A Big Plus (Part 2)

 My trip to Switzerland (whose flag is a big plus sign) in June of this year started off in Lucerne (see my prior post) and then continued in the gorgeous Swiss Alps valley town of...

Lauterbrunnen!

We stayed at the Silberhorn Hotel (where we also stayed in 2019) with a wonderful view of the famous Staubbach Falls (Lauter Brunnen means "many fountains"). 

The view from our hotel room
(Staubbach Falls is at the upper right)

An entire day was spent in Jungfraujoch ("The Top of Europe") in the Alps, over 11,000 feet above sea level. We took the new (as of late 2020) Eiger Express cable car from Grindelwald Terminal to the Eigergletscher (Eiger Glacier) Station where you transfer to a railway for the final leg to the top.

The Eiger Express

Views from the Top of Europe

We also went to Wengen, Interlaken, and other places in Switzerland but I'll finish here, on a high note, at the top of Europe. Auf Wiedersehen! 

A Big Plus

In my tour of mathematical operations, it was time to visit the land of the plus sign: 

Yes, Switzerland!

In June of 2023, I visited Switzerland for my second time (the first was 2019, before the end-times). This time, in addition to Jackie and myself, my sister and my brother-in-law joined us (their first time). The itinerary was Luzern and Lauterbrunnen. 

On the train from Zurich to Lucerne

Lucerne (Luzern)

We flew Swiss (formerly Swiss Air) from JFK to Zurich. A train from Zurich airport took us directly to the main station in Lucerne. A short two block walk to Hotel Centrale and our Swiss vacation started.

Chapel Bridge

The Chapel Bridge is a covered wooden footbridge originally built in 1365! It contains paintings dating back to the 17th century.

What we need is more cowbell!

The view from the top of Mt. Rigi

We ate an amazing meal at the Burgenstock Hotel, taking a funicular ride from Lake Lucerne to the resort.

Our view while dining at the Burgenstock Hotel.

We also went to the top of Mount Pilatus where the views are spectacular and the birds are overly friendly:

We did a lot more in Lucerne before training it to Lauterbrunnen and Jungfraujoch (the Top of Europe). 

More to come in Part 2 of our Swiss journey!

Easing the Pain

I'm not a big drinker--I feel I did enough of that in my college days to last a lifetime. These are not, however, ordinary times so a change in my ways was called for. Inspired by my father's daily ritual that he just told me about, I set out to conquer a new (to me) cocktail:

"Make mine a Manhattan"

The Manhattan cocktail above was the result of a lot of googling and consulting with the paterfamilias followed by a masked trip to Total Wine. Here's the ingredient list I used:

1. Bourbon (Buffalo Trace)
2. Vermouth (Carpano Antica Formula)
3. Bitters (Angostura Orange)
4. Maraschino Cherry (Luxardo)

I realize rye whiskey is more traditional but felt that bourbon would make for a smoother drink, something a lightweight drinker like me would appreciate.  Feeling my way around the "proper" ratio of bourbon to vermouth, I settled on 2 to 1. A dash of orange bitters, ice and a stir, followed by a maraschino cherry plopped into the strained liquid and I was ready to imbibe.

Warm, smooth and eminently drinkable. Yes, a fella could get used to this. Who knows, I could even begin drinking this every day. Like father, like son.