Unforgettable Switzerland

Switzerland is beautiful, enchanting; it’s all the clichés come to life – yes, the journeys are as fascinating as the destinations. The travel system indeed works like clockwork. And yes, most of the country is postcard perfect.

The cities and towns range from quaintly charming to cosmopolitan, but the real gem is the swiss countryside. Like moving from one calendar page to another. When my train meandered through valleys and around hills, the only dilemma was whether to look left or right.



The lovely contradiction is that the landscape calms your spirit as much as it stirs your senses. Breathe in the mountain air aden with scents of grass and pine, or to enjoy the silence broken by the sound of the cowbells. And the sights! Rolling meadows in a green so rich, topped by snow capped mountains; sparkling blue lakes, brown chalets and huts dotted along the landscape.



Town & Country

Our first stop was Geneva, which frames Lake Leman (or Lake Geneva) on 3 sides. Busy and bustling, it is your classic European city of period buildings and very modern amenities. Apart from housing the likes of the Red Cross and the United Nations, it's also the watch capital of the world. But not just any old variety. We admired the Cartiers, and the Patek Phillipes, but the closest we came to owning a Tag Hauer was in a photograph. Geneva’s other highlights are its Banks. Again, only the supremely wealthy need apply. The city’s vaults hold a big chunk of the one trillion dollars of legit and not so legit money of businessmen & politicians from around the world. The other chunk is held in Zurich.



Towns like Lausanne and Montreux – also on Lake Geneva – are charming and touristy, especially the latter. Splendid water fronts, with views of misty mountaintops, rolling vineyards and pretty homes perched on hills. North of Lausanne lies the cheese and chocolate region – more cow country there. Montreux is called the Swiss Riviera, thanks to its balmy climate. Luzerne, at the base of the Alps, has incredible old world charm right down to the medieval buildings and cobbled stone streets. Its mountain views and lakefront are only a bonus.



A couple hours by train took us to Interlaken – which as the (German) name suggests, lies between 2 alpine lakes. In the heart of the Alps, it is also the base town to visit the famous Jungfrau Mountain, with the highest train station in Europe. The views enroute through Grindelwald and the Lauterbrunnen valley were mindblowing. And when you get to 12000 feet perched above everything else, it's truly a top-of-the-world feeling. Imagine a white, white world, broken by occasional views of rocks if the snow blows away momentrily. Blowing at 100 kms per hour, the wind on the Jungfrau is merciless, and such is the dazzle of the snow that you’re fairly blinded without sunglasses.



Small but Wonderful

The Swiss people are friendly, polite and very pragmatic. Though one of the highest per capita nations, people live simply and folks are big on tidiness and order. They speak four different languages, which might not seem much, but considering that the country is smaller than Indiana, it’s probably 3 languages too many.

The travel system is a miracle. Roads run into far reaches – like high mountains and remote valleys. The train/ bus system is great, with frequent service and well-timed connections to hundreds of stations. We also took 2 trips on Scenic Trains. While there is no bad scenery in Switzerland, these rides are assuredly the highlight. Our reactions ranged from stunned silence to the endless ‘oh wows'. Sure the mountains are gorgeous elsewhere too. But like the Swiss cheese, there is an extra dash of flavor to be had here; from the subtle to the sublime and a few shades in between.



I think for the first time I truly understood the line – so beautiful it breaks your heart.