Switzerland – Page 15 – trippingdifferently

October 29, 2013

Autumn 2013 Holidays Week 03…

This is Part 3 in our Autumn Holiday travels. (See Part 1 and Part 2.)

So it being the last week of the holidays, i decided we should take it easy and only visit 2 places – the Läderach Chocolate Factory and the Connyland Theme Park.

The day we visited the Läderach Chocolate Factory started as cloudy but turned out to be a beautiful sunny day. We took the train to Bilten, a little village in Kanton Glarus. It was a short walk from the Bilten train station to the factory which is one of the first buildings in a light industrial area. Ah… the smell of the chocolate upon entering the factory was amazing!!

Left: Outside the chocolate factory, Right: Beautiful view from the train.

It costs an adult CHF6/. to enter the factory/museum itself. Children up to 12 years old do not pay. Everyone is given a little white porcelain spoon with which you can taste all the chocolate you want :p You are also given a CHF 5/. voucher for chocolate purchases for every paying adult.

Left: Attempting to eat the fake cocoa bean pod, Right: Reading interesting chocolate facts.

The museum is very small but interesting. They show you how the drying of the cocoa beans are done. There are several informative billboards to read in German and English, displays of some of the old chocolate making equipment to look at and a very well-done video explaining the whole process from cocoa bean arriving at the factory to the chocolate powder which is used by the confectioners to make the delicious chocolate creations.

What they used to make those delicious chocolate balls. — What they used to make those mouth-watering chocolate balls.

Left: Inside the factory, Right: Tasting yummy chocolate.

The factory only shows you the process up until the chocolate powder. The actual creation of the yummy pieces of wonderful-looking chocolate which are made by hand, every piece, is not shown.

Left: The difference between milk, white and dark chocolate, Right: the one chocolate fact which my boy loved is the one which states that chocolate enhances brain activity cos of the caffeine content, therefore justifying eating it ;) — Left: The difference between milk, white and dark chocolate, Right: the one chocolate fact which my boy loved is the one which states that chocolate enhances brain activity cos of the caffeine content, therefore justifying its consumption 😉

It didn’t take us long at all to finish the tour, about an hour if you read everything and taste everything. i would recommend going with the idea of buying amazing handmade chocolate and taking the factory tour as a bonus.

We had a lazy day at home after that calorie-loaded outing and then headed to Connyland the day after.

The highlights at Connyland are the animal shows. We went specifically to see the dolphins as this was the last season the dolphins will be there. i don’t exactly know why, i suspect it might have something to do with the facilities the dolphins are kept in. i’m not saying they are bad, from what i saw the dolphins were very happy and loving their trainers. Maybe animal rights groups were calling for the dolphins to be moved?

The amazing dolphins and their trainers!

Anyhow, the dolphin show was fantastic! We LOVED it! It was fun and really showed off what the dolphins can do. They stressed at the beginning and at the end of the show how important clean seas/oceans are for the survival of the dolphins. They also stressed that all the tricks the dolphins do are what they already do naturally, they just trained the dolphins to do them on cue.

(Note for visitors who are not German-speaking – all the shows are conducted in German but are entertaining enough even if you don’t understand the words.)

The rides and activities we did try. — Some of the rides and activities we did try.

The park itself is not big when you compare it to places like Europa Park or Disney Land. A full day is enough to cover the whole place. There are a good number of rides, catering to both older and younger children. The rides are placed quite closed together but still within safe distance i think.

We didn’t do all the rides. We skipped the rides for younger kids and just did ones we thought were interesting for us. Tobias’ favourite ride was the bumper cars – he went on 4 times! The second favourite was the cable chair ride. It is a single person chairlift high above the flamingo lake.

There were 2 water rides (log ride and voodoo island) we went on, both of which we got splashed upon but it was fine. The voodoo island ride is fun if your fellow-passengers in the next float are game to shoot at you and get shot back.

Tobias climbed about at the Space-center to blow off some energy. The long slide on a mat was a little disappointing, as was the Dino-Attack ride. There were also remote control boats to play with, near one of the eating places.

The rides we decided not to go on. — Some of the rides we decided not to go on.

The Jungle Adventure was actually like a big indoor playground with trampolines, a maze, slides and climbing structures. The big thing in Jungle Adventure was the rope-park-like huge structure in the middle of the whole place. You wear a harness and get hooked up to line which slides around the whole structure above your head, keeping you safe as you negotiate the obstacle/rope course. This is a very popular attraction and we waited for 20 minutes and decided to come back later. We went half an hour before closing time and had the place to ourselves. So be warned. For the other rides there was only a very short wait or no wait at all. Maybe it’s because we went at the end of the season?

The sea-lion show was great! It was entertaining and funny, and engaging for the audience too. The 2 females were in a talent contest to win the affections of the big male, Oscar. i liked how sporting the trainers were to also join in the dancing and bum-shaking with the sea-lions.

The very funny sea-lions and their sporting trainers.

The last show we caught was the parrot show. It was entertaining but the parrots weren’t very cooperative that day so it was a little draggy as she tried to get them to work with her. The trainer also spoke rather fast and was a little unclear but i think that had to do with the poor sound system in that tent rather than the trainer herself.

The slightly stubbon but very cute parrots and their trainer. — The slightly stubborn but very cute parrots and their trainer.

Oh, we gave the comedy show a miss this time but maybe next time. It was a super day out and we will likely head back to Connyland at another time.

So that’s the end of our holiday travels for autumn 2013. Till the next holiday – hehehee 😉

syc

October 23, 2013October 29, 2013

Autumn 2013 Holiday Week 02…

This is Part 2 of our Autumn Holidays wandering around Switzerland. (See Part 1 and Part 3.)

So this second week we were a little more adventurous and went to the Pilatus Seilpark (Rope park). This was Tobias’ first time at a rope park. He had wanted to go to one for a while already. So we got there just after lunch and got hooked up with harnesses and gloves and helmets. Then it was off to a short introduction course. The instructor stays with you as you try your hand at the very first course – it is a must for everyone to go through this so they know you are definitely using the equipment correctly and safely. It was nice to know that they really do make sure of this. There were a few instructors around and you could call on them anytime for help. While we were there, someone did require assistance and they were quite quick to come to her aid.

Tobias only managed the first two courses as this was his first time and he has been (over the last few weeks) bravely trying to get over his fear of heights. i’m proud of what he managed. They have 10 different courses of varying difficulty and height. Do take note that certain ages can only do a few of the courses.

Top: You can see other courses behind him. Bottom Left: Climbing the monkey ladder. Bottom Center: Crossing the shaky log. Bottom Right: Swinging ropes.

Oh the price is a bit steep if you only do a couple of courses and are done. We did those two courses a few times each and stayed for about 2.5 hours. We also did some tubing at the end, just rented one tube for half an hour. (Unfortunately, they took down the webpage on tubing from the Pilatus website so you’ll just have to see our picture of it.) And of course, as with most Swiss places, there is a family price, even for just one adult and one child, which is great.

It is a fairly long but quick run downhill on in a tube lined with rubber mats. Really quite fun!

Then we spent a quiet day at home, playing board games and building cardboard airplanes.

We used some parts from a Makedo set we had bought in Singapore.

Our next stop was a much calmer Tropenhaus Frutigen. We went to the Tropenhaus Wolhausen with some friends in Spring and had wanted to come to this one as they specialised in fishes. And we found out during our visit that it was just one type of fish – sturgeons – and they also make caviar.

Each Tropenhaus has a unique restaurant which serves the food they grow there. And we had wanted to try the Wolhausen one but when i called the day before our visit to reserve a table – there was none. The same thing happened to us at this Frutigen one. But we waited a day and booked a table for the next day. So be warned – if you wanna eat there, book early (at least a few days before). The food we ordered was unique but taste wise it was just okay, nothing too fabulous. But maybe it was because i skipped their speciality – caviar.

Top: Chicken Nugget and Banana Chips with an unusual dip. Middle: Sturgeon Fingers, Chips and a great housemade tartar sauce. Bottom: The restaurant. This is called the Terrace & there is another part which looked more classy. — Top: Chicken Nuggets and Banana Chips with an unusual dip. Middle: Sturgeon Fingers, Chips & a great house-made tartar sauce. Bottom: The restaurant. This is called the Terrace & there is another part which looked more classy.

The exhibition room was crowded as they had too much going on, i felt. They had an exhibit on energy and the earth. An exhibit on the sturgeons. And an exhibit to celebrate the local railway company’s jubilee – BLS. When i say exhibit, i don’t mean just one panel but many panels and objects, all spread out and crisscrossing each other. It is very unusual for a Swiss museum to be like this (we have been to a fair number to date). Anyhow, Tobias found the exhibit about the sturgeons most interesting.

Top: It is in a wonderfully pretty location. Bottom: giant fishes! — Top: It is in a really pretty location. Bottom: giant fishes!

Then you can see the fishes in their tanks outside (if you go in winter, do take your coats with you through the exhibition area so you don’t freeze outside). After which we walked back into the tropical enclosure to see the tropical plants and a few fowls.

Camera 360 — Clockwise from top left: star fruit, chilli, pineapple, papaya

It is a nice way to spend an afternoon. The amazing thing is that we met a pair of grandparents with their two grandsons while waiting for the train home. They had also just been to the Tropenhaus and guess where they live… the boys live in Ruttenen (the next village from us) and their grandparents live in our village. Talk about travelling far to meet neighbours 😉 The older boy is the same age as Tobias and they would likely see each other again when they get to Oberstufe (secondary school).

Our next outing was to the Axporama with Daddy. It is run by the energy company Axpo. And is fairly out of the way to get to – only one bus goes there but it is situated there so that school groups can tour both the museum and the nuclear power plant itself, which is only a 15 minute walk from the museum.

Top: There is a castle (Swiss' standards) right next to the Axporama, which you can just spot behind the trees on the right (the red spot). — Top: There is a castle (Swiss’ standards) right next to the Axporama, which you can just spot behind the trees on the right (the red spot). Bottom: The nuclear plant across the river.

Well, we arrived around noon and there was no one there. We had the entire place to ourselves. The lady did say Saturdays are usually quiet as they mostly have school groups or company groups come during weekdays.

Left: This is the top floor. Right: Generating your own energy.

It is quite a small museum – only 2 half floors. But it had interesting hands-on exhibits about energy. The bottom floor tells a lot about the earth and the energy we consume as human beings. The top floor lets you try out different ways of generating electricity and explains things like new energy, bio-energy etc… The most interesting exhibit for us was to role-play as the energy company and we had to mix and match different sources of energy, making it work economically while supplying a city with a day’s worth of energy. There were perk periods to take note of and there was a limit to how much we could spend. Each energy source is priced differently and of course only generates a certain amount of energy so once you have it at maximum output you can’t get any more out of it. We failed – we went burst 10 minutes before day’s end – hahahhaa 😉

Some of the exhibits dealt with actual production of energy. Others tells you what and how much energy we consume. — Some of the exhibits dealt with actual production & the how-to of electricity. Others tells you what & how much energy we consume.

This is the energy mix and match exhibit.

They have a few other interesting exhibits outside too - like this giant ball track. — They have a few other interesting exhibits outside too – like this giant ball track.

So there you have it – our travels in Week 02 of the Autumn hols.

Stay tuned for Week 03…

syc

October 14, 2013October 29, 2013

Autumn 2013 Holidays Week 01…

We are currently on Autumn School Holidays! 3 whole weeks of no school! Nice! But what do we do with the kid?? Well, we travel all over Switzerland, which is pretty much what we do for our Spring and Autumn hols here.

So Week 01 was a take it easy week. (See Week 02 and Week 03.) We did the housework – yep, my little boy did his share of keeping the house clean and tidy 🙂 And to reward ourselves we went to see a Swiss movie, the S’Chline Gspängst, with some friends at the local cinema here in Solothurn. Something which we have not yet done in all the years of living here cos we always travel to some big city to watch a movie in English. BUT this was a Swiss story, which of course, had to be watched in Swiss German. The title translated is The Little Ghost. And it was a delightful story although i have been informed by Swiss friends that the movie only very loosely follows the book it is based on. What was wonderful was that it was shown at a little cinema which reminded me of how cinemas were when i was a kid. i tried to get a feel of it in a photo but it doesn’t quite come across as you can see below.

Then we spent a lazy day at home. The next day it was off to the beautiful lakeside village of Brienz for a short walk and our Grinberg treatment. We discovered this lovely new climbing structure by the lake. If you are ever in Switzerland, you have to make a stop in Brienz. Take in the amazing views and ride the steam train up the little mountain. The lakes and the mountains join to make this an amazing village to visit. We were last here when we visited the only Swiss Violin-Making School.

The boy had so much fun on this structure.

We were to meet the husband for dinner so we took a slow walk along the river in our town and guess what we found! An open bookcase (Offener Buchschrank). i had written about the Little Free Library about a year back and wished we had one and now we do!! The boy happily found a book of animal stories to bring home.

The bookcase is made of metal and has glass panels to protect the books.

Friday was the exciting day for my boy – we took his best friend along with us and went to the Swiss Knife Valley Visitor Center in Brunnen, where the boys got to assemble their very own standard/basic Swiss knife.

Here the manager of the place was telling the boys some history.

It is a nice little place, not very big. There are a couple of historical films to watch. We found those very informative. The store took up a fair amount of the 3 floors. The museum is down below, not very big but again interesting, there is even a story corner where you can listen to 6 stories of how a Swiss Army Knife saved the day. And some interesting knives on display.

The boy hard at work assembling his knife at the special workstation.

They sell a lovely gift set which i think makes a unique gift. The set consists of all the parts you need to make your own Swiss Knife. The only catch is that the person getting the gift would have to come to the Visitor Center in Brunnen to actually assemble it.

You couldn't find a happier boy that day. — You couldn’t find a happier boy that day.

Saturday was spent at the Suisse Toy Fair in Bern, which we have gone to every year since i discovered it a few years ago. It was nice and crowded as usual. Of course, my little guy headed straight for the digital games zone and we stayed there for at least an hour if not more. Then it was lunch and the boys headed to the remote control section and i went to the crafting section. i loved that they added this section a couple of years back. i had fun walking through the small but interesting section, drooling over all the tools and materials which i can’t afford 😉 Unfortunately, the little boy felt unwell after that. So we had him rest in the quiet zone (it is so thoughtful of them to create such an area), while we did a quick sweep of the rest of the fair (we were almost finished by then).

i didn't get many photos this year. So here one of the boy playing one of the new Wii games he has been waiting for. The conclusion was that it wasn't as fun as he thought it would be. Yippy! He won't be asking for that for Christmas... hahhaha ;) — i didn’t get many photos this year. So here one of the boy playing one of the new Wii games he has been waiting for. The conclusion was that it wasn’t as fun as he thought it would be. Yippy! He won’t be asking for that for Christmas… hahhaha 😉 The other photo is the group project for this year – boats. Last year’s was lego buildings of Switzerland.

i will blog about the second week soon.

syc