The Switzerland Diaries....(concluding post)
Some tips for doing an 'off the beaten track' Switzerland:
1. Don't stay at Interlaken. Do not let the presence of Indian restaurants trap you into staying in this tacky town. The place has got a ' mela' feel to it. And the crowds!!! They are all over the place. Stay at villages like Grindelwald, Lauterbrunnen, Gimmelwald etc. Away from the hordes of tourists. Nestled in the Alps where you can wake up to the music of the cow bells. Indian food is not too far with Interlaken being just a half an hour train ride away.
2. Skip the touristy train trip to Jungraubahn.Its like going to Agra and not seeing the Taj you might say. While one does appreciate the engineering marvel in constructing a train station at 10,000 feet, the crowds, the screaming kids do not give the 200 Swiss franc journey value for money. Instead hit the hiking trails through the hills, woods and tiny glacier villages. We took the cable from Grindelwald to First and then hiked to Bachalpsee. On our way back we took the cable till Bort and then hit the trail all the way back to Grindelwald. It is this hike that made up for all the time wasted the previous two days. Away from the crowds, away from noisy Gujjus whose idea of a holiday is screaming over a game of cards (concern for fellow human beings, now whats that???), this is that part of Switzerland untouched by Bollywood . It is during this hike that the alpine beauty seduces you. During the two hour hike Switzerland reveals itself layer by layer, first the snowy peaks of the Alps, then the greenest of green meadows, then the thick conifers of alpine forests. It is a strip tease that plays on both your sensory and spiritual levels. And the orgasmic end when you arrive at the Bachalpsee – the quiet pristine lake hidden between the snowy hills, is an intensely humbling experience,,, never before has the beauty of a place made me feel so small. What makes this so special is that it can be an exclusive show for you. For you have long stretches where you are alone with your very own 'thoda sa aasman'. More importantly it is only during these walks that you come across the swiss way of life - a life hidden under a mammoth tourism machinery..- a life comprising of cheerful swiss natives, of beautiful chalet style wooden houses.
The Bachalpsee Lake :
Note: Don’t forget to buy good walking sticks. They are a must to traverse the steep slopes and hilly terrain. Available at Intersport.
3. Sleep in a barn: Now this has to be the most interesting bit about Switzerland. Remember SRK and Kajol in a hay stack barn in DDLJ. The pair has no place to stay and Kajol finds a barn of hay for the night. I think this was just before a drunk Kajol bursts into an Asha Bhonsle number. That I realise now was not a filmy thing after all but one of Switzerlands best kept secrets. Farms in the hills let out their barns to tourists during the summer months. For a meagre 10 swiss franc you get to sleep on the hay stacks in a farmers barn. The farmers provide you with blankets, shower facilities and even a basic breakfast of eggs, bread and potatoes. I had spoken to a farmer Mr Esther Von Allmen from Gimmelwald village for a night in his barn, but could not make it as the last cable to Gimmelwald had left by the time we returned from our hike. For those of you on a back packing trip, sleeping in a barn could be a cheap and healthy (medical experts vouch for the health benefits of sleeping on hay) way to cut costs.
Esther can be contacted on phone at 8555488. (From Switzerland dial area code 033 before the number)
4. Shopping: My 'to buy' list included a swiss cow bell and a swiss amy knife. Don’t buy your cow bells from the tourist souvenir shops. Your hotel owner should know a farmer who will get the real stuff for you and not the 'made for tourists' kind. Else pop into a farm during your hikes through the hills and villages and strike a bargain for some old cowbells. These are genuine cow bells…pure antique stuff, made by the farmers themselves and could make for a unique calling bell for your homes in India. Since I was flying back I was asked to forget the swiss army knife.
5. Try the Fondue – Warm liquid cheese in white wine. Served with bread. Eaten with metallic tongs. (You pierce the bread with the tongs and then swirl it in the warm cheese before eating it. The waiter suggested that I have it with tea..
6. Don’t waste time in Geneva – Other than the Saturday flea market in Plain de Plainpalais where you can hunt for that rare music record there is nothing to do in this small city. The United Nations building that neighbours other international organisations like ILO, WTO, and UNHCR is a desolate structure. Other than the sound of the flags of the nations fluttering in the air the place is spookily silent. (I hope this is no sign of the significance of the organisation today). Was very dissapointed to find absolutely no activity - not even a protest that one could have joined.
Takeaways from the trip:
1. The Swiss trains are not as punctual as they are made out to be. All the talk of adjusting your watches by the train’s time is hogwash. Trains do run late. Sometimes by a minute and sometimes even by two.
2. Whatever one has heard about the Swiss tourism dept is true. Full marks to them. Whether it is patiently explaining the various Swiss train passes, a passer by offering you her mobile phone to make a call on noticing that you are struggling with the telephone at a PCO, or the hotel owner calling a farmer friend for you to buy an authentic cow-bell, hospitality is ingrained in the Swiss system.
3. Aishwarya Rai is truly an international face: Irrespective of the fate of her Hollywood exploits, Ash's face has literally taken her places.At the tiny and picturesque Kleine Schedegg station, nestled in the Jungfrau range of the alps, where you take the train that chugs you to Jungfraubahn - The Top of Europe, the only hoarding is that of Ms Rai peddling her wares. Way to go girl!
4. And of course the last of the takeaway list has to be two of Switzerland’s most enduring symbols that I brought along with me.
Some tips for doing an 'off the beaten track' Switzerland:
1. Don't stay at Interlaken. Do not let the presence of Indian restaurants trap you into staying in this tacky town. The place has got a ' mela' feel to it. And the crowds!!! They are all over the place. Stay at villages like Grindelwald, Lauterbrunnen, Gimmelwald etc. Away from the hordes of tourists. Nestled in the Alps where you can wake up to the music of the cow bells. Indian food is not too far with Interlaken being just a half an hour train ride away.
2. Skip the touristy train trip to Jungraubahn.Its like going to Agra and not seeing the Taj you might say. While one does appreciate the engineering marvel in constructing a train station at 10,000 feet, the crowds, the screaming kids do not give the 200 Swiss franc journey value for money. Instead hit the hiking trails through the hills, woods and tiny glacier villages. We took the cable from Grindelwald to First and then hiked to Bachalpsee. On our way back we took the cable till Bort and then hit the trail all the way back to Grindelwald. It is this hike that made up for all the time wasted the previous two days. Away from the crowds, away from noisy Gujjus whose idea of a holiday is screaming over a game of cards (concern for fellow human beings, now whats that???), this is that part of Switzerland untouched by Bollywood . It is during this hike that the alpine beauty seduces you. During the two hour hike Switzerland reveals itself layer by layer, first the snowy peaks of the Alps, then the greenest of green meadows, then the thick conifers of alpine forests. It is a strip tease that plays on both your sensory and spiritual levels. And the orgasmic end when you arrive at the Bachalpsee – the quiet pristine lake hidden between the snowy hills, is an intensely humbling experience,,, never before has the beauty of a place made me feel so small. What makes this so special is that it can be an exclusive show for you. For you have long stretches where you are alone with your very own 'thoda sa aasman'. More importantly it is only during these walks that you come across the swiss way of life - a life hidden under a mammoth tourism machinery..- a life comprising of cheerful swiss natives, of beautiful chalet style wooden houses.
The Bachalpsee Lake :
Note: Don’t forget to buy good walking sticks. They are a must to traverse the steep slopes and hilly terrain. Available at Intersport.
3. Sleep in a barn: Now this has to be the most interesting bit about Switzerland. Remember SRK and Kajol in a hay stack barn in DDLJ. The pair has no place to stay and Kajol finds a barn of hay for the night. I think this was just before a drunk Kajol bursts into an Asha Bhonsle number. That I realise now was not a filmy thing after all but one of Switzerlands best kept secrets. Farms in the hills let out their barns to tourists during the summer months. For a meagre 10 swiss franc you get to sleep on the hay stacks in a farmers barn. The farmers provide you with blankets, shower facilities and even a basic breakfast of eggs, bread and potatoes. I had spoken to a farmer Mr Esther Von Allmen from Gimmelwald village for a night in his barn, but could not make it as the last cable to Gimmelwald had left by the time we returned from our hike. For those of you on a back packing trip, sleeping in a barn could be a cheap and healthy (medical experts vouch for the health benefits of sleeping on hay) way to cut costs.
Esther can be contacted on phone at 8555488. (From Switzerland dial area code 033 before the number)
4. Shopping: My 'to buy' list included a swiss cow bell and a swiss amy knife. Don’t buy your cow bells from the tourist souvenir shops. Your hotel owner should know a farmer who will get the real stuff for you and not the 'made for tourists' kind. Else pop into a farm during your hikes through the hills and villages and strike a bargain for some old cowbells. These are genuine cow bells…pure antique stuff, made by the farmers themselves and could make for a unique calling bell for your homes in India. Since I was flying back I was asked to forget the swiss army knife.
5. Try the Fondue – Warm liquid cheese in white wine. Served with bread. Eaten with metallic tongs. (You pierce the bread with the tongs and then swirl it in the warm cheese before eating it. The waiter suggested that I have it with tea..
6. Don’t waste time in Geneva – Other than the Saturday flea market in Plain de Plainpalais where you can hunt for that rare music record there is nothing to do in this small city. The United Nations building that neighbours other international organisations like ILO, WTO, and UNHCR is a desolate structure. Other than the sound of the flags of the nations fluttering in the air the place is spookily silent. (I hope this is no sign of the significance of the organisation today). Was very dissapointed to find absolutely no activity - not even a protest that one could have joined.
Takeaways from the trip:
1. The Swiss trains are not as punctual as they are made out to be. All the talk of adjusting your watches by the train’s time is hogwash. Trains do run late. Sometimes by a minute and sometimes even by two.
2. Whatever one has heard about the Swiss tourism dept is true. Full marks to them. Whether it is patiently explaining the various Swiss train passes, a passer by offering you her mobile phone to make a call on noticing that you are struggling with the telephone at a PCO, or the hotel owner calling a farmer friend for you to buy an authentic cow-bell, hospitality is ingrained in the Swiss system.
3. Aishwarya Rai is truly an international face: Irrespective of the fate of her Hollywood exploits, Ash's face has literally taken her places.At the tiny and picturesque Kleine Schedegg station, nestled in the Jungfrau range of the alps, where you take the train that chugs you to Jungfraubahn - The Top of Europe, the only hoarding is that of Ms Rai peddling her wares. Way to go girl!
4. And of course the last of the takeaway list has to be two of Switzerland’s most enduring symbols that I brought along with me.
posted by Pawan at 11:30 AM
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