SWITZERLAND

After spending just over 2 weeks in Germany we headed south to Switzerland - first stop Zürich. We stayed in Niederdorf. Trendy shops, pubs and bars line the narrow winding streets of this, the most popular part of the Old Town. Zürich is famous for being set on the beautiful Lake Zürich, for the Grossmünster Church with its twin spires and the impressive Fraumunster Church with the world famous stained glass windows and St. Peter's Church with The biggest church clock face in Europe.

We walked along the lake shore on a sunny day and it was busy with skaters, bathers, jewelry vendors and street artists. We ate dinner in an authentic Swiss restaurant dinning on Rossti - fried shredded potatoes covered with cheese, eggs and tomatoes.

Next stop was Interlaken, the holiday resort in the heart of the Swiss alps, situated between the Lakes of Thun and Brienz and at the foot the famous trio of peaks, the Eiger, the Mönch and the Jungfrau. We decided to spice up our holiday by going Canyon Jumping. We were picked up in a beat up Combie by a dred locked gnarly dude called Ziggi who drove us up the winding mountain roads at incredible speeds. When we reached the top we had to walk up an icy path to reach our jump point. 85 meters high we had to just step off the platform - Elise and I were scared to death but Warren jumped off head first with no fear!! It was a major adrenalin rush!!

The next day we returned to the mountain, Warren hired a snowboard while Elise and I set off with skis - 2 trains and a funicular later we reached the slopes. There were no blue runs for beginners so we hit the Green. As it was Elise's first time on skis she had a bumpy start and on one slope collected me and almost set us both of the cliff!!! Warren and I loved the fast slopes and the difficult runs while Elise discovered the fine wine list of the mountain top cafe!!

Geneva was the final stop before returning to London. Geneva is the home of the united nations and lies just on the Swiss side of the Swiss/French border and French is the main language The main highlight was the Jet d'eau -Originally a simple security valve at the Coulouvrenière hydraulic factory, this water fountain has, over the years, grown to be the symbol of Geneva propelling 500 liters of water per second to a height of 140 meters at a speed of 200 km per hour.

We spent our time playing a giant chess set in a park surrounded by many locals and sipping delicious hot Swiss chocolate amongst chic ladies in posh cafes!

Schloss Neuschwanstein (Fairytale Castle)

As a day trip from Munich we joined a tour to visit the famous German Castle Neuschwanstein. We reached the base of the mountain and were able to walk on the frozen lake then started the steep climb up to the castle. The castle was magnificant and the views from the top was beautiful.

The guide proved his worth when he took us over a barrier and up to a look out for some fantastic photos (bloody slippery ice however!!!)

Munich

We were excited and ready at get back to a big city. Munich has a cosmopolitan feel and the two best vegetarian restaurants that I have been to!! We checked out the giant cu cu clock (although 25 minutes of bells and chimes were too much!!) The lure of the beer halls was too much for Elise so we popped in around 2pm. As you can see we got the biggest steins on offer and were not allowed to leave until they were gone. 2 hours and 3 phone numbers later (it would seem 2 Aussie girls with steins is too much for the average German to resist!) we stood up to go. Big mistake as the beer finally hit warren he stumbled in to the nearest souvenir store and swung out 10 minutes later 120 euros lighter!!! Drinks at 2, drunk by 4 and hungover by 7!!!!

Rothenburg ob der Tauber

Rothenburg is a town completely preserved from the middle ages. It is surrounded by a stone wall that you can walk on.All the houses and shops are original with wooden beams and brightly coloured which gives the town a historic feel. We spent our days walking around the town and down to the famous double bridge.

The local speciality is 'Schneeballen' or snowballs - which are balls of sweet dough dipped in cinnamon or chocolate. As for the town itself everything shut downs at 6pm and as we arrived at 7 it mad for very hungry tummy's!!! Our hotel was an utter delight with 500 year old beams studded with wooden nails and a cosy breakfast room - the only problem was one shower and one toilet for all the guests!!! Two nights here was a good chance to relax and get ready for Munich!!!

Bamberg

Bamberg is one of Germany's most beautiful cities. Set on two rivers the city has many bright historic buildings in perfect condition alongside the many bridges. We spent sunny mornings sipping hot chocolates in street side cafes and explored the cobble stone streets. We tasted local delicacies in a quintessential German restaurant. Wonderful Christmas themed souvenirs stores emptied our wallets and warren enjoyed tasting the local beers (80 brewers in the vicinity!!)