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Vacation fully booked!
The Swiss portion of our trip is now booked. After staring at a map of Switzerland for far too long, and weighing the number of days we'd allotted to the country, the various train journeys we needed or wanted to take, exactly how often we wanted to hump our luggage through various train stations*, how much we hated changing domiciles frequently, and the least painful route to take to Venice from Switzerland, I came up with a plan.
We're flying in to Zurich, then immediately hopping a train and heading to Lucerne (only 45 min or so away). We're staying there for 5 nights, and then switching to Lugano in the south for 2 nights before going to Venice.
Lucerne seems quite central and a good place to base out of, so we can take day trips around many of the Alps. Lugano is not very far from the Italian border and 5 hours from Venice by train--everyplace else I considered staying was at least 7 hours and often closer to 9, because everything connects through Milan and has to skirt around various alps.
Not very many AirBnBs in Lucerne (I suspect legislation against them), and for the same price we could stay at a hotel ACROSS THE STREET from the train station whose facade immediately reminded me of a stereotypical 19th century grand European hotel.
In Lugano, much the same issue with AirBnBs. I found a hotel in the city center which is up a hill from the train station but a two-minute walk from a funicular railway which leads from the station to the city center. Alas no rooms that look over Lake Lugano, but I couldn't find a hotel that did that for less than $400/night. I am not that attached to a lake view and I think Toby would have a heart attack.
Now to plan a day when we take a round trip from Lucerne to Lucerne via part of the Glacier Express, to go over and through some serious alps.
* I admire the one-bag travel philosophy in theory and seek to streamline my own packing as much as possible, but apparently everyone who travels for a month with three pairs of underwear and socks, two pairs of pants, and two shirts never sweats or smells, is lucky enough to fit into clothing made of very thin and not much fabric, and does not suffer from the I HATE EVERY SINGLE ITEM OF CLOTHING I OWN problem after wearing something twice. I've gotten mine down to around four shirts, four pants, and 8 pairs of underwear and socks for three weeks and that's just barely acceptable. Plus one pair of shoes and a pair of slippers to wear on the plane.
I pack SO MUCH LESS than my aunt, who has to pack multiple outfits, and jewelry and shoes for each outfit. THIS IS WHY GOD MADE BLACK SHOES THEY GO WITH EVERYTHING. (Admittedly, in those trips she was plus-one'ing with my uncle going to conventions and had more socializing responsibilities than I ever will, but if I find she's going abroad ever again I may introduce her to the capsule wardrobe idea.)
We're flying in to Zurich, then immediately hopping a train and heading to Lucerne (only 45 min or so away). We're staying there for 5 nights, and then switching to Lugano in the south for 2 nights before going to Venice.
Lucerne seems quite central and a good place to base out of, so we can take day trips around many of the Alps. Lugano is not very far from the Italian border and 5 hours from Venice by train--everyplace else I considered staying was at least 7 hours and often closer to 9, because everything connects through Milan and has to skirt around various alps.
Not very many AirBnBs in Lucerne (I suspect legislation against them), and for the same price we could stay at a hotel ACROSS THE STREET from the train station whose facade immediately reminded me of a stereotypical 19th century grand European hotel.
In Lugano, much the same issue with AirBnBs. I found a hotel in the city center which is up a hill from the train station but a two-minute walk from a funicular railway which leads from the station to the city center. Alas no rooms that look over Lake Lugano, but I couldn't find a hotel that did that for less than $400/night. I am not that attached to a lake view and I think Toby would have a heart attack.
Now to plan a day when we take a round trip from Lucerne to Lucerne via part of the Glacier Express, to go over and through some serious alps.
* I admire the one-bag travel philosophy in theory and seek to streamline my own packing as much as possible, but apparently everyone who travels for a month with three pairs of underwear and socks, two pairs of pants, and two shirts never sweats or smells, is lucky enough to fit into clothing made of very thin and not much fabric, and does not suffer from the I HATE EVERY SINGLE ITEM OF CLOTHING I OWN problem after wearing something twice. I've gotten mine down to around four shirts, four pants, and 8 pairs of underwear and socks for three weeks and that's just barely acceptable. Plus one pair of shoes and a pair of slippers to wear on the plane.
I pack SO MUCH LESS than my aunt, who has to pack multiple outfits, and jewelry and shoes for each outfit. THIS IS WHY GOD MADE BLACK SHOES THEY GO WITH EVERYTHING. (Admittedly, in those trips she was plus-one'ing with my uncle going to conventions and had more socializing responsibilities than I ever will, but if I find she's going abroad ever again I may introduce her to the capsule wardrobe idea.)
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One thing that's worked for me is to pack old, worn-out T-shirts and abandon them as soon as I can buy brand-new, shiny, souvenir ones - that way, I get to wear things I like without doubling my wardrobe.
If necessary, layering-while-travelling is your friend - you can take off your coat, fleece, sweatshirt, shirt while on the train/plane, but that's better than buying an extra bag halfway through the holiday. The other thing I've done is to have a backpack that's carry-on luggage size, into which I can fit my 'walk-around-town' backpack; that way I have only one item of hand luggage, but should disaster strike and I find myself with a significant wardrobe expansion (because I have never underestimated weather, oh no, not I), I have at least my own, useful bag to check instead of needing to acquire a new piece of luggage I do not want.
Your holiday sounds great; I hope you'll have a grand time.
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The backpack is mostly padding for my camera, and stores the extra pair of socks and underwear I take on the plane in case my bag doesn't make it--I figure I can always buy a toothbrush and a comb if the hotel doesn't supply them--and stuff I won't be actively entertaining myself with during the flight like medications, spare chargers, etc. If I end up bringing my netbook, it stays there, too.
Personal bag is my portable entertainment/comfort kit: Kindle, phone, earbuds, the trashy magazines I always buy in the airport, emergency snack (hunger can trigger a migraine), slippers for the plane, inflatable pillow, eye mask if I attempt to sleep, alcohol wipes because plane bathrooms are gross, especially on long-haul flights, and I need to clean the psychic stench off after I go.
The backpack that was delivered yesterday is larger than I expected and will have some empty space, but that means I can probably stuff a spare shirt or cardigan in there in case the checked bag doesn't make it, and will have room for souvenirs on the way back. I got it partly to use as a weekend bag when I travel, hence buying it large because I had nothing suitable in easily-carried form, but looking at it is still...wow. It's at the limits of carry-on size, so I'm resigned to the fact that I may have to pull my daypack out of the suitcase and stuff it into the backpack so I can move the camera there if I have to check the bigger backpack on one or more legs.
The suitcase itself won't be full either, but I'm going to pack a daypack in it for walking around touristing with.
I am not of a size or shape that makes it easy to find clothing, so souvenir T-shirts are a no-go for me, unless I want to spend all day shopping instead of sightseeing. (I am shaped like a pear, so t-shirts that fit my hips are too baggy on the top, and women's cut t-shirts stop a couple of sizes below mine.)
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Sounds like a plan! Enjoy, and I look forward to hearing about it.
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