The DisFort's Chit Chat Cafe

[Stratman50th]

Enjoying the trip report Jim! Thanks for posting.
Just a quick update from Central Florida. So I've been having heart issues the last two years or so. At the recommendation of my cardiologist I went in Friday the 2nd and had some hardware installed. They put in a defibrillator. In on Friday, home on Saturday. I was sore for about a week, but the worst part is 1) Not being able to lift my left arm above shoulder height for six weeks- wouldn't want to accidentally pull out the leads and have to do it again, and 2) Not being able to drive for six weeks. Anyway, update over.
On with the show Jim!

 

[Teamubr]

Wow Don! Sounds like prevention is the best medicine, but still scary. Hope you are feeling better soon.

Today was a full day on the bus, but some of the most amazing views. Heading south out of Paris was pretty uneventful. Lots of farm land. As we got further south, the rolling hills started picking up until we were full blown into the Swiss Alps. This is the view from my hotel room window.



Cute little mom and pop (literally- Carl and Rosmarie) place in a small town. Kandersteg. All these pics are from around the resort. There are 4 different waterfalls in the mountains behind the hotel.




Tomorrow we were going to hang out at the hotel while most of the group went up to Jungfraujock Mountain. "Top of Switzerland". It is the highest train station in the Alps and has snow year round. It was a VERY pricey side trip and Donna still doesn't have anything warmer then a sweatshirt, so we figured we would save the €600 for DLP. Instead, we will take the tour bus over to the town where the rest are dropped off and we will ride the Swiss train up a couple of towns to do some shopping and sightseeing. That is where the full group will be picked up at the end of the day.

Good news on Donna's lost suitcase. We decided to call an actual number for lost luggage in Italy and after giving them the claim number and describing some identifying things on the lost suitcase, they said they had it in "storage". The girl read off the hotel in Rome we provided on the original claim and we said we would be back there on the 15th. She said they would deliver it by then. This is the exact same info we provided originally and again 3 days after we arrived to get it on an "international" list. No updates in their online system or by email. It wasn't until we called that they said they had it. We'll see if it is actually there on the 15th. I'm not very optimistic.

j

 

[bama_ed]

I'll leave this right here. Gave me chills.

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j

We haven't been to Paris since 2015.



This was our third trip. We loved staying on the island next to Notre Dame which is on Ile De La Cite'. We stayed on the Ile St. Louis. Great location.

We did DLP that trip also.





Jim, tell me when you were in Amsterdam/Holland that you or DW/DS bought a pair of the wooden shoes. That shure beats Sketchers or Crocs anywhere on the globe! That's a legit souvenir.

Hope the time zone lag has gone past you all.

Ed

PS - Question. You had posted when you got to Rome that DW had a suitcase that didn't arrive with you. Given your on-the-move schedule, when did it catch up to you?

 

[Teamubr]

Ed,

We all did really well with the time zones. We stayed up all day when we arrived because we had to go find clothes and a suitcase for Donna. Went to bed after being up 30 hours.

The shoes were pretty cool watching them be made. We did buy some very little wooden shoes. They are keychain and magnets for the frige.

We are up in a little hikers/shoppers town in the Alps today, Lauderbrunnen. More amazing views.



j

 

[Teamubr]

Here are a few more from yesterday's visit to Lauderbrunnen. We decided to try out the Swiss train system, known for its reliability and timeliness. It was both and very easy to use. Ticketing was in person and in English. I took some pics for the train enthusiasts. This appears to be a regular commuter train, but can climb some serious grades due to its geared track. Trains are all electric.



Staubach Falls is at the south end of town and there is a trail that leads up to a drop point almost behind the falls. Ian and I took the very steep trail to the top that included a few tunnels.



Fun day.

Today we are headed back to Italy. We'll be stopping at Lake Como for a quick photo opp. I'll be sure to post pics of the Clooneys if I see George or Amal.

After that we stop off in Pisa to see the famous tower, we eventually end up in Montecatini with dinner above the valley in Montecatini Alto at a traditional northern Italian restaurant.

j

 

[JP6972]

Can't get to Disney so having a little Disney magic at home.

 

[Teamubr]

On our way back to Rome today for the last 2 days before heading to DLP.
Great day yesterday stopping in Pisa and on to Montecatini in Tuscany.

I didn't realize there is a full complex around the leaning tower. The church and cathedral are as impressive as the tower. There is a smallish walled complex surrounding everything.



This was more impressive than I expected.

Montecatini is a smallish town about halfway between Pisa and Florence. We stayed overnight here, bit had dinner in Montecatini Alto, a small town on a mountain top above Montecatini.

You can drive up, but there is very little parking. We took the funicular up.

Pics on the next post.

 

[Teamubr]

The funicular.


Dinner in the little village of Montecatini Alto.




Today we drove to Florence, home of many famous Italian artists.

Pics on the next post.

 

[Teamubr]

Florence is beautiful with a ton of buildings and sculptures dating back to the Renaissance. I have names and places for most of these, but it is amazing to walk the narrow streets and around a corner is a big piazza with another amazing building.



I expect Rome to be just as impressive tomorrow.

Fingers crossed Donna's bag is at the hotel this afternoon.

j

 

[Teamubr]

Look what was waiting for us at the hotel.



I was actually shocked when it rolled out. Now I have to figure out how to charge Air Canada for the extra bag fees. We are flying out on Italia Air and Lufthansa.

j

 

[garneska]

@Teamubr i agree i am shocked to see that, but it is very good news.

 

[Sjm9911]

Make sure its YOURS! Lol.

 

[Teamubr]

Make sure its YOURS! Lol.

Spencer.

Donna was never so happy to see that bag. Her first response was "now I can have my real underwear!".

One more day!

Getting excited about the DLP portion of the trip. The tour has been amazing, but the finale should be fun. We spend today in Rome. We were planning on doing one of the "Hop on/Hop off" buses, but it is supposed to rain all day. We may try to hire a driver for the afternoon to take us around instead. We really want to see the highlights here.

j

 

[tigger92662]

I'm not so sure this is a good idea

 

[Sjm9911]

Imagine carrying all that with you!

 

[jbrostek]

Gotta say, at least the tires are also on blocks holding some of that weight.

 

[Teamubr]

Sitting at the airport in Rome. Overall it is a pretty organized airport.

Yesterday was our "free" day in Rome. Instead of taking the optional tour that was all walking (3+ miles at a pace Donna doesn't like) we took a taxi to the city center and rode one of the many "Hop on/Hop off" buses. We saw the main highlights we wanted and a bunch more. This city, like Paris, has amazing architecture around every corner. We saw the coliseum, Piazza Novona, Trevi Fountain, The Pantheon and too many other amazing things to list. Food was fantastic. We hit the little cafes along a narrow road much of the time.



Back to Paris now and out to DLP. There have been weekly strikes with picketing inside the parks, impacting rides, parades and service in general. There isn't another strike scheduled until Monday, so we will avoid that.

I'll post more tonight once we get to the parks.

j

 

[Teamubr]

Getting closer. That's DLP inside that circle road.



j

 

[Teamubr]

We are here!

The lobby is great. I have read the rooms badly need a refurb, but we are here for the parks.



Our room isn't ready so we are killing an hour in the Redwood Bar.

j

 

[bama_ed]

We are here!

The lobby is great. I have read the rooms badly need a refurb, but we are here for the parks.

View attachment 767849View attachment 767850View attachment 767851View attachment 767852View attachment 767853View attachment 767855

Our room isn't ready so we are killing an hour in the Redwood Bar.

j

Ya'll are lookin' good, Jim, for having hob-knobbed all over Europe the last several days.

Nice looking lobby and stone fireplace. But the fabric pattern on those couches ......

Ian looks like he could keep up your pace of travel for another 2 weeks.

Hope the DLP strikes do not affect your stay, indeed.

Ed