Mount Titlis, the year round snow capped moutain

When I planned my visit to Switzerland, 2 places came to my mind. Lakeside place and snowcapped mountain. I looked at the iteniaries of the tour companies and decided on Mount Titlis as the snow capped mountain to visit, but not to a skiing place, but to where non skiing visitors go. I first planned to stay a night each at Lucerne and at the base of Mt. Titlis, but Linn Zaw Win advised to go there for a day trip as we would be back in Lucerne and could make the next leg of our European trip to Paris earlier the next day.

Titlis is a mountain of the Uri Alps, located on the border between the cantons of Obwalden and Berne. Wikipedia

Elevation: 3,238 m

breakfast 26 May 2016

Croissants in European countries are good. They are cripsy, unlike those in UK and Myanmar which are just croissant shaped buns.

After breakfast we went to Lucerne station.

Lucerne / Luzern, Switzerland

We had to go to Engelberg by train to visit mount Titlis,

Lucerne station on right

We always stayed at places within easy walking distance of the train stations of places we stayed for the night so the first thing is to walk to Lucerne station.

We had to take the 9:10 am train to Stans — Engelberg from platform 13.

Lucerne station is a large one

The train ride to Engelberg passes through beautiful places.

Beautiful Swiss countryside.

We finally arrived at Engelberg

Then take a bus ride to Klientitils at the base of mount Titlis.

Once on the bus and till back at Engelberg, it was like we were in India. Indian movies always feature scenes of Switzerland including the snow mountains, so finding Indians at mount Titlis is not strange, only NOT finding them in Lucerne IS!

We went up to ride the Titlis Express

and had to wait a while

finally, our turn came and many more behind

views while on the cable car

cows look small

cows grazing

first view of snow on the mountain

first view of a glacier

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ski elevators were empty

skiing center

views from high up the cable car ride

nearing the end

we entered the glacier cave

It was cold and I wore all warm clothes I brought.

The walkway to Titlis Cliff Walk was Closed

After exiting, we had a spectacular view of the Swiss Alps

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We went outside into the sun and snow

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And handled real snow for the very first time in our lives.

 

 

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near the mountain top

 

There were many at the mountain top, mostly Indians.

The summer sun make us hot even with the snow and we had to take off the outermost warm clothes.

 

we went on the Sky Walk

 

 

on the Sky Walk

There was an Ice Flyer

Ice Flyer

we did not ride the Ice Flyer,  Nor ski and the Cliff Walk was closed

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snow on the walkway had to be cleared regularly by the staff

We had to get down in time for the train and there was a group of younf Indians in our cable car who look rich.

 

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Back at the base waiting for our bus

Back at Lucerne

It was an unforgettable trip.

Versailles

The Palace of Versailles, Château de Versailles, or simply Versailles, is a royal château in Versailles in the Île-de-France region of France. Wikipedia

When the château was built, Versailles was a small village dating from the 11th century.

It is just 30 minutes away, some 20 kilometres (12 miles) southwest of the centre of the French capital (point zero at square in front of Notre Dame)

Versailles was the seat of political power in the Kingdom of France from 1682, when King Louis XIV moved the royal court from Paris, until the royal family was forced to return to the capital in October 1789, within three months after the beginning of the French Revolution. Versailles is therefore famous not only as a building, but as a symbol of the system of absolute monarchy of the Ancien Régime.

I have read about Versailles from the stories, novels, articles and history books about the French Revolution,  King Louis XIV and Queen Marie Antoinette (whose’s remarks “Why do’t they eat cakes if they do not have bread?” is one of the most famous Quotes of all times), so when I planned my visit to Paris, I made sure Versailles is on my iteniary.

We went there with a half day tour although one can go there by train.

After failing to get off near the Tour company office and having taken a mercedes limousine taxi, we went to Versailles on a bus full of tourists from all over the world, but we were the only ones from SE Asia.

King Louis XIV

Louis XIV, known as Louis the Great or the Sun King, was a monarch of the House of Bourbon who reigned as King of France and Navarre from 1643 until his death in 1715. Wikipedia

Versailles Palace

Statute inside the palace grounds

The Versailles garden is the most beautiful garden I have been to.

 

The sculpture of Louis XIV

 

The wall murals of the palace are magnificent.

 

So too are those on the ceilings.

 

 

Ceiling

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The King’s reception room

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The Royal Bedchamber

The Hall of Mirrors!

Mirrors must be scarce and expensive at the time that mirrors were used to decorate the room.

Hall of mirrors

The Hall of Mirrors

Louis XIV on horseback

 

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Bas reliefs

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Statutes

And paintings on the wall!

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Royal staircase

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Statute on the gate post

 

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We all gathered near this post and returned to Paris where we had Chinese lunch so that we can have rice.

 

 

 

A mishap on our visit to Versailles

Versailles Palace is the famous French Palace built before and used during the time of the French Revolution and is a little far from Paris. We bought tickets to visit Versailles with the tour company that operates the Hop on Hop off Paris. As our Hop on Hop off 24 hour ticket was still valid that morning, we went by Metro to the Pyramid station near where the Hop on Hop off office is.

 

We boarded the first Hop on Hop off bus to go to the Tour company that would take us to Versailles. We had a nice bus ride around Paris again, going round the loop.

There were not many tourists and the top was nearly empty we had a nice go around Paris by bus.

We passed by the Notre Dame Cathedral of Paris again.

 

Also the magnificent Arch de Triumph built on order of Napoleon, the most famous French Emperor (actually he is a Corsican and his native land is in Italy now).

 

 

After passing the Maritime Museum, we had to get off near the Eiffel Tower as it is the nearest hop off stop to the Tour office. We had hopped off at the Maritime Museum and walked down to the Eiffel Tower the previous day so I do not know which usual route the HOHO bus takes.

Looking at the photos I had taken, we had passed in front of the Tour office without realizing we should get off here.

After passing through a boulevard, and going for some time, I noticed a building which was quite far from the Eiffel and which I had observed on the HOHO bus tour the previous day.

I got up and asked the bus driver. He said the usual route was blocked that day because of the Marathon and they had bypassed the Eiffel stops. We got off the bus and walked back. I did not see the Eiffel anywhere and checked the map and noticed that we could not make it in time by walking. I stopped and waited for a free taxi to come along. There was not much time to get to the tour company in time, and luckily, a vacant taxi came along.

 

I was surprised that the taxi was bigger than usual ones and a Mercedes. Furthermore, the taxi driver, a white middle east looking man, was dressed smartly in a suit. It would be a limousine and I was worried about the fare. However, it was a meter taxi and the rate was reasonable. When we got off, the Eiffel tower was not in sight and I asked him whether it might be the wrong place. He indicated to the opposite side of the road and drove off.

We arrived in time, but had to wait for others before our Touir guide called us and we all boarded the Tour Bus to Versailles.

During the time we waited, I walked around for a short distance and found an interesting shop selling souvenrs including aprons, French style.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Unexpected train ride by the Lake Geneva

I had planned to visit Lucerne, Switzerland and the Mount Titlis, the year round snow capped Swiss mountain in the Alps.

While in Venice 23 May 2016

At the train station, Venice 23 May 16

Boat ride in Venice 23 May 16

While in Venice, I booked seats for the train to Lucerne. The clerk booked tickets for Lausanne but I thought it was the way Lucerne is written in Italian or Swiss.

The next day we boarded the train to Lausanne thinking we were going to Lucerne / Luzern.

First view of the snow capped mountains of the Swiss Alps

Snow capped Swiss Alps

It was only when we arrived at Lausanne and the taxi-man told me that the Hotel we booked in Lucerne was too far away and he could not take us there, but to get a train there that I knew about the error. As it was dark and late, after 8, we stayed at a hotel and after breakfast the next morning, went to the station to go to Lucerne and got tickets for Lucerne / Luzern.

Tulip Inn where we stayed

Garden at the hotel in Lausanne

Lausanne 24 May 16

As we got to the platform 1, with 5 minutes to spare, a train came in and we boarded it. There was not many people on board and I asked a few passengers whether it was the train to Lucerne. The do not understand me but a man in coveralls came along and when I asked him, he shook his head and said no and indicated that we had to take the next train. As we were about to get down, the door closed and the train began to move. Soon we got to get the spectacular view of the Lake Geneva, twice, as we had to return from the next stop which was 3 stations away.

Lake Geneva

view of the Alps

 

Swiss country side

trees

Without my 2 errors of wrong destination and boarding the wrong train 5 minutes earlier, I would not have the nice unforgettable view of the Swiss Alps, Lake Geneva and countryside.