Depending on where you are in Switzerland, you’ll hear one of the two phrases, and of course it means, Hello from Switzerland!  After a smooth eight hour flight on Swiss Air, we  descended on the beautiful greenery, farmland, and mountains of Switzerland, and landed at  Zurich Airport. We  hopped on Rail Europe which has a stop on the lower level of the airport, and took it to Fribourg, where we caught a quick bus to Romantik Hotel Au Savage.

Instead of rushing right out of the airport like I usually do, I stayed for about an hour and strolled around what is the second largest mall in Switzerland.   They have an assortment of stores such as Migros, Switzerland’s well known superstore chain, clothing and shoe shops, banks,  bakeries, and even dry cleaning.

We hopped on the 9:13am train to Fribourg and the hour and a half ride was relaxing with beautiful Swiss scenery.  The final leg of our trip was a five minute bus ride to Romantik Hotel Au Savage.   The hotel is part of the Typically Swiss Hotels,  where you get that extra touch of personalized service.  With only a few rooms on each floor, this hotel is quaint while the rooms are  spacious and comfortable.   We had a four course dinner at their Restaurant du Sauvage, which was both delicious and creative.

During the afternoon, we took a city tour of Fribourg.  The city surrounds itself with beautiful medieval architecture, fountains, churches, museums and gorgeous landscaping.  You can walk through the cobblestone streets into various boutiques or explore its historical side.   Fribourgh has a bridge over the River Sarine that links the French-Speaking and German-speaking part of Switzerland.   While there, we went into a museum dedicated to the works of James Tinguely, who along with his wife Niki de St Phalle made a distinguishing mark on Fribourgh’s cultural and artistic life.  Jean Tinguely was a master of moving art.  His sculptures appeal to several senses at the same time: sight, hearing, touch and sometimes even smell.

I was then introduced to something truly incredible… The Fribourg Funicular!  It is the only means of transport in all of Europe that operates entirely off of its own city’s waste water.  Built in 1899, it a fitting literal link between the modern city center and the historic old town.  Before each individual journey on the funicular, 3,000 liters of the town’s waste water are pumped into the system.  Even in the 19th century, the Swiss were thinking Green!  The ride, complete with cranking and creaking, is a must see for any visitor to the city.

I look forward to checking out some of the boutiques, and the vegetable and flower market on Saturday morning.  This market has been there for quite a few centuries and is held regularly every Wednesday and Saturday.  For now, I’m off to bed, as we only slept one hour last night on the plane and I’ve already walked into a glass door…no joke.  When I don’t sleep, and am fighting  jet lag, I’m dangerous!  Tomorrow we’re spending some time at a chocolate factory, so I’m sure everything will be just fine!