Santa Suit Season

You know it's Christmas season when you see freshly laundered Santa suits being wheeled around. These beauties were being delivered to a costume shop in London.

The Best Charity Shops

I've been rather disappointed with the thrift stores, or charity shops as they are called in the UK, in Oxford. Most have a limited amount of clothing and the rest of the goods are more trinketish. I'd given up hope of good deals and fun finds while in England...until I went to Bristol

Bristol has a funky vibe not found in Oxford. The closest comparison is Cowley Rd., but even its bohemian nature can't compete with the eclectic mix of shops on Broadmead and Park Street. This could be due to Oxford's large population of affluent students who don't seem to be interested in second-hand.

But Bristol was a treasure trove of charity shops and bargain boutiques. I found the purse pictured above in a British Heart Association shop for 1 pound! Make sure to check out Blaze, a ceramics co-op that has reasonably priced, hand crafted ceramic pins, tiles, cups, etc. and Shop (on Christmas Steps), a little boutique with vintage clothing, accessories and music.

Schmap Guide: Bath

A Schmap is a travel guide, including interactive maps, photos, and reviews. Places of interest are marked on an easy to read map of the city. You can click or browse through the recommended places and read historical information, practical information, and reviews from the Schmap makers and other travellers.

Schmap's online services are easy to navigate. Go to their website and pick from thousands of destinations.

Recently, a photo from my Flikr account (the one above) was chosen to be included in the Bath Scmap guide. The photo was taken in the Assembly Rooms. Check out the Schmapplet on my sidebar to see the picture and others from this location.

Switzerland Interary: Day Six

Bundle up - it's a cold morning walk to the train station.

Grab a pastry from one of the early - opening bakeries on Bahnofstrasse.

• I got what looked like an icingless cinnamon roll. Turned out to be a orange - hazelnut roll with a thin layer of orange glaze. Quite tasty.

Take the train to Geneva. Another beautiful ride. Takes about three hours.

If you have time, spend a few days in Geneva. Ang said it was better than Paris. I unfortunately did not have time, so I headed all the way into Geneva airport.

• Make your way up the stairs and out of the arrivals terminal where the train station is. I flew easyJet. The Geneva airport is small and mellow, so enjoy the leisurely wait until your plane takes off.

Bid adieu to Switzerland out the plane window and settle in for a short flight back to the UK.

Switzerland Intinerary: Day Five

Matterhorn Hostel will provide breakfast for 7 CHF. You could probably get cheaper elsewhere but you'd have to brave the early morning cold and it wouldn't be all you can eat. Two nicely arranged place settings were waiting for us in the cabin like restaurant attached to the hostel. A plate of foil wrapped cream cheese wedges, honey, jams, and butter were laid out. When we arrived, our host set about cutting slices of bakery bread. Made us unlimited cafe au laits.

Head up to the Gornergrat. Don't expect to stay long. It's worth it, but be prepared to hop out, take a few pics, and hop back in the train. It is COLD up there!

Buy a sandwich at Biner Bakery (Bahnhofstrasse 23) for take-away. I highly recommend the foccacia - tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil pesto on tomato and olive foccacia.

Eat your sandwich on a bench before going on a hike. Keep going straight on Bahnhofstrasse. It will take you on the right of the river. Stay to the right and you'll see a little trail leading up the mountain. Take that to Blatten, an abandoned cow-town, and then circle back to Zermatt.

Rent ice-skates and use the outdoor rink. Make sure it's open before you do though. We tried and they were setting up for curling...

Go to the Zermatt Coop for a large selection of Swiss chocolate at cheaper prices than at specialty shops. (Make sure you get a Toblerone - they are so tasty and taste better than the ones sold in other countries). Also take home a packet of Rosti that you can make at home.

Grampi's Pub for dinner (bar on first floor, Italian restaurant on the second). Pizza was good and very large, but with the thin crust, I managed to eat most of mine without help.

Limericks by Katherine

Ever reading was Miss Emily

Of dear Anne, Emma, and Lizzy B.

Austen books she'd devour -

Feel their rapturous power -

And she'd long for a man like Darcy.

My ever so skilled housemate, Katherine, makes up limericks to help herself fall asleep. One very sleepless night she came up with one about Rachel. It was received with so much enthusiasm from all of us, she decided to write one for each Brie and I. This afternoon, I found a green 3 x 5 card stuck amidst the soup in my cupboard, decorated with cut out lace and flowers. On it was this limerick.

Switzerland Itinerary: Day Four

Get up and do some shopping!

• Schuh Chocolateria for amazing truffles. I got four: Caramel, Baileys, Vanille, and Dark Chocolate. Only 4.60 CHF.
• Merkur Confiserien for even more chocolate. This place is a chocolate warehouse. I bought 28 CHF worth of chocolate here. They have bars, cookies, and truffles of every sort. Check out the back of the store for good sales.
• Heidi's Souvenir-Shop: I found my Switzerland charm (I collect charms for a charm bracelet from every country I go to) here. A good selection of Swiss souvenirs at a very reasonable price.

Train from Interlaken to Zermatt. Change at Spiez. If you have enough time, walk outside the station to see beautiful changing colors in Autumn.

Zermatt is a resort town. No cars allowed so hotels and construction companies use these little carts as "taxis."

Stay at Matterhorn Hostel, about 5 minute walk from the train station. Free Internet, cheap breakfast, and really friendly staff. It gets really cold at night so be prepared with flannel p.j.s or borrow any extra blankets from unoccupied beds. I used three.

Dinner at Hotel Derby Restaurant. Dining room has a mountain elegance and staff is pleasantly attentive. Soup is excellent and well priced. Comes with bread. Ang and I split the "Croûte au fromage Valaisanne" or Cheese on toast Valaisanne style. Excellent!

Zermatt seems to shut down pretty early and our legs were feeling yesterdays adventure so we took advantage of our private (only occupants in a 8 person room) accommodations.