  We still had plenty of time before our departure.  We stopped at a restaurant and had apple strudel and something to drink.  Since my worries turned out to be baseless, I was in a celebratory mood.  I went into a Birkenstock store and bought myself a pair of sandals.

We went to our gate and boarded our Lufthansa jumbo jet.

 For our return we once again had Premium Economy seats.  Although our flight on British Airways was nice, I have to give Lufthansa the edge on comfort.  I think our seats were a little wider and had a bit more legroom.  Once again, we received an amenities bag.  What I really appreciated were the slippers they gave us.  We could take off our shoes and put on the slippers, something that was a big plus on a twelve hour flight.  We were served a meal after takeoff and another one shortly before landing.  The menu sounded more gourmet than it really was, but I think I would have to give the edge to Lufthansa on food also.  Even though it was a longer flight then our trip to London, the time seemed to pass by more quickly.  

I was a bit surprised that our route did not take us on a "Great Circle" trajectory over Greenland as has been the case on other flights from Europe.  We flew straight across the Atlantic, flew over Florida, and then crossed the Gulf of Mexico.  As we approached Mexico City I could see the volcano Popocátpetl.

Every time I fly into Mexico City, I can always see the World Trade Center which is just a short distance from the apartment.  This time was no exception.  The large blue building with the revolving restaurant on top is in the middle of the photo.

After a wonderful trip, we were back home.

On to Germany

On Saturday, July 18th, we said good-bye to Walter and Helen and farewell to Switzerland.  We left in the morning on a train from Aarau to Basel, on the German border.  We had an hour's wait there, and then boarded a train to Frankfurt.

By late afternoon we had arrived in Frankfurt.

We stayed at the same hotel that I stayed at a couple of years ago when I was in Frankfurt.  It's a convenient place just across the street from the train station.  After we were settled into our room, we decided to take a walk to the Old Town for a German dinner.  A couple blocks from the hotel is the Main River, and a walk of about 20 minutes along the riverfront promenade will take you to the Old Town.  However, it took us longer than that because Frankfurt was holding its Gay Pride celebration, and we had to make our way through the crowds.

 

If you look at the background, you can see that the festivities were being held on both banks of the river.

We made our way to the plaza by the city hall in the city's small Old Town.  The Old Town was destroyed in World War II, and a small section was reconstructed the way it was before the war.

Just off the plaza is a restaurant called Schwarzer Stern.  I had eaten there the last time I was in Frankfurt, and I liked the food and the atmosphere.  So we returned for our last dinner of the trip.

I ordered bratwurst with mashed potatoes and sauerkraut, and a delicious apple strudel for dessert.

It rained a bit while we were eating, but fortunately the rain had stopped by the time we were finished.  We took a different route back to the hotel to avoid the crowds at the Pride Festival.  The next day was our flight home to Mexico City.

Farewell Dinner

Our last night in Switzerland I wanted to treat Walter and Helen to dinner as a "thank you" for their wonderful hospitality.  And I invited a friend, Niklaus, to join us.

If you are a long-time reader of this blog, you may remember the story of my genealogical research.  Back in 2010, I wrote a comment in the guestbook of Othmarsingen's website asking for information about my Swiss ancestors.  Niklaus, who at that time was one of the town's councilmen, responded to my query, did some research, and discovered that I had relatives still living in Othmarsingen.  It is thanks to him that I made contact with my Swiss cousins and have had so many wonderful experiences in Switzerland with them.  Every time that I return to Switzerland, I try to get together with him.

Walter and Helen live in Aarau, and Niklaus still lives in Othmarsingen, so Helen suggested that we meet in Lenzburg which is in between the two towns.  She made reservations for us at the garden restaurant of the Hotel Ochsen.  We were worried that it might rain that evening.  In fact, there were a few drops after we were seated, but the rain never materialized.  It was a lovely summer evening, with good food and even better company.

 

Last Minute Shopping

 Friday, July 17th, was our last full day in Switzerland.  After the previous day's train ride, it was obviously going to be anticlimactic.  However, we couldn't leave Switzerland without buying some chocolate to take home.  We walked with Helen to downtown Aarau, and she showed us where Coop and Migros, Switzerland's two major supermarket chains, were located.

We never even made it to Migros, because we spent so much time and bought so much stuff at Coop.

Near the entrance was a display of items such as napkins, paper plates, placemats and other things decorated with the Swiss flag.  This was probably because their patriotic holiday, Swiss National Day (August 1st), was approaching.

There was also a rack of kitschy Swiss souvenirs like magnets, keychains, and even a pen that yodels when you press a button.  I confess that we bought a number of things from that rack, including the yodeling pen.

There was no problem finding a selection of Swiss chocolates.  This entire aisle, on both sides, was devoted to chocolate!

Helen had told us that there was a cafeteria-style restaurant on the top floor, so we decided to have a bite to eat.  We didn't realize that there were four floors to this store.  This was a "super-Coop".  It was much more than a supermarket... it was also department store selling clothing, home goods and other merchandise.  After having some lunch we browsed through the store, although we didn't buy anything beyond our souvenirs and chocolate.

We managed to find our way back to Walter and Helen's house, and we only had to consult Google Maps once.  We packed up our latest purchases, and then got ready for our farewell dinner.

Traditionally Swiss

 After our spectacular train ride over the Furka Pass, we continued our journey on a bus.  Transportation by bus as well by train is an excellent means of  traveling in Switzerland between one city and another.

We got off the bus at  Brig, a city of 12,000 people in the canton of Valais.  After the little Alpine villages through which we had traveled, Brig seemed like a metropolis.

Valais is a bilingual canton.  Most of the canton is French-speaking, but the eastern part where Brig is located is German-speaking.

We walked a short distance to a restaurant called Wallisterstuba, which in Swiss German means Valais Parlor.  The menu included mainly of traditional Swiss dishes.

Helen ordered a dish with the off-putting name of "Cholera"... yes, cholera like the disease.  The menu explained that "Cholera is a traditional dish from Valais filled with potatoes, vegetables, apples and cheese.  Originally created during a cholera epidemic around 1830, when people no longer left their homes due to the risk of infection and prepared dishes from ingredients that were commonly available in the pantry and one's own garden at that time."  (Translated by Google Translate)

One of the traditional dishes of Valais is fondue.  I have eaten fondue many times, but never in Switzerland.  We have a very nice fondue restaurant just a short walk from the apartment in Mexico City, but I was interested in seeing how it compares to the real thing.  So, Walter and I shared a fondue pot.

I will say that this was the best fondue that I have had.  However, the place in Mexico City compares quite favorably, and I would not be ashamed to take my Swiss cousins there if they visit Mexico City.

All Aboard!

The highlight of our day of train travel with Walter and Helen was our journey on the Furka Steam Railway.  The historic locomotives and passenger cars are around 100 years old and have been meticulously restored.  The train runs from the village of Realp over the Furka Pass to Oberwald.  Reaching an elevation of over 6500 feet, it is the second highest rail crossing in Europe.

This rail line was a seasonal route due to heavy winter snows.  As a result it was closed down in 1982 when the 9.5 mile-long Furka Base Tunnel was completed.  The tunnel cuts through the mountains at a lower elevation and that route is open all year long.  

An organization of railway enthusiasts sought to bring back the old line with vintage cars and engines.  It was reopened in 2010, and it has become a popular excursion for Swiss and international travelers.  Walter has long wanted to take this train ride and decided that our visit would be a perfect opportunity to do so.

Above photos taken by Walter

We were in the first passenger car, so we had an opportunity to take a look at the engine.

The windows can be opened, so I was able to take pictures without worrying about reflections.

photo taken by Walter

However, we had to be sure to close the windows when approaching a tunnel or else our faces would be covered in soot.

The high Alpine scenery was spectacular.

Sheep and cows graze in the high meadows.

The train stopped to take on water.

The two photos above were taken by Walter.

We made another stop just before the Furka Pass.

Tents were set up where the passengers could have a bite to eat.  Walter had already ordered wine and a plate of sausages and cheese for us.

On the other side of the pass we began our descent.

Notice the highway winding through the mountains.

In the valley below, you see the headwaters of the Rhone River which is born in a glacier above in the mountains.  I always associated the Rhone with France.  It is one of France's major rivers and flows through the southeastern part of the country and empties into the Mediterranean.  However, its source is right here in Switzerland.

We came to a hamlet called Gletsch.

Here the steam locomotive was switched for a diesel engine.  Switzerland has been suffering from extreme heat and a lack of rain.  As the train continues down in elevation the route passes through forests, and the embers from the steam engine would pose a fire hazard.

Our final leg of the train route

More beautiful scenery, but now with forests

We reach Oberwald, the end of the line.

Thank you, Walter, for a fantastic experience!