Gruezi (Gru-et-sie) – greetings from Switzerland. In this concluding review on my personal experiences in Switzerland, I will try to capture the Swiss essence, to the best of my abilities and memory. Information pertaining to accommodation, tour packages etc can be obtained from other sources on the Net.
The Land
Switzerland is a land locked country. North to South can be covered in about four hours by train and it takes about six hours from East to West. In the northern part is Zurich – the biggest city in terms of populations and trade. Zurich is built around the Zurich lake (Zurich See) and boasts of the most expensive street in Europe – the Bahnofstrasse. This street is lined with the best of the designer shops and starts from the Zurich HB (train station) and winds towards the Lake. On the way are the HQ of all those world famous banks – UBS, SBC, SKA with huge imposing buildings and their numbered accounts. Towards the East is St.Moritz – the playground for the rich and famous for ski vacations. Towards the South is Lugano – which gives a flavor of Italian life style and towards the East is Geneva – the pearl. Even though Bern is the capital and has imposing government buildings – the only thing it is famous for are the three bears who are in a pit – I was disappointed during my visit to Bern.
The Mountains
The Alps are at their best here. The highest peak is Jungfraujoch – literally means the Virgin – the top is easily accessible by rail – a visit to the peak is very expensive and I was surprised to see signs in Japanese – guess either they own it or are frequent visitors. There is an ice palace on the top – very unique - the walls are made of ice. The next best peak to visit is Mt.Pilatus. You go by train to Interlaken (Lucerne station), take the cable car to the top (one can spend the entire day on the top), then come down from the other side of the mountain by cog rail which is the steepest in the world – the tracks are at an elevation of 45 degrees – meaning if you are sitting in the front row, the last row seat will be about 100 feet above you. Then you take a boat ride on Lake Lucerne back to the train station. What is unique about this trip is the various modes of transport – train, bus, cable car, cog rail and boat. Let me mention one more peak – Mt. Matterhorn which is unique for its curved shaped peak. This is close to Zermatt and is worth a visit. I must have spent all of 10 seconds on the peak overlooking the Matterhorn – it was cold and windy, before I rushed inside for a bottle of schnapps colloquially referred to as “feuer wasser” or “fire water”.
The People
The Swiss are a very friendly people. Four languages are spoken here – German in the North, French in the East, Italian in the South and Romanish (remember Asterix and the Gauls) in the West. They are very proud of their punctuality. Everything works with clock work precision.
Many of the houses come with a wine cellar and if they consider you close enough they will give you a tour of their cellar. I visited one such cellar of a friend who was a Swissair pilot. He had about 3000 bottles of wine and they were neatly categorized by year and region / country. Some of the wines were dating back to the forties.
Say cheese?
Ever wondered how Swiss cheese is made? During summer, all the cows are sent into the alpine mountains to feed on the grass and they all gain weight. When you visit any mountain, you will invariably notice small plastic pipelines running from the top to the bottom. While the cows are grazing – they are milked and the milk is then sent down via these pipelines and made into cheese. This supply of excess milk continues for about 3-4 months while the cows are grazing on the mountain tops. With the arrival of autumn they are brought down to the valley. The going up and coming down are big festivals in the farming community and are marked with music and festivities.
During winter months, the cows are all indoors and housed in barns which are tiered – this is the first time I had seen several tiers and it was funny to see cows being placed one over the other. Also the tails of the cows are tied down during the milking process – I was amused by this sight having witnessed cows in India, busy swishing their tails to keep the flies away.
Swiss delicacies
There are two main dishes:
# Fondue: I am sure some of you must have tried this. There is a central pot where the cheese is melted. Every one around the table is given a tong like fork – the objective is to take a piece of bread, dip it in the molten cheese and eat it. One is not supposed to loose their piece of bread in the pot else there is a penalty.
# Raclette: This is pure processed cheese – different kinds and varying thickness. This is to be eaten along with roasted potatoes. Wine drinking is mandatory as it helps in the digestion of the cheese. Even the strictest of teetotaler will be begging for wine while partaking this delicacy.
The Swiss chocolates are famous the world over with brands like Toblerone. Lindt, Milka etc.
Outdoor Life
Switzerland is a delight to anyone with a penchant for outdoor activities. Cycling is a common activity and there are special cycle lanes and cycle maps are available for the adventurous to chart their own route. Bicycles are available at any train station and can be returned at any other train station – this makes it easier for the faint hearted like me – cycle as far as you can go one way and then take the return trip by train. Also the mountains have several marked walking paths called as “Wanderwegs” – each marked with the distances and time. Several local hills within the town / city have what is called as “VitaParcours” – walk in the open and do some exercises along the way – all the exercises come with easy to follow instructions. Even a couch potato will be a fitness fanatic after spending some time outdoors.
In conclusion – all I can say is, Switzerland - Auf Wiedersehen – wish to see you again.