Every country has its own particular energy. The same goes for every city. There are places in this world with which I resonate and others that disrupt my energy flow. In spite of the fact that it was a lovely city, Zurich was one of those places that sapped me completely and I was anxious to leave. The question was, to where? I ‘d been reading the Swiss tourism brochures and there were a wealth of places that seemed like interesting destinations, so I packed my bags, walked the few blocks to the train station and looked up at the big board that shows where all the trains are going. Eeny, meeny, miney, moe – I chose the train to Lucerne that was leaving in four minutes. Less than an hour later I arrived at the Lucerne Bahnhof – the main train station, and headed for the Hotel Alpha, which I found in the Swiss Backpacker News magazine.

Crossng the Reuss River via Lucerne

Chapel Bridge over the Reuss River

The Hotel Alpha is a really nice budget hotel/backpacker guesthouse – certainly it makes my list of the top three places I have stayed on this trip. Like all backpacker lodges, the room has no private toilet or shower – the toilets and showers are shared facilities on each floor. However, each room has a sink with hot and cold water; a comfortable bed with a good mattress covered by a thick, fluffy duvet; and fresh towels each day. There are guest lounges with share/swap libraries, TV, and Internet and the place is absolutely spotless. Best of all the staff at the Alpha is wonderful, unlike the rude people at Hotel Martahaus in Zurich.

From the moment I stepped off the train I could feel the shift in energy – Lucerne was going to be a good place for me. After settling into my room, I walked the few blocks to the city center and began my exploration by Read the rest of this entry »

I felt a little puny today, which, if you think about it, is pretty funny. I traveled all over Southeast Asia and Africa, eating everything in sight, including raw vegetables washed in the local water, and never got sick. But two days after I arrive in Switzerland I come down with some sort of gastro-intestinal, flu-like ailment that puts me out of commission for all but the most basic of activities. I decided to be kind to myself and just stroll down to Lake Zurich.

Walking along the shores of Lake Zurich

Ferries that carry passengers back and forth across the lake

By the time I reached the lake I was beginning to feel better, so I continued around the lake shore. Several miles later I came upon the China Garden and a nice lakefront park, its nicely manicured lawns dotted with intrepid sunbathers braving the cold lake waters and 70ish degree weather. Here I also found a nice lakefront restaurant where I parked myself at the water’s edge and ordered some much needed food (with my stomach doing somersaults, I hadn’t eaten for a day). Within minutes after sitting down the wind whipped up, the skies turned black, and it began to pour. Fortunately, by the time I’d finished lunch the rain had let up and I was able to catch a water taxi back to the main dock without getting drenched. Since it was now around 3PM and the weather looked iffy, I decided to take a cruise to the other end of Lake Zurich on one of the big ferries. Read the rest of this entry »

From the moment I arrived in Zurich, Switzerland it was evident that this country is a model of efficiency. It runs like the clockwork for which it is so famous. Two immigration officials met the plane and checked passengers’ passports as we deplaned – there were no immigration forms to fill out. There were no lines at immigration and I was passed through with a second perfunctory examination of my passport. A five minute ride on a fast rail carried me to the luggage retrieval area, where I claimed my bag and headed for customs. Here again there was no form to fill out and I wondered whether the spices I had purchased in Zanzibar had to be declared. I finally found a brochure in a rack on the wall of the corridor leading to customs that explained what had to be declared – virtually nothing other than illegal drugs, weapons, or merchandise for sale! The Swiss are not worried about you bringing foreign currency into the country – their super secret banking laws rather encourage the importation of foreign currency. I was waved through customs without a second glance and followed the signs to the train station.

Hauptbanhoff - the main train station in downtown Zurich

This country runs on its trains. And the trains run PRECISELY on time. Indeed, the trains are so reliable and this is such a small country that there is no demand for inter-city flights. For six Swiss Francs (about $5 U.S.) I purchased a ticket for the train from the airport to the center of Zurich, which runs every half hour. I took the escalator down to the platform. Directional and information signs are everywhere – in German, Italian, French, and in some instances, even in Romanisch, an antique language still spoken by Read the rest of this entry »

I have arrived in Zurich, Switzerland, following a nine-hour, overnight flight from Tanzania. Today is a day of walking and resting – but in the meantime I have uploaded all the Tanzania and Zanzibar photos to the photo library. If you’d like to take a look, just click on the above tab labeled ‘Photos’ and follow Read the rest of this entry »

As I leave Africa and wing my way toward Switzerland, I have been thinking about the three words I will assign to each of the African countries I have visited. I have decided not to do this for Zambia, for I only spent a couple hours in this country and then only in the Victoria Falls East Cataract National Park, so I don’t feel that I had adequate exposure to the country to really get a sense of it. However, the following are the words I have chosen for the rest of the African countries I visited: Read the rest of this entry »

For the past five days I’ve been staying at the Sunset Bungalows on the northern tip of the island of Zanzibar, near the village of Nungwi. Initially, things did not go smoothly. On my first day I had lunch at the resort’s restaurant on the beach and tried to charge the meal to my room, intending to pay the entire bill when I checked out. For some reason they did not want me to do this, but the waiter was unable to explain why. I eventually had to hunt down the general manager Read the rest of this entry »

The original owners of the grand Arab houses in Zanzibar’s Stone Town competed with each other over the extravagance of their dwellings. This former glory is still evident in the brass-studded, carved, wooden doors that adorn many of the homes along the narrow streets and alleyways that make up the Old City. There are more than 500 different examples of this handiwork – many crafted from exotic woods such as teak – along with a myriad of colorfully painted window and shutters, making any walk through these labyrinthine passageways a journey of architectural discovery. Below are just a few of the doors, windows, shutters, and arches I found on my daily walks:

Doors of Stone Town

Doors of Stone Town

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Although technically a part of Tanzania, Zanzibar has a much different feel than the mainland. Here the pace is slower and the smiles come easy – just take a look at a few of the happy people I met on my strolls around town:

Adorable young girl smiles shyly

Happy Muslim school girls

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From the rooftop terrace of the Clove Hotel I looked out over a sea of rusting tin roofs atop old coral and mortar buildings streaked with black mold.

View of Stone Town from the roof terrace of the Clove Hotel

Arab influenced architecture

At the edge of town ancient dhows – fat, wooden sailing vessels – bobbed Read the rest of this entry »