While I have been back in Houston for a few days now, I have not forgotten about the last part of my European odyssey. We started in Paris for a couple of days, followed by four days in Annecy, then another three in Lausanne, Switzerland. The four of us then spent two days in Lyon, France where my wife and younger son, Sebastian left us and returned home so that he could start school.
Nathan and I soldiered on, however, and we left the same morning on a five-train trek to Como, Italy. Two days there and we were off on a much shorter trip to Lugano, Switzerland for another couple of days, then four more trains to get up to Zermatt before we finally took another three trains to get back to Lyon. I was there for four nights, helping him get acclimated to the city where he is studying this fall.
I was not quite done as I drove up to Beaujolais with a good friend and then we headed south to Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Vaison-la-Romaine. My last day in France started early with an hour-long drive to Avignon and a TGV up to Charles de Gaulle airport for the flight home.
When I last posted about the trip, we had just landed in Lugano, a city that I last visited about 20 years ago, when I was the “emergency replacement guide” for a bike trip through the Italian Alps. I really loved the town back then, and I hoped that it had not lost its appeal.
It hasn’t.
We ate very well the entire trip, but perhaps the best was in Lugano. Believe it or not, but my photo of this fantastic dish is waaaaay better than the one in the menu and may have been my favorite meal of the entire trip.
The first night in Lugano, we strolled along the lake a bit, which was enchanting.
The city, like many in Switzerland, is built on a hill and has some lovely architecture.
The following morning, we set out to explore and took a couple of funiculars, the first up to Monte San Salvatore which was at first very steep, then incredibly steep.
The views of the city and the lake were incredible.
Ussie.
We then headed down, took a bus across town, and then another funicular up to Monte Brè for more views.
A view of Monte San Salvatore from Monte Brè.
One more dinner in Lugano with a white Merlot.
The following day, we took a series of four trains to get up to the mountain resort town of Zermatt.
I had not been to Zermatt in over a decade, but it still has its Swiss mountain appeal.
It also still has its “sausage guy” who sells the best bratwurst you will ever have in your life that includes a hunk of bread and a squirt of mustard for 7 CHF (about $8; it used to be 6 CHF, so not a ton of inflation here).
Zermatt also still has plenty of raclette and fondue…
…and the Matterhorn.
The following day we took the train up to Gornergrat, and hiked back down.
Views from the train are stunning, but you certainly pay for them–it ain’t cheap (about $75/person one-way for a 4 minute trip).
The hike down was all Matterhorn, all the time.
Reflected in the Riffelsee.
The cow did not seem to care about the Matterhorn. Or me.
I have visited Zermatt over a dozen times and I never saw the Matterhorn so clearly–and it was like that the entire time we were there.
One last (maybe forever?) goodbye to Mont Cérvin.
the drunken cyclist 
So much fun. I hope you ordered tartiflette in Annecy!
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