There I was walking slowly with my family, taking in the awesome spectacle that had unfolded before me, completely awestruck, speechless. It was dreamlike, the snow falling in all around like the flakes softer than petals in the village of Murren in Switzerland....I was scared that if I closed my eyes the dream would vanish! Switzerland makes you go weak in the knees and you don't even want to blink lest you miss yet another fabulous sight ! 

 I had heard so much about Switzerland from friends and relatives who had visited there, and, each time I felt that they were probably exaggerating its beauty, cleanliness etc etc...this was because not a single person had anything negative to say about the place. So, when I visited it for the first time, I was bent on being critical and look for some negative point since according to me, there cannot be a place as perfect as all that on this earth. But, alas I got off the plane at Zurich and I was thoroughly impressed right there at the way things functioned, the efficiency with which everything was run and the attitude of the people who spoke less but were extremely helpful. Since it was dark, I could not see much of my surroundings during the drive to the place of our stay. But next morning I woke up early and looked out of the window and I was completely floored by the ethereal beauty and cleanliness of the place. Switzerland was much more beautiful than what anyone ever said !

Before I go on with my travel experiences let me touch upon some basic points that would prove helpful to travelers and visitors .

How to get there

India is well connected to Switzerland since there are daily flights to Zurich from Mumbai and Delhi. There are as many as 16 or more Airlines operating flights directly to Switzerland from India. Other than that one can also have a stop over at Dubai and take an onward flight to Zurich through Emirates or any other flight.This works out a bit cheaper and you also have the opportunity to do some shopping at the Dubai International airport duty free shopping arcade.

However, the best option is to go through a travel agent since getting a schengen visa can be tricky if you go directly. Another advantage is that your whole trip gets organised and you get to cover all the important places without much hassle. Switzerland is one of the most expensive places in the world and shopping is next to impossible there although there is excellent stuff available.The best one can do is gaze at them!

Switzerland is one of the most visited destinations in Europe and probably in the whole world. Swiss watches, chocolates and cheese are world famous for their quality. In fact while in Switzerland, you get to realise what quality is all about! The Swiss have perfected it like nobody else in the world.

Switzerland is also a country of mountains ,sweeping meadows and lakes. One can hear the tinkling of bells when the cows move freely in the meadows and see the smoke coming out of the far away cottages on hilltops and in the middle of a field or a farm. There are as many as 65 lakes - big,medium and small , ranging in areas roughly from 560 sq kms ( Lake geneva) to one sq km. One  interesting bit of news that we came across was - there is a lake named after Yash Chopra by the authorities. He has shot for so many films in Switzerland  that a lake in the Alpenrausch, a favorite shooting spot of his, has been christened Chopra Lake. We dint get to see it though!

Zurich

Since our Swiss holiday began with Zurich it is but natural that I have to write about it first. I already mentioned about  the efficiency and the well run Zurich airport. Zurich is a 2000 year old historically rich town, the modern face of switzerland as it stands today. It has trendy cafes, international boutiques and everything else that yu get to see and experience in other international cities except that it is unbelievably clean. The main city centre is Bahnhoffstrasse, where there is a vibrant night life and is filled woth toursist bth during day time and at night. Lake Zurich on the outskirts is a favorite haunt of all the toursists and we did spend time taking a boat trip, before planning out our other activities in Switzerland.

Close to Zurich in the town of Schaffhausen, we get to see one of the most beautiful sights ever – The lovely Rhine waterfalls which is voluminous and is the largest waterfall in Europe. It is a torrential gush of water over the cliff and offers the visitors a stunning view. It is scary when you see it at close quarters because the volume of water is huge .

Murren village

Since I stayed in Switzerland for almost 2 months it would be impossible for me to go into all the many beautiful details....After having stayed in a village/small town called Gutenberg for almost 3 weeks and loved the clean white landscape (it was winter ) and the way of life there, we decided to explore Switzerland. The first place we visited was Murren which is an absolutely beautiful and scenic place up in the Alps. As we climbed up we could see the village of Murren unfolding in stages with a crisp whiteness - the pretty wooden roofs laden with perfect rectangles of snow, at least a meter high, the roads were stretches of white and the trees were all covered with snow patterns. It was a fabulous sight!

Murren has to be reached through cable cars. We all looked different too, layered in sweaters of varying thickness ,gloves, scarf and heavy boots. I guess I could have passed me in the street without recognising myself ! We were also trying to balance ourselves on the slippery snow which was slowly turning into sheets of ice and it was no easy task. Murren is very popular with the Hollywood crowd and many films including a couple of James Bond films were apparently shot there. With all that it was amazing to hear that the total population of the place was less than 500 !

When I look back and think of Murren the picture that comes to my mind is that of a a dream like place complete with picturesque chalets and swirling snowflakes and all of us facing the wind, at times violent and chilling us to the bones in spite of all those sweaters and jackets and the children practicing skating using ice blades and learning to balance themselves. I too tried with disastrous results much to the enjoyment of my family. Lovely memories and however warm the summer is, the picture postcard town of Murren will always recreate itself in my mind.

The Magic of Interlaken

I screamed with delight when I came to know that we were visiting Interlaken and Jungfrau (meaning fair maiden in german) – ever since I saw Shammi Kapoor romancing Sharmila Tagore in ‘An Evening in Paris’ singing akele akele kahan jaa rahe ho amidst the scenic mountains and on the cable cars of Interlaken I had dreams of visiting the place. Only, it was much more beautiful and the perfect beauty simply hits you. We walked round the lake and the little village by the side of it before climbing up the mountain.

You can reach Interlaken by train or car from Zurich, Berne or Luzeen. Once you reach the lake which is in a hollow between the mountains you can take the road to Stechelberg, from where you could either take a cable car or a train. There is also a pathway for those interested in climbing and this can be done during summer months .We took a cable car from the valley station of the Schilthorn ( the same one that Shammi Kapoor and Sharmila Tagore took in the 1960s) and we were up there and the white snowy mountains were in front of us and for a minute I just stared at the familiar perfect sight we get to see in photographs. It is difficult to describe it ,one has to experience it to know what it feels like. I could say that I have never seen mother nature so perfect or beautiful in my life.

From Interlaken one can take a train to Jungfrau which is the third highest mountain in the alps. The Bernes Oberland Railway is the only means through which you can reach the spot. We had been told that the weather up there was extremely unpredictable and it could get completely cut off and that’s exactly what happened once we reached up there. We sat at the restaurant and had some hot chocolate looking at the hide and seek of the clouds and the mountain tops which were barely visible.We also went round the glass covered observatory deck and saw the indoor ice palace everything is made of ice.

By this time the weather had cleared and we could go out into the snow , but had to come down in a hurry fearing another longer spell of mountain mist. As we drove down through the Lauterbrunnen valley , which is known as one of the most beautiful spots in the world with more than 70 waterfalls , a stream flowing along the winding road and the beautiful mountains closing in on all sides, it was just magical and one lost count of time.

Matterhorn

Matterhorn is on the border between Switzerland and Italy. It is probably the highest peak in the Alps. It can be reached by train and cable car. We stayed in typical Valaisan chalet style hotel, located in the heart of Zermatt , another swiss village overlooking the Matterhorn. At night we ventured out to take a peek at the mountains but all we could see was a ,mass of clouds completely covering the mountain peak. We got colder as we walked back to the hotel hoping for a miracle the next day because we were planning to visit some other nearby places and had already booked our accommodations.

I had read many reports about this awesome mountain peak which plays truant to visitors by not showing itself, and we were determined to catch a glimpse. Our plan was to wake up early and walk up to the view point and catch the peak before it can swathe itself in fresh layers of cloud which we were told is an everyday happening. We woke up at 6 Am, well before day break and it was dark and bitterly cold outside. We look out and see no mountain, just clouds, so we went back to bed and later walked through the delightful little village of Zermatt and saw the old gabled church ...

As we were having coffee at a little coffee house filled with tourists, I happened to look outside and there it was – The Matterhorn, standing proud and alone having shaken off the shadows around it , standing etched against the blue sunny sky, just the crest wrapped in wisps of cloud. It was one glorious sight and by then everyone went out and closer to the view point to capture the delightful spectacle..I loved the mountain – proud, tall, strong and its own person and also the fact that, it showed itself to us that day in all its glory. 

Soglio

One may not even get to see this on the list of the popular destinations that most tour operators have. We heard of this place from other visitors at Mureen and decided to visit it since it was close to Zermatt. It is enchanting and a very beautiful little place. The population of this small village is less than 200 and they all own vast stretches of agricultural lands and fruit orchards and live in lovely chalet houses made of wood.

We wandered around the place which was about 16 -17 sq kms and had some coffee , cheese, Blackish Brown bread ( which weighs a ton by the way) and butter at a pavement cafe (the only one in the village ) run by a local , that had 2 tables and 2 benches as we listened to some of the old tales about the village told in half English and half Italian. There are many such villages in Switzerland, some with a population of 12 or 15 people I am told, according to people who have had the opportunity to visit those places, they are all very scenic and beautiful, so there is no end to exploring.

Locarno and Ascona

After having been blessed by Matterhorn and visited Soglio, we decided to move on closer to the Italian Alps ( Ticino, also opularly known as tropical Alps) for which from Zermatt we had to take a train to reach the place. Locarno is no doubt in Switzerland but for all practical purposes it could be a part of Italy. The snows of Zermatt having mellowed down with distance and given way to soft, green sloping meadows filled with wild flowers of every color and hue. The sloping roofed cottages with their window boxes filled with Geraniums and Italian sign posts everywhere instead of the usual German ones you come across in rest of the country.

The towns  Locarno and neighboring Ascona are full of magic. Locaeno and Ascona are two important towns on Lake Maggiore that spreads and flows on to Italy. From Zurich , one can take a train and reach Locarno in approximately three hours.There is plenty of color, movement, music , the sound of laughter everywhere. What a change from chattering teeth and layers of woolen clothing that we were used to for the past 4 weeks. We visited lake Majorca which borders on to Italy, dotted with castle bearing tiny islands. We were again taken to a wonderland again – Locarno is the haunt of honeymooners . It is a passionate place filled with charm, romance and magic. I am told that both first timers and those wanting to recapture the magic ,visit here and I can believe why !

In summer, apparently the streets are full of holiday makers and the flowers overflow the flowerbeds with most streets turning into carnivals. Locarno reaches out to claim all visitors like it did with us. We wandered around the streets, ate sumptuous cheese and vegetable filled meals, had coffee and hot chocolate at the road side cafes and did shopping since the prices were thankfully affordable. A store that we visited sold everything under the sun, from leather bags to designer wear to off the street foot wear and junk jewelry and of course the usual local wear.

Vevey and Lake Geneva

We were back at the Bernes Alps and close to the French part of Switzerland and the weather continued to be cold. We visited Lake Geneva , the largest lake in Switzerland which stretches on to France from Switzerland. It was another piece of heaven on earth , my kind of place. We were at this little place called Vevey which my children kept calling where where ( like in Alice in wonderland).  There was Lake Geneva glistening away, calm, beautifully clear and then there were the mountains set against it, on the other side, in picture perfect perspective. The sun comes out and we were all entranced. After spending some time walking around the lake we decided to look up the Nestle Head office where aroma of chocolate drew us under its spell.

After taking a tour round the plant we sat at the canteen and had mugs of rich swirling chocolate , looking out at the magnificent scenery, the lake, the mountains and sheer bliss!. We got back to the hotel and it was already evening and more magic was about to unfold as the lights slowly came on and lit the entire place in gentle glow, nothing harsh or glaring here, everything is subtle and graceful. The next day we visited the part of town where there is a statue of Charlie Chaplin, who was supposed to have loved Vevey and thought as his own. Vevey, by the way is one of the more well known and much visited spots of Switzerland...

Trummelbach Waterfalls

This magnificent waterfall was seen in Hindi films as early as the sixties. When Raj Kapoor decided to shoot his magnum opus Sangam in foreign locales it was but natural that he wanted to shoot a major part of it in Switzerland at Jungfrau, Interlaken and at Trummelbach falls. This is the location where all three lead actors in the movie ( Raj Kapoor, Vyjayantimala and Rajendra Kumar) meet in Switzerland in a very emotional scene. Located at Interlaken, this waterfall is a truly magnificent sight as it gurgles and churns disappearing into the mountain gorge and then again finding its way out. There is a bridge and walkway through which one can go round and view the waterfall.

We were lost finding our way to the waterfall since there are quite a few roads as we come down the mountain, but finally did manage to reach there and I still cannot get over the feeling that we could have easily missed the magnificent sight, if a cyclist had not directed us and also came along with us to show the way.

All Good things come to an end

The most amazing thing about this amazing country is that wherever one turns there is beauty and one is forever clicking away. We were there for nearly two months and did get to see some popular and oft visited spots and some out of the way places that are not visited by many tourists , but , there is lot more to see in Switzerland and I am told that the German side too has many surprises which hopefully I will be able to experience during my next visit to Switzerland. I am determined that I have to visit the place again and breathe in the fresh and the pure mountain air and be part of those heavenly surroundings. Incidentally , Switzerland is the most popular destination for Indian tourists.

When it was time to return we were all feeling bad and made a promise to ourselves that we would return and explore some more and get to see more enchanting sights and fall in love with Switzerland all over again. I realise that Switzerland is addictive and one comes under its spell more and more as you get to see more of it. I, for one was completely under its magical spell and am waiting eagerly for my next visit hopefully next year or earlier if I am lucky!