An European experience wouldn’t have been complete without Switzerland, and expensive though the guided tour was, Switzerland is definitely worth a look. We goofed up in planning for the trip, for the tour was to begin and end in Switzerland but on two separate days we were to transit through Italy, which required that we obtain a double entry visa to Italy and a triple entry for Switzerland. But it was too late when we realised that we had only a single entry Swiss visa. So we had to miss out on two days of Italy in spite of having entry visas.
The scenic beauty of Switzerland cannot be described in words. The snowcapped mountains, the lakes, rivers - everything is simply superb. Weather is unpredicatable. We were told that the only way of predicting the weather was by looking at the cows. If they were standing and grazing, it was going to be a clear day. So most of the time we were goading the cows to stand up and be more active! Part of the Swiss ambience is the cow - bells! Whenever we passed the pastures, we could hear the pleasant sound of the tinkering bells.
We travelled extensively in Switzerland and saw places such as Appenzel, Vaduz and the Rhine valley which is famous for its ski-resorts. As a result of our visa goof-up we had to take a detour by bus and train through the countryside. We passed through villages and small towns. It was amazing the way the driver of the bus knew most of the residents on the way. He kept greeting them by names. We joined rest of the tour at Lugano. We had a ride in funicular (railway) up the mountain and had a nice view of the city by the night.
We also travelled by the Glacier Express - which is the slowest express train in the world - from Lugano to Visp which was a nice and quiet city! The city starts from right next to the tracks and so there is no exit in the station. We just crossed the tracks and were in the hotel. It is the starting point for the hikes going up the Alps.
On the way to Berne, the Swiss Capital we visited a cheese factory in Gruyeres. Berne is a city with narrow roads and is filled with people. After seeing the Parliament house and other interesting things, we proceeded to Lucerne. Lucerne has the only war memorial of neutral Switzerland - the dying lion. Nearby was the glacier garden and hall of mirrors. From there went to Peak Titlis - partly by cable car and then by rotair. Rotair is a revolving gandola or cable car - one of its kind in the world. There is an ice grott -long tunnel made of ice. The peak was covered with snow, with plastic sledges put up on the glacier slopes for sliding down.
Next we came to Zurich and roamed around. We saw the famous Swiss banks; Parade Platz, the city centre and St. Peterhof which boasts of the largest clock face of Europe. Zurich is divided by a river, Limmat, and there are two churches, Fraumunster and Grossmunster on either bank of the river overlooking each other.
Then it was time to return to London.
The scenic beauty of Switzerland cannot be described in words. The snowcapped mountains, the lakes, rivers - everything is simply superb. Weather is unpredicatable. We were told that the only way of predicting the weather was by looking at the cows. If they were standing and grazing, it was going to be a clear day. So most of the time we were goading the cows to stand up and be more active! Part of the Swiss ambience is the cow - bells! Whenever we passed the pastures, we could hear the pleasant sound of the tinkering bells.
We travelled extensively in Switzerland and saw places such as Appenzel, Vaduz and the Rhine valley which is famous for its ski-resorts. As a result of our visa goof-up we had to take a detour by bus and train through the countryside. We passed through villages and small towns. It was amazing the way the driver of the bus knew most of the residents on the way. He kept greeting them by names. We joined rest of the tour at Lugano. We had a ride in funicular (railway) up the mountain and had a nice view of the city by the night.
We also travelled by the Glacier Express - which is the slowest express train in the world - from Lugano to Visp which was a nice and quiet city! The city starts from right next to the tracks and so there is no exit in the station. We just crossed the tracks and were in the hotel. It is the starting point for the hikes going up the Alps.
On the way to Berne, the Swiss Capital we visited a cheese factory in Gruyeres. Berne is a city with narrow roads and is filled with people. After seeing the Parliament house and other interesting things, we proceeded to Lucerne. Lucerne has the only war memorial of neutral Switzerland - the dying lion. Nearby was the glacier garden and hall of mirrors. From there went to Peak Titlis - partly by cable car and then by rotair. Rotair is a revolving gandola or cable car - one of its kind in the world. There is an ice grott -long tunnel made of ice. The peak was covered with snow, with plastic sledges put up on the glacier slopes for sliding down.
Next we came to Zurich and roamed around. We saw the famous Swiss banks; Parade Platz, the city centre and St. Peterhof which boasts of the largest clock face of Europe. Zurich is divided by a river, Limmat, and there are two churches, Fraumunster and Grossmunster on either bank of the river overlooking each other.
Then it was time to return to London.
Europe tour is on my list of to dos. Nice travelogue.
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