17th Jan- Time to leave

Rather than pay 30 francs for a breakfast in the Hotel we used our free bus pass and found a little cafe for a continental breakfast costing all of 14 francs before touring the town in the bitter cold of around minus 5 C.
We visited a small shopping mall to warm up and then continued walking before stopping again for a another warm up and a cup of coffee. The bitter cold was playing havoc with Noels knees and so we got back to the Hotel just before 11.45 so as to get our stuff together and meet the train at 1253.
The train arrived on time and as we got on, Jennifer was allowed to get on board and then somebody jumped rudely in front of me and then went in to the the compartment and then changed his mind and then staring trying to move my case and at the same time somebody else was pushing to get in and I realised that the guy behind pushing was trying to get my wallet. I quickly tuned away and was about to hit him when they both quickly dissapeared out the door also before I could shout at them. Needless to say they did not get my wallet at is was not where they expected it to be. This is not the first time this has happened to us, the last time was in in Paris in the Metro some years ago, Oh well.
We arrived at Geneva Airport and caught our BA flight back to London and arrived home at around 5pm just in time to order a pizza for dinner and an evening of British TV.
It was a good week using the Swiss trains which run without any delay in the thick snow unlike UK where the snow has just about stopped everything in its tracks. Luckily we cam back on the Thursday as we could have been stuck in Geneva
Well thats all our travel for a little while and now to get on with sorting out the upgrade of the two bathrooms.

16th Jan- To Montreaux

A very early start today and we departed the house around 0750 for Zurich main station where we caught three different train en route to Montreaux. We had to change in Lucerne, Interlaken and Zweisseman and in all cases the arriving train was a few minutes late and we had to charge through the stations to get our next train only to find once we were boarded that they were running late as well.

At Zweissimman  we joined the Golden Pass Panoroma train and the journey from there to Montreaux was really rather excellent with fantastic views over the mountains whilst travelling very close to the hillsides with some nasty drops. We arrived in Montreaux at 1615 and walked up the hill to the Hotel which was overlooking the lake and so quite nice really. We decided to have dinner in the Hotel and that was very good but the Hotel seemed a little empty really.
The beds were very comfortable and we slept well no doubt also due to a nice bottle of Bordeaux washed down at dinner.

Freddie Mercury Statue in Montreaux

An easy day tomorrow is planned

15th Jan- A day out in Zurich

We caught the bus to down town Zurich and walked around for several hours but it was rather cold and so odd stops in the warm were quite necessary.

We took some photos around the old town and then stopped for a quick snack before meeting up with Otto and Katherine and we then visited another part of the city and stopped by in a a very old coffee bar for a warming cup before heading back home and sort out our train times for tomorrow.
In the evening we had dinner with some other friends in a very nice restaurant in Zurich where the food was excellent and the company even better. A great day for us.

14th Jan- To Gornergrat and then to Zurich

After the Hotel Breakfast we walked around town for a short while and discovered that the special train up the steep mountain to Gornergrat was leaving in then minutes and so splashed on two return tickets at no small cost.
The train journey takes about half an hour and takes you quite high up to about 10000 feet and there were many skiers in the train waiting for their chance to break a leg or something. We arrived at the top and found a that there was a big hotel there and so had a cup of coffee overlooking the mountains before then getting back to the train station and the return journey  to Zermatt.
We collected our suitcases an following a misunderstanding between the porter and Jennifer, our lift to the station cleared off and so we had to drag our cases though the snow for about 15 minutes, just what my gamy leg needed and its a pity that I did not have any rum to rub in. The train jounrey to Zurich meants a change in Visp which was a thing charging from one platform to another and we arrived in Zurich and met by our host Otto who took back to his very nice house outside of Zurich with great views from the large lounge windows.

Ween joyed a very nice light Raclet dinner and chatted away until quite late and then off to bed.

13th Jan- The Glacier Express to Zermatt

This time the train did not leave until about 11.15 which gave us a bit more time to pack our bags and pop down stairs to the McDonalds, McCafe part and have a goodish continental breakfast before catching the bus to the station.
Its a bit colder this morning and so waiting for the train was a little on the chilly side unbtil we found somewhere a bit warmer in this large station. We jumped on the train and found our seats with the table ready for lunch we delayed until 1pm as we had only just finished breakfast a short while ago. The train left Chur and passed through a a number of smaller towns and also  two larger towns called Brig and Visp and then the engine was changed for a cogwheel driven train to enable us to climb the very steep hills, steep for a train that is. The journey was fascinating with amazing views of mountains covered in snow with people skiing and snowboarding and also on the toboggan runs risking life and limb?
I thinks it must be much safer sitting in a bar watching all this activity then actually doing it, but that is my private opinion.
We arrived in Zermatt at around 5pm and was met by the Hotel electric cart, no cars allowed here, and then checked in the. The Hotel was only a 3 star, but what do you expect for about £120 per night, Uggh..

We walked around town to find somewhere to eat and ended up in a pub place and had a hot dog and chips as we had already eaten a three course meal at lunchtime.
On our table was an Australian woman and her teenage daughter along with the daughters boyfriends and we chatted to them for a while. This lot must have some cash based on their travel tails.

Back to the Hotel in the freezing bloody cold and put our sleeping socks on, boy is this place cold and certainly not my style as I like heat although Jennifer does like the cold and snow.

12th Jan The Bernina Express

This is going to be a full day retrun trip on the special train from Chur to Tirano in Italy which was leaving Chur Station at about 0915 in the morning thereby requiring an early start to the day.
We caught the bus from outside the Hotel to the Station and found a very good cafe where we could enjoy some croissants and coffee before boarding the train.

My Hero!!!!

The train had a semi glass roof and the carriage we were in was not to full, two sets of Australian tourists and a old chap with his son, perhaps. The train left Chur and headed up to the hills and as it had started snowing overnight there was quite a bit of snow on the mountains. About an hour after we left Chur we discovered that ther had been a landslide on the very last bit of track and therefore if we wanted to end up in Tirana we would need to join the coach for about 35 mins each way which would then only leave less than 30 mins to see Tirano and so we opted to stay for about 90 minutes in a small town called Poschiavo.
The town was quite small and very quiet with most of the shops closed but we did find a cafe where we enjoyed an expensive glass of Irish Coffee, in UK you could have a bought a very good bottle of whisky at the same price.
We walked around the town for a while and took some photos and then headed back to the station for our train back to Chur where we arrived about 7pm.

Many of the main restaurants seemed to be closed even though it was a Saturday but eventually we found a bustling little place where the food was good.

11th Jan- Roland Bischoff RIP

Today we are attending the  memorial service of a good friend and ex business colleague who died tragically in a skiing accident in Zermatt just before Christmas. As the actual funeral was in a place called Parpan near Chur on the afternoon of 24th December many people were unable to make the trip.
This memorial event was also scheduled for Parpan but when they discovered how many people would attend the location was changed to near the Global HQ in Schindelleggi which meant a 90 minute train ride.
The memorial service was very moving with well over 100 people from all over the world attending and the two teenage boys of Roland made such brilliant tributes to their dad it was quite heartbreaking. The words from many other business colleagues and family members will be remembered by us for quite some while.

Roland Rest in Peace

A week in Switzerland

We sett off from home and departed on the BA flight to Zurich en route y train from Zurich Airport to Chur in the Eastern part of Switzerland.
The flight arrived on time and we were able to catch our planned trains and we left the Station at about 14.45 and arrived after one change at Chur Station at about 17.00 hrs. A short taxi ride to the Ibis Hotel and we were settled in by 1745. The Hotel is only a short distance from down town, actually only a ten minute bus ride but as we were a little tired we opted for the local Italian Restaurant for our evening meal and it was pretty good but of course expensive.
The Ibis is a newish one and the rooms are of the usual standard but the only negative turned out to be that it was over a McDonald's restaurant  where the drive in and take away meant that you heard quite a few cars in the evening. Oh well kept the window closed until after McDonald's closed at midnight and then only to be disturbed by the trucks laying down salt and grit for the forecasted snow. And so to bed for an early start tomorrow.

7th December- Reflections on the trip

Well we were away for 50 nights and stayed in 20 different Hotels plus staying with friends in Austin for five nights and that meant we had twenty one separate beds. We used two cars as the hire car company do not allow contracts longer than 30 days whilst we travelled 6115 miles and at average fuel consumption of around 27.5 mpg (US mpg) which is not bad for a car this size. 
Fuel costs ranged between 50 pence  and 63 pence per Litre, different states have different rates of tax whilst the problems in the North-east of the USA, also affected fuel prices.
Highlights, well perhaps to many to mention but the Austin GP was great  and so was Elton and the the various parks and although were were not sure about Monument Valley as it was about 600 miles out of our way it was well worth it.
Would we do it all over again not arf!
However, there are quite a few places in the world still to go and see and so perhaps we will not be back in USA for a while but then again that could easily change as well.
Well this is the last on this USA visit and now we have to adjust to not only driving on the other side of the road but the cold wintry weather as well.
We have a large party planned for Sat 15th December to celebrate the BBC comedy series Allo Allo, and this should be great fun, no doubt photos to follow.

Wednesday 5th December- Leaving Las Vegas

A quiet morning around the Hotel although we did leave to go for breakfast in the village rather than sit in an empty restaurant with staff hovering about not knowing how to fill their time.
The late morning and afternoon we spent enjoying the comforts of the Hotel with the odd coffee and whilst we read our books their was no one to disturb us. When you consider that this Hotel has 493 bedrooms and an occupancy of about 2% you can understand why it is so deathly quiet and we loved it.
We planned to leave the Hotel at pm and take a slow drive to the Hire Car Drop off point as the deal we had with the rent-a-car people was they gave? us a full tank of fuel but we should return it empty. So over the last couple of days our driving style had reflected this and this and the on board computer said we had enough fuel for 71 miles when we first arrived at the Hotel on Monday.  When using the car to the mall on Tuesday we calculated the mall was 5 miles away times 2 which meant that the car should have sufficient fuel for the 14 mile drive to the airport only when we got back to the Hotel the computer had dropped to 52 miles, whoops how did that happen. Anyway we drove at a fuel efficient pace to the airport and of course the RED light came on and bells clanging saying short of fuel and the needle looked low whilst the computer said 38 miles however we now only have four miles to go in no traffic and so it should all be fine but cutting it a little close. Approx half a mile from our destination their had been rather a bad accident and there  were police and ambulance and fire people everywhere and so we were stuck in the traffic for twenty minutes whilst the computer clicked down and then eventually we started moving and we made it with the computer showing 12 miles left, phew that was close and not to be repeated.
Our flight was a little late leaving but this was due to strong headwinds for the aircraft on the way out but this meant our flight back was quite fast, just about nine hours compared to the scheduled 10.5 hours.
Boy it was cold when we got out of the aircraft compared to our past few weeks and we had to turn the heating really up in the house to get it warm.
An easy night watching TV and to bed, that is if we can sleep with the time difference.

Tuesday 4th December- Time to recover

The last few days had left us a little tired and so today was all about taking it easy, well that is apart from having to completely repack our stuff for travel as we have with us kettle, plates and cutlery and a rather large car plug-in cooler box.

This completed we took a trip to the large mall nearby but actually did not buy anything just wander around and had a soup and a sandwich at Panera Bread which was very good. The Hotel is so empty its difficult to find any other guests and apparently the timer between Thanksgiving and Christmas is a great time to visit Las Vegas as all the Hotel prices drop through the floor, our included. As a result many Hotel staff now take this time to holiday as also staff were not so plentiful around the place.
Having had many in room meals we decided as we did not have any microwave etc. that we would eat out and so we took the Hotel shuttle bus down to the Village and went to a nice restaurant called Sunset & Vines and the food was very good and actually, for what we had, not bad value either. The same would have cost us at least 30% more in Weybridge.
Then home to bed

Monday December 3rd- A long drive day today

We got up early just as the sun was rising outside our window overlooking the Sonic hamburger 24 hour restaurant as we have a long way to go today.
We have to leave Monument Valley and head back to Lake Las Vegas via Flagstaff and Kingman and then via the Hoover Dam and finally to our Hotel.
So after a quick brekkie, courtesy of the Hotel we departed around 0800 and Jennifer drove the first stint down through the mountains and again with roads stretching out for miles and we believe you could see up to 100 miles away sometimes.

Just outside of Flagstaff we stopped for a coffee and then changed drivers and Noel did the Intestate as we thought that would be busy but no it was remarkable quiet really. At about 13.30 we arrived at Kingman and from the distance we could see the Airport where they apparently store commercial aircraft which are not required currently or going to their graveyard in the sky. As time was with us we drove the five miles to the Airport, I say airport as my garage is slightly larger than their passenger hall and . we wandered around for a while and took  photos of about 100 aeroplanes owned by Delta, American Airlines, Spanair, SAS and lots from DHL and Continental. It was a little difficult as their were fences and in the way but few security guards.

We also used there airport terminal for a light lunch and then departed the 80 odd miles to the Hoover Dam where we had thought the new road would allow some good photos, but no, you need to go to the Dam and look up to see the new road,, oh well perhaps next time.
We arrived at the Hotel one hour earlier than anticipated as the clock changed by one hour back about half a mile from the Hoover dam to Pacific time.
When we arrived at the Hotel we noticed that the car park was virtually empty? and the doorman informed us that due the time of year they have about 5% occupancy, wow that cannot be good. Anyway as a result of us being a Starpoints member and the hotel being quiet they upgraded us which was nice.
We took all our goods and chattels from the car and wondered how we had got them to the USA in just four cases, oh well some work to be done tomorrow.
We stayed in the Hotel for dinner and went to Ricks cafe and sat by ourselves however we did not mind as after covering about 420 miles today we were not looking for the disco.
Tomorrow will be a relaxing day, repacking and then a little shopping and then some more relaxing, perhaps go in the pool if its warm enough.

2nd December- Monument Valley Utah

A nice blue sky greeted us this morning which hopefully meant the weather would be kind for our trip to Monument Valley. We are staying in a town called Kayenta which seems to live off the Monument Valley tourism trade and as a result the have not a bad small shopping centre. We stopped by here to collect some snacks for lunch and then took a slow drive out to the park which is about 15 miles from.
We went at first to another Hotel we had looked at called Goulding's Lodge which is motel style but with not bad views we thought. This place has been there so long that John Wayne use to stay there when making his cowboy fils and there is a small museum dedicated to his ilk. We also visited the Navajo gift shop but prices seem a little steep and so we departed with nothing.

We were due to meet our tour guide at the View Hotel which when we first checked for Saturday night they wanted $ 250.00 for a double room, not from me will they get this, but is clearly a very nice Hotel with amazing views and far better than those from the Goulding's Lodge. 
We had our snacks and then met with our tour guide who turned out to be a very nice young and very intelligent 19 year old who conducted us around the park in a GMC 4x4 Saloon which was most comfortable considering the appalling road conditions. Our Ford rent-a-car would have given up at the first bump and so we were glad we had decided to spend this money and this gives us the opportunity to go off the beaten track for sights not available if you drive yourself. We had a most enjoyable two and half hours touring and learning about the Navajo beliefs whilst perhaps taking to many photos.

It was a most enjoyable afternoon and well worth the expense.
We got back to the Hotel around five pm and showered off all the red dust and went for dinner in the Hotel restaurant and ordered food which turned out to be far to much for the both of us and so now it is sitting in the boot of car in doggy boxes and will no doubt be enough for lunch tomorrow.
So then an evening to relax and watch TV, last night the Monty Python Film 'The meaning of Life' was on which did surprise us.
Tomorrow we must leave quite early, around 8am if we can as have a long distance to go and we do not want to be driving around Las Vegas area in the dark.