EUROPE HONEYMOON TRIP 2016- LUCERNE, SWITZERLAND

Hi my Lovely Travellers!!

Wohoooo! Traveller J and I recently Came back from our 3 weeks Honeymoon Europe Trip in September-October, and it was extremely awesomely fantastic! We chose this time as it's probably not exactly peak season and where the weather is cooler. I wouldn't want to walk around hot and sticky! Traveller J and I had it all planned out pretty well so everything went really smoothly! 

For our first Europe Trip, We decided we wanted a mixture of cities/countries to chill while have some rush and excitement at other countries. We had help from all our friends and our fellow travellers which told us which places they loved & etc. For me, as usual, I was looking for places to have time to chill out & relax, yet try to do all the things I wanted to do. Also, not forgetting to find places that have awesome food!

I know a lot of people on first hearing of our plan might think we were crazy as it sounds exhausting, however, it was actually pretty relaxing yet exciting! We had time constraints.. but even then it was actually overall a pretty good mix! If I had even just a week more, it would have been perfect! I'll add more days to Venice and maybe London or explore the coast of Italy!:D

Also, another note on why we planned our itinerary this way was because at first, we had planned to go to Nice in France after Florence, before going to London, However, due to the attacks at that time, We decided to cancel our trip there and stay longer in Florence & London. If not, the train ride from Florence to Nice would be pretty scenic and Beautiful I would think! Next time then!

So this was our itinerary:

ITINERARY:

Days: 22 Nights 23 Days

1. Zurich/Lucerne (Switzerland) - 4 N

2. Venice (Italy)- 1 N

3. Rome (Italy)- 2 N

4. Florence / Tuscany, Cinque Terre (Italy)- 4 N

5. London- 5 N

6. Tromso (Norway)- 3 N

7. Copenhagen (Denmark)- 3 N

FLIGHT:

Singapore Airlines

We decided to fly from Singapore to Zurich, and on our return, from Copenhagen to Singapore. We booked during a sale so around SGD$1300 per person.

The seats were alright, a little small especially on our trip there. The seats weren't particularly comfortable as well. Little surprised considering, I thought Singapore airlines were supposedly great for long haul flights. But it was a smooth flight all around so overall it was great! There are a lot of other airlines that we wanted to try, but we wanted a direct flight this time. Next time, might try emirates or Qatar?

HOTELS (in Order of my journey)

1. Lucerne- Radisson Blu (Radisson Blu)

2. Venice- A Tribute to Music (A Tribute to Music) 

3. Rome- Suite Dreams (Suite Dreams)

4. Florence- Mercure Firenze Centro (Mercury Firenze)

5. London- Citadines South Kensington London (Citadines) & The Cavendish Hotel (The Cavendish Hotel)

6. Tromso- Scandic Ishavshotel (Scandic Ishavshotel)
7. Copenhagen- Hotel Alexandra (Hotel Alexandra)

This was one of the longest time I spent while planning for our trip. I wanted nice hotels which offered the best price! Once again, I usually drop by tripadvisor to have a look on what are the popular hotels, then proceed on to the individual sites to check the prices there to see which is the cheapest option. My usual sites I book from are usually from Agoda, Booking.com and Hotels.com. Once I have chosen the hotel I would want to book, I'll use the sites which offer the best price! Sometimes, I receive email voucher codes which would make some sites cheaper for that period.

For all the countries that I went, people were wonderfully friendly & very interesting! I love how there are different cultures, languages and dressings!

However, I did encounter just a few annoying people and surprisingly it was the service staff.

For those in the service industry, it'll be great if only people who are actually qualified or who actually want to work and not show an attitude be hired! 

DAY 1-4- LUCERNE

DAY 1

            

We arrived at around 8 ish am, passed through immigration so conveniently and smoothly with really friendly staff and people! Ahh.. Knew that we would Love Switzerland already! After getting our luggages, we proceeded to get tickets at one of the self-service machines and bought a one way ticket from Zurich Airport Railway station (Banhof Zurich Flughafen) to Lucern Railway Station (Bahnhof Luzern) There was a staff walking around there which you could ask for help as well! You could check for the timings online as well at SBB's site! (Link)

While waiting for our train ride, we got their pretzel-Brezelkoenig (Link)! It's pretty darned good! It's a chain store that has all kinds of pretzels! I especially loved the Pretzel with butter oozing out of it!

Pretzel with Butter- Brezelkoenig

We were really impressed with the trains for they were not only clean and well maintained, they departed and arrived very punctually as well! We totally enjoyed the view outside the train as it was passing by! It's like a fun train ride!

Train tickets from Zurich to Luzern!

After around a quick 45 mins on the train, we arrived at the train station in Lucerne! Right outside the train station was the Museum of Art Lucerne!

RADISSON BLU HOTEL, LUCERNE (Link)

Lakefront Centre, Inseliquai 12

6005 Lucerne, Switzerland

After around a 5-10 mins slow walk, we arrived at our hotel! Wohoo! Good thing our room was already ready at 11 am! Had a very smooth check in with the friendly and helpful staff at Radisson Blu!

Upon reaching our room, We were pretty pleased with the interior! Modern, simple and clean! Just how we like it! We had a bath tub as well- BUBBLE BATH TIME! Searching for hotels was one of the largest time spent on planning our trips! I love nice hotels and a good and comfortable sleep is really important to me! However, a slight down point was that they gave us 2 single beds but upon letting the staff know, they quickly combined the beds and laid a whole sheet over it- making it into a sort of a double bed... There were no honeymoon notes/ gifts as well even though we had let them know prior. Probably Radisson Blu hotels are not really into this sort of thing! haha!

Our modern & comfy room for 4 nights!

Radisson Blu Lucerne- Our bathtub!

 After a good rest and freshening up, we're all ready to explore the quaint city of Lucerne!:D

We walked along the waters to cross the Chapel Bridge to the old town!
The Chapel Bridge (Link) is one of Lucerne's important sights as it's the oldest wooden bridge in Switzerland! The scenery was just simply beautiful coupled with the wonderful cool weather! It just removes all sorts of tiredness away! I'm glad we chose Lucerne to begin our 3 weeks adventure! It has just enough things for you to do , yet has a slow pace, unlike a real busy city, for us to unwind, stroll along and enjoy each day!

View of the Old town from nearby our hotel!

The Chapel Bridge & The old water town!

LUZ SEEBISTRO

Before we crossed over to the old town, we decided to have a wonderful lunch at LUZ SEEBISTRO. (Link) I had an Angus beef burger with Pita bread and barbecue sauce which was filled with fresh, wonderful tasting colourful salad! Traveller J had a Grilled Pork sausage (Bratwurst) with mustard and came with bread. The sausage was crunchy and full of flavour! YUM!

I have to say the bread which came as sides in Switzerland isn't too great. I'm not sure if it's just me or the bread taste stale, hard and dry!

Delicious Angus Burger at LUZ SEEBISTRO

         Beautiful Colourful salad!

Delicious Crunchy Pork sausage!

Takeaway Menu at LUZ SEEBISTRO

As it was our first day today we briefly walked around the old town and walked all the way to the Lion's monument! By the time we got there, Traveller J was superbly beat as he couldn't sleep the whole journey on the flight to Switzerland!

The Lion's monument or as some call it The Dying Lion of Lucerne, is a rock carving in Lucerne which was to commemorate the Swiss guards who were massacred in 1792 during the French Revolution, when revolutionaries stormed into the Tuileries Palace in Paris. There were a few tour groups there, however, I think it would be fine to go on your own and read up on it!

The Dying Lion's Monument in Lucerne

We ended our first day in Lucerne pretty early around 5 ish pm and headed back to our wonderful comfortable hotel! We decided order room service and got a pizza, which didn't look as appetising but tasted better... We had our cup noodles along which we brought along in case we craved some hot stuff! Wohoo, it did come in good use!

DAY 2:

We had a superbly great sleep and woke up to beautiful sunny weather! Always thought Switzerland would always be really cold, but not today! The Sun was shining over us really strongly! I really wanted to have cheese fondue today, although people usually have it when it's cold! However, when in Switzerland, cheese fondue is a must! Did a quick google on Tripadvisor (Link). Such a useful website, yet, can't always trust it at all times!

Zunfthausrestaurant Pfistern

We found a restaurant:Zunfthausrestaurant Pfistern (Link) in the old town which serves great Cheese Fondue! Food was really great here along with the wonderful atmosphere!! What a wonderful find that we came back here again for dinner with my our cousin! It was wonderful day sitting by the waters, people & Swan watching;)! haha!

Food in Switzerland was on a the high side, however, still not as bad as the Scandic countries! We shared a cheese fondue - CHF 33.50 per person. And as advised, we just got it for one person. It came with potatoes and bread! The alcohol they put in it made the flavours fuse so well and made me one happy bunny! We also ordered another Swiss dish- Pork Sausage with Potato Rosti - CHF 28.50! Here's the Link for the Swiss menu if you can read it;) (Link) Everything was SUPERBLY delicious!

Zunfthausrestaurant Pfistern!

Yummy Cheese Fondue!

An authentic Swiss meal!- Pork sausage with Rosti-- Delicious!

Pork Cordon Bleu- Another yummy Swiss meal!

A Swiss puff pastry filled with delicious stuff!

Some awesome wine!

Chocolate Fondue!

After our lunch around 1.40pm, we had our 3 hour Best of Lake Lucerne Boat ride! We booked it online at http://www.lakelucerne.ch/en/. It was a early bird 1st class ticket and was CHF 30 per person. It was an open air Steamboat that steam comes out of the tube when the skipper sounds the horn! How cool!

You could actually sit indoors or one with the shade, but we wanted a good view in the front, thus we sat in the front. It was a superbly sunny day and we got kinda burnt from sitting up there for 3 whole hours!! I might just choose the 1 hour boat ride next time if its such a sunny day! But.. Thank God it wasn't raining! Sunny is supposed to be perfect weather!:D The scenery was Gorgeous as we sailed along and made little stops along the way. There was a small cafe in the boat as well, where you could get drinks, ice-cream and snacks! Really enjoyed it!

Our SteamBoat- Gallia

Another pretty town!

Gorgeous view of Lake Lucerne

After that, strolled around the old town some more, there's not much shopping around unless for WATCHES! haha! There's a really nice ice-cream store called Bachmann as well! Lots of choices of ice-cream and the place to get your chocolates and truffles! MMMM!! However, the ice cream here can't beat the Gelatos in Italy!! SCREAAAAAMSSSS!!:D

Lucerne is totally a place to relax without much of a plan, except for the tours you want to go on! Soon it was time for dinner! how fast! Traveller S introduced us an authentic and awesome place to go in Lucerne as she had been there few years back! And it's called none other than the : Old Swiss House!:D Legendary!

Old Swiss House

The Old Swiss House (Link) is located in the old town and on the way to the lions monument. The staff are all dressed in traditional Lucerne costumes! How cute! They serve a variety of food and are Swiss Specialties! Traveller J and I were so excited and I just wanted to try all their traditional Swiss food! The price was on a higher side but the food was Absolutely Delicious! I had the lobster soup and Veal in cream sauce & Rosti! It was so delicious! I'm salivating just typing this! Traveller S recommended the Lobster tails the last time she was there! We had our dinner really early around 5ish-6pm. Good thing for that as if you want a table here during dinner time, apparently it's always booked up!.. So, remember to call them to book before going-unless you're like us who's really lazy and rock up earlier than the usual crowd!

The Old Swiss House

Potent Lobster Soup!

My Delicious Veal in cream sauce & Rosti!!!!!

After that, we probably took more strolls around the old town, sat around somewhere on a bench, looking at the swans and ducks swimming around the lake. It was wonderful old fun;)

DAY 3

Mount Titlis

Today was the first tour of our trip! We booked the Mount Titlis-Eternal Snow Tour from VIATOR (Link) Throughout our whole trip, I think we booked most of our tours from Viator.. and they were all WONDERFUL! No hassle and fuss! No hiccups for us too during all our tours! 3 cheers for them! This was a half day tour which began at 12.30PM till around 6 PM.

We met them at the tourist center (I think), and the bus was already waiting there, with our tour guide giving us our stickers!

We got on to the bus, which was really new and comfy! We made a first stop in the city to pick up some other people who were on another tour and we got down for a toilet stop. After that, it was around a 45 min ride all the way to Mount Titlis! Wohoo!!

Mount Titlis-Engelberg!

To get to the top of the mountain, we took somewhat of a standing train thingy, then we took the Titlis Rotair from the middle station at Stand up to 3020 metres above sea level!!! HOW COOL IS THAT! The cable car is able to rotate 360 degrees, so you're able to see everything around you! I was a little scared at first because of the height, but no fear! It goes pretty slowly so you won't really get a fright! 

There are quite a few things to do at Mount Titlis! We actually didn't have enough time for everything, however it's good for a start! If we ever go again, I would probably try to go on our own! But for this trip, there's no time to get lost! 

Entrance to get into Mount Titlis

Mount Titlis Rotair!

On the way up!

Ice Flyer & Cliff Walk ahead!

Titlis Glacier Park

There was also the Titlis Glacier Park which was one of the highlights for me! Although I think it was mostly ice and not really snow in September, it was still really fun! It is definitely a year round winter wonderland! Kiddy stuff but for little cowards like me!! ITS PERFECT! This was probably why Traveller J and I chose Mount Titlis for our Mountain tour! Wohoo! We got to go Snow tubing and it was really fun!! Remember to get the bigger round snow tubes and not the small mini ones because when I went on the small one halfway through I always toppled over ! Also, Remember to wear a pair of good sports shoes with a good grip! I wore some shoes that has no grip at all and had trouble getting up the small escalator thingy to get back up once i slid down! Traveller J and I were kids again when we were at the Titlis Glacier Park! Awesome!! I really wanted more time for snow tubing but there was limited time!:(

Titlis Glacier Park

Ice Flyer Lift

We had tickets for the Ice flyer chair lift as well! It was really fun! To be up above so high and we had such awesome views from above! Traveller J was being really annoying and trying to shake the lift to scare me further! It was really peaceful and quiet up so high! After our ice flyer lift, we decided to head to the Titled Cliff walk for some pictures as it's just next to each other.

Traveller J and I on the Chair Lift!

Titlis Cliff Walk

There was the Titlis Cliff Walk which was a loooooong narrow bridge you could walk and admire awesome views from. But as you know, I have a fear of heights, so Traveller J and I just had our photos taken at the beginning of the cliff walk! Thus, we can actually say we were on the Titlis Cliff walk! hah! It's 3041 metres above sea level! Imagine that!:O

Ice Flyer and the Titlis Cliff Walk

On the way back, we were on the Titlis Rotair again, and it was amazing! We were able to see everything around us as it rotates in a 360 degrees! Before we headed down we had amazing ice cream there too! Sounds crazy in the cold but I love having ice cream in the cold!:D There's also a chocolate shop where you can get your chocolates, souvenir shops, watch shops, and restaurants! You guys really need to make a day trip here indeed!:D

Beautiful Scenery descending Mount Titlis

Luscious Greenery in Switzerland!

Amazing mountains!

Seriously! I want to go back to Switzerland!! Ahhh~! After all that fun, we arrived back in Lucerne's city just in time to have dinner!:D What a fun packed day indeed!:) Actually a half day tour for this trip is just enough! As it's our honeymoon, we didn't want to plan so much and not get too tired! But next time, a whole day in Mount Titlis it is!!!

Day 4

For our last day in Lucerne, we had no plans! Probably shop around the city but we were told by our cousin that Lucerne is probably not the trendiest place to shop! Only if you're after watches! But no-one said anything about shopping for chocolates and souvenirs! We bought such a lot of chocolates till I'm still snacking on some chocolates from our trip!:) There are quite a few interesting stores here and there, although they are not the cheapest place to buy them!

Oh! We also strolled by the local Lucerne markets (Link) which they have in the mornings from 6am-1 pm on Saturdays and Tuesdays. Not much for us here, but you are able to get local produce, fresh fruits, vegetables and flowers! There are stalls all along the river from the new town to the old town!

We passed by the Church of St Leodegar, Lucerne as well on this day! It's a landmark in the city of Lucerne that we deft have to take a picture of!

Lucerne's open air market

Church of Lucerne

Hotel Des Balances

We had our lunch at Hotel Des Balances (Link) and it was SUPERB stuff! It was actually one of the hotels on my list I wanted to stay in. It's in the old town, by the river and is one which has a rich tradition! Maybe next time I'll stay here when I come bak to Lucerne! Presentation of the food was beautiful! The food was really fine and good as well! I had the lamb steak and it was perfectly done!  The price was a little higher for Hotel Des Balances but way worth it for the quality and the view! Another thing I noticed in Lucerne was also that they really do not start work until the mentioned opening time, although the restaurant is open and the staff are already there! When it's 11.30 am sharp, which is when they start serving food, they will all start to rush to lay the table. I guess differences in service/culture compared to Asia!

Hotel Des Balances in Lucerne!

Coffee beautifully presented

My delicious Lamb Steak with pasta!

We were pretty much stuffed from lunch! Walked around some more, got more chocolates and a last ice-cream from Bachmann! On our trip, We saw a lot of beautiful dogs in Europe! Here's one in Lucerne! what a huge, beautiful dog! Looks like sort of a wolf!

Beautiful Wolf dog!

Saw people feeding the ducks and the swans as well, although they had signs of no feeding! haha! We kinda fed some of the ducks and swans too though. They were so cute! They came up really close to us! 

We lazed around and enjoyed our last day in Beautiful Scenic Lucerne!

                   

For dinner, we had Tibits (Link)! If you have not tried this, you should! Our cousin introduced it to us and it was awesome! It's vegetarian food but has salads and very tasty stuff! For my portion it was around $10 CHF! They have outlets around Europe & London as well! We decided to do a takeaway to our room as we had a VERY early departure the next morning to Venice! Wohoo! We went back to LUZ again for their awesome sausages & got a bottle of wine to have! Ahhh! Thats life! We also stopped by the supermarket and got some yoghurt for our breakfast! I seriously love the yoghurts in Switzerland! It just taste different and OH SO FRESH! I wish I could bring some back with me!

Tibits in Lucerne!

Tidbits!

Here's another beautiful photo of the old town of Lucerne in case you have forgotten!

Lucerne

So, on our 5th day, it was time for us to leave Lucerne to our next destination... Venice! 

We had to wake up really early around 4 AM and headed out really early from our hotel to catch the train at Lucerne's train station to Zurich Airport which I think was at 4.55 AM! Checked out our train schedules options again online on SBB(Link) and bought our tickets the night before. Our flight was at 7.35AM and at first we were wondering whether there was enough time to check in and all. We looked up taxis in Lucerne and it was really quite expensive as imagine a relatively far journey all the way to Zurich! No worries! We decided with the train in the end and Thank God it came right on the dot!

 Just around 45 mins back to the airport, We printed our boarding passes at the kiosk and had our bags checked in really fast! There wasn't much of a queue and the staff at the counters were very efficient and friendly! 100% for service!

We decided to take Swiss Airlines to Venice as it took only 1 hr and 10 mins! That sure saves us a lot of time rather than taking the train! It was around SGD $233 per person for a one way. It was a small plane but really comfortable! They provided water and a really yummy chocolate!

It was wonderful looking out the window as we flew over the Swiss Alps and saw some snow capped mountains! AHHH!! Beautiful!! I think it would have been even nicer in Winter when all the mountains are covered with Fluffy white snow!

Swiss Airlines

Yummy Chocolate from Swiss Airlines

The Swiss alps from above!!

Snow on the Swiss Alps!

That ends the first leg of our Europe trip folks! We really enjoyed Lucerne/Switzerland and I hope you do too! It's probably great for the more relaxed type, but can be a little lul-ly if you're out there for excitement and such!:P

Stay tuned to our next venue... Another of my MOST FAVOURITE CITIES!...The Romantic, enchanting city of Venice, Italy!!:D

XOXO!