Switzerland

Switzerland has mesmerized Indians for years all thanks to Yash Chopra. Everyone wants to go to the places that Shah Rukh and Kajol went in DDLJ, and to be honest, I did too.

Apart from that, it was on my list of places to visit because I had heard so many great things about it. So after a good deal of research and saving up money we planned a visit to Switzerland just at the end of summer this year. Nothing worth having comes easy, and so after 3 trips to London for the visa and a bunch of cancellations and rebooking of flights  and trains we were finally off on our vacation. Once there, Jay and I learnt new meaning for the word beautiful.

We truly experienced what breath-taking meant and were utterly mesmerised by the beauty . God is the painter of the superbly stunning painting that is Switzerland. The place is so amazing that everything is a scenic experience. Walking down the street, taking a bus or a train everything is beautiful.  Every inch of land that the eyes gaze upon will remain with you forever. In Switzerland, you don’t have to work hard to experience something nice. Just wake up and walk down the street to something beautiful or if you are lucky just peep outside your window to be struck by beauty of nature.

A view straight out of a painting

Railways

It is an experience just to take the trains because of what is around.  There are beautiful sights everywhere. You’ll be torn as to which way to look. We eventually got tired of taking pictures because everything is so scenic everywhere. The railway system in Switzerland is really something else. Meandering through the hills, sometimes around it and sometimes through it via tunnels, going around the lakes, along streams, slopes on each side, the stunning views from the train never end. The houses are also quite appealing. In front of the house you will find hay bales, huge cows and very well maintained green grass and manicured gardens with gnomes. The houses have uniform windows that you will see all through Switzerland and are present in lovely colour combinations.  Big glass windows on the trains give us unending spectacular views on both sides of the train and the glass can also be lowered for those wallpaper pictures. There are a lot of expensive tourist trains, but Switzerland is so beautiful that even the normal ones will not disappoint.

The trains themselves are amazing too. The seats are really comfortable and there are maps at tables placed between every 4 chairs. So that helps tourists a lot. They have impeccable timing which is a big plus. The railway system is appreciable because given their mountainous terrain, they have done a good job of setting up a system and maintaining it on time. In some parts it can be frustrating because the trains go relatively slow. That’s because they go in a zig zag fashion due to the mountainous terrain. There are also some double decker trains which are pretty neat too. Then of course there is the cog wheel to go up steep mountains.

Unless it is a big city like Lucerne or Basel, the Swiss people have not bothered building a boundary for the railway station.  The train stops in its tracks right in the middle of the city which is very appealing to the eye. Just next to the platform you will find cars on roads, houses, hotels, shops, and so on. 

Expensive Switzerland?

Yes, everything is expensive, you have to just digest it. If you are a wasabi or chilli lover, you know what I’m talking about. You hate what it does to you, but you love and enjoy it anyway. Swiss is something list that. You hate that everything is expensive, there isn’t much to say about the food, everything Is so touristy but you still want to go there. You know you are paying way too much for the water and cheese and baguette or even to pee. Despite all that, the overall take away from it is magnificent. It will always hold a special place in your heart and all the pictures you can take will not do it justice. You just have to let the eyes , mind and soul take it all in. That’s what will remain with you always. The people (Swiss Germans)  there are very nice and sociable too.