Santa Claus in Snowy Finland

No doubt it was such good fun to meet the Santa Claus and cross the magical Arctic Circle at the Santa Claus Village in Lapland especially for the Christmas holiday in December. We were also so excited sending friends and relatives greetings from the Santa Claus Main Post Office with the unique Arctic Circle postmark. Unless the trip is intended only for a festive occasion on which partying with friends and visiting the Santa are main goals, however, it might be a bad idea to go sightseeing in the beautiful Finland in extremely cold weather and during the period of shortest daylight in winter. Ease of transportation is a concern as well even for those travelling by car. Besides, smooth communication in English is not guaranteed as even staff working in Helsinki main train station are illiterate in English. Rovaniemi, Tampere, Hameenlinna, Turku, and Helsinki are all nice places to see.  Just make enough efforts to plan for your perfect trip before you set off!

France and the French-speaking Switzerland

Château de Chillon near Montreux, Switzerland

From the 24th of December to the 1st of 2010 I had a wonderful Christmas vacation with two of my French friends travelling from Paris to the French-speaking part of Switzerland, where we visited Geneva, Neuchâtel, Lausanne, and Montreux, from which we headed back to France and visited Évian-les-Bains, Annecy, Lyon, and Beaune on the way back to Paris. The route included a total of ten stops including the Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte located 55km southeast of Paris. Since destinations were small cities, towns, and a castle, which were quite close to each other, time was adequate and we were in no rush throughout this 9-day journey. Even though daytime was shorter in winter, we had the azure sky enough for fun, and most important of all, pleasant moments passed as we spent the festive period together surrounded by Christmas trees and Christmas lights with all those beautiful places as backgrounds. I was so thankful for the kindness and company of my French hosts without whom neither would I be able to see places on this nice route by car, nor would I travel at ease in French-speaking places.

Geneva

Jet d’eau, Geneva, Switzerland

I landed in Paris on the 24th. As I had already seen quite much of the city in a previous trip, I didn’t plan to do lots of sightseeing there this time. I had a delicious homemade meal and a warm and peaceful Christmas Eve instead. The next morning we needed to depart early as it took almost 5 hours on the road before reaching Geneva. On arrival in the afternoon we lunched the first thing. All diners were enjoying fondue, a Swiss national dish of melted cheese served in a communal pot over a portable stove and eaten by dipping long-stemmed forks with bread into the cheese. I was the only one who opted for a dish of pasta. I could hardly stand the extremely heavy smell of cheese in the restaurant, but I did believe fondue was a perfect dish for cheese lovers. We then spent the rest of the day touring around the center of Geneva where there were Cathedral St-Pierre, Russian Orthodox Church, and other monuments. Jet d’Eau, one of the largest fountains in the world, was visible from the waterfront of Lake Geneva.  The sky turned dark quite early and we started to see pretty Christmas lights around the city.

Neuchâtel and Lausanne

Neuchâtel, Switzerland

On the 26th morning we departed for Neuchâtel, 1.5-hour drive northeast from Geneva. Although it’s a city as well as the capital of the Swiss canton of Neuchâtel on Lake Neuchâtel, it’s like a lovely little town. There was an area that I would call it an old town full of antique buildings. Maison des Halles, Fountain du Banneret, Hôtel du Peyrou and the alike were beautiful especially on a sunny day. We went up to the highest point that overlooked the city crowded with pretty houses alongside Lake Neuchâtel. In the afternoon we arrived in Lausanne, a city situated on the shores of Lake Geneva and 54-minute drive south from Neuchâtel. Lausanne is the fourth largest city of Switzerland and the smallest city in the world to have a rapid transit system of 28 stations. Besides, the city is located at the limit between the extensive wine-growing regions of Lavaux and la Côte. We simply went sightseeing by walking around. There were much less attractions than that in Geneva. Also, it’s getting cloudy and dark. We enjoyed a bit of window-shopping amid Christmas lights and festive decorations by the end of this Boxing Day.

Montreux

Château de Chillon near Montreux, Switzerland

On the 27th morning we headed to Montreux, a municipality located on Lake Geneva at the foot of the Alps and only 27-minute drive southeast from Lausanne. I would say it’ a quiet, peaceful town. From alongside the waterfront there was a breathtaking Southwest view over Lake Geneva. Weather was very nice this day, so we took quite a lot of pictures while walking around. Instead of taking a full brunch, we decided to take some Swiss sweets in a local café restaurant. I had a chocolate one which was sublime! Then I realized it’s an age-old café founded in Montreux in 1879 – Zurcher Montreux. As our taste buds got satisfied, we set off for Château de Chillon, an island castle located at the eastern end of Lake Geneva and 3km from Montreux. It took only 5 minutes to go there by car. The castle is listed as “Switzerland’s most visited historic monument”. If you plan to visit Montreux or anywhere in Southwest Switzerland, you definitely don’t want to miss this beautiful castle inside which there are four great halls, three courtyards, and a series of bedrooms open to public. Entry fee per adult is CHF12.

Évian-les-Bains and Annecy

Palais de l'Isle, Annecy, France

The first stop back in France was Évian-les-Bains or Évian, a renowned holiday resort and spa town on the shores of Lake Geneva in south-eastern France and only 45-minute drive west from Montreux. We settled in a local restaurant for a late lunch. There we had Évian mineral water, which makes up a part of the foundation of the economy. Obviously there were not many attractions, and so we left this town after the meal. It took almost 1.5 hour on the road to reach Annecy, a commune also in south-eastern France situated on the northern tip of Lake Annecy. The most remarkable site might be Palais de l’Isle, a castle built in 1132 in the center of the Thiou Canal. It was once the primary residence of the Lord of Annecy, and later the Count of Geneva’s administrative headquarters, then a courthouse, a mint, and finally a jail. This historical monument houses a local history museum nowadays. The site looked extraordinarily great at twilight. I would have taken some perfect pictures if I had a professional camera. Just before dark we got back in the car and departed for Lyon. What a long day!

Lyon and Beaune 

Inner City of Lyon, France

It took 1.5 hour to drive from Annecy to Lyon. It’s late when we arrived. We dined and then called it a day. On the 28th morning we went sightseeing in Lyon, a city as well as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in east-central France between Paris and Marseille well-known for its historical and architectural landmarks. I could see that it’s a nice city full of eye-catching constructions. Unfortunately, it’s a cloudy and rainy day or we would certainly have spent a nice day there. We did go up to the highest point that overlooked the city, but due to undesirable weather conditions the pictures I took were nothing compared to the panorama of the inner city of Lyon on a sunny day I could see on other websites. Instead of following the original plan of seeing Lyon for a whole day, we continued to head north towards Beaune, which wasn’t really on our itinerary. It took another 1.5 hour on the road before we lunched in a nice bar restaurant in Beaune. Since it’s still raining in the afternoon, we only toured around the comprehensive shopping area clustered around the central square with a focus on gourmet food, fashion, and wine.

Paris and Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte 

Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte, France

It should have taken less than 2 hours to head northwest from Beaune to Paris. Traffic jam was unavoidable, however, approaching the New Year. We arrived in Paris late on the 28th. The next day my hosts weren’t free, and so I toured around Paris alone to see places I hadn’t seen yet and then spent the rest of my day shopping in La Defense. The end of the day we had delicious homemade soup and pizza together. They were not only my kind hosts, but also brilliant chefs. In the evening of the 30th, with company of these two locals, I revisited some main attractions which I could feel safe visiting alone only in daytime during my previous trip to Paris in August 2009. I realized Paris was very beautiful both in daytime and at night. On the last day we visited Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte, a baroque French castle located 50-minute drive southeast from Paris. It’s a pity renovations were in progress in some parts of the property, but Christmas trees and decorations at the entrance front as well as in rooms inside the castle looked very nice. In the evening of the 31st, we spent the New Year Eve happily together and of course there was a tasty full meal.

Paris and Versailles

Paris, the capital as well as the largest city of France, has been renowned for its status as the world’s leading tourism destination. Being an unbeatable choice for vacation, and home to four UNESCO World Heritage Sites and many international organizations, no doubt the city and its region will continue to thrive. Paris is such a colorful city where I needed to spend one full week to visit all main attractions. Interesting museums, remarkable monuments, gorgeous cathedrals, and all other antique architectures, etc. are countless. Ease of communication is not guaranteed, as I came across only one person capable of speaking English throughout the trip and that person worked at the information desk of Charles De Gaulle Airport. The city is tourist-friendly though, with the presence of a well-developed metro system; and because of proximity between attractions to which I decided to go on foot. Since I made this trip in August when daytime was the longest, and I was so lucky to have all days sunny, I took enough beautiful photos that showcase the beauty of Paris and Versailles.

Breathtakingly Beautiful Switzerland

Guided tour hosted by local friends or family members is always awesome.  Not only do they know best about everything a tourist information center would recommend, they can help you dig deeper into a specific spot, town, city or even the country as a whole.  You have no worries about planning of route, means of transportation, choices of accommodation and meals, etc.  I realized how lucky I was to have relatives living in one of the most beautiful countries in the world.  I landed at Zurich Airport on the 12th of August. Aunt and uncle picked me up and drove me back their home at a municipality called Hergiswil, which is only 10-min drive south from Luzern.

Engelberg and Mount Titlis

The next morning my aunt needed to head to her workplace at Mount Titlis.  Never once have I dreamt of working in an office with such a breathtaking view over the resort town Engelberg and right at the famous Mount Titlis, also well-known as the site of the world's first revolving cable car that connects Engelberg to the summit of Klein Titlis.  Fantastic scenes of both the town and mountains were captured mostly on the way up.  While my aunt was working, I was having lots of fun myself visiting the illuminated glacier cave, overlooking the panoramic view of Titlis, and shopping in souvenir shops.  I joined my aunt for lunch and I didn't forget to grab a cone of the quality Swiss Movenpick too, before leaving Mount Titlis for sightseeing at Engelberg.  I reunited with my aunt at the car park right next to her car at the end of this perfect day.

Luzern

On the 14th I took my time to breakfast alone, and of course had some tasty fresh yoghurt.  Since my aunt stressed the importance of going to Luzern by ferry instead of any other means, I walked to the pier nearby and started my boat trip on Lake Lucerne.  She was perfectly right.  There were enough picturesque outlooks throughout the trip.  It was a schedule-free day in Luzern.  Apart from the Chapel Bridge, the city's landmark, I visited some churches and monuments.  I didn't even have a map.  I enjoyed walking freely.  I wasn't afraid of getting lost.  In that case, I would have asked for directions back to the city main train station in late afternoon where and when I was supposed to reunite with my aunt and another group of family members just arrived in Switzerland that day.

Rigi

On the 15th seven of us set off for Rigi, "Queen of the Mountains".  It took only 35 minutes to travel by car from the Hergiswil home to Weggis, a small, idyllic holiday resort lain on a projection into Lake Lucerne at the southwest base of Rigi.  We did have a ride on the cable car, but we got off somewhere in the middle and started hiking.  Honestly, it wasn't an easy trail.  It was a long climb to the top, but it was worth it for the magnificent views both on the way and from the top.  Layers of mountains standing beyond Lake Lucerne, little pretty houses situated amid abundant greens, and packs of cows enjoying themselves at their spacious open home were all my favorite scenes.  All of us were exhausted.  We rested, ate, sightseed at the top, before going back down by rack rail.  If you aren't physically active or strong, you might want to do the contrary going up by rail and down on foot.

Rhine Falls

The Rhine Falls, or Rheinfall in German, located between the municipalities of Neuhausen am Rheinfall and Laufen-Uhwiesen, near the town of Schaffhausen in northern Switzerland, is the largest plain waterfall in Europe.  After one hour and a half on the road, we reached Neuhausen where we could view the Falls and also the Schloss Wörth castle while walking along the waterfront.  On viewing platforms built on both sides of the Rhine there was a spectacular view of the Falls.  We could have come even closer to the Falls by going on a boat trip, if we didn't mind getting fully showered.

Zurich

Zurich, the largest city in Switzerland, is only 40-min drive away from Hergiswil.  As the group preferred a day of rest to an interesting city tour, however, my cousin and I decided to travel to Zurich by train on our own.  We weren't really following a map or a particular route.  We both fancied a schedule-free mode of travel.  I was just trying to look for a higher position to view the whole city.  Through some inquiries we were told the Romanesque-style Protestant church called Grossmünster was the right place.  As the staff presumed we were both students, we paid a discounted fee to ascend the tower.  It was quite exhausting to walk a long way up the narrow staircases, but it proved worthwhile as we could finally had a unique and exceptional 360° panoramic view of Zurich.  We spent the rest of the day walking around the city.  We visited a university, different churches and monuments.

Valle Verzasca

On the 18th we visited the capital of Switzerland, Bern, which is 1.5-hour drive west from Hergiswil.  It's just another clean, pretty Swiss city that I didn't find extraordinary.  Tourists with tight schedule might prefer a thorough tour in Zurich to a rough one in both cities.  What's interesting was the last day's destination Valle Verzascaa, a valley in the Locarno district in south of Switzerland 2-hour drive away from Hergiswil.  The magical jade green waters of the Verzasca river flow peacefully over smooth polished rocks, passing under the picturesque double arches of the Ponte dei Salti in Lavertezzo.  Lots of people were on a queue waiting to dive from over the arches.  Follow the river down the valley there were wonderful worn rock shapes and natural jacuzzis.  On the Lago di Vogorno at the entrance to the valley the Verzasca dam was another option for a jump, but personally I would not recommend that.  After another one hour on the road we arrived at the Italian-speaking city Lugano where we had a delicious Italian dinner.

Old-World Charm of Central Europe

No doubt popular destinations like Paris and Rome in West Europe are worth visiting. If you are a fan of the old-world charm, however, you should be fascinated with the antique beauty of Central and East European cities as well. This was a road trip from mid-September to early October during which we had great times exploring lots of heritage sites in Hungary, Slovakia, Austria, Czech Republic, and Germany. 

HUNGARY Budapest 

Not only is Budapest the largest city as well as capital of Hungary, it is also known as the Pearl over River Danube. Upon arrival we glanced round the city by joining a Danube cruise on which we saw most main attractions from afar and had the best view of Hungarian Parliament, the world’s second largest parliament building. Then, we went to see the statues on Heroes’ Square whose scale and grandeur are an indication of the pride Hungarians have for their country. My favorites are Fishermen’s Bastion and The Chain Bridge. The former is a terrace in neo-Gothic and neo-Romanesque style and the latter the first permanent bridge across the Danube in Budapest that looks even nicer at night as part of the Pearl. 

SLOVAKIA Bratislava 

Bratislava, the largest city as well as capital of Slovakia located in the southwestern part of the country, borders Hungary and Austria, and moreover it made a perfect stop exactly between Budapest and Vienna, which was the third destination of our trip. As the country’s cultural heart with historical multi-cultural character, Bratislava has its local culture influenced by different ethnic and religious groups such as Germans, Slovaks, Hungarians, and Jews. We spent all our time wandering around Bratislava Old Town in which most historical buildings are concentrated. Apart from Michael’s Gate and Bratislava City Museum, the old Slovak National Theatre on Hviezdoslav Square was eye-catching in particular. 

AUSTRIA Vienna

Vienna, also well-known as “City of Music” and “City of Dreams”, is Austria’s largest city as well as capital located less than 1-hour drive west of Bratislava. The city lies close to the borders of Hungary, Slovakia, and Czech Republic, which was our next destination. Being one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites, Vienna is full of architectural ensembles, including Baroque castles and gardens, and the late 19th-century Ringstrasse lined with grand buildings, monuments and parks. We visited Hundertwasserhaus that I might refer to as “a colorful apartment house of fantasy”, the white Austrian Parliament that I found extraordinary gorgeous, the Schönbrunn Palace, etc., a former imperial residence that illustrates the tastes, interests, and aspirations of successive Habsburg monarchs. 

CZECH REPUBLIC Český Krumlov

It took almost three hours on the road before reaching Český Krumlov, a small city in the South Bohemian Region of Czech Republic northwest of Vienna. It was a best choice not to go straight to Prague and miss this wonderful place famous for its fine architecture and art of the historic old town and Český Krumlov Castle, because it’s given the status of UNESCO World Heritage Site along with the historic Prague castle district. Construction of the town and castle began in late 13th century at a ford in the Vltava River, which was important in trade routes in Bohemia. The town’s structures are mostly in Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque styles. We spent a whole day exploring this antique Český Krumlov. What a pity it was a cloudy day! 

CZECH REPUBLIC Prague

It took another 2.5 hours on the road before reaching Prague, the largest city as well as capital of the Czech Republic north of Český Krumlov. We were so excited to finally arrive in this great place widely perceived as one of the places to see before you die. Many of famous cultural attractions in Prague survived the violence and destruction of 20th century Europe. Main attractions include the Prague Castle, the Charles Bridge, Old Town Square, the Jewish Quarter, the Lennon Wall, Petřín hill, etc. The extensive historic center of Prague has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1992. We also visited St. Vitus’ Cathedral, a Roman Catholic cathedral which is an excellent example of Gothic architecture and is the biggest and most significant church in the country located within Prague Castle. 

CZECH REPUBLIC Karlovy Vary

Karlovy Vary, located 2-hour drive west from Prague, is a spa city founded in 1370 historically famous for its hot springs, i.e. 13 main springs, around 300 smaller springs, and the warm-water Teplá River. It has been a popular tourist destination, especially for visitors who come for spa treatment. Karlovy Vary is different from those previous ones on the route, as it appears to be such a quiet and peaceful residential town from the old world, instead of a busy and thriving ancient city. Pretty street views were seen all over the city. I imagined it might be a great choice of background for pre-wedding photos shooting. We had a nice day there just walking around and enjoying teatime amid colorful houses and greens in a riverside restaurant. 

GERMANY Dresden

We headed northeast towards Germany. It took more than two hours on the road before arriving in Dresden, a city with a long history as the capital and royal residence for the Electors and Kings of Saxony, who furnished the city for centuries with cultural and artistic splendor. Owing to its status of baroque and rococo city center, the city was once known as the Jewel Box. The impact of wars and 40 years of urban development during the East German communist era have considerably changed the face of the city. Some restoration work has helped reconstruct parts of the historic inner city, including the Katholische Hofkirche, the Semperoper and the Dresdner Frauenkirche, which all best showcase the old-world charm of Dresden. 

GERMANY Berlin

Berlin, the largest city as well as capital of Germany 2-hour drive north of Dresden, was the final stop of our journey. In sharp contrast to Dresden or even other historical cities on the route, Berlin is very much like a metropolis full of modern buildings. The famous Berlin Wall, Brandenburg Gate, and TV tower at Alexanderplatz are all nothing exceptional. Since Berlin is a world city of culture, politics, media, and science, we decided to spend enough time on seeing more about Germany in museums, instead of going sightseeing. What interested us the most was actually something out of Berlin. Sanssouci in Potsdam, located 45-minute drive southwest of Berlin, is the former summer palace of Frederick the Great, King of Prussia. It is often counted among the German rivals of Versailles.