Survived the Spring Adventure Part #1

Our spring cruise aboard the Jewel of theSeas was absolutely delightful.  The people we met online during the planning stages of our adventure were friendly, charming, and ever so delightful.  It was the best group of Cruise Critic folks w have met and we hope to meet some of them again on future adventures.

The crossing was smooth and the crew outstanding.  We loved “the suite” life on this trip and it was amazing.  Our room steward, Sandy, made everything seamless.  We were also fortunate to have the concierge, Romania, who made arrangements with ease.  Captain Justin was the most personable we have met on any of our cruises and be aboard again with him at the healm.

We caught a flight to Milan after our arrival port and stayed at the Hilton that night. The following day , leaving our bags in hotel storage, we ventured via train to Zermatt, Switzerland.  We discovered a place where parkas are in style year round.

Zermatt does not have regular auto traffic; travel is by bus, electric mini cars, bicycle, or walking.  There is a cog train that takes you to the outer arches of the community and beyond,  It was quite an experience to be snowed on in May!  We felt “up close and personal” with the Matterhorn.  One of our others discoveries was that it was quite expensive—$25 for a meal at MacDonald’s and it wasn’t what we were used to.  Note, the fondue was delicious and we had it more than once.

The qbjective for being in Zermatt was to ride the Glacier Express, which we did.  he full route took 8 hours to complete as it retraced some of the track to reach all of the destinations.  Majestic mountains and valleys stretched throughout the trip.  It was amazing how much parts of the trip reminded us of Yosemite, the Sierra Nevadas, and other locations in the United States.  We remarked that the USA has it all.  The last stop on the Glacier express in our direction was St. Moritz.  We disembarked next to the beautiful snow-fed picturesque lake.  Fortunately, our hotel balcony overlooked the lake, also.

After a good night’s rest and a bountiful breakfast, we boarded the Berninna Express for our return to Milan.  Another day of  spectacular scenery!  How much of this wonderful stuff an one take?
Arriving at the Milan station is a story in itself, but from there we returned to the Hilton and relaxed and regenerated until our nxt day’s adventure was to begin.