Switzerwubs 2012 [T]

• Schengen Visas... Check!
• Thermal undergarments.... Check!
• Portable gadget charger.... Check!
• Moisturizing Lip Balm.... Check!
• Dental check up... Check!
• Immunization Shots... Check! (c/o Didoy & Mayi's Health Shots)
• Heavy Jackets... Borrowed!
• Work... Not yet checked! (Cramming!)

(Whew! Sometimes the trip preparations are even more tiring than the trip!)


This year's adventure will take the Wubs to SWITZERLAND!  We're blessed with another chance to visit the land where the magical letters "W" and "C" combine to form such a relieving feeling. Where you can't ask for water from a waiter, but buy it (I prefer the "no gas" version, burp!).  Where seeing a fellow Pinoy in a crowd of lighter-skinned folk makes you smile at the chance to touch base with home. "Kabayan!"


SWITZERLAND
Our first stop is St. Gallen, which is the capital of the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland. It evolved from the hermitage of Saint Gall, founded in the 7th century. Today, it is a large urban agglomeration (with around 160,000 inhabitants) and represents the center of eastern Switzerland. The town mainly relies on the service sector for its economic base.

St. Gallen is situated in the northeastern part of Switzerland in a valley about 700 meters above sea level. It is one of the highest cities in Switzerland and it often receives a lot of snow in winter (glad we're traveling there in May). The city is pleasantly situated between Lake Constance and the mountains of the Appenzell Alps (with the Säntis as the highest peak at 2,502 meters). Our hotel is between Mount Säntis and Lake Constance.

Our hotel in St. Gallen, Switzerland

We wave our goodbyes to the motherland on Wednesday evening and reach Zurich via Bangkok the morning of Thursday (Swiss time... Ooohh, that sounds precise). St. Gallen is accessible via train from Zurich, so we take a train from the airport to our hotel. The weather is said to be Spring-cool, which is awesome since Winter-cool is not something we've packed for.


We'll be attending my company's two-day conference in St. Gallen and catch up with business colleagues and their wives. While the men work, the ladies tour and shop (ahem). The men join in on the last day for a group tour and we end the conference with a gala night.  We're excited to see the museums in the area (we love hearing about history) and of course, the shopping areas.  Hehehe...


  AUSTRIA

Austrian Alps

After our conference, our next stop is... AUSTRIA! We take a train (we love the European train system) to Maria Alm, Austria to spend a week in a ski resort courtesy of my boss's time share. Since it's springtime, the weather is just perfect for snow-averse pinoys like us. Anne absolutely loved our Austrian adventure in 2008, specifically the fresh air, the the-hills-are-alive-with-the-sound-of-music jaw-dropping landscape, the scrumptuous food (Cevapcicci!), the Wheat Beer and the cleanest drinking water in the world (they actually plan to export that as a commodity). 

First on our Austrian agenda is the "Sound Of Music tour" at the nearby Salzburg, something we missed the last time. Interesting that the Austrians aren't as giddy about the "Sound Of Music" as the rest of the world is. To them, it isn't much of a big deal, but the tourism it drives to their city is much welcomed.


We'll tour other nearby parts of Austria on the other days of the week.  It's funny, I remembered that the last time we were here, we saw humorous shirts in the tourist markets "No Kangaroos In Austria". It's obvious tourists get their countries mixed up and this is the locals' way of not needing to repeat themselves. Hehehe.

SWITZERLAND
Final stop, we head back to SWITZERLAND to conclude our trip. 

Our hotel in Morschach, Switzerland

Our last leg brings us to another time share resort in Morschach, also near Zurich where we'll spend our last week before heading home. We're excited about this one coz it's a ski spa-resort and waterpark! We'll tour the nearby areas during the week since everything is a train ride away.


We're quite pleased that this year's trip finds us at a more relaxed pace unlike our past adventures wherein we were in a new country every few days. We have more time to explore each area and we plan to take local tours based on the recommendations of our hotels.  We'll have more chances to take in the local culture, inhale the experiences of every town and just enjoy being together in the continent we love visiting.  Check out our actual adventures as we post these during the next few weeks!

Also, we're thrilled not just for the travel but for the Promise! Anne has triumphed recently over a medical procedure and we're looking at this trip as a way for God to heal us and prepare us to add another member to the Wub home!  


Okay, now back to packing preparations.  Next on my list... Neck Pillows!... 12 hour flight, we're ready for ya!




~ Toh




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