Maggie”s December trip report – Christmas markets
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Hello everyone and Merry Christmas to you all.
We have just spent the first week of December in Switzerland visiting Christmas markets. We based ourselves in Biel/Bienne in the Best Western Hotel Continental as we have stayed there before and it is very convenient for train travelling. There is a frequent tram service from the station direct to the hotel. While the hotel seems to cater mostly for business customers, it is comfortable (nice big rooms, comfortable beds, generous breakfast, good en-suite etc.) and not too expensive. The staff are very helpful and friendly, going out of their way to give good service.
I have been experiencing some sight problems which affect me particularly at night so we had to be careful not to stay at the markets late as twinkling lights cause me to have some focussing problems – must have looked a bit odd wandering around in the dark wearing sunglasses to reduce glare! However we still had a good time! I based our itinerary on the research I had done to find the operating dates for the markets we wished to visit which apart from one exception proved successful – more of that later! We had visited a lot of the best-known markets like Basel on a previous holiday in 2010 so our aim was to go to some different ones this time.
On our arrival in Zurich (1st Dec.) we took the train from the airport to Zurich main station where we put our luggage in a locker and explored the market in the station hall, having lunch there at one of the stalls. The Swarovski decorated Christmas tree is quite beautiful. Then we collected our luggage to take a direct train to Biel to check in to the hotel. We had bought some sandwiches to have for supper – we did this most days as eating out in the evenings in Switzerland is rather expensive!
On our 2nd day we went first by train to Trubschachen where there was a small but excellent market near the Kambly biscuit factory. We enjoyed some delicious soup in a refreshment tent and admired the lovely crafts on sale in the market itself. Really glad we visited this one as the atmosphere and variety of goods on display were special. We travelled on by train to Lucerne to visit the market in the station. This was very similar to Zurich but smaller – wouldn’t have been worth going there if we hadn’t combined it with the earlier visit to Trubschachen. We decided to take the long route back via Meiringen and Interlaken on one of our favourite train routes.
Next day we went to Einsiedeln. The market here was huge, stretching all the way up from the station to the square in front of the Kloster. We found a great variety of goods on sale and bought some unusual gifts to take home. A delicious lunch included battered apple fritters – really tasty! The local Rotary Club had set up a brazier in the middle of the square and were selling gluhwein – lovely smells permeating the whole square. This day was a real highlight of our trip.
On the 4th we went to St. Gallen – we enjoyed looking at the impressive buildings as well as wandering around the market which was again quite different from others we visited. We were back quite early so Mike went to check out the local market in Biel but it had closed quite early so there wasn’t much to see!
On the Monday we went first to Uetendorf (near Thun) so that we could meet up with the lady who runs the holiday apartment we will be using in the summer next year as our usual hosts can’t rent us their apartment because they need it themselves for family reasons. We had investigated sending our deposit through bank transfer but as we don’t do on-line banking it was proving to be both complicated and expensive so we contacted the owner to see if we could hand over the deposit in cash while we were in the country and she agreed to meet us. We enjoyed a long chat with her over coffee and she was very kind and helpful. Then we went to Bern to visit the markets there. We had a (very!) late lunch in a restaurant we have been to before. After wandering again we returned to Biel where Mike discovered he had left his spectacles behind in the restaurant – yet another mishap with spectacles! The hotel receptionist phoned the restaurant to see if they had indeed found them which they had so Mike had to hurry off by train back to Bern to retrieve them!
The next day according to my research there should have been a market to visit in Morges but when we got there we found they were not open that day so we travelled on from there to Montreux – we had intended going there anyway after Morges. Montreux was one of our favourite markets in 2010 which is why we wanted to return there. It is a large market with a French flair to it and has some of the best market food so an enjoyable place for lunch! Its setting by the lake is also a treat. In one of the gardens we found some impressive sculptures – they were celebrating 150 years of gymnastics and had created models (metal covered with greenery) of gymnasts using all the apparatus used in competition. Very clever! Again we found some unusual gift ideas but had to restrain our spending because of luggage space.
On our final full day we tried Morges again only to find it wouldn’t open till 4 p.m. (contrary to the research I had done!) So we returned to Biel as we hadn’t yet explored the market there. Enjoyed some really tasty soup for lunch. Then we decided that as we had only taken one suitcase with us and our air fares entitled us to one each we would solve our over-enthusiastic spending problem and buy a small suitcase for our extra luggage – we took it back to the hotel and went back to Montreux to buy the the things we had wanted but hadn’t had space for! It certainly made packing easier that night.
After breakfast next morning we paid our bill and while Mike went for a walk down to the lake I chilled out in the hotel lounge with a cup of tea and my book until it was time to catch our train to the airport.
So apart from the incorrect information meaning we didn’t get to visit the market at Morges and Mike’s mishap with the spectacles, a very successful trip! We had a 2nd class Swiss Travel Pass which covered all our travel and allowed us to change plans as and when we liked and saved us a lot of money over point-to point tickets. The weather was kind to us – no rain at all, though some days were foggy and it was cold – no problem if you wear suitable clothes! Another fabulous Swiss experience to add to our collection. We have visited Germany several times at this time of year but decided to have a change by returning to Switzerland and really enjoyed the variety and individuality that Swiss markets have to offer.
Now the planning for next summer can start in earnest, though accommodation, flights and Swiss Travel Passes are already taken care of! It’s just a matter of researching our expeditions and train times. We will have 1st class passes for the summer as it will be high season. We will spend the first week in St. Moritz again then 3 weeks in the apartment in Uetendorf I mentioned earlier.
A very Merry Christmas to all and happy travelling in 2017!
Maggie
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