Burgenstock

The view from Burgenstock was magnificent - from one side of the ridge you could see over the Lake Lucerne.










And from the other side over the Alps and the valley - this was our view at lunch and the sound of the cow bells drifting up the valley took me back to one of my favourite childhood books - Heidi.











Once back at lake level you can see how crystal clear the water is.

Lucerne

A perfect day - a trip to Lucerne. We took the ferry and saw Mt Pilatus.

Everything was like being in a fairytale.




































We left the ferry to travel up to Burgenstock seen here at the top of the ridge.




















This was our mode of transport - a very steep climb.

Zurich

On Sunday we left our cruise ship/barge and travelled by train to Zurich. I loved this creation which greeted us at the train station.







Zurich is a beautiful city and we were lucky to be staying in the old part of town surrounded by restaurants and just a short distance from the river.









Europe has such a sense of pride in their heritage.









I was fortunate to be in Zurich when they had a Rodin sculpture exhibition which had come from the Royal Academy in London. His "Gates of Hell" is a permanent fixture outside the Kusthaus where the exhibition was held - I was in seventh heaven as we hadn't had the chance to visit many art galleries.

Black Forest

Our last day of touring was at the Black Forest. We visited Folklore Village Museum which still has the original houses dating back over 400 years. We were able to go through these buildings and see how the people lived - as some still do today - sharing with the animals.









And of course there was a sewing machine.









This would look lovely in my house - filled with quilts of course!

Alsace

The afternoon we went to Alsace and toured a vineyard - this is one of the old barrels.






And then roamed around one of the villages whose name escapes me at the moment!

Strasbourg

This day we crossed the river into France and visited Strasbourg.

And yes there was another cathedral - pity they are so big that you can't fit it all in one photo!










I could feel a couple of quilts coming on with these images.










And they do some fascinating things with the downpipes!












Our group was very amused by the name of this bus company - glad we weren't driving around in it!

Heidelberg

That afternoon we drove to Heidelberg - a beautiful city with a huge castle towering over it.
I loved this embellishment on one of the houses








Part of the castle











Elizabeth's Gate to the castle built by her husband Frederick - Elizabeth was one of the Stuart's of England.










The view from the castle.










And one of the old doors.