I have a friend Manish who is a student in Zurich. He has been asking me to visit him for quite long and finally I decided to go to the paradise on earth, Switzerland.
On 30th January evening I flew Swiss Air from Arlanda airport to Zurich. It was a very pleasant 2 hours long journey. They offered nice meal and fine Swiss chocolates aboard. The plane flew over South Sweden, Denmark, Western Germany and Alps before landing in Zurich, the cultural and commercial capital of Switzerland. The Zurich airport was perhaps the best I had seen in Europe. I boarded a train to the Zurich Hbf, the central station of Zurich. Once there, I rushed to the meeting point where my friend had been waiting for me. The city looked nice and it was great to see clear sky after many weeks. We took a tram to his apartment. It didn’t take too long to find how efficient the Swiss transport system was.
Day 1:
Decided to see Zurich on first day. Grabbed the city map from tourist centre in Hbf. Went to the famous Grossmünster, the Romanesque church. The two towers in the front make it quite unique. Adjacent to Grossmünster lies another church Fraumünster which has beautiful painting on its windows. St. Peter’s church is just across the bridge. This has a huge clock which can be seen from quite a distance. I went to the Kunsthaus, the Swiss modern art museum which houses works of contemporary Swiss sculptors and painters. I took a walk along the canal and reached Bahnhofstrasse. This being a Saturday afternoon the street was buzzing with shoppers and revelers. It felt good to walk for some time before I headed to the central station to book my tickets to Mt. Titlis. I bought the tickets for train as well cable-car. Took a tram to the lake promenade. This is a 3 Km long walk along the lake Zurich. Beyond the city limits Zurich provides exciting contrasts. It was quite cold and windy but the lakeshore, the small boats parked along the harbor and beautiful hill overlooking it didn’t let me feel the long walk. I kept going and finished the walk. It was quite scenic, but on the way back I had to resist wind. By the time I came back to the tram station I was panting. After spending a day in Zurich I realized what makes it the best place to live in the world. Progress, innovation and change mark Zurich.
It was getting dark so I returned to the apartment. We cooked pasta and pizza for dinner.
Day 2:
Got up early at 4:45 AM. Took shower, packed breakfast and rushed to the central station. The first train from Zurich to Luzern leaves at 6:05 AM. Boarded the SBB train which was quite comfortable even by European standards.
It was still dark so couldn’t see much of Swiss landscape. The train reached Luzern in about 45 minutes.
Within minutes there was a train leaving for Engelberg, the mountain village from where the cable-car to Mt. Titlis operates. This train was different from the train to Luzern. It had only one level of seating and the gauge was narrower as well. The train was full of skiers. By the time train started the dawn had risen and I began to see the beauty of Switzerland. The passing by Swiss countryside, the old houses, the lush green farms, the medieval churches, and the chugging train made my soul happy.
It felt like an eternal joyride. Within half an hour the landscape changed from plane to mountainous and the train began to climb the hill. It was quite steep but kudos to the technology they have, it was able to rise like a phoenix on that slant and rigorous hill. Variegated sunlight was seeping through the trees and that’s when I had first glimpse of Alps. Amazing! Shortly the train reached Engelberg.
Without wasting a minute I rushed to the cable-car station. Exchanged the ticket I had bought for the cable-car pass. I had lots to see on this day but couldn’t resist the temptation of skiing in magnificent Alps. So, I got the ski-gear from inter-sports ski resort and joined the queue to the cable-car. The cable-car way to the peak of Mt. Titlis has two stations. From each station a different type of car goes up to the mountain. The first cable-car can seat 6 people. This was a considerably slow cable-car with a journey time of about 25 minutes. Every car bore flag of a nation. I spotted one with our tri-color. Once at this station I could see many skiers sliding on the white slopes. I put on the ski-shoes and finally skis. Wobbled initially and after little warm-up I skied for about half an hour. Returned the skis at the resort and took the next cable-car which was the size of a huge van. It had a capacity of about 150 people and I was really impressed with the kind of sophisticated system they had in place to make it a reality. From the next station it was the rotating cable-car all the way to Mt. Titlis. The view from this was spectacular. A moment to cherish! Heaven on earth! I was in Switzerland and glancing at the magnificent Swiss Alps. This overlooked the glaciers, the valley and the beautiful village of Engelberg. Soon I was at the summit. There is a huge glacier cave at the top. Had never been into one before, so it turned out to be a nice experience. Also, they had added some special effects of light and sound. I was really emotional when they started to play Jana Gana Mana inside the caves. Wow! I never ever expected it. Listening to my national anthem on Swiss Alps. I got out of the caves and from top the view was even better than from inside the car. Everything white! Pristine white would be an understatement. It was quite sunny then. I clicked many pictures. Played with the snow. It was freezing cold. Temperature of -20 C with wind blowing in full speed can be quite hard as well as harsh. But that didn’t deter me from riding the ice flyer, a sky-gondola that overlooks the glacier crevasses. Once on its chair I began to feel adventurous.
Within minutes a huge storm came from nowhere and brought tons of snow with it. My chair-car began to quiver. Nevertheless, this was nice in-deed. I returned to the top and spent some more time before returning downhill. The village looked even better in the afternoon. I checked the next train to Luzern was in about an hour. Had quick lunch of pasta and coffee and strolled around the village. Beautiful snow-capped homes, the frozen lake and the beautiful hill extending over the terrain meant I couldn’t rest for a minute. In fact I played more with the snow and a passerby obliged by capturing that moment.
I boarded the train to Luzern. This time the view from train was equally spectacular as seen from top or the cable-car. I saw many frozen waterfalls, the glaciers, the canyon and when snowfall started it felt like I was in a wonderland.
Weather in Luzern was not as nice as in Engelberg. In fact it was snowing so vigorously it had slowed down human activity even in a place like Luzern whose residents are quite used to it. I usually like snowfall and with this warm jacket I knew I could roam around as freely as I do on a perfectly fine and sunny day. Luzern is the most visited place in Switzerland. I crossed the river Reuss and went to the beautiful old church. From there I walked towards Lake Luzern. After spending some time there I made my way to the Lion Monument. This sculpture created in the honor of Swiss martyrs of the war with France, was designed by a Danish artist Bertel Thorvaldsen. This sight was quite moving.
I roamed around the town for few hours, appreciated its beauty and went to Chapel Bridge the most photographed monument in Switzerland. This wooden bridge was built in 13th century to protect the town from any attacks. There is a tall water tower along the bridge which served as a prison. The interiors of the bridge have paintings. I walked along the river Reuss and there is another such bridge on the outskirt of the town. It wasn’t very clear but I could see Mt- Pilatus from there. Once the evening dawned, the view from the chapel bridge overlooking the lake Luzern became mesmerizing. I adored the elegance of the town. I boarded the next train leaving for Zurich and was back in the apartment at 8 PM. It was a day very well spent.
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