SWITZERLAND

In 1793, German travel writer,Johann Ebel, composed the first comprehensive guide to Switzerland. He wrote, "It can reliably be said that there is no country, no part of our earth, which would be so curious and interesting in as many respects as Switzerland. Everything that is great, sublime, …everything that is romantic, gentle, charming, cheerful, … in the whole wide world of nature, seems to have been united here in a small space in order to make this country into the garden of Europe… Unquote

Oh! Switzerland...So small and yet rendered sublime by your mighty Alps and the wondrous nature that prevails all around...you are a joy to behold! ...that's from me

When I think of Switzerland now, I think of cable cars, chair lifts and the snow on the Alps that begins to melt in spring time and ends up in the rivers and  large lakes. I doubt that there are many pristine lakes around the world that can boast the impressive panoramas offered throughout Switzerland.

But that’s only the tip of the experience!!

Strolling through picturesque villages and old towns, riding the scenic Swiss rail, peering down from a Cable Car... our Interlude in Switzerland was overflowing with awe inspiring landscapes and fun-filled adventures. Just breathing the clear mountain air filled us with a sense of well-being.No jumping into an automobile to go somewhere…You walk,walk,walk and you are truly and happily exhausted

I put together a Map to give you a perspective of the terrain and the places we visited,all linked by the wonderfully efficient  Swiss rail system or SBB.

First,a piece of advise...a family or a group,can tour the country with relative ease given that the Swiss have a phenomenal network of  Rail Services to reach you to all corners efficiently.Also they are promoting tourism by pricing their Swiss Pass so attractively with a 2 for 1 arrangement thrown in,at times,that it works out easy on the pocket and you don't line up for tickets.A Swiss pass allows you unlimited travel on their rail,bus,tram,boat,funicular* along with free entry into many Museums in Switzerland.

For Veggies, there are plenty of Rosti*, Pasta, Pizza, Cheese Fondue* and Raclette*and mouth watering desserts to go along with; then there are chocolates,a bewildering variety of them that all melt in your mouth.English is widely understood by all city bred folks and most certainly by those in Service industry.But I came away feeling that I should have persisted with my Deutsche learning so that I could have replied "Ja..Ja" to " Ist Schweiz uber alles?"

Days 1- 2, Mumbai -Zurich- Lucerne

There were plenty of SWISS bound Indians on the flight and we landed at Zurich at dusk amidst a gray overcast sky with poor visibility which prevented any outside view from the Plane window. A dampener?!

We had our first taste of Swiss hospitality on the terminal shuttle when I saw a Swiss Miss peaking at our tired faces and welcoming us with a sweet smile. She was dressed  in a traditional costume and before we knew she was gone! Wow! That was a holographic effort!!

We checked in at a  Hotel near the airport. Next morning was cool and slightly overcast as we took the shuttle to Zurich Fluegenhof (A'pt) and from there  entered the railway station just across and got our Swiss pass validated for the duration of our trip.

We took the train to Winterhur and from there to Schauffhausen,bordering Germany. I gazed at the passing countryside with the passion of a newcomer. The first impressions of early summer shone with a peculiar intensity. At Schlaus Laufen we disembarked with the other tourists and descended the steps to see the misty Fall from a vantage point.

Laufen Castle tunneled

Having realised that we have to get to the opposite bank of the river which was crowded with tourists, we  got back to the station from where we saw the Laufen castle above the tunnel,and took the next train to Schauffhausen. We crossed a beautiful bridge over the Rhine and soon reached our destination.A bus to Neuheusen Zentrum,where we  followed the brown arrows to the Falls,in all its splendor,the largest in Europe!! Nothing compared to a Niagara or Victoria but a pretty sight all the same with the small Rhine coming under the bridge,falling over and rushing past the rocks and snaking away. Here are some pics.

 We walked back  through the town  looking at the Church and the Saturday vegetable and flower market and reached Neuheusen Station. We returned to Winterhur and changed there to reach Zurich HauptBahnhof station. Soon we were in Bahnofstrasse,the luxury shopping area of the city leading to the lake, thronging with week-end shoppers and tourists with the blue trams adding color to it. We found  a side-walk cafe to cool our heels and a talkative and sweet Turkish waitress to serve us Wine,Beer,Pasta and Salad

Dessert? went  into a Chocolatiere and chose some unbranded ones. Returned to our Hotel to pick up our luggage and take the train to Lucerne, an hour long journey to this beautiful city that was to host us on our holiday.

Our Apt Dwelling at Lucerne

Utoring Apts, a fully furnished service apartment, a 10 min walk from the station past the scenic Reuss river with its medieval allure. 
Buses and trams ply frequently from the station.

Day 3 - Lucerne Tour

Boarded the train along with numerous other tourists, mostly Indians for our Mt.Titlis excursion when  an official  voice from above said that Mt.Titlis was closed for the day because of heavy winds preventing approach. Itinerary underwent a change and we decided to spend the day around Lucerne.  Guided  by the local tourist office we got to the Boat station nearby  for a 2 hour round trip on the Lake.

Majestic peaks hunch over the coastline of the lake Vierwaldstattersee - which twists and turns as much as the tongue does while saying it..The view across the shimmering expanse of water,to the hillsides,meadows and valleys was breathtaking. Little wonder then that people were crowding the Prow to get closer shots of the scenery. Here are some more pics with Mt.Pilatus towering over the landscape.

                                             

Upon completion of the excursion  located the starting point for the old city tour by "City Train Luzern"

It was a 40 min ride with an impressive audio commentary (ear phones) in all major languages including HINDI 

Lucerne Rly station

 

It covered the major landmarks of the city including the upmarket shopping area,Veg and fruit market,the churches,pretty old wooden houses,the lion monument, Mirch masala restaurant,the Railway and bus station,the art museum,the city Wall and so on. The best part of it,the bridges and the water   tower across the river we decided to do it on our own later.

                                                                        

THE ICON OF LUCERNE

Kappelbruecke(Chapel Bridge) was built in 1333 but was  devastated by a fire in 1993. It's been carefully restored and is once again on display leading to the old-town center near the train station. A long and winding wooden bridge spanning the Reuss River in the center of Lucerne, It includes the landmark Watch Tower which is now closed.The bridge features a large number of paintings and beautiful flower displays. The tower and the bridge are Lucerne's trademark and form the most photographed monument in the country. We walked to it, walked across it, and photographed it.


 

Spreuer bridge is another old wooden bridge downstream from Chapel bridge.In medieval Lucerne it was the lowest bridge and the only one where people were allowed to throw wheat chaff (Spreu) into the river.

Lucerne is probably the most mountainous of Switzerland's main cities, and is certainly one of the most beautiful. With its old-town center and beautiful Renaissance architecture, museums, parks, and opportunities for boat and cogwheel train excursions it could keep you busy for days.

Day 4 -We travel to Interlaken and to Jungfrau (Swiss Alps)

We were up early for today's major train excursion.We took the 06:55 from Lucern which was crowded with the factory workers. We passed Lake Lucerne and Mt.Pilatus as the train gathered speed over the plains with Churches and pretty villages dotting the country side along with three small lakes and lost speed to altitude as we crossed a mountain Pass with great views.The very blue skies and the white wisp of clouds gathered around the distant hills made a fairy tale setting and I was clicking away furiously to capture these moments. 

     

We reached Meiringen station and saw the Reichenbach falls at a distance. The Fall features in the duel between Prof Moriarty and Sherlock Holmes in the "Final Problem". The train then pushed its way  all along the fringe of the beautiful and large Lake Brienz and reached Interlaken Ost which is located at the junction of lake Brienz and lake Thun. Interlaken is the starting point for all those towns and villages that are located at the foot of the Alps that are connected by the smaller RACK railways.A rack or cog rail system has a toothed rack rail, usually between the running rails.The trains are fitted with one or more cog wheels or pinions that mesh with this rack rail allowing the trains to operate on steep gradients.














The trip to Jungfrau was to be undertaken in 3 stages. We took the train featured above from Interlaken to Lauterbrunnen from where we switched to a second train of the same company to Kleine Scheidegg to reach an altitude of 2000 meters.

From KS we switched to Jungfrau Rail (below) to climb to 3454 meters over 7 Kms of tunnels in a total distance of 9Kms!

Swiss have been building tunnels for many years to improve the efficacy of their transportation.This National Geographic link  is a good read.... http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/03/alps-railway-tunnel/smith-text/1





















                                                               

The climb was slow and the distance of 9Kms took 40 minutes and we stopped at two view points on the way to view the mountain ranges from special viewing enclosures.We had by now got into very warm clothes including ear muffs and head gear to stave of the cold.We reached Jungfrau-Top of Europe station at 11:30.Our journey had taken 4Hrs and 35 min.

A high speed lift takes us to the Sphinx observatory where the vantage terrace offers spectacular views over the Aletsch glacier.On a clear day..Hmm..you can see France and Germany's Black Forest.

I have borrowed the picture above to give you an idea of the view under ideal conditions...when the Sun is out in its glory,smiling and the winds are behaving. But that was not to be for us when we stepped out on the observation deck following a massive crowd of Indian, Chinese and Japanese guests. The temperature was below freezing,the winds were fierce and kicking up powdered snow that was swirling around us, reducing visibility.Our movement on the black ice that had formed on the floor was Chaplinesque and we were certainly saved by  a good Samaritan

Faces say it all

    

We felt like mountain climbers lost in the Eiger unable to progress because of bad weather

We hurried inside and were happy to be among the crowd, all looking lost, and making a bee line to the Ice Palace and many to the Bollywood Restaurant. But before reaching the Ice Palace,we toured the newly opened,April 2012, Alpine Sensation- a 250 meter long subway experience showcasing the Then and Now of tourism in Jungfrau region,the pioneering spirit of Adolf Guyer-Zeller, extreme efforts made during the construction of Railway and tribute to the workers,all with light and music.

Entrance to Alpine Sensation

The  Ice Palace created in 1930's is another masterpiece.It is an enormous cavern cut in Ice and contains crystal like sculptures of Eagles,Penguins and such which has transformed the grotto into shimmering place  of art.

The warmth generated by thousands of visitors necessitates the cooling of the labyrinth to minus 3 degrees! Whew..it was cold!

After two thrilling and chilling hours at Jungfrau we returned to Kleine Scheidegg and the Eiger village of Grindelwald,embedded in a welcoming and green hollow,surrounded by a commanding mountain scape of the Eiger north face

View of Eiger from Grindelwald

We were hungry and looking for a lunch of Fondue or Raclette or some such.A Restaurateur told us that they were all closed in the afternoon between 2-5,not for Siesta,but for want of clients.

In this region,Grindelwald is a haven for hikers and is also the last stop for cars and vehicles.From here you hike or take the RACK!

Went back to Interlaken and took an immediate connection to Lucerne.

It was a day of huge train travel made light by the wonderful weather and great Scenery






Day 5 - A memorable day at Mt.Titlis,Engelberg

Engelberg being just an hour away from Lucerne made it possible for us to take a later start.Fingers crossed we entered the train and this time there was no announcement of Mt.Titlis closure.Soon we were in the beautiful village of Engelberg and were being conveyed to the starting point of Mt.Titlis excursion.

view from cable car

A regular cable car took us to an altitude of 1800 meters going over valleys and cow pastures to Trubsee.There we transferred to a larger gondola and ascended to Stand at 2500 meters.

Then came the ROTAIR  where the inner platform rotates to afford a 360 deg panorama of mountains and glaciers.We marveled  at the views of Alpine glaciers, ice boulders and their deep crevasses and felt we were being trawled heavenwards; amidst the din of  the Wow's all around I was lost in the magnificence of that experience. Sadly it came to an end in 10 minutes when we were deposited at the Titlis station at 3020 meters.

ROTAIR

Unlike Jungfrau we could get out into the vast expanse of fresh snow which was regularly being mowed by very large machines that were at work.We could see vast expanse of glaciers all around as well as mountain tops.

The Titlis is the highest glacier excursion destination and biggest ski and snowboard paradise in Central Switzerland. We took the chairlift and descended to the park to see what was on offer on this beautiful sunny day.

ice flyer chair lift

The  'Ice Flyer' chairlift unfolds the view of the glacier crevasses located at 3000 meters height. The big transparent protection shield in the chair keeps away wind, snow and rain.




The glacier park on the other side is a delight for those keen to glide down the slopes on skis or tubes or other snow-gliding equipment which is available free of charge.

We had great fun gliding down the glacier on tubes at a fairly good speed and being bumped and pushed down the gradient by the bank of snow until we came to a gradual stop some 10 meters below.Did we have to trudge up the snow with the tube? No.There was a conveyor to take us up to the starting point. After some good fun and excitement we exited the park and took the chairlift back to the Station and entered the glacier grotto.

At the heart of the Titlis glacier,surrounded by glistening ice walls there is an  impressive cave that took us through a150-meter-long tunnel, down to 20 meters below the glacier's surface.

After admiring the cave we came out to catch the Rotair and went down.We looked for a lunch of Cheese fondue and Raclette but were greeted by an Indian stall selling Vada pav, idli and masala tea!  He could not direct us to a Fondue place.So we had to make do with sandwiches and orange juice.

With some strength back in our system we started walking admiring the wonderful landscape.We were headed to Engelberg village on foot.  We walked along the river.Switzerland is so small that they sometimes refer to  their large lakes as Sea and small streams not even 6Ft across as rivers.

 At  the foothills.The river flows to the left of the picture leading to the village.It is not even as wide as the road.

We walked towards the Monastery complex

Church at Engelberg

 The Benedictine Monastery, built in 1120, forms the center of Engelberg. To date there are 30 monks living and working in the monastery

Adjacent is a church with an onion-domed spire, gardens and a building where cheese is produced and sold and the process is shown to visitors; spent a few minutes trying to learn about cheese making.Bought some cheese  and walked the cobble stoned streets as  we headed back to the Rly station.

 While having coffee at the cafe the  owner informed us that other than the Indians,the Chinese too have started visiting in the last 4-5 years and they are expecting traffic to hit 1 million /year soon.Population of Switzerland is about 10 million.



 Day 6 - Gruyeres and a wee bit of Montreux

Today we travel to the French side of the country to a small village called Gruyeres,pop 1500.

It is a long journey via Berne taking us to Palezieux very close to Lausanne on the bank of Lac Geneve. As we get out of the train here the driver of the narrow gauge invites us into his toy train for the journey to Gruyeres which takes about an hour through some quaint villages with cows and horses grazing and a highway running parallel to the tracks.Everything has changed to French from German,as in station names,highway signs,street names ...

                                               

                 

Source of Gruyeres Cheese

Gruyeres village

We took a walk up to the Chateau de Gruyeres set upon the hill  yonder. View of the village from the elevation was great and the Chateau is placed at one end of the market place with its museums,shops and eateries.Entering via the chalet, a picturesque cafe,we went up to the Chateau,constructed in 1270 and which served the Counts of Gruyere  until the Canton of Freibourg purchased the Baroque styled castle and founded the present museum.A must watch.

Next was the HR Giger museum. It was Giger who designed the horrific fantasy figures for the Hollywood film "Alien"and got an Oscar for it.The Oscar is proudly displayed in the museum.

  

 Ah! Ha! Ha! There are restaurants here serving FONDUE and RACLETTE....

Indeed the main French-Swiss contribution to the dinner table is pots of gooey melted cheese.So what is a Fondue? A pot of cheese that is heated to melt and kept on slow burn.Morsels of bread or potatoes on slender forks is dipped in it for munching.You enjoy it with white wine.Never drink water with it! You'll get an upset stomach.If you are stuffed try some high octane liquor to burn a hole in your tum.

Raclette is a slab of cheese that is kept on a contraption which has a heating element to melt the top side.As it melts it is scrapped off on to the diner's plate for consumption with boiled potatoes,pickled onions and gherkins.

We had a fondue mix (Gruyere,white wine and flour) with potatoes and cubes of bread,onions and gherkins to accompany.We were so full of cheese and wine that we had no appetite for the delicious meringues topped with double cream.

                                                

I had some difficulty  walking  down the hill to the cheese factory /shop near the station where we bought some cheese and chocolates before we hopped on the train to Montbovan and to Montreux, also called the Swiss Riviera!When I think of Montreux I think of  JAZZ!

Our train glided down the hilly slopes showing us great views of the lake and the city. From the station we hopped skipped and jumped to the side of Lake Geneva admiring the scenery and enjoying ice-creams in the fairly cool environment.The lake side was dotted with grand Hotels like the Metropole to cater to Glitterati and after a nice stroll we got back to the rail station to catch our return train to Lausanne / Lucerne




Day7 - Zermatt,Gornergrat and mighty Matterhorn ...a wee bit of Bern

An hour's journey,on a cold wet morning,brought us to Bern where we rushed to catch the train to Visp.The station crowd was milling and in the process got into a wrong train.Amends were made quickly and the right train took us through  beautiful countryside.We reached Visp and switched to a train to Zermatt and  the weather also switched!

The village of Zermatt lies at the southern extremity of the country and is surrounded by the high peaks of the Alps including the towering Matterhorn at 4478 meters.The imposing mountain greeted us as we looked up getting out of the station.River Visp flows through the city.

We boarded the Rack rail to Gornergrat and the double cog wheel train went up slowly. Starting at 1000meters elevation we climbed to 3000meters.All through we could see Matterhorn's pyramidal faces peeping at us.

Mighty Matterhorn

At Gornergrat where the train stopped we were surrounded by many other peaks but MH was a peak apart! Spectacular!!No wonder there is so much history surrounding this peak and attempts made to scale it.

We stepped up the snowy path to the observation point for more pictures.

Lighting a candle at the Chapel

view of Gornergrat station and MH

After our amazing  tryst with MH we returned to Zermatt, a car free zone, for another feast of fondue with herbs this time.This was even better than yesterday's.The Portuguese immigrant running the show was happy to meet us from India and took good care.We told her about Goa and invited her over. She also made a good green salad and for dessert we had Apricot Sorbet.

Walked towards old city following the main street crammed with shops and eateries at the ground level of tumble down wooden houses. Went into a chocolate shop for local ones as well as Lindt bars.Around the back was an English church;we lit a candle and read epitaphs connected with mountaineering tragedies which was sobering.

On our return we got down at Bern station and walked out braving the crowds.It was almost like getting out of CST or Churchgate in Mumbai.. weWe walked along the long,curving and cobbled street lined with tall,15th century terraced buildings and arcades.The flag bedecked street is an attraction in its own right, and we saw famous clock tower or Zytglogge, which inspired Einstein when he was a clerk at the Patent office.This road is 6Km long and again,car free.Only pedestrians and tram cars are allowed.

Flags bedecked main street

Zytglogge

      One of the many decorative fountains

Day 8 - We go to Lugano bordering Italy 

 It was a long trip of 3 Hrs, S-E of Lucerne to this border town..Upon reaching the Stazione we climbed down the steps to reach the city square instead of taking the funicular.


One of the unique means of travel in Switzerland is via a funicular, also known as an inclined plane or cliff railway.

The basic principle of funicular operation is that two cars are permanently attached to each other by a cable, which runs through a pulley at the top of the incline. Counterbalancing of the two cars, with one ascending and one descending, minimizes the energy needed to lift the ascending car. Winching is normally done by an electric drive which turns the pulley.

 

Right below the station is Cattedrale di san Lorenzo containing some fine frescoes and ornately decorated statues.From there we could see the lake and the mountains.We walked down the narrow porticoed lanes woven around the Piazza del Reforma (market Square) packed with shops selling flowers and cheese,coffee and cakes and took a break at the fountain .

Say Cheeeeese

As you can see it was a great day for sightseeing. we  visited  the Romanesque Church Maria Angioli at a walking distance through the main shopping area.

It bears one of the masterpieces of the Renaissance painter Bernardo Luini : the great fresco of the Passion and Crucifixion of Christ.

We crossed over to the bank of the lake and as we were walking we saw this Trenino taking tourists on a round of the city and we hopped in for a 40 minute ride. The driver was pointing and explaining in Italiano.That was a good Time Pass.

For Lunch we  had Pizza and wine at this cafe on the busy market square and being a Friday afternoon,the holiday mood had already set in.Thank God they did not shut shop calling it "Siesta" time.

Lake Lugano

on the boat in lake Lugano

Went for an hour's cruise on the lake looking at close proximity the various hills that surround and  which had served the smuggling trade earlier. Now tourists go to the hills for they are  alive with the sound of music from the revelry that goes on in the Casinos,Restaurants,Hotels and Spas here.

We walked back slowly but were weary of climbing back to the station.But the good old Funicular came to our rescue and we were conveyed back to the stazione in no time.

At the station the schedule in yellow,a very helpful fixture,indicated that we had an hour's wait.A long  distance Train from Milan came to our rescue and we got in and somehow found 2 seats in the jam packed train and managed to reach Lucerne by 7Pm.We reached the Apt and started on our packing

  Day 9- We are on our way back to Zurich.

Got up early and after completion of packing left for a quick look at the weeping Lion monument at Lowen Platz, Lucerne. Dedicated to the Swiss soldiers who died in 1792 during the French revolution.Mark Twain was quite moved by this piece of  carved rock.We saw all the familiar sights that we had become accustomed  to in this charming town  and returned to the Apt briefly to pick up our bags and bid Adieu to the Supervisor and staff.Auf Weidersehn

weeping Lion

Lovely Lucerne

After freshening up in our hotel in Zurich for the last night in Switzerland, we walked to the tram stop. A half hour ride brought us to  Zurich Haupt Bahnof

Our stomach growled,so we stopped at a side-walk Cafe for Pizza and coke and set out on a long walk along Bahnofstrasse lined with eateries,chocoletiers and expensive shops.It was a thrill to learn that we were walking over the famous bank vaults of Zurich.

Reached St.Peter's Church with its clock tower (8.7meters)where  a wedding ceremony was about to get under way while we sneaked in and out; next came the 13th century Fraumunster church with its famous Marc Chagall stained -glass windows and then the twin towered Grossmunster cathedral, across the river Limmat, founded in the 9th century by Charlemagne.

St.Peter's

                

Grossmunster

We were at the Zurich lake, which had as much crowd as at Juhu or Marina beach. Plenty of tourists and locals unwinding at the lake side on their warm summer day.We went for a cruise and then a long walk ensued along the perimeter eating ice-creams.We took a tram to the Hotel but not before a cup of coffee at the side-walk and some more chokolade.

After a hearty breakfast at IBIS the next morning,we left  for the airport and to Mumbai.

An afterword

Switzerland is ever grateful to the Indian film industry for promoting their landscapes in the movies for many decades and thereby drawing tourist traffic by the millions to it.

In 2010,Yash Chopra was honored with the title of “Ambassador of Interlaken” by the Swiss town.

The Mayor of Interlaken said “He has single handedly influenced tourism to Interlaken as well as all of Switzerland, worldwide, through his films and has promoted the relationship between Switzerland and India in the most extraordinary way.”

Something to feel proud about...