The Europe Trip: One Night Only

Lucerne, the next city we were visiting, was about two hours away from Interlaken by train. When I read about Lucerne, I didn't find many tourist attractions. On top of that, the Chapel Bridge pictures I saw on the internet gave me the impression that Lucerne would be pretty similar in term of size and scenery with Interlaken. But it was nothing like what I would have expected. The railway station is much bigger than the ones in Interlaken. The moment we stepped out, the bridge and river Reuss immediately reminded me of Lyon. 

In Lucerne, on our way to the Lion Monument.

We arrived in the morning, which meant we got enough time to explore the city before checking in to our hotel. We stored the luggage at the station and headed to the Lion Monument. It was nice, but under renovation, so the scaffolding was kind of distracting. We didn't spend much time there and we continued to the Glacier Garden that is located next to the Lion Monument. But we couldn't really appreciate rocks and stones from million years ago, so it also turned out to a brief visit only. Good thing that the entrance fee was covered under Swiss Travel Pass, haha.

From there, we went to McDonald's for lunch. It was, according to Linda, the grandest McDonald's she had ever seen because it had a chandelier. After lunch, we walked through the Chapel Bridge and boarded the ferry to travel aimlessly. Apparently there was only so much lake or river cruises one could take in one trip. After a while, the view, no matter how beautiful it was, tended to look the same. My wife was alarmed that it could be quite a long ride, so we alighted at Hafen Weggis to catch the next ferry returning to Lucerne. 

At the grandest McDonald's ever.

That practically ended our sightseeing in Lucerne. We went to Holiday Inn Express in Kriens, which is like another city next to Lucerne. Since it was a holiday called Corpus Christi and raining as well, we didn't do much after our dinner at Subway behind the hotel. The next morning, we boarded the train at Mattenhof Station nearby the hotel, headed straight to Lucerne and changed train to Zürich.  

It took only less than an hour to reach Zürich. We went directly to Meininger Hotel to store our luggage and took the bus to Wollishofen before continuing to Lindt Home of Chocolate. As Audrey wouldn't have any interest in exploring the museum, we stayed at the cafe while Linda and her Mum enjoyed the tour. Not a bad deal, considering that we could have a waffle with ice cream and chocolate, haha.

At the Home of Chocolate.

But that's pretty much the end of it for Yani and the kids. They went back to hotel afterwards while I resumed the sightseeing and returned to the Old Town part of Zürich. It was the liveliest city in the entire Switzerland, I'd say. I walked around as part of my Strava time, checking out parts of the city such as Langstrasse and Lindenhof before walking back to hotel. As I left the Old Town and entered the suburb, I could sense that the atmosphere started to quiet down. At one stage, no houses were seen and there were only cows chewing grass on the side of the highway!

Again we had another train ride on the following day, the third one in the past three days. I received the news that my missing rucksack had been found and sent to Zürich railway station, but our departure time to Sargans was earlier than the opening hours of the lost and found office, so I planned to collect the bag only when I was back to Zürich. As we couldn't find any empty lockers, we had to bring all our luggage throughout our journey to Austria.

Sargans is like one of the last stops in Switzerland before you cross to Liechtenstein. We stopped there and took the bus to Vaduz. I always found Liechtenstein intriguing as it is a small, landlocked country between Switzerland and Austria, so I wanted to have a glimpse of it. Apparently it wasn't as quiet as what I had in mind. I was stunned to see lot of tourists from Mainland China there.

Strolling in Vaduz, Liechtenstein.

Now, Liechtenstein itself, while it is small, it still has a couple of towns. We only visited Vaduz, the capital city. It certainly didn't feel like one, haha. We went to Liechtenstein Center and buildings such as Rathaus are somewhere nearby. We sent postcards, had doner kebab (easily my favorite meal throughout the trip) then got a passport stamp as a souvenir. The journey by bus to Feldkirch in Austria happened right after that. It was so quick that before we knew it, we were already on the train to Innsbruck.

On our first day in Innsbruck, my wife and I took turn to see the city as the kids didn't feel like going out anymore once we reached Meininger Hotel. I went to where Hard Rock Cafe is, had my dinner at Gösser's then went back after buying Asian food for my daughters. Then it was my wife's turn to go out. She was scouting for Instagrammable places, apparently. But how do I know that? Because she brought us back to the same spots on the following day, haha.

The Old Town in Innsbruck.

Innsbruck is a nice and calm city, but it was there that I discovered some patterns about cities in Europe. Be it Lyon, Geneva, Lucerne, Zürich or Innsbruck, there is always a river and old town where the people could go and chill. We followed the riverside, explored the old town and returned to the hotel. We left Innsbruck and headed to the last city we'd be visiting: Salzburg.

Looking back, here's one thing I'd consider as a mistake in my planning. The idea of one night only for each city is not good, especially if we have kids tagging along. It was just too fast. Before I got to know the city and started enjoying it, I already moved on to another one. I simply couldn't feel the character of the city. Two or three nights per city would be just nice, just like Geneva and Interlaken...

Hofgarten, Innsbruck.

Liburan Ke Eropa: Semalam Saja

Lucerne, kota berikutnya yang kita kunjungi, bisa ditempuh dalam dua jam dengan kereta dari Interlaken. Ketika saya membaca tentang Lucerne, saya tidak menemukan banyak atraksi turis. Selain itu, foto-foto Jembatan Kapel di internet membuat saya membayangkan bahwa Lucerne adalah tempat yang mirip dengan Interlaken. Ternyata saya salah kaprah. Stasiun keretanya jauh lebih besar dari dua stasiun di Interlaken. Di saat kita melangkah keluar stasiun, jembatan dan sungai Reuss segera mengingatkan saya tentang Lyon. 

Di Lucerne, waktu kita menuju Monumen Singa.

Kita tiba di pagi hari. Ini artinya kita masih memiliki banyak waktu untuk menjelajahi Lucerne sebelum ke hotel. Setelah menitipkan koper di stasiun, kita menuju ke Monumen Singa. Monumen ini sebenarnya megah, tapi sedang direnovasi dan tiang-tiang steger penyangga yang ada di depannya terlihat mengganggu. Beberapa menit kemudian, kita berpindah lokasi ke Taman Gletser yang bersebelahan dengan Monumen Singa. Akan tetapi kita bukanlah tipe turis yang bisa mengagumi bebatuan dari jutaan tahun silam, jadi kunjungan ini pun tergolong singkat. Untung saja tiket masuk seharga CHF 22 per orang tidak perlu dibayar oleh pemegang Swiss Travel Pass, hehe. 

Dari Taman Gletser, kita ke McDonald's untuk makan siang. Menurut putri saya Linda, ini adalah McD paling bagus yang pernah dia lihat karena restoran yang satu ini memiliki lampu gantung kandelar. Setelah santap siang, kita melintas ke seberang sungai melewati Jembatan Kapel dan naik ke feri tanpa tujuan pasti. Dan setelah berpesiar di Danau Brienz, perjalanan serupa di Swiss terlihat mirip pemandangannya. Istri saya Yani melihat peta dan mengingatkan saya bahwa feri ini jauh rutenya sebelum kembali lagi ke Lucerne, jadi kita pun turun di Weggis dan menaiki feri berikutnya yang mengarah ke Lucerne.

Di McDonald's yang megah.

Dengan demikian, jalan-jalan di Lucerne pun berakhir. Kita lantas menaiki bis menuju Holiday Inn Express di Kriens, sebuah kota kecil di samping Lucerne. Karena hari tersebut adalah liburan merayakan hari Corpus Christi dan hujan pula, kita tidak memiliki aktivitas lagi selain makan malam di Subway yang terletak di belakang hotel. Keesokan paginya, kita naik kereta dari Stasiun Mattenhof yang berada di samping hotel, berganti kereta di Lucerne dan melaju ke Zürich.  

Zürich bisa dicapai dalam waktu kurang dari sejam. Kita langsung pergi ke Hotel Meininger untuk menaruh koper dan naik bis lagi ke kawasan tepi danau yang bernama Wollishofen sebelum melanjutkan wisata ke Lindt Home of Chocolate. Karena Audrey tidak berminat dengan museum, kita duduk di kafe sementara Linda dan mamanya ikut tur. Lumayan juga, kita menunggu sambil makan waffle es krim dan coklat, haha. 

Di Lindt.

Dan liburan di Zürich bisa dikatakan berakhir bagi Yani dan anak-anak. Mereka kembali ke hotel sedangkan saya meneruskan perjalanan ke Kota Tua. Bagian kota ini boleh dikatakan paling hidup dan ramai di Swiss. Saya berjalan sambil Strava, meninjau kawasan Langstrasse dan Lindenhof sebelum berjalan pulang ke hotel. Setelah meninggalkan Kota Tua dan memasuki daerah tepi kota, saya bisa merasakan bahwa suasananya perlahan-lahan menjadi senyap. Di bagian tertentu tidak terlihat rumah. Yang tampak hanya sapi merumput di samping jalan raya! 

Di hari berikutnya, kita kembali menaiki kereta. Ini adalah kali ketiga dalam tiga hari berturut-turut. Saya menerima kabar bahwa ransel saya sudah ditemukan dan dikirim ke Stasiun Zürich, tapi jam keberangkatan kita ke Sargans lebih awal dari jam kerja kantor barang-barang hilang, jadi saya pun berencana untuk mengambil tas saya lagi setelah saya kembali dari Austria. Karena kita tidak menemukan loker kosong, maka semua koper pun terpaksa dibawa-serta. 

Sargans adalah pemberhentian terakhir di Swiss sebelum kita menyeberang ke Liechtenstein. Kita turun di sini untuk berganti bis ke Vaduz. Liechtenstein terasa unik karena ukuran negaranya yang kecil dan dikelilingi oleh Swiss dan Austria, jadi saya ingin sekali melihat kotanya. Ternyata Vaduz tidak sesepi yang saya bayangkan. Ada banyak turis dari Cina di sana.

Liechtenstein adalah negara yang kecil tapi masih memiliki beberapa kota. Kita hanya singgah di Vaduz, ibukotanya yang tidak terasa seperti ibukota, haha. Kita mampir ke Liechtenstein Center dan Rathaus berada tak jauh dari situ. Setelah mengirim kartu pos, kita menyantap döner kebab, makan favorit saya selama di Eropa, lalu meminta cap paspor sebagai suvenir. Kita lantas melanjutkan perjalanan ke Feldkirch, Austria. Begitu sampai di stasiun, kita membeli tiket dan langsung berangkat ke Innsbruck. 

Kita tiba di Innsbruck sekitar jam tiga sore. Yani dan saya bergantian jalan-jalan karena anak-anak tak lagi berminat keluar setelah tiba di Hotel Meininger. Saya mengunjungi Hard Rock Cafe, lalu makan malam di Gösser's dan pergi membeli masakan Asia untuk Linda dan Audrey. Setelah itu giliran Yani yang keluar menjelajahi kota. Dia mencari tempat-tempat yang Instagrammable. Dari mana saya tahu? Karena keesokan paginya dia membawa kita ke tempat-tempat yang telah dilihatnya, haha.

Innsbruck adalah kota yang nyaman dan tenang. Di situ pula saya menemukan semacam pola serupa di kota-kota Eropa. Entah itu Lyon, Jenewa, Lucerne, Zürich atau Innsbruck, selalu ada sungai dan kota tua di mana penduduknya bisa nongkrong dan bersantai. Kita menyusuri tepi sungai, melihat-lihat Kota Tua dan kembali ke hotel untuk meneruskan perjalanan ke kota terakhir yang akan kita kunjungi: Salzburg. 

Bila dilihat kembali, ada satu hal yang saya anggap sebagai kesalahan fatal dalam rencana saya. Semalam saja di satu kota bukanlah ide yang bagus, terlebih lagi karena kita membawa anak-anak. Rasanya terlalu cepat. Sebelum kita bisa menikmati suasana kota tersebut, kita sudah lanjut ke kota lain. Saya tidak bisa merasakan karakter kota tersebut. Dua atau tiga malam di satu kota rasanya lebih pas, seperti yang kita lalui di Jenewa dan Interlaken... 

Jungfraujoch, The Top of Europe

One of the top tourist destinations in Switzerland is Jungfraujoch. Located in Bernese Oberland region, Jungfraujoch is a glacier saddle connecting 2 major Alps mountains, the Jungfrau and the Mönch. It lies at an elevation of 3,463 metres above sea level and it is covered in blissful snow throughout the year. Our kids never saw the real snow so we thought it was a good idea to bring them up there and let them have their first experience with snow. 

We decided to stay in Interlaken area because it is a strategic location to explore the Bernese Oberland region. A lot of tourists apparently had the same idea. We met a lot of people from many parts of the world in Interlaken. No wonder the price of accommodation in Interlaken was very high.

The following day after we arrived in Interlaken, we went to Jungfraujoch. We checked the condition of the weather in Jungfrau website the day before and was so delighted to know it would be sunny in Jungfraujoch. The website www.jungfrau.ch provided not only the weather forecast in the city but also the weather on the top of the mountain, so it was really useful.

From Interlaken, there are 2 alternative routes to go to Jungfraujoch. 

1. Via Lauterbrunnen - Wengen - Kleine Scheidegg - Jungfraujoch. 

2. Via Grindelwald - Kleine Scheidegg - Jungfraujoch. 

We took the Lauterbrunnen route by train when we went up to Jungfraujoch and took the Grindelwald route by Eiger Express gondola when we returned to Interlaken. By doing so, we could enjoy sceneries in both areas. Since we also wanted to explore Lauterbrunnen and had a closer look at the impressive waterfall, we made an hour stop there before taking the train to Wengen. We also took an hour stop in Kleine Scheidegg to enjoy the area and took pictures. I also wished we could stop for a while in Wengen, but then we would be too late to take the reserved train seat in Kleine Scheidegg at 12 pm. If you had an extra time in Interlaken, actually it would be better to spend another day in Lauterbrunnen and/or Wengen. One hour is not enough to explore the area. 

Tickets to Jungfraujoch are expensive. Round tickets from Kleine Scheidegg to Jungfraujoch cost CHF 218 in high season (June 1 to August 31). This is not including the train tickets from Interlaken to Kleine Scheidegg. Fortunately with Swiss Travel Pass, we can travel for free up to Wengen. From Wengen onwards, we got 25% discount on train fare. We also got 50% discount for Jungfraujoch tickets and children under 16 year old don't need to pay. With the add-on of reservation cost CHF 10 per adult, we paid around CHF 340 for 2 adults and 2 kids. 

It takes around 35 minutes from Kleine Scheidegg to Jungfraujoch by Jungfraubahn train. We enjoyed the breathtaking view of snowy mountains before the train went into the dark tunnel and went up to the mountain peak. When we arrived in Jungfraujoch train station and walked to the main building, we saw a lot of tourists flooding the room. Summer is indeed a peak season.

We took the lift to go to Sphinx Observatory and saw the panoramic view over the Alps and the Aletsch Glacier. We were lucky it was sunny and the sky was so clear, we could enjoy the incredible view of the glacier and the snowy mountain. I might be too excited to see the scenery I didn't felt any dizziness. But both my kids and husband felt dizzy when they were at the Sphinx Observatory. A normal phenomenon considering we were at 11,716 feet above sea level. 

From Sphinx Observatory, we walked to Snow Fun Park where the visitors can enjoy snow tubing, snowboarding, sledding, flying fox or simply making and throwing snow ball. Perfect place for kids who love adventures. That was our daughters' first encounter with snow. My eldest daughter was so happy and had fun making snowball and throw them to us. 

We continued our journey to the next attraction, Ice Palace. As we went through the ice tunnel, we saw a variety of ice sculptures including Scrat from Ice Age that was stuck inside the ice. Very cute. All of the tunnel surfaces, from the ceiling, wall and the floor, were made of ice so they were slippery. We needed to walk extra carefully. I couldn't take many pictures inside because my daughter kept complaining she felt cold and wanted to leave the place. After one fast round, we left the palace and entered a warm place, Lindt Chocolate Heaven. 

Lindt Chocolate Heaven is more than just an ordinary chocolate shop. It is the highest chocolate shop in the world.  Next to the Lindt shop, five exhibits provide information about chocolate making. A big multitouch table is placed in the center of the room where people can play the game while learning about the history of Swiss chocolate. In the shop we can find an extensive range of Lindt chocolates, more varieties than what we normally find in our home country. 

The last station is the souvenir shop and restaurant. It is exactly the same place where we arrived. All of us were tired and hungry. We bought chicken nugget and French fries. Simple menu but nice and memorable because we ate it while enjoying the scenery out of the window. 

On our way back home, we took Eiger Express gondola to Grindelwald Terminal. It is a very big cable car with an almost full length window. We watched the stunning view of Eiger on one side and beautiful mountain landscape on the other side. Our trip to Jungfraujoch eventually ended but the memory of it lasts forever in our heart...

The Europe Trip: Interlaken

Interlaken was probably a famous destination that I never heard of prior to this trip. It was a small town, even smaller and more laid-back than Geneva, with only one McDonald's to be found. Certainly not a town I'd visit, since I'd always preferred cities. But I'm glad that we spent three nights there. Looking back, it was the highlight of the trip, made possible by my wife's brilliant planning. 

The first half of the day was spent to get there. We headed to Bern and had our lunch in the capital city of Switzerland (teller kebab and two gigantic slices of pizza), then continued our journey to Interlaken. We were lucky that we could check in immediately. Right after that, we explored the town a bit. I thought that would be it for the day, but my wife dragged us to Interlaken Ost and Harderbahn. Thus began the climb to Harder Kulm.

Interlaken, seen from Harder Kulm.

Harderbahn is an inclined railway station and, with the top station at 1322 M above sea level, the funicular ride was too scary for my liking. It was so slanted that it was hard not to stare at the rope and start imagining things. But the view at Harder Kulm was so amazing that it was worth it. You'd immediately understand why the town is called Interlaken. That's because it is between two lakes. 

While we were up there, we had cheese fondue. The food and the magnificent scenery reminded me of Asterix in Switzerland. There was this scene where Obelix got drunk because he drank the whole pot of cheese. You could taste the alcohol in every bite of bread dipped into the cheese!

Linda trying out the cheese fondue.

We got lost as we took the wrong bus on our way back. It was the same bus, but scheduled to go to the opposite direction at that particular timing. Apart from the tiny mistake that I realized only after we approached the second bus stop, day one in Interlaken ended pretty well. 

We went to Jungfraujoch on the second day. On our way up, we took the route via Lauterbrunnen. I lost my rucksack here. I put it on a compartment above my seat and only remembered it after I came out from washroom at the train station. After an attempt to enter the same train that came back an hour later, I simply had to accept that I might have lost the bag and resumed our journey without it. 

Yani and Audrey in Lauterbrunnen.

With a waterfall from the cliff high above and tiny houses scattered on the mountain, Lauterbrunnen was a definitive version of a village from a fairy tale. Coming from Singapore, the landscape was almost unreal! But if there's anything I like the most in Lauterbrunnen, it had to be a pack of pain au chocolat. I finished almost all of them, haha. 

From Lauterbrunnen, we went up to Wengen. Don't recall much about it as we didn't stop there. We alighted at Kleine Scheidegg Station instead. The place was cold, but it was only a prelude of the weather we would face later on. The greenery surrounding us pretty much ended at this level. From here onwards, the view from afar was snow white. We had a coffee break here and off we went to the top of Europe!

Yani and Linda enjoying coffee in Kleine Scheidegg.

And that top of Europe was called Jungfraujoch. The moment I reached there by train, I felt giddy. The same feeling seemed to be experienced by my daughters, too. Linda shared my opinion that the building felt shaky. Audrey even laid face down on floor every time she was left alone. Only my wife Yani was excited to be there. The whole thing, plus the bloody cold wind, was an ordeal. 

But still it was nice to be there. There was a happy feeling as a father to see my daughter playing snow for the first time ever. If it sounded bizarre, I must explain that not all kids from tropical area could have this experience. It was only in year 2023, few months earlier in Japan, that I myself had a chance to throw my first snow ball. 

Linda in Jungfraujoch.

Jungfraujoch was cold, bright and high, so high that I couldn't resist sending a postcard from the top of Europe. After lunch, we began our descent down the mountain. From Eigergletscher, we took gondola to Grindelwald, then boarded the next train back to Interlaken Ost. At the station, I checked if they found my bag, but they didn't, so I filed a lost property report. When we reached the town, we decided to have Chinese food at Vivi's Wok for dinner.

The next day, again we returned to Interlaken Ost. This time was for the lake cruise. It was so tranquil that I remember thinking, how is it possible to be competitive at work when the environment is so relaxing? Not when you open your window and see all this beautiful view. Singapore, with its concrete jungle, is a much suitable place for work, haha.

With Audrey and Linda in Iseltwald.

The boat brought us to Iseltwald, a quiet village with a crystal clear water. I just had to sit down for a while to see the waterfowls swimming gracefully. Then of course the village was famous for Crash Landing on You. God knows what the story is about, but there was a long queue mostly formed by Asians. My wife found it irresistible, so she took her chance when the crowd disappeared. 

From Iseltwald, we continued the cruise to the end of Lake Brienz. The thing is, after Iseltwald, the rest looked less attractive, so the second half of the journey became just another boat ride. We had fish and chips in Brienz, then took the train back to Interlaken. 

On our way back from Brienz to Interlaken.

Since we still got half a day, I did my Strava time in the late afternoon. I stayed not very far from Interlaken West, so I walked to Unterseen, then turned to Höheweg and Interlaken Ost before walking back to Macdonald's. The town was indeed small! We eventually closed the day with dinner at Sri Manee Isaan Thai House for another round of Asian food. 

We left Interlaken on the following day. Our usual routine was to board the morning train from Interlaken West that headed to Interlaken Ost. By doing so, we didn't have much time left at Interlaken Ost, so we quickly boarded the next train to Lucerne. 

On our way to Lucerne.

As the train started chugging, I updated the lost property report so that the bag would be sent to Zürich if they ever found it. I couldn't help wondering, would Switzerland proven to be as safe as Singapore or Japan? That's something that I could only wait and see for now...

Liburan Ke Eropa: Interlaken

Interlaken adalah tempat wisata terkenal yang tidak pernah saya dengar sebelum liburan ini. Kota ini sungguh kecil, bahkan lebih mungil dan santai dari Jenewa. Hanya ada satu McDonald's di tengah kota. Dari karakteristiknya, Interlaken bukanlah kota yang akan saya kunjungi karena saya lebih suka kota besar. Namun saya senang kita menghabiskan tiga malam di sana. Kalau dilihat kembali, Interlaken adalah tujuan wisata yang paling berkesan, yang terjadi karena direncanakan dengan baik oleh istri saya.

Setengah hari pertama digunakan untuk mencapai Interlaken. Dari Jenewa, kita bertolak ke Bern dan makan siang di sana (pesanan kita adalah teller kebab dan juga dua potong pizza berukuran besar). Sesampainya di kota, kita beruntung bisa langsung mendapatkan kamar meski belum waktunya. Sesudah itu kita berjalan-jalan di Interlaken. Saya mengira hari itu akan berakhir begitu saja, tapi Yani lantas membawa kita ke Harderbahn di samping Interlaken Ost. Dari situ perjalanan ke Harder Kulm pun bermula. 

Interlaken dilihat dari Harder Kulm.

Harderbahn adalah stasiun kereta yang menanjak ke atas dan dengan stasiun berikutnya yang berada di ketinggian 1322 M di atas permukaan laut, perjalanan ke puncak terasa agak mengerikan. Posisi kereta mungkin lebih miring daripada 45 derajat sehingga sulit untuk mengalihkan pandangan dari kabel dan mulai membayangkan yang tidak-tidak. Akan tetapi pemandangan di Harder Kulm sangatlah indah. Begitu sampai di sana, saya langsung mengerti kenapa kotanya disebut Interlaken. Ini karena posisinya yang berada di antara dua danau. 

Selagi berada di sana, kita mencicipi fondue keju. Makanan dan pemandangannya lantas mengingatkan saya pada cerita Asterix di Swiss. Ada adegan di mana Obelix jadi mabuk karena menenggak langsung sepanci keju. Kandungan alkoholnya sungguh terasa di roti yang saya celupkan ke keju!  

Linda mencicipi fondue keju.

Kita sempat tersasar dalam perjalanan pulang. Di Interlaken Ost, bis yang sama dijadwalkan ke arah yang bertolak belakang dari tujuan saya. Beda jam, beda arah. Namun terlepas dari kesalahan kecil yang baru saya sadari setelah bis hampir mencapai halte kedua, boleh dikatakan hari pertama di Interlaken berjalan lancar. 

Keesokan harinya, kita pergi ke Jungfraujoch. Kita ke sana melalui rute via Lauterbrunnen dan pulang lewat Grindelwald. Di Lauterbrunnen, saya kehilangan ransel. Saya menaruh ransel di atas tempat duduk saat kereta berangkat dan baru menyadarinya setelah saya tiba dan keluar dari toilet stasiun. Setelah saya coba cari lagi di kereta yang sama saat kereta tersebut kembali ke Lauterbrunnen satu jam berikutnya, saya pasrah dan melanjutkan perjalanan tanpa ransel saya. 

Yani dan Audrey di Lauterbrunnen.

Dengan air terjun yang mengalir dari tebing tinggi dan rumah-rumah mungil di lereng gunung, Lauterbrunnen mirip desa kecil dari dunia dongeng. Bagi saya yang datang dari Singapura, pemandangan ini terasa seperti cerita fantasi. Tapi yang paling saya sukai dari Lauterbrunnen adalah pain au chocolat. Satu bungkus croissant coklat yang dibelikan istri hampir saya habiskan sendiri, haha.  

Dari Lauterbrunnen, kita pindah kereta ke Wengen. Kita sekedar melintasi desa ini saja. Di stasiun berikutnya, Kleine Scheidegg, barulah kita turun. Tempat ini terasa dingin karena angin yang menderu-deru, tapi semua ini hanyalah permulaan dari dinginnya iklim di puncak gunung. Hijaunya pemandangan berakhir di sini. Apa yang terlihat selanjutnya adalah gunung yang diselimuti salju. Kita berhenti untuk minum kopi sebentar di Kleine Scheidegg, kemudian lanjut ke puncak tertinggi di Eropa! 

Yani dan Linda menikmati kopi di Kleine Scheidegg.

Dan puncak ini terkenal sebagai Jungfraujoch. Saat tiba di sana, entah kenapa saya merasa pusing. Hal yang sama juga dialami oleh dua putri saya. Linda juga merasa bahwa gedungnya kurang kokoh dan agak bergoyang setiap kali kita melangkah. Audrey bahkan sampai terkapar setiap kali kita berhenti berjalan. Hanya Yani yang bersemangat di sana. Fenomena yang saya jabarkan di atas dan juga angin dingin di dalam lorong membuat Jungfraujoch agak sulit dinikmati. 

Namun tentu saja masih ada kesan positifnya. Ada rasa senang sebagai seorang ayah saat melihat Linda bermain salju untuk pertama kalinya. Jika pernyataan ini terasa membingungkan, perlu saya jelaskan bahwa tidak semua anak dari kawasan tropis memiliki kesempatan ini. Bahkan saya sendiri pun baru pertama kali mencobanya di awal tahun 2023, saat berada di Jepang bersama teman-teman. 

Linda di Jungfraujoch.

Jungfraujoch bisa dideskripsikan dengan kata dingin, terang-benderang dan tinggi, begitu tinggi sehingga saya jadi spontan tergerak untuk mengirim kartu pos dari puncak tertinggi di Eropa. Setelah makan siang, kita pun memulai perjalanan pulang. Dari Eigergletscher, kita naik kereta gantung ke Grindelwald, lalu lanjut dengan kereta dan kembali ke Interlaken Ost. Di stasiun, saya bertanya kepada petugas, apakah ransel saya berhasil ditemukan. Karena ransel sepertinya hilang tanpa jejak, saya akhirnya disarankan untuk membuat laporan. Saat tiba kembali di pusat kota, kita makan masakan Cina di Vivi's Wok.

Di hari berikutnya, kita kembali ke Interlaken Ost, kali ini untuk naik kapal di danau. Pemandangannya begitu rileks dan damai. Saya jadi berpikir, bagaimana bisa termotivasi untuk berkompetisi kalau tempatnya sesantai ini. Begitu buka jendela, yang terlihat itu hijaunya gunung dan birunya danau. Singapura yang dipadati gedung pencakar langit lebih cocok untuk kerja, haha. 

Bersama Audrey dan Linda di Iseltwald.

Kapal membawa kita ke Iseltwald, sebuah kampung sunyi dengan air danau yang jernih dan transparan. Saya jadi tergerak untuk duduk sejenak melihat unggas air berenang dengan tenang. Di Iseltwald juga ada lokasi yang muncul di serial Crash Landing on You. Saya tidak tahu cerita drama Korea ini, tapi ada antrian panjang yang hampir semuanya berwajah Asia. Istri saya juga tergoda, lalu turut berfoto di sana setelah antrian bubar. 

Dari Iseltwald, kita lanjut ke ujung Danau Brienz. Masalahnya adalah, setelah Iseltwald, pemandangan selanjutnya terlihat kurang menarik sehingga sisa perjalanan kita hanya terasa seperti naik kapal feri menyeberangi danau. Kita makan kentang dan ikan goreng di Brienz, lalu pulang menggunakan kereta ke Interlaken. 

Dalam perjalanan pulang dari Brienz ke Interlaken.

Karena masih sisa waktu setengah hari, saya beraktivitas menggunakan aplikasi Strava. Tempat tinggal saya tidak jauh dari Interlaken West, jadi saya berjalan ke Unterseen, kemudian berbelok ke Höheweg dan Interlaken Ost sebelum kembali ke Macdonald's. Ternyata memang kecil kotanya! Dan hari itu pun ditutup dengan santap malam di Sri Manee Isaan Thai House. 

Kita meninggalkan Interlaken di pagi berikutnya. Selama di sana, kita menaiki kereta pagi di Interlaken West yang menuju ke Interlaken Ost. Oleh karena itu, tidak banyak waktu yang tersisa dan kita lekas berganti kereta yang lanjut ke Lucerne. 

Saat menuju ke Lucerne.

Saat kereta mulai berjalan, saya memperbaharui data laporan saya supaya tas yang hilang bisa dikirim Zürich. Saya jadi kepikiran, apakah Swiss akan terbukti seaman Singapura atau Jepang? Ini adalah sesuatu yang belum ada jawabannya dan saya pun hanya bisa menantikan kabar... 

The Europe Trip: Lyon

Our train ride in Europe began with Lyon. It was an entirely new experience but I did my homework the day before, when we did the sightseeing and stopped by the Geneva railway station. I knew now that Platform 7 and 8 are dedicated for trains to France. 

You'd think that the ticketing system in Europe will be high-tech, but no, it is still using a dial and buttons, not touch screen like what we normally see in Singapore. As I was trying to figure out how to buy my tickets, a kind passer-by noticed that I was confused and he gestured that I should rotate the dial, haha. By the way, like I said previously, credit or debit cards are the way to go in Western Europe. Purchasing tickets was much easier with cashless payment. 

At the Geneva railway station, waiting for the train to Lyon. 

After getting our tickets, we made our way to Lyon. It took about two hours to get there. The landscape view during the journey wasn't exactly brilliant, certainly nothing to shout about if I were to compare it with what I would see throughout Switzerland, but Lyon was a much livelier city than Geneva. There was a big city vibe, the rowdy and dangerous feeling, in Lyon. 

We arrived at Lyon Part-Dieu and already we could see the crowd. When we stepped out, there are high-rise buildings. Right across the street, there is this mall called Westfield. It was dark and quiet. I thought we were too early, but I'd learn later on that is how Sunday looks like in Western Europe. No shopping, only restaurants and cinemas are open.

nouilles au saumon.

We walked from Westfield, following the route on Google Maps and heading to Hard Rock Cafe. When we passed by Les Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse, it looked interesting that we decided to enter. It turned out to be an indoor market. I had nouilles au saimon (salmon noodles) as it looked Asian. My wife got herself a box of strawberries for breakfast. When in France, we also bought macarons and another local delicacy called pink praline tart.

We continued our journey afterwards, crossing Pont Lafayette (it's a name of a bridge) while enjoying the beautiful view of Rhône and the Old Town. But Hard Rock Cafe wasn't open for another hour when we reached there, so we walked towards the Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière. 

Emily in Lyon, enjoying croissant at Maison Antoine.

There was another river named Saône before the Old Town and we were already on the bridge, but as I looked back and saw those roadside coffee shops that reminded me of Emily in Paris, I just had to sit down for a while to enjoyed a cup of coffee and a croissant. I went back and did just that. My daughter's middle name is Emily, so as I watched people passing by, I said to her that this is a scene from Emily in Lyon, haha.

In the Old Town, we visited Musée Cinéma et Miniature. It's a museum for French and Hollywood movies. Didn't see much of it as my daughter Audrey was kind of bored with it after a while. After that we walked to Metro Vieux-Lyon to take the funicular to the top of hill. It was worth the time. This Notre-Dame was the most beautiful church throughout the entire trip. We also saw the city of Lyon from the hill. 

Lyon, as seen from Fourvière.

We completed Old Town just in time for Hard Rock Cafe. When we came down using the funicular, we could walk directly to the metro platform. This is where it is different than Singapore. In Lyon, it seems like you pay only for the entrance. We could get out from any station as there isn't a need to tap the metro ticket anymore. 

The visit to Hard Rock, a tradition started back in 2018, was a quick one. We returned to metro station and made our way to Westfield. In the late afternoon, it felt weird that to see a mall so dark with most of the shops closing. So odd that it occurred to me such a thing would never happen in Singapore. 

Hard Rock Cafe Lyon.

We had Vietnamese food there, while we could. It was sickening to have too much French fries, so anything different than that was much welcome. I also met my old acquaintance Vincent while I was there. Nice guy, someone I knew almost 10 years ago during his stay in Singapore. I was curious why a person living in Lyon was working in Geneva, so we spent my last hour in Lyon catching up and talking about that, haha. 

Lyon Part-Dieu station was crowded and chaotic, so Vincent offered to bring us to the correct platform. That was very nice of him. Then the train came, quite on time, but not as punctual as the train system in Japan. As we boarded the train, we waved goodbye to Lyon and returned to Geneva...

With Vincent at Lyon Part-Dieu.

Liburan Ke Eropa: Lyon

Perjalanan menggunakan kereta antar kota dalam liburan kali ini dimulai dengan kunjungan ke Lyon. Ini adalah pengalaman yang sama sekali baru bagi saya, tapi saya sudah mengerjakan PR saya sehari sebelumnya, sewaktu kita berjalan-jalan dan singgah di stasiun Jenewa. Dari situ saya tahu bahwa hanya Platform 7 dan 8 yang melayani tujuan ke Perancis. 

Jadi kita mungkin berasumsi bahwa sistem tiket di Eropa seharusnya canggih, tapi ternyata tidak begitu. Mesin tiketnya masih menggunakan tombol tekan dan putar, bukan layar sentuh seperti yang biasa kita lihat di Singapura. Saya baru mengetahui hal ini setelah pengguna kereta yang kebetulan lewat melihat saya kebingungan. Dia lantas dengan spontan memutar tombolnya untuk memberikan contoh, haha. Seperti yang saya beritahukan sebelumnya, akan lebih baik bila menggunakan kartu kredit atau debit di Eropa. Membeli tiket sangatlah praktis dengan pembayaran non-tunai. 

Di Stasiun Jenewa, menantikan kereta ke Lyon. 

Sesudah membeli tiket, kita pun menuju ke Lyon. Kira-kira butuh dua jam lamanya untuk sampai ke tujuan. Pemandangan selama perjalanan tidaklah begitu menakjubkan bila dibandingkan dengan apa yang akan saya lihat saat menjelajah Swiss. Kendati demikian, Lyon jauh lebih hidup daripada Jenewa. Ada nuansa kota besar yang ramai dan rasa kurang aman di Lyon. 

Kita tiba Lyon Part-Dieu dan stasiun tersebut dipadati oleh penumpang yang berlalu-lalang. Di depan stasiun ada mal bernama Westfield. Gedung ini terlihat gelap dan sunyi. Awalnya saya sangka bahwa kita datang terlalu awal, namun kemudian saya menyadari bahwa memang seperti inilah situasi hari Minggu di Eropa Barat. Tidak ada toko yang buka. Yang ada hanya restoran dan bioskop. 

Mie salmon.

Kita berjalan dari Westfield mengikuti rute di Google Maps dan menuju ke Hard Rock Cafe. Di kala kita melewati Les Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse, tempat ini terlihat menarik sehingga kita pun masuk untuk melihat. Ternyata Les Halles adalah semacam pasar. Saya mencicipi nouilles au saumon yang artinya mie salmon karena terlihat Asia. Istri saya ke supermarket dan kembali dengan sekotak stroberi untuk sarapan. Karena ini di Perancis, kita wajib membeli makaron. Kita juga membeli kue lokal yang disebut tar pralin merah muda. 

Perjalanan pun dilanjutkan dan kita menyeberangi jembatan Pont Lafayette sambil menyaksikan indahnya sungai Rhône dan Kota Tua. Akan tetapi Hard Rock Cafe belum buka, jadi kita berjalan ke arah Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière. 

Emily in Lyon, bersantai menikmati croissant di Maison Antoine.

Kita harus menyeberangi sungai bernama Saône sebelum kita mencapai Kota Tua. Saat kita sudah di jembatan, saya menoleh kembali dan melihat toko kue dan kopi yang mengingatkan saya kembali pada serial Emily in Paris. Saya jadi ingin duduk sebentar di sana untuk menikmati croissant dan secangkir kopi. Nama tengah anak saya adalah Emily, jadi saya pun berguyon dengannya bahwa ini adalah adegan dari Emily in Lyon, haha.

Di Kota Tua, kita masuk Musée Cinéma et Miniature. Ini adalah museum untuk film Perancis dan Hollywood. Saya tidak sempat melihat-lihat banyak di sini karena putri saya Audrey mulai rewel. Dari museum, kita lanjut ke Metro Vieux-Lyon untuk naik trem ke atas bukit. Perjalanan ini tidaklah sia-sia, sebab Notre Dame ternyata merupakan gereja terbagus dalam perjalanan kali ini. Pemandangan seluruh kota Lyon dilihat dari bukit pun sangat memukau. 

Lyon dilihat dari bukit Fourvière.

Jalan-jalan keliling Kota Tua berakhir dengan kunjungan ke Hard Rock Cafe. Dari stasiun trem, kita bisa langsung turun ke bawah tanah untuk menaiki metro. Sistem transportasi di Lyon ini berbeda dengan apa yang saya kenal baik di Singapura. Di Lyon, sepertinya kita hanya membayar untuk masuk. Kita tidak memerlukan kartu lagi untuk keluar dari stasiun mana pun. 

Kunjungan ke Hard Rock, sebuah tradisi yang dimulai sejak tahun 2018, tidak berlangsung lama. Dari situ, kita menuju ke stasiun metro terdekat dan berjalan kembali ke Westfield. Di sore hari, aneh rasanya melihat mal yang gelap dan tutup toko-tokonya. Begitu janggal sehingga saya pun membayangkan bahwa hal ini tidak pernah terjadi di Singapura.

Hard Rock Cafe Lyon.

Kita menyantap makanan Vietnam di mal, mumpung lagi ada. Kebanyakan kentang goreng membuat saya kapok, jadi makanan apa pun yang berbeda akan disantap dengan senang hati. Selagi di restoran Vietnam, saya juga bertemu dengan Vincent, orang Perancis yang saya kenal di Singapura sejak satu dekade yang lalu. Saya penasaran kenapa orang yang tinggal di Lyon mau bekerja di Jenewa, jadi saya banyak bertanya kepadanya di satu jam terakhir di Lyon, haha. 

Stasiun Lyon Part-Dieu sangat ramai dan hirup-pikuk di sore menjelang senja, jadi Vincent menawarkan diri untuk mengantar kita ke platform kereta. Sistem kereta di Eropa cukup tepat waktu, namun tetap kalah bila dibandingkan dengan ketepatan waktu di Jepang. Beberapa saat kemudian, kita telah berada di kereta, meninggalkan Lyon dan kembali ke Jenewa...

Bersama Vincent di Lyon Part-Dieu.