~the Eiffel, the swans and everything nice~

A whole day in Paris. Went up the Eiffel Tower in the morning, and then to Notre Dame (this is included in the package), and the Louvre Museum. We are really tired later in the afternoon, so we decided to have a Siesta instead. A Siesta is a good sleep during the day (that’s what I think from what the guide informed us). Pictures would tell more I’d guess. There were too many things to write about.

An artist doing a copy of the original painting.

Love this painting of a mother and her daughter.

A very huge painting.

Eiffel by night.

And now I’m in the coach (this was written on 26 June), on my way with the rest of the tour members to Lucerne or Luzern in Switzerland.

A chateau of a German family in France.

The beautiful river in Switzerland, see the people in the water? :)

(And starting right below was written on 27 June).

Yesterday we arrived in Lucerne at around 4 pm, and we get to check out the place. The minute we drove through the town, we were all so amazed. And when we reached the Lake Lucerne, we can’t believe that we’re there. I didn’t expect it to be that picturesque. The lake is green and clear, with swans and ducks adding to the breathtaking scenery. They also have boat rides, you know with 2 people in front cycling to move the boat. It was a long queue so we didn’t have the chance to get a ride. By the way, the day was so hot at that time, yet we still have a great time. It was so hot that some of my Canadian tourmates dipped their feet in the lake. It was funny hearing their stories.

The mentioned lake.

Swans are not shy here, they're like cats in Malaysia.

The sleeping lion monument.

Later my husband, my sister and I went to Hotel Renaissance (once called Shallot Hotel) and get our welcome drink. The rest of the evening we mingled around until dinner at the hotel. The room was so nice, and we felt a little luxury there. We also had a great view of a domed building, not sure what it was though. Strike that.

The hotel.

The view from inside the hotel, not from our room. Overlooking the Alps eh?

And today, we started early in the morning and went up to Mount Stanserhorn, one of the beautiful mountains in the Alps. We get to view the various mountains of the Alps up there, but the famous Mount Matterhorn is not there, it’s on another side of the country. Amanda Gardiner, our guide, informed us that Mount Matterhorn is not the highest mountain in the Alps, but it has a beautiful shape to it, with the big cone shape and the snow caps (even during the summer). We were last in the group to complete the walk on the trail around the mountain. Being an inactive person I am, I had problem catching up. I was out of breath. But it was all worth it. These pictures should tell more. Enjoy J The ride up the mountain was via a wooden train, and continued on a big cable car fit for 30 people. It was a nice ride, different from the cable cars in Malaysia. Yes, the cable car in Pulau Langkawi is just as nice, but each ride in my opinion is different. The view is different. The feeling is also different. I love them both just as much.

Around 11 am, our coach got us to Venice (Venezia) in Italy. As I looked out the window, Italy has a whole different vibe to it. It is not as peaceful and clean as Switzerland does. But when we get to Venice it’s a different story. That’ll be the next post J Ciao bella.