The page covering my first trip to Europe was kind of a diary, a pretty huge one. My second trip was even twice as long timewise, so I think it's better to tighten things up a bit. No week-by-week logbook here, just photos with captions plus a few comments in between. That's still way enough work.
 

Getting there and settling in

It was late October when my sons, Forrest and Cameron, took me and Laddie, my service dog, to Chicago for my second flight to Europe. Laddie, always terribly afraid of walking on smooth, tiled floors, had to be carried around at O'Hare Airport. I guess that was a very funny sight.

Anyway, he made it across the pond in one piece. After all, as a service dog, he is allowed to travel together with me in the cabin, not in a cage in the freight compartment below. Funny enough, at Zurich Airport, with equally smooth floors, he walked around as if he never had had a problem. Joerg, who picked us up, got quite a kick out of that.
 

One of the parks near Walenstadt harbor. Joerg says
our Michigan fall is more colorful because of the red
sugar maple leaves, which were all gone when I crossed
the Atlantic, by the way, while here autumn was still
in full swing.
 

The northern shore of the lake seen from the harbor
park. We spent only one day in Walenstadt before
we drove to Tarasp in the alpine Engadine Valley,
where the Rothenbergers have their wonderful vacation
home.

Laddie quickly adjusted to the new environment.
 

Apartment buildings on Lake Street next to Joerg's
practice.
 

Tarasp I

Two days after arrival, we drove up to the Engadine.
 

Waiting at the Vereina RR tunnel. You drive right onto
the train, which takes you about 12 miles through the
mountain in 15 minutes.
 

At the southern end of the tunnel. There are one or two
such piggy-back trains per hour in each direction, plus
one or two passenger trains without motorcars.
 

Driving down the Engadine, the golden glow of the
larch trees was awesome.
 

Larches are deciduous conifers, so in autumn they stand out
amongst their dark green pine siblings.
 

A first glance of Tarasp Castle across the valley from
Ardez.
 

Such constructions protect the roads from falling rocks.
 

Laddie drinking the fresh and very cold water from the
little fountain right in the front of the house.

 The Piz Pisoc range in the evening sun, seen from our
front door.
 

Last sun rays on Piz Clünas.
 

Clouds in the sunset glow.
 

The weather was gorgeous.. It displayed the colors of alpine fall in their full glory. Valatscha, the little settlement of Tarasp where the family's house is, was almost empty. There are eleven farm houses, ten very old ones, most of them guilt in the 17th century, and the new one of Arthur Netzer and his family, built about 30 years ago. Arthur, Helen and their son, Marcus, run a farm that covers most of the area that formerly was cultivated by ten farmers, including Arthur's late dad. Then there is Marietta's home. Her late husband, a physician, had goats, pigs and the like. All the other former farm houses are used as vacation homes only, owned by folks from the lowlands like Richard and Joerg.

The Netzers were there and, of course, Marietta too, but the other homes were empty. We talked a lot with Marietta, whom I admire so much. She is as active and chipper as can be, closely in touch with her relatives and friends all over the world, and she still heats her big house with wood, which she hauls in from an outbuilding, and that in her mid 'eighties. She also looks after most of Valatscha's vacation homes when no one is there. Some people call her to tell her that they will arrive in a day or two, so she goes and heats up their home.  
 

Marietta welcoming us at her front door.
 

The narrow little street in front of the house.
 

Looking east to Piz Pisoc from the sunny corner in the
previous photo.
 

 Valatscha and the northern mountains seen from the
road in the Valatscha ravine.
 

I still freak out when Joerg parks his car in such places.
 

 Chaposch, the nearest settlement on the road from
Valatscha to "downtown" Tarasp.
 

An old wooden fountain in Chaposch.
 

Tarasp Castle seen across the Zuort ravine.
 

Looking down the Zuort ravine and across the Inn gorge.
The village on the other side is Ftan.
 

The view from the sun room in the Rothenberger's barn up
the Engadine Valley, i.e. westward.
 

Looking eastward from the Valatscha plateau to the Pisoc
range. The settlement is already in the shade of the
mountains.
 

Yes, I do talk to all sorts of animals, not only horses,
and sometimes it seems they do talk to me too.
 

On the edge of the Inn gorge. In spring there is a pond
in this little hollow.
 

Sunset behind a wooded crest, much earlier than in
flatter areas.
 

Valatscha (center) and Tarasp Castle seen from the little
road to Aschera.
 

Believe it or not, this is a mushroom. It is even edible
when young enough. This one was too old, though.
 

Never saw such a huge mushroom before. It's
aptly called a puffball.
 

The barn of the Rothenberger house.
 

The big double door from the living room intp the barn.
 

The old dining room, formerly also living room.
 

Taking a nap on the dining room couch.
 

Joerg grilling steaks in the fireplace.
 

Chestnuts roasted over the hot embers, what a delight!
 

Laddie waiting for his share.
 

View from Main Street in Scuol into the S-charl Valley
and the National Park.
 

After a slight turn to the left on the same spot you see
the Lischana range.
 

In Marietta's living room before our departure
back to the lowlands.
 

Various trips and events in the lowlands

Even down in Walenstadt, fall wasn't over yet. Laddie and I enjoyed exploring the parks on both sides of the little harbor.  

Late afternoon at the lake.
 

Laddie in the northern park.
 

Walking along the northern lake shore.
 

Looking back to Walenstadt.
 

Our Thanksgiving dinner, with pumpkin soup and chicken
instead of a whole turkey, which is difficult to find in
Switzerland.
 

My desk at the living room window, facing east, with
morning sun.
 

A whole heap of snow already in November. Joerg said
he had never seen such in almost 60 years. He told me
to shoot some photos because this might be the only snow
all winter, due to climate changes. This is the view from
my desk, by the way.
 

View from the same place, just looking a tad more to the
right, across Lake Street to the old winery.
 

Maria, Joerg's assistant, with Laddie at the
parking lot of the practice.
 

An old barn at the other end of the meadows
behind the practice.
 

A fountain on the southern lake shore.
 

The diving platform off the southern beach.
 

Maybe it's a bit too cold to take a rest on the bench.
 

Laddie enjoys the snow.
 

Looking westward over the lake from a little wooden bridge.
 

We spent a weekend in Roggwil with Richard, Joerg's brother, Brigitte, his wife, and their kids and grand-kids.
 

Helene, Richard's daughter, and Brigitte in the old dining
room, age unknown, between 200 and 300 years or so.
 

Sunday walk with the family.
 

Sheep grazing next to the road to Roggwil.

This gorgeous farm is part of Hahnberg Castle north of
Roggwil.
  

Brigitte having fun with her grand-daughters
 

Claudia, Joerg and Maria. Claudia resigned to become
a full-time mom.
 

My "special friend", Hansruedi, at the reception desk.
 

Model trains all over the place.
 

An exact model of the famous Landwasser viaduct, built
by a club member and active RR engineer.
 

Model scenery of the Rhetian Railway line in the Rhine
Gorge (Grisons).
 

Yup, there were American trains too!
 

A model fairground.
 

Bruno, a retired boat builder, at his milling machine.

One example of Bruno's work, every detail is hand-made.
 

 
Claudia with the baby and her mother.
 

Holding the baby evoked old memories.
 

I got a kick out of this, but in German it simply means Emergency
Elevator.
  

The practice building seen from Lake Street. Within a few
days, the snow down here disappeared.
 

Some snow remained at elevations above 3000 feet.
 

Laddie on one of our daily walks around the
neighborhood.
 

Sheep in a vineyard, used as organic movers, sort of.
 

In early December we again visited Richard and family in Roggwil.
 

Helene showed up with a Haflinger pony for some bare-
back riding with her kids.
 

Helene riding back to the farm. Haflingers are a half-Arabian
mountain workhorse breed, originally from South Tyrol.
 

The old farm of Wieland and Liliane, specializing in all
organic production.
 

Yana, Helene's younger daughter, in the farm yard. Horse
stable on the left, cow stable on the right.
 

Ponies and a donkey in front of the stable.
 

A calf lapping water from the tap.
 

Yana's first horse-back ride.
 

Coming back to the farm after an hour or so.
 

Doro, me and Aunt Dorothy.
 

Aunt Dorothy, 91 years old, and Joerg, somewhat younger.
 

Cousin Doro, whom I already met in Zurich in May.
 

Shade in the valley, evening sun on the northern peaks.
 

Looking down to Walenstadt.
 

View from Flumserberg up the Seez Valley into the core
mountains of Heidiland.
 

Trailer park, Swiss style. In this country, no one except
a few Roma permanently lives in a trailer. These trailers
were converted into little vacation homes.
 

Tarasp II

Briefly before Christmas, we drove up to Tarasp again.
 

   
The house was very cold after six weeks
without heating.
 

   
The 400 year-old wood stove in the dining
room is operated through this hatch in the
kitchen.
 

   
Cooking our first dinner in winter gear, with an electric
space heater by my side.
 

 
I decorated the mantelpiece for Christmas.
 

   
Ice sculpture in the fountain across the street.
 

 
Little get-together with mulled wine and other goodies in
front of the little grocery store in Fontana.
 

   
Tarasp Castle seen from the grocery store.
 

 
Up-valley view from the road between Tarasp and Scuol.
 

   
The little road leading from Fontana through Chaposch to
Valatscha.
 

 
Looking back to Chaposch and the castle from the
same spot.

 
Going into the Valatscha ravine. This is the part I fear so much.
 

 
The little bridge in the Valatscha ravine.
 

 
Laddie on the way from the bridge to Valatscha.
 

 
Getting out of the ravine into Valatscha.
 

 
Clearing the mess in the kitchen.
 

 
Raclette dinner with the family on New Year's Eve.
 

 
My apple pie.
 

 
Laddie loves Richard.
 

 
Cheese fondue dinner for two after the family went home.
 

 
Laddie frolicking on the road to Aschera.
 

 
The last few days brought a tiny bit of sunshine at noon.
 

 
Yeah, that's all we got...
 

We drove back to Walenstadt a week after New Year. There was still no snow down there.  Before the mid eighties, there would have been a foot or two, Joerg said.
 

Down below again

In Valatscha, I had caught a very bad cough from the kids. For weeks I could barely leave the house.
 

 
Snow only on the peaks above 6000 feet.
 

 
I had begged Joerg to trim his beard, because I knew what
was in the pipeline, however he refused to comply.
 

 
Brigitte, Richard, Elisabeth and Regula (two of Aunt
Dorothy's four daughters).
 

   
Aunt Dorothy and Doro.
 

 
Tony (well, just a glimpse of him), Regula and Joerg.
 

 
The birthday present from the Spörry sisters: A big box with
all sorts of purely organic produce of the region.
 

 
A walk in the streets of Ftan, the village on the sunny
plateau right across the Inn gorge from Tarasp.
 

 
Looking down to Tarasp from Ftan. The castle is pretty
close to the center of the picture.
 

 
Rabbits and sheep in a shed beside the street.
 

 
Ftan seen from the west.
 

 
Looking into the Plavna Valley south of Valatscha.
 

 
Overview of Tarasp and the Lischana range.
 

 
Just in case you didn't spot Tarasp Castle in the previous
picture.
 

 
The Plavna Valley on the other side of the Inn gorge.
Valatscha is close to the center of the photo, barely visible.
 

 
The Italian border is just a few miles behind those peaks.
 

 
The water mill in Ftan, 400 years old and still working!
 

 
The sign explains the history of the mill in
several languages.
 

 
Joerg showing the Fox Islands book by Kathleen
Firestone to Marietta.
 

 
Laddie guarding the front door.
 

We used the great weather for visiting a few more places in the area.
 

 
Ardez, the next village up the Engadine Valley, with
Steinsberg Castle.
 

 
A richly ornamented front door in Ardez.
 

 
The Adam and Eve house with mural paintings
instead of the more frequent sgraffiti technique.
 

 
The oriel (window bay) of the Adam and Eve
house, built 1647.
 

 
Driving up to Guarda, another village on the sunny side of
the Engadine Valley.
 

 
Looking up the valley from Guarda. The portal to the
Vereina RR tunnel is right in the center of the picture.
 

 
The sign on the door of the Ladies' room at the
visitors' parking lot of Guarda.
 

 
A lamb welcoming us in Guarda.
 

 
An old farm house on the very steep Main Street.
 

 
Goats on the terrace; goat bells neatly numbered on a bar.
 

 
There are such old fountains everywhere in the villages.
 

 
The Schellenursli House, center of a very popular children's book.
 

 
Another quaint oriel.
 

 
Looking down Main Street.
 

 
A beautiful façade in Guarda.
 

 
Public transportation even in the smallest villages.
 

 
Another fountain and a beautiful old house. Most of the
houses in the Engadine were built between 1623 and 1650.
 

 
One of the numerous bridges of the Rhetian Railways.
 

 
Parking lot of a sports event on the frozen lake.
 

 
Sled sulkies on the ice. The St. Moritz White Turf races
have been taking place annually since 1907.
 

 
The valley is much wider up here, and there are several
lakes, all of them. of course, frozen now.
 

 
Looking up the valley to the Maloja Pass, which goes
down to Italy.
 

 
A horse-drawn sleigh with retractable wheels, sure a
comfortable means of transportation for exploring the area.
  

 
The Palace Hotel, one of the most expensive Hotels on
this planet.
 

 
The church is small, but a historical monument
of national significance.
 

 
The arch that separates the chancel from the
nave, with murals from 1490.
 

 
The chancel with mural paintings on all walls.
 

Valatscha was again reached by the sun, which had not been the case over the holidays. Walking Laddie was a pleasure.
 

 
Valatscha in the winter sun.
 

 
A chat with Arthur Netzer's calves. They are allowed go
outdoors whenever they like, except at night.
 

 
Laddie and a calf licking each other.  
 

 
After Marietta had treated us to a nice lunch, we invited
her over for a raclette dinner.
 

 
Marietta doesn't seem to be quite familiar with the
technical equipment.
 

 
Road up to the Pass dal Fuorn in the Alpine National
Park. Looks a bit like Michigan, except the mountains.
 

 
The culmination point of the pass.
 

 
The restaurant on top of the pass, closed during winter.
 

 
A snow plow with salting equipment.
 

 
View from the pass down into Müstair Valley.
 

 
The St. Jon Convent in Müstair,

 
The altar in the church, built 759 A.D..
 

 
The pointed arches in the ceiling were added centuries later.
 

 
The chancel with its murals from the 1st millennium.
 

 
The organ gallery is newer too.
 

 
Marietta bidding me farwell at the front door.
 

Last weeks in the lowlands

There was still no snow in the Walenstadt, nor in any other areas below  about 5000 feet; not a single flake.
 

 
Snow on the peaks, bare grass everywhere else.
 

 
The practice is in the reddish building close to the center.
 

 
Zurich's medieval center seen from the university campus.
 

 
View from the garden of Rechberg Palace (around 1760)
up to the main building of the university.
 

 
The Urania Observatory in downtown Zurich. It may
seem to be a crazy idea to build an observatory in
the middle of a city, but in those times, there were no cars.
 

 
The statue of hans Waldmann (1435 - 1489), Mayor
of Zurich and military leader of the Swiss troops in
the Burgundian Wars against Charles the Bold.
 

 
The Grossmünster (Great Minster), inaugurated around 1220,
but some parts are 400 years older.
 

 
The Town Hall (1698), overhanging the Limmat River, and the
Rüden Guild Hall (1348)l.
 

 
The Fraumünster (Minster of Our Lady, 13th century, crypt
from 874), St. Peter (1706, with the largest church clock
face in the world), Wasserkirche (water church, around
1250), and Grossmünster.
 

 
The Bürkliplatz Esplanade on Lake Zurich. About three
miles of the lake shore are one big public park.
 

 
MS Etzel, an old tour boat, at the dock. In the background
the dome of the Opera House.
 

 
The Meisen Palace, formerly the Guild Hall of the wine
merchants, built 1757, now a porcelain and fayence museum.
 

 
Don't ask me what they are watching up there.
 

 
Sign of the Hotel Storchen, 1357, the oldest hotel in Europe.
 

 
The Lindenhof square on top of a steep hill right on the
river. There was a Roman fortress (called Turicum) here
already 2000 years ago, but the settlements found on
the lake shore date back to Stone Age.
 

 
View from the Lindenhof hill across the Limmat River to the
Predigerkirche (Preachers' Church, 1614, the monastery
dating back to 1230), the Federal Institute of Technology
(left) the University of Zurich.
 

 
Doro treated us to a lunch at the Waid, a restaurant on one
of the many hills that surround Zurich, with a panoramic
view over the entire city.
 

 
We were a bit exhausted after a lot of walking, but it's
great to visit a city were hundreds of interesting places
can be reached on foot.
 

 
Doro bought me some slacks, which needed to be
shortened a bit.
 

Eventually, a last visit to Brigitte and Richard was due. Off the beaten path, we drove through the hills of Appenzell down to the lowlands west of St. Gallen and from there into the Canton Thurgau, where Joerg took me to Hagenwil Castle, where we arrived briefly before sunset.
 

 
Hagenwil Castle and the steeple in the evening sun.
 

 
There were horses on a meadow right on the moat of the castle.
 

 
Needless to say I had to talk to them.
 

 
The drawbridge across the moat.
 

 
The castle is open to the public, and there
is a restaurant.
 

 
Laddie and Joerg entering the castle.
 

 
The bailey.
 

 
Sunday breakfast in Roggwil.
 

 
Richard and Brigitte waving good-bye.
 

 
Two houses on the Landsgemeinde-Platz.
 

 
Again a beautiful restaurant sign.  
 

 
Most of the houses in Appenzell are built of wood.
This one has six stories.
 

 
View from the Ruppen Pass across the Rhine Valley into
the mountains of Vorarlberg (Austria).
 

 
This hotel in Altstätten is not quite as old as the
Storchen Hotel in Zurich. It was built 1450. Guess
that's old enough.
 

 
Main Street in Altstätten.
 

 
All these houses are many hundred years old and still
being used. There are stores, restaurant, workshops,
and apartments.
 

 
A nice little square in Altstätten.
 

 
There's a lot to explore, like this cute yard
between two houses on Main Street.
 

 
Doesn't look like an Italian restaurant, but
that's what it is.  
 

 
Now this is a wrought-iron restaurant sign of the more
modern kind.
 

 
One of the gates of the town.
 

We spent the last days before my flight back visiting a few more places in the area around Walenstadt.

First we went to Weisstannen, a little village in a narrow valley high above the Rine Valley. That's were Joerg paternal grandfather was born.
 

 
Looking from Weisstannen into the Lavtina Valley.
 

 
The little church in Weisstannen.
 

 
A frozen waterfall. The Weisstannen Valley
is a top destination for ice climbers.
 

 
There is a whole row of such waterfalls along
the Seez River.
 

 
Vermol, a little village on the other side of the valley,
where Joerg and Richard spent four summer vacations
with their parents.
 

 
The foundation walls of the villa, protected by a modern roof.
The whole complex covers about half an acre.
 

 
Those folks already had an underfloor heating system.
Go figure.
 

 
The central square in Triesenberg.
 

 
Looking south into the Sargans / Heidiland area.
 

 
Northwest view across the Rhine Valley into the St. Gallen
Prealps.
 

 
The little church in Steg, a settlement higher up the
Liechtenstein mountains.
 

 
The Churfirsten range in Walenstadt Township, shot on
our way home.
 

 
Weesen harbor with the mountains of Walenstadt.
 

A fountain marks the entrance to the Linth River.

 
A street in the old town center of Weesen.
 

 
Don't ask me how they pruned these trees.
 

 
We drove up to Amden, a village high above the lake.
 

 
Looking down to the Lake and the Linth River.
 

 
A break in a little restaurant in Amden.
 

 
In some places, the road is built into almost vertical
rock faces.

 
Back down to the lake, looking up to the road to Amden.
 

 
Kids enjoying the evening sun on the lake shore.
 

 
A curious swan.

 
Sunset in Betlis near Weesen.
 

   
Tscherlach in Walenstadt Township.
 

 
In the vineyards.
 

 
An old wine press building.
 

 
A cat enjoying the view over Upper Walenstadt.
 

 
You wouldn't believe it's February!
 

 
Kari, Ulla and Joerg.
 

 
Carol, the horse woman, who kindly invited me over for
horse-back riding when I'm back.
 

  
Her horse stable s right at the foot of the vineyard
slopes, with many places to explore in the neighborhood.
 

 
Carol gave us a demo of the abilities of one of her
miniature ponies too.
 

 
Laddie, just like me, likes to talk to the animals.
 

 
View from Tscherlach over Walenstadt to the lake briefly
after sunset.
 

Departure and traveling home

Of course I could not fly back to the USA without saying good-bye to Aunt Dorothy.
 

 
Aunt Dorothy already has her white handkerchief
ready for waving good-bye. That's sort of a
tradition started on the very same doorsteps
by her mother, i.e. Joerg's Grandma Anna and
Great-Aunt Frieda in the 'fifties.
 

 
The bus terminal at Zurich Airport, where Laddie had to
do his last "business" before checking in.
 

 
The way down to the underground RR station, with about
six trains per hour, many of them directly to major cities.
 

 
Unlike the funny episode at Chicago O'Hare, Laddie had
absolutely no problem walking on the smooth floor tiles.
 

 
Laddie the globetrotter. Dispite his diarrhea, he did great
on the plane.
 

 
At Chicago O'Hare, everybody wanted to
take care of Laddie.

 
A poop stop at a service area. Laddie still had the runs,
which, by the way, needed a night at the vet's later on.
 

 
I guess he didn't know that he had just hopped across
an ocean. Isn't he a pretty boy?
 

 
Welcomed by my son Forrest in Traverse City.