Routes

After a necessary stop on the French side of Switzerland to dine on patisserie in Montreux at Confiserie Zurcher, visit that glorious castle on the waters of Lake Geneva, Chateau de Chillon, and peer out at the awe-inspiring Mont Blanc from the balcony of my hotel, Eurotel Montreux, we took one of the classic Switzerland train rides on the Golden Pass. Throughout our entire trip, the Swiss Rail system was a breeze to use. All trains were on time (of course, this is the home of Rolex), comfortable, and easy to use thanks to an 8-day Swiss Travel Pass that allows you to jump on and off the rail system at your leisure. Complimentary admission to museums and sights like the Chillon Castle was an added perk for getting the pass. Along with the Chocolate Train and the Glacier Express, the Golden Pass is one of the signature train rides in Switzerland. We boarded the classic train in Montreux in the morning and soon were riding far above the shores of Lake Geneva, making stops in small mountain villages as hikers and bikers wandered off into the hillside. We stopped in the glamorous skiing resort town of Gstaad, before switching trains in Zweisimmen and taking the far more modern train to Bern. Trying one of these historic trains is a must when visiting the country. 

Guest Post and Photo by Amy Perry Basseches

With expert local advice, we set our GPS for Vista House in Corbett for long vista views along the river. Then we followed the Old Historic Columbia River Hwy to Latourell Falls, Multnomah Falls, and, eventually, to Cascade Locks for brunch. We met friends at the very local Bridgeside Restaurant and had a yummy salmon chowder. The Bridge of the Gods is right there, but we didn’t go over it. We also missed the Bonneville Dam with apparently very interesting salmon and sturgeon viewing. Instead, off to Hood River we went, then up to Mt. Hood and the historic Timberline Lodge for drinks and handcrafted ales while watching the skiers, in mid-May. Life is rough! Rising 11,239 feet (3,426 meters), Mt. Hood is the highest peak in Oregon, and the second most climbed mountain in the world. At the time of the Lewis and Clark expedition, the mountain was an active volcano and is now considered “sleeping.” I had been to Portland before, but to truly appreciate Oregon, you have to leave the city limits. 

One doesn’t drive in New England simply to get from Point A to Point B at the fastest possible time. No, we like to linger, savor the beauty, cherish the history. We’re fortunate to be blessed with a diverse landscape full of majestic sights like the jagged shoreline of Maine, the granite notches of New Hampshire, the verdant farmland of Vermont, and the long stretch of white beach found in Rhode Island. We stop not only to post photos to our Instagram and Facebook accounts, but to dine on lobster rolls and fried clams at renowned seafood shacks, hike on the same shoreline and forest paths that inspired Winslow Homer and Robert Frost, and stop to stay at legendary inns or a new cabin built into the vast Maine wilderness. 

Less than a 2-hour drive from New York City is Sullivan County, the western region of the Catskills. Once the heart of the Borscht Belt, where resorts like Grossinger’s and Kutsher’s thrived in the 50s and the 60s, only to be abandoned in the 80s and 90s not long after the mega-hit movie, Dirty Dancing, hit the screens. Derelict buildings on properties the size of college campuses dotted Sullivan County and the region felt like the Pompeii of the Catskills. Today, the county is experiencing a comeback, with stylish new inns and resorts, as well as farm fresh restaurants popping up left and right. This resurgence, coupled with outdoor adventures and genuine affordability means there’s no better time to experience what’s in Manhattan’s backyard (without having to get on an overcrowded train to the Hamptons). 

Already recognized as one of the premier train systems in the world, the Swiss Rail System can easily make its claim as the finest once the Gotthard Base Tunnel opens on June 1st. It has taken 20 years at a cost of $10.3 billion and the lives of 8 men to create the world’s longest tunnel, a mind-boggling 35 miles long. 8,000 feet below the surface of the Alps, more than 2,000 workers excavated some 2 million truckloads of earth. The result is a tunnel where trains will travel over 150 miles per hour, shaving an hour off the current Milan to Zurich run, down to 2 hours and 50 minutes. It’s an incredible feat, especially when you consider the tracks are completely flat under the mountainous Alps. That’s what I call Swiss ingenuity. 

2016 marks the completion of the massive Panama Canal expansion project that will usher in a new chapter for Panama and cap off the celebration of the Panama Canal’s 100th birthday. Lindblad Expeditions is taking advantage of this historical moment to offer several deals aboard their 62-passenger National Geographic Sea Lion. Guests will explore the Panamanian and Costa Rican coastline, traverse the Canal, snorkel and kayak off deserted islands, and venture up rain forest-canopied rivers, while being led by some of the finest naturalists in the travel business. Book one of their Panamanian cruises by November 30, 2015, and you can choose from free round-trip airfare from Miami OR the Panama City extension on select January and February 2016 dates. On this 2-day Panama City extension, you’ll visit the construction site at the Canal Expansion Observation Center, and see the new highly touted Frank Gehry-designed Biodiversity Museum. 

October is the ideal time to visit Portugal. The weather is still warm, summer tourists are long gone, and the wines are being harvested. If you truly want to experience the authentic Portuguese culture—tour little known wineries and dine at mom-and-pop seafood restaurants that only a local would know—and get there via stunning scenic mountain passes and backcountry coastal routes, then you’d be wise to book a trip with Portugal Motorcycle Tours. Owner Miguel Oliveira personally guides all his tours and limits the number of riders to 10. Choose between a Harley-Davidson Touring, BMW 1200GS, and Honda NC750 and then pick a trip that suits your schedule. The 5-day Douro Tour will bring you to the lush green hills of Portugal’s most famous wine region, Douro Valley. Or opt for the weeklong cruise to the southwestern most point of Europe, the seafaring town of Sagres on the Algarve. For a quick taste, take the 3-day jaunt from Lisbon north to the small surfing and fishing community of A doe Cunhados. All it takes is one trip with Miguel and you’ll want more. 

Now that Pedro Martinez is enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame, it might be time to take a side-trip to Cooperstown when I drop my son off at Cornell in the fall. I also want to make a stop at the Farmers’ Museum to view the Cardiff Giant. In 1869, con man George Hull paid someone out West to carve a ten feet long, 3000 pound statue out of gypsum. The Giant was then shipped back East and buried underground in Hull’s backyard. Hull hired a group of workers to build a well in the precise spot the Giant was buried, and, lo and behold, they found the world’s first petrified prehistoric man. Hull made a fortune as the Cardiff Giant traveled around the country tantalizing viewers into paying a hefty ten cents to see this incredible find. Evidently, P.T. Barnum desperately wanted the Cardiff Giant and when Hull refused, Barnum built his own replica and ended up making more money than Hull. Lastly, no one can visit Cooperstown without stopping at Brewery Ommegang for a taste of their heavenly Hop House, a Belgian-style pale ale.