Stonehill College Alumni Travel

This morning we had to have our bags packed and outside our rooms by 7:30 a.m. so that they could be loaded onto the bus for our move to Innsbruck.  We said goodbye to the lovely town of Bern and began our journey.  At about the halfway point, we stopped in Liechtenstein, the smallest German-speaking country in the world and the only country to lie entirely within the Alps. We spent about an hour and a half on our own exploring this charming little country that is only 62 square miles!  With a population of 39,000 and having won 10 Olympic medals, Liechtenstein is officially the country with the most medals per capita in the world.  The country is governed by Prince Hans-Adam II, who has ruled since 1989. On August 15th, Liechtenstein's National Day, the Prince hosts an official state ceremony and celebration at his home, Vaduz Castle, inviting every citizen over the age of 18 to spend the day celebrating with the princely family. During our free time in Liechtenstei...

This morning we set out bright and early (well, for vacationers anyway) for Lucerne, the "Swiss Paradise on the Lake".  Martin gave us a wonderful walking orientation tour of Altstadt (Old Town)  which began with a stop at the Lion of Lucerne. Sculpted in the cliff of an old sandstone quarry  between 1820 and 1821 by Lukas Ahorn, it commemorates the hundreds of soldiers of the Swiss Guards regiment who died in 1792 in the service of the King of France, Louis XVI, when the revolutionaries stormed the Tuileries Palace in Paris. From there we made our way through the side streets of this 800-year-old city taking in such sights as the famous Water Tower, which has served as a prison, watchtower and treasury; the Renaissance-style Town Hall; the baroque Jesuit Church, and much more.  The city is complimented with beautifully hand painted buildings and over 200 fountains.  Our tour concluded with a walk over the  Kapellbrücke (or  Chapel Bridge),  the o...

We set out this morning at 9:00 a.m. and jumped on the bus (the first time in a few days!) for the hour and a half drive to Habkern. Our bus driver Sergio expertly navigated the winding mountain roads, and tour manager Martin provided some wonderful information as we wound our way up to 3500 feet.  Even with the fog and drizzle, we took in some breathtaking scenery on our way to this charming town where the cows outnumber the residents 1000 to 630! Upon arriving in Habkern, we headed to an alphorn wood shop where Christian gave us some historical background on the village before leading us through the process of how the alphorn is made.  An alphorn is a wood reed instrument traditionally used by rural communities in the Alps. Originally made in one piece from the trunk of a tree, modern alphorns are made in three detachable sections for easier transport and handling. After we toured the workshop, Christian gave us the opportunity to give it a try and we quickly realized we hav...

Our day started today with a walking tour of Bern. We split up into groups and set off on tours led by local guides. The first stop was  the Bundeshaus (the Swiss Parliament). The oldest part of the building, the west wing, was built between 1852 and 1857. Its rich artistic decoration, whose symbolism is based on the country's history, constitutional foundations, and cultural diversity, along with the use of building materials from all parts of Switzerland, underscores the Parliament Building's character as a national monument of Switzerland in a particularly expressive way. Our tour took us along the cobblestone streets of Bern, passing the famed Bellevue Palace Hotel and to the Zytglogge, a landmark medieval clock tower built in the 13th century. When the great bell rings out every full hour, struck by a large clockwork-operated hammer, passers-by see a gilded figure in full harness moving its arm to strike it.  We continued on to the Einstein House, which houses a museum a...

  Guete Namittag ! After an overnight flight, we landed in Zurich at 11 a.m. local time.  We were greeted at the airport by Rita from Collette, who had already taken our bags off of the luggage carousel before we arrived at baggage claim! Rita escorted us to our private motor coach and introduced us to Sergio, our driver for the duration of the trip. We said our goodbyes to Rita and headed west for the hour and half ride to Bern. We arrived at the Hotel Bern at 1:30p.m. local time where we were greeted by our tour manager Martin Kretter, who was waiting for us in the lobby.  As luck would have it, our rooms were ready and we got checked in and enjoyed a few hours of downtime to rest and/or explore the lovely town of Old Bern.   At 5:00p.m., Martin held a meeting with the group to review the itinerary, answer questions, and get to know us a little better.  Following the meeting, we had a welcome dinner in the lovely hotel restaurant (see photos below!). Aft...

We have truly enjoyed STELLAR weather through the first eight days of the trip.  Today's forecast was looking a little bleak to say the least, so we dug out our umbrellas, ponchos and raincoats and set off on the 90 minute journey from our hotel to San Gimignano. Upon arrival, we were pleasantly surprised to find comfortable temperatures and scarcely a rain drop in sight! San Gimignano is one of Italy's best preserved medieval villages known for its impressive skyline of 14 medieval towers. The town's historic center is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The well preserved Romanesque and Gothic architecture, including churches, palaces, and the central Piazza della Cisterna were a sight to behold.  Nestled close to the Piazza is Gelateria Dondoli, a world champion gelato shop that features creative award-winning flavors such as Crema di Santa Fina (saffron and pine nut).  We spent a few hour exploring the sites and wonderful shopping in the town before boarding the bus for the...