Switzerland, Austria, Germany Day One

Switzerland, Austria, Germany Day One - November 5, 2026

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!). After dinner and a very busy travel day, some of the group headed up to the rooftop bar to check out the beautiful outdoor chalet and enjoy a much deserved beverage.

Tomorrow, we will set out early on a guided walking tour of Bern, passing by the Bundeshaus (the Swiss Parliament), the famous Bear Pit, the Rose Gardens and the gothic cathedral which dominates Old Town’s skyline. In the afternoon we will have some free time to explore and have dinner on our own in this lovely town. Stay tuned...

Our bus driver Sergio (left) and tour manager Martin (right).

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Cordoba

First our morning started with an alarm - or a lack of one; as Mary Jane and Pat's room never received a wakeup call. So everyone else was on the bus ready to go when they finally got a knock on the door. What troopers they were, though! In 15 minutes they were on the bus with everyone and not long after they were able to laugh at the 'chaos' of it all. Our local guide Isabel was just delightful - and clearly has a love for her city. She tells us that filmmaker Pedro Almodovar is from here as we begin our walk. First we go through the old Jewish center. Nearly all of the city's buildings are white-washed (originally by the women we hear). We stop at an old Jewish synagogue and learn some history of the area. Then we stop at the statue of a famous rabbi ( can you name him ?) which legend is that by rubbing his foot and then touching your own head you will get taller and wiser. most of us did that - some hoping for extra height, others for a...

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