Switzerland Newsletter July 2002, Volume 11
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1. Yellow Postal Buses Give Visitors New Perspective
2. Switzerland by Motorcycle
3. Rail Tours to Switzerland
4. Luzern Gets New Museum
5. Culture & Food in Basel
6. Buses Cover Odd Hours
7. RailLink Extends Mobility
8. Expo.02 Hailed Internationally
9. American Airlines and Swiss International Air Lines Begin Codeshare
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1. Yellow Postal Buses Give Visitors New Perspective
The yellow postal buses are a familiar sight in the Swiss Alps. They very often connect more remote mountain villages with hubs in the valley, carrying not only passengers but also the mail, hence the name. But these days, the Postbus also offers numerous scenic rides with such sonorous names as the Romantic Route Express, the Palm Express, or the Napoleon Route Express. Another favorite is the Three Passes Tour, which brings passengers through the spectacular mountain scenery of the Susten, the Furka and the Grimsel Passes. The buses are comfortable and safe, the drivers well-trained to negotiate the tight hairpin curves, and the scenery astounding.
For more information click on http://cdb.stnet.ch/link.cfm?uuid=24699&tid=88&url=usa.myswitzerland.com/en/news_java.cfm?mo=v&id=168
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2. Switzerland by Motorcycle
Motorcyclists will find roads in Switzerland to be some of the most delightful, challenging, and best maintained roads they have ever ridden. Behold imposing mountain passes, tranquil lakeside retreats, and shady forests that are all a joy to behold as you ride through Switzerland from one great road to another. Beach’s Motorcycle Adventures has put together a two-week motorcycle adventure that brings cyclists to the Bernese Oberland and Graubuenden, both areas renowned for their craggy peaks and sparkling lakes.
“Among American tour companies, Beach’s Motorcycle Adventures has the best track record on the Continent” says the National Geographic Ultimate Adventure Sourcebook of 2000. The reputation is deserved and maintained by the Beach family.
For complete information contact:
Beach’s Motorcycle Adventures, Ltd.
2763 West River Rd.
Grand Island, NY 14072
http://www.beachs-mca.com/eurotbl1.html
e:mail - bma@beachs-mca.com
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3. Rail Tours to Switzerland
Mercator Tours
Mercator Tours of New York City announces the release of its Spring/Summer/Fall 2002 brochure. Independent travelers have a choice of more than 50 selected hotels in 11 different Swiss resorts and cities. The minimum booking is 3 nights and confirmations are made within 24 hours.
Also, featured is the popular Switzerland Rail Adventure with daily departures from Zurich. Whether you are by yourself or would like to book an entire group, specialists who know Switzerland like the back of their hands will assist you in choosing and booking the right trip for you. Mercator has partnered with the new airline Swiss International Air to bring you maximum comfort.
Colpitts Travel
This September or October explore Switzerland‚s fascinating train routes with a Colpitts Travel package. The package includes air, all transfers, including luggage handling at overseas airports & hotels, and nine nights at 4-star hotels in Meiringen, Zermatt, St. Moritz and Lucerne. There will be city tours in Lucerne, Bern and Chur. Highlights include trips on the three of Switzerland‚s most popular scenic trains Golden Pass Panoramic, Glacier Express, and the Bernina Express.
What will make every train buff's heart beat higher, are the technical visits. Meet professionals and see for yourself what makes the Swiss Travel System work like clockwork.
The tour is escorted by a qualified English-speaking guide The rate for all of this US$2299 per person, double occupancy.
For more information on these two tours, please go to
•http://usa.myswitzerland.com/en/special
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4. Luzern Gets New Museum
Luzern now is one attraction richer: the Rosengart Collection, a compact jewel of a museum containing a plethora of classic Modernists, all donated by Angela Rosengart and her father. The father-daughter team was a prodigious collector. Prior to being exhibited here at the Rosengart Collection, the works were never seen together. What is special is that Angela Rosengart, the president of the foundation operating the Rosengart Collection, was a special friend of Pablo Picasso’s who painted Rosengart’s portrait no less than five times. Rosengart remains an active art dealer, well-known in the art world.
Rosengart Collection
Pilatusstrasse 10
6003 Luzern
info@rosengart.ch
www.rosengart.ch
April – October: daily 10 am – 6 pm
November – March: daily 10 am – 4 pm
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5. Culture & Food in Basel
In 2001 the Basel Museum of Ancient Art inaugurated the new Egyptian Department. The exhibit “The Orient, Cyprus and Early Greece” started showing in February 2002. Chronologically, the objects range from the Late Bronze to the Early Iron Age. The objects – donations from two private collections combined with selected pieces from the museum’s collections – show the close relationship between the civilizations of the Ancient Near East and the Greek culture. This phenomenon is particularly evident in the so-called Orientalizing period (8th and 7th cent. B.C.). Until 15 September 2002.
Basel Museum of Ancient Art
St. Alban-Graben 5, Basel
Tel. ++41 61 271 22 02
Fax ++41 61 272 18 61
Open : Tue-Sun 10-17
Where to stay when you are in Basel? Now visitors have a new choice: three-star Hotel Balade. Its 24 rooms have everything you need. North Americans will enjoy that two thirds of the rooms are reserved for non-smokers. Furthermore, the entire building is wheel-chair accessible and there is a wheel-chair-oriented room on every floor.
The hotel also sports a restaurant by the same name, serving gourmet Mediterranean cuisine at reasonable prices. Fish, fowl, and vegetables are turned into delicious fare to make your stay perfect. The not-so-hungry will be well-served in the Bistrot that serves light dishes. A bar serves food at all hours. To round off the picture, a wine-bar that doubles as a wine store is attached to the hotel. Here you can taste fine wines of the region and meet the locals.
Hotel Balade
Klingental 8
CH-4058 Basel
Tel. Hotel: +41 (0)61 699 1900
Tel. Rest: +41 (0)61 699 1919
Fax: +41 (0)61 699 1920
E-Mail: info@hotel-balade.ch
Web: www.hotel-balade.ch
For more information on Swiss culinary treats, please go to
http://cdb.stnet.ch/link.cfm?uuid=24699&tid=88&url=usa.myswitzerland.com/en/na/food/foodandwine.cfm
For more information on art and culture in switzerland, click
http://cdb.stnet.ch/link.cfm?uuid=24699&tid=88&url=usa.myswitzerland.com/en/navpage.cfm?category=Culture
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6. Buses Cover Odd Hours
Good news for night owls and for those who need to catch an early flight: when it is too late or too early to catch a train, there are often buses that will do the job.
"Nightbird" Bus
Transport services around the clock! This is now true on many Swiss Travel System lines. On weekends, after the last train of the evening has pulled out of the station, there are now Intercity nightbuses. Jointly operated by Postauto and SBB, they bring you home safely and comfortably. New:, now a "Nightbird" takes you from Zurich to Bern and Basel also during the week (departure at 2 a.m.)!
The Early Bus Catches the Early Flight
Early flights leaving from Zurich Airport have always been somewhat problematic for persons in the Bern and Basel region who preferred to use public transportation. But now there is a bus that will bring passengers from Bern (connection from Thun and Solothurn), and from Basel, Liestal, Brugg and Baden to Zurich Airport. The comfortable buses jointly operated by Postauto and Swiss Travel System will bring you to Zurich Airport with time to spare.
Departure time can be found at
http://cdb.stnet.ch/link.cfm?uuid=24699&tid=88&url=www.rail.ch/timetable
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7. RailLink Extends Mobility
Wise people will take the train for the long stretches, and change to the "smart" car to finish off the journey. This alternative makes makes even more sense in the Ticino, where the rugged valleys are better explored in a “smart” car while getting there by train elegantly circumvents the long waits at the Gotthard Tunnel. Or test RailLink on a visit to the Expo.02. RAILEUROPE
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8. Expo.02 Hailed Internationally
The international press has only good things to say about the Expo.02, Switzerland’s national exhibit, which is on till October 20, 2002. Especially the interesting architecture, the cutting edge design, and the droll exhibits have found wide acclaim, as well as the fact that it is spread out over five different venues: Yverdon, Neuchatel, Murten, Biel, and the Iris boat.
The offer is far from predictable. Guests may wish to attend a performance by the world-famous Mummenschanz, explore a giant pudding smelling of vanilla and strawberries, get married for a day, escape the silent majority in the “Empire of Silence”, discover an imagined Switzerland in “Territoire Imaginaire”, taste one of the 50 mineral waters on offer at the Angel Bar, listen to a Romanian children’s choir, or shop for the fun souvenirs such as the Expo.02 perfume or the imitation reeds that currently surround the Neuchatel Arteplage. The offer is overwhelming so it is important to schedule enough time to see the entire exhibit. Expo.02 recommends a three-day visit, easily doable with a three-day pass, which you can buy on-line at RAILEUROPE
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9. American Airlines and Swiss International Air Lines Begin Codeshare
American Airlines (AA) and Swiss International Air Lines (LX) are happy to announce their extensive codeshare agreement. The arrangement includes reciprocal frequent flyer cooperation between American’s Aadvantage and Swiss International Air Lines’s Qualiflyer programs. Flights to and from Switzerland will be coded with both AA and LX tags. Between the two airlines, the following gateways now offer non-stop flights to Zurich: Boston, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles, Miami, Newark, New York JFK, and Washington DC. In addition, Swiss International Air Lines also offers a non-stop flight from New York JFK to Geneva. In Zurich, passengers can connect to more than 120 destinations worldwide. Passengers can also redeem accrued frequent flyer miles on AA or LX flights.
Passengers flying to Switzerland on American Airlines (AA) and Swiss International Air Lines (LX) in First or Business Class will receive double mileage if their flight falls between June 1 – July 31, 2002. In order to qualify, prior registration is required:
Airline: American Airlines (AA) and Swiss International Air Lines (LX)
Award: Double Miles
Promotion Code: LXAA2
Dates: Travel between June 1 – July 31, 2002
Restrictions: Double miles are limited to travel on purchased, published fares booked in F, J or D on American Airlines or F, J or C on Swiss International Air Lines
For reservations: www.swiss.com or call 1-877-359-7947 or www.aa.com or call 1-800-882-8880
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