Diary for 2017 Europe Holiday

Wed 30 August 2017

After a hectic last minute rush at work, we ended up getting to the airport ahead of time and it was much better to avoid the rush and was a lot less stressful.

Connor was very tired and even had a nap before the flight in the terminal. There was a short delay before boarding due to the catering being late. Our flight schedule was to fly from Johannesburg to Frankfurt (Germany) with a 2 hour wait between flights.

We couldn't really sleep on the plane. We had the 4 middle seats. Connor had to stretch out and didn't want to sleep in an upright position so it wasn't very comfortable at all and we didn't get much sleep.

We eventually got to Frankfurt a few minutes ahead of time and then went through hectic security checks. Ryan and Jethro got pulled over into a cubicle to be searched. It detected that Ryan had a sweet paper in his pocket!

We walked quite a distance (about 1.5km) to get the boarding gate. The Geneva flight was delayed by a few minutes due to bad weather on route but the flight ended up good and all bags arrived without any issue.

Thur 31 August 2017

Our bags didn't take long to come through and Inger was waiting for us at arrivals of the Geneva airport. We arrived at about 9am. We took a bus to her apartment. We were so tired that we needed to take a 2 hour snooze.

Later on we took the tram downtown to the city centre and lake. We walked through the 'old town' section and explored a few shops before going past the main tourist attractions (flower clock and water fountain). We also tried an ice cream and used the free wifi at McDonalds.

In the evening Inger's daughter and husband came around to join us for dinner. We had Swedish meatballs, mash and mushrooms which was very tasty. We exchanged gifts and it was a very nice and relaxing evening. Because being so tired from the flight, we all slept very well.

Friday 1 Sept 2017

Inger made us a delicious English breakfast with bacon and scrambled eggs. The bacon tasted different to what we are used to it (very thin and crispy) but tasty.

We walked through the shopping centre across the road from the apartment and just had an easy morning. Connor was greeting people in the shops with "bonjour".

We took the tram (pink one - which apparently is the only one in Geneva) to the train station.

It was a 4 hour train ride to Milan, Italy in 1st class. The coach was very comfortable and Connor had a good sleep along the way. It was a very nice and scenic ride and we arrived just before 6pm. The train station is huge (more than 25 platforms) and it was very busy at that time of the afternoon.

It was about a 20 minute walk to the apartment. It wasn't easy pulling 3 big bags, backpacks and carrying Connor, but we eventually got there without getting lost. The owner (Fabrizio) was very friendly and gave us a few tips about Milan. The apartment was on the 5th floor in a very narrow street and there was a pizza restaurant right next to the building.

We had a pizza for dinner from the restaurant, and to our surprise the owner started speaking Afrikaans to Claudette after she told him we are from South Africa. He even gave us discount and free drinks and desert. We watched out the window how the locals park cars in such narrow parking spots. Most parking look impossible to get into but somehow they manage, even though we saw them bumping the cars next to them. Quite interesting.

Sat 2 Sept 2017

Italian Formula 1 grand prix day! We were up early and Jethro and Ryan were on their way to the train station when it was still dark. It was about a 30-40 minute train ride to the Monza circuit and we had to change trains half way. When we arrived at the circuit it wasn't open yet and it began drizzling. We only had a small umbrella with us. We eventually got in after going through a security check. Interestingly they force you to remove bottle caps from soft drink bottles.

It rained the whole day and not much racing actually happened but we still made the best of the situation. Even the qualifying was delayed until about 16.30. We tried to keep as dry as possible by standing under trees and walking through the shops. We also kept ourselves busy by walking through the fan zone and even entered a tyre changing competition. Our best attempt was 5.6 seconds but could have been faster if our air gun was functioning better. Earlier in the day we also saw Fernando Alonso and Daniel Kvyat arriving at the track.

We walked around most of the circuit and even got to see the famous old banking and took some photos. One of the security guards spotted us (I don't think we were allowed on the banking) and was starting to come towards us but we quickly disappeared. When the qualifying did eventually happen, we witnessed Lewis Hamilton break the all time pole position record from Michael Schumacher in the wet. Ferrari qualified 6th and 7th.

Claudette looked after Connor for the day and they went to an indoor play area which was 3 stories high. Connor enjoyed himself. That night we had pizza again for dinner from the same restaurant downstairs.

Sun 3 Sept 2017

Race day! Another early morning but at least there was a direct train to the circuit. On arrival, the queue was very long but it took about 45 minutes to get inside. We headed straight to the spot where we stood the previous day (100m from the start/finish line) but it was blocked off. We also tried to get a spot near the first chicane but also couldn't get in there. We then walked to the pit lane entry on the inside of the track where we got a place to stand for the rest of the day. There was 93000 spectators on the day and you couldn't move else you would lose your spot. It was a very hot and sunny day (over 30 degrees C).

The race itself wasn't that exciting with the finishing order being Hamilton, Bottas, Vettel but the crowd was very passionate Ferrari supporters. Every time the Ferrari comes past they get excited.

The podium ceremony was amazing! We couldn't find an open gate to get onto the track but managed to climb the fencing and had a great view. It was actually better and didn't have to get pushed around by the thousands! After the race we walked on the circuit back to the train station and even met a few South Africans along the way. The queue for the train was very long and it took about an hour before we actually got on the train. The Italians take anything they can as souvenirs. We saw advertising boards and tyres being carried onto the train. We even saw some trying to unbolt armco barriers (probably as a souvenir). We could hear some South Africans chatting on the train.

Once back at the apartment we decided we would take the metro underground train to the piazza Duomo which is a massive cathedral and one of the main tourist attractions in Milan. Claudette and Connor had been there earlier in the day and also been to a castle nearby the cathedral. The cathedral was an impressive structure. We also walked through the mall which consists mainly of high end fashion brands.

Once home we tried some pasta from the restaurant below. It was very tasty.

Mon 4 Sept 2017

Goodbye Milan, and off to the home of Ferrari in Maranello. We had an early train at 6.50am and walked to the station while still dark (bags and all). We arrived at 8.45am at the Modena station. The train wasn't too bad although a little cramped. It was a 6-seater compartment and we shared it with 3 other strangers where our luggage took up most of the packing space. Maranello is about 20-25km away from Modena so we used the Ferrari shuttle bus to take us there for €6 (R100) each. On the way it also stopped at the Enzo Ferrari museum but we didn't go in. We also passed the Maserati factory and got a glimpse of the Ferrari factory (including the wind tunnel) on route.

Upon arrival, we went straight into the Ferrari museum. We saw many old F1 cars, trophy displays and various Ferrari road car models. It was quite impressive although we expected it to be a lot bigger. In the street where the museum is situated is a lot of Ferrari test drive opportunities which costs approximately €200 (R3200) for 15 minutes. This is very popular and there is plenty of Ferrari's driving around.

There was a free shuttle service between the museum and the hotel we were staying at, but we had to wait 2 hours for it, so decided to get a taxi to take us earlier instead. The hotel was about 3.5km away and the taxi ride cost us €15 (R240) for all of us including our luggage. The hotel (named Maranello Village) is racing themed and each building is named after a race track while each room is decorated in Ferrari colours with racing posters in the rooms. We were allocated a spacious 2 bedroom self catering apartment in the Suzuka block. It also has a cafeteria where we saw a lot of Ferrari factory workers having lunch.

Once settled in Connor and Claudette had a nap while Jethro and Ryan walked back towards the museum where we saw the Fiorano race track. They were busy preparing for the Ferrari 70 year anniversary celebration. We heard that Vettel was there a week later for the celebration. We also saw the Enzo Ferrari memorial, Gilles Villeneuve memorial, the original entrance to the Ferrari factory as well as the F1 factory. While walking through the streets we saw numerous Ferrari's driving around as well as Ferrari merchandise shops. We also went into a racing shop which sells racing equipment.

We had a long walk back to the hotel and had pizza again for dinner from the cafeteria. Unfortunately the hotel was slightly on the outskirts of the town so there wasn't much else to do.

Tues 5 Sept 2017

Jethro decided that he wanted to buy a new racing overall and gloves from the shop we saw the day before, so we made use of the free shuttle bus to get to the museum and walked the rest. Jethro didn't have his passport with him so was unable to get the vat removed, but the shop owner offered us a lift to the hotel to fetch the passport. Jethro went back with him to purchase the items. Claudette and Connor went to an ice cream shop and we eventually checked out at lunch time. We used a taxi to get back to the Modena train station for €40 (R640) for all of us. The train left for Milan at 14.25. This was quite an interesting trip. The train was very ordinary and without air conditioning on a hot day. There was a mad Italian with long hair which we think wanted to be a woman. He was doing weird things and he was stinking. He even took off his shoes which made it worse. The people were laughing at him and moving away because of the smell. Even when new passengers sat down near him, they lasted a minute and then moved. At one stage he put a dress on over his clothes and was doing the 'Titanic' pose out the window. We were getting worried incase he was trying to jump out the window.

We eventually arrived back in Milan and there was a 40 minute wait for the next train to Switzerland. This train was much nicer (operated by Swiss rail) and very comfortable. The route was beautiful as we passed lakes and mountains along the route. We arrived in Zug, Switzerland at 20h30. The sun went down around 8pm. Christos was waiting for us at the station and we walked to their apartment which is very close. We got a very warm welcome from Sonia and Christos with a 'Welcome Schwartz Family' light displayed in the lounge.

We had a lovely dinner and then a good sleep after a hectic day.

Wed 6 Sept 2017

We finally were able to sleep back a little. After a nice breakfast, Jethro, Ryan and Connor took a walk to the boats parked in the 'harbour' on the lake. We saw quite a few people fishing. We then walked over the road and found a festival on the go. It was some sort of agricultural festival. Before we could get back, the weather changed suddenly and we were caught up in cloud burst of rain without having taken the umbrella with us. We were at least under cover and luckily we got a gap and managed to get home without really getting wet.

We had a nice lunch and then later in the afternoon we all went for a walk through the 'old town'. Sonia organized the key to the top of the Zug clock tower which had an amazing view looking out over the town. We also walked through some shops, saw the 'see bad' which is basically their beach, and then took a walk through the festival again. Connor enjoyed the touch farm very much.

In the evening, Christos prepared delicious ribs and chips. The apartment is a 3 bedroom apartment on the 4th floor. It is very conveniently situated and looks out over the Zug lake and is also right opposite a prison. There was never any lights on at the prison at night meaning that it is quite possible that there is no prisoners (something quite possible in Switzerland).

Thur 7 Sept 2017

We decided that today would be a good day to go up the Zugerberg mountain which is not far from the house.

We walked to the station and then got a bus that took us through the town to the foot of the mountain. From there we took a funicular (vehicle which is like a cable car that runs on tracks) up the side of a mountain. Again such a magnificent sight from up above. We also saw a school on top and the grass is bright green and the air so fresh. There was also a mountain bike downhill route which we saw which looked quite interesting. At the top we walked to the children's play area and saw some ski slopes that are used in the winter.

In the afternoon we tried to hire free bicycles but they didn't want to accept a South African drivers license as proof of ID. Our plan was that we were going to attempt to take the bicycles up the mountain on the funicular and then ride down but it didn't happen.

When Christos arrived from work we went in the car to the mall. It was the first time for Ryan to drive a left hand drive car and on the wrong side of the road but it went well. At the mall we also did some recycling. Plastics, glass, paper, carton, etc. are separated into separate bins at home and then placed in specific bins at recycling stations.

Again we had a lovely dinner but we were so tired (probably from all the fresh air).

Friday 8 Sept 2017

We decided to be brave and use the car to go out and explore. We drove around the Zurich lake in an Austria direction to go to an adventure park named 'Atzmannig'. There is various children's activities including playgrounds, trampolines, radio controlled boats, ride on cars, etc. but the main attraction is ski slopes (for winter) and a 750m toboggan run. A toboggan is similar to a bob sleigh where you sit on and then slide around the corners of the course. It does have brakes so you can control the speed. What a lot of fun! There is a ski lift to take you up the mountain (with amazing views over the village below) and then you ride down. Ryan and Jethro attempted it first. Ryan went down first but caught another rider half way down so slowed to give that rider more space. Jethro then caught up to Ryan and then others behind him. Jethro then even had a mini accident.

Second round Ryan took Connor on a double toboggan while Claudette and Jethro went on their own. Connor really enjoyed going up the ski lift and was all smiles on the toboggan and was even controlling the speed himself.

On the way back we stopped at a pumpkin farm named Jucker park. There was a lot of different pumpkins everywhere. Some were for sale and others used to build displays of animals. There was also restaurant and a children's petting zoo. We also saw that we were 5km away from the Sauber F1 factory but it was in the opposite direction and decided to give it a skip as it was already getting late.

The GPS route home took us around the Zurich lake. The traffic was quite bad and it took us a while to get home. Before dinner Ryan and Connor went for a short walk to see deer across the road and then also saw people walking along the lake side in traditional clothes. We then had boerewors rolls for dinner. It was a very good day!

Sat 9 Sept 2017

Jethro got to celebrate his 29th birthday in Switzerland! By now (because of the sun only going down after 8pm) we were having late nights (sleeping around mid night) and then battling to wake up before 8am so Jethro got to sleep in a bit for his birthday.

We used the car again to drive North to the Frey chocolate factory. On the way we missed one of the off ramps which then forced us to go into the Zurich city centre instead of by-passing it. This mistake cost us an extra hour and half travel time.

The factory was very nice. The tour started off with some interactive explanations and presentations of how it is made but we couldn't wait to get to the samples! We ate ourselves full of chocolate! There was a conveyor belt going around of various chocolates where you could just help yourself and sample. There was also various photo opportunities.

On the way back we stopped at a big shopping centre for some groceries. In the evening we went for a walk to the Zug town centre right next to the lake (about 1km from home) to see the international festival that was on the go. There was various food stalls where each represented country was selling their own traditional food. There was also traditional dancing on stage.

Once back home, we had Raclette for dinner. Raclette is a traditional swish dish where you melt slices of Raclette cheese on an electric grill type machine and then pour the cheese over potatoes or other meats/vegetables. Very tasty!

We also celebrated Jethro's birthday with sparklers, streamers and champagne.

Sun 10 Sept 2017

Today Christos drove us to the Rhine Falls. The Rhine river is one of the most well known rivers in Europe and the falls itself was spectacular! It was very busy with lots of tourists. The walk to see the falls begins high up looking down over the water and across to the buildings on the other side. The water is very powerful and the further you walk down the steps the better it becomes. We also saw the Alstom offices directly across from the falls.

The falls were not very far from the German border but we didn't have our passports with us so didn't want to take a chance to go across the border. We then travelled back towards home and stopped in Zurich. Christos and Sonia took us on a mini tour and showed us the main attractions in Zurich. They took us to a lookout point which looks over the river and part of the busy waterfront/lakeside areas. The city was quite lively for a Sunday afternoon!

Once we got home, Jethro and Ryan took the bicycles and went for a 12km ride along the Zug lake which was quite enjoyable. We passed campsites, parks and play areas along the way. The air is so fresh and the people so relaxed. A pleasant experience.

In the evening we had another traditional Swiss dish which was like a stroganoff over grated potatoes. Delicious!

Mon 11 Sept 2017

An earlier than normal start to the day because we are on the road to Germany to Europa park. Europa park is a massive theme park which Sonia says is bigger than Euro Disney.

We passed through the Border without anyone stopping us to check passports and 50km later we realize that we are on the autobahn. The cars just fly by and flash lights at you if you are in their way. It was a 200km drive from Zug to get to Europa Park.

We thought that by going on a Monday the place would be empty. Wrong! It was packed with people and the average waiting time for a ride was about 40 minutes. The theme park is huge and even has trains to take you around. We have never seen so many roller coasters in one place before. There was even an F1 Mercedes themed roller coaster which produces 4G. After the ride you get to walk through a Mercedes F1 display. The theme park is divided in sections based on country with each country area having food stalls and architecture/rides relevant to that country. It is quite unique. Connor also enjoyed himself on the various children's rides. It was a great day but we probably needed a second day to see everything but made the best of the time we had.

We stayed at the park until it closed at 7.30pm and then drove on a narrow countryside road for about 50km to a small town named Colmar which is situated in France. When crossing over into France, there was no border control. We also passed an accident scene and a few small villages where the speed limit was 30km/h.

We found the Ibis hotel but battled to find a place to get something to eat and ended up getting Shawarma's at Donner Kebab. The room wasn't great but it was at least clean and conveniently situated.

Tues 12 Sept 2017

We woke up a bit later and then explored the town of Colmar. It is full of very old buildings and churches and is quite amazing.

The most scenic of the town was the area named 'Petite Venice' where the canals make it look very similar to the actual Venice in Italy. There was a lot of nice shops and a very old cathedral with stained glass windows. We also saw a nice local food market. The weather was changing very quickly. At one point Claudette went into a shop when it was complete sunshine. When she came out 5 minutes later it was raining. Lesson for Europe is to take an umbrella and jacket with you wherever you go and no matter for how long or short!

Just after lunch we started the journey home. On the way back we also stopped near Basel (Switzerland) to visit the Augusta Raurica Roman ruins. The amphitheatre section was originally built around 6 BC and was eventually abandoned in 260 AD. It was quite impressive to see something so old but unfortunately the weather changed again and we were caught up in some rain.

Once we got back to Zug we took a walk through to the shops and also to the playground for Connor to play. We were very tired!

Wed 13 Sept 2017

We jumped into the car again and travelled to Lucerne which is about 35km away. We found a cable car that goes up towards Mount Pilatus from another side. We found that it was a self service cable car where you jump in at the bottom and it takes you up to a restaurant. The views were spectacular. Once on top we went on a short hike and even found another toboggan course. When we wanted to pay for the cable car ride they said that they don't accept cards and we had to scrape together some cash to pay. Luckily they only charged us for 2 people and we had enough.

We then drove to the city centre and saw one of the main tourist attractions of the lion carved into the wall. We also walked over chapel bridge and through the shops in the narrow cobbled streets. The city was much more lively compared to when we went there during Winter of 2011.

We then went to the transport museum which also offered a Lindt chocolate experience. The experience was done very well (sat in little cars that drove us around explaining how chocolate is made) except that there wasn't as many sampling as the Frey factory. We didn't go inside the transport museum but did see some old trains, busses and aeroplanes from the outside.

We took it easy for a while along the Lucerne lake and Connor was feeding the ducks. Before we knew it there was hundreds of ducks all wanting food.

We took a scenic drive back home. In the evening Christos friend (Panos) came to visit for dinner. He was a nice guy and we had a good evening.

Thurs 14 Sept 2017

Our second last day. We got up a little earlier and the sun was shining brightly! We decided we were going to drive over the border into Austria. We went into Austria to a small little medieval town named Feldkirch. We walked through some shops in the 'old town' and also through an old castle. The only problem is that the weather again changed and the rain made it a little unpleasant.

On the way back we went through another country named Liechtenstein. Liechtenstein is the 4th smallest country in Europe and has an unemployment rate of 1.5%. We were stopped by police at the border when driving from Austria into Liechtenstein and they asked for our passports but there was no issues. We drove up the hill to the castle of the price of Liechtenstein.

The drive home was very scenic. On the way we stopped at another shopping centre containing all the big brands but it was raining too heavily to get out with Connor.

Once home, we took a walk to the local shops where we did some recycling. In the evening we ate schnitzel that we bought in Austria and also had a cheese fondue. This was our last evening of the holiday.

Friday 15 Sept 2017

In the morning Jethro, Ryan and Connor took a walk to the deer and then a slow walk to the ice hockey arena and even saw some players practicing. We planned on taking it easy for the final day as we knew it was going to be a hectic night of flights ahead.

Later on we went to the shops around the corner to buy a few souvenirs and chocolates to bring back. Connor also did his kiddies foreign drivers license outside a shop by driving around a marked out course on a balance bike and received a certificate and Lightning McQueen toy.

The final day went so quickly. We said our goodbyes and took the train to Zurich airport at 5pm. It was an hour long ride on the train. At the airport check in we were shocked to learn that we must print our own boarding passes and luggage labels. There was a nice play area for Connor at the boarding gate while we were waiting for the flight. He really enjoyed it and was upset when we had to board.

Our trip entailed flying an hour from Zurich to Frankfurt, Germany and then an hour gap before the Frankfurt to Johannesburg flight. We knew it was going to be tight to make the second flight because of what we experienced when arriving in Frankfurt 2 weeks before. Once on the plane we were told that there was a 20 minute delay due to bad weather on route which was almost a guarantee that we would miss the connecting flight. When arriving in Frankfurt, we were lucky that there was not a long queue at passport control. We still had to sprint about 1.5-2km to the departure gate. We were one of the last to board but by some miracle at least made the flight. The flight home was very uncomfortable but the service and food aboard the plane was very good. Unfortunately our bags didn't make the flight and we only received them a day later. Overall a good holiday!