It was in 1995 that the famous film Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge starring Shahrukh Khan and Kajol was released. From then on, I had a desire to visit Switzerland, since some of the scenes were shot there. Life with its various twists and turns could ensure that it happened in 2011. Thanks to Thomas Cook, I could go with my wife and daughter in tow to this wonderful dreamland.
We reached Zurich via Doha, courtesy Qatar airlines, on Day 1 of the journey. As soon as we landed, we were taken in a coach with 25 others to the medieval but modern town of Engelberg nestled amidst the Alps. Engelberg literally means Angel Mountain and the drive in the a / c coach for 65 kms was magical. The tour manager, Mr. Aldrin, made us feel very comfortable and homely by playing old Kishore Kumar hits. This location helped us to get a real feel of Switzerland. We were captivated by the magnificent scenery as we soaked in the beauty and grandeur of the Alps.
Contemplating with the Mahatma: The statue near the UN building has the words “Ma Vie est Mon Message” (My life is my message) inscribed below. Raghu, his wife and daughter are seen.
Day 2 began with a memorable visit to Mt. Titlis with its beautiful scenery and an adventurous ride up the snow - clad Swiss Alps in ROTAIR —the world's first revolving cable car. We remained spellbound as we ascended 3,020 metres (10,000 feet) to experience the snow and ice on top. We had an ice flyer ride too. This is similar to the cable car, but open in the front and the snow flakes and chilly wind hit you directly. Imagine having hot Indian vegetarian food at an exclusive area on top of Mt.Titlis. It was a magical moment. Next, we proceeded to scenic Lucerne, where we visited the Lion Monument and the historical Kapell Brucke wooden bridge. Here we enjoyed a scenic cruise on the serene waters of Lake Lucerne.
Day 3 saw us drive down to visit the Trummelbach Falls. It is a very impressive glacier falls, deep inside the mountains and the only glacier falls of its kind in the world which has been made accessible. From here, we proceeded to Lauterbrunnen from where we boarded Cog wheel train which takes us to a height of 3,454 metres (11,500 ft).
The Cog wheel train takes us across such scenic splendours that we are left amazed and speechless. This train took us to Jungfraujoch — the top of Europe — the wonderful but cold cold world of eternal ice and snow. We could see people skiing down. There was snow to the left of us and snow to the right of us (with apologies to Lord Tennyson's Charge of the Light Brigade). We visited the Ice Palace on top of the longest glacier in the Alps.
Next we proceeded to Inter-laken, a charming city nestled between two lakes and surrounded by the splendid Bernese Oberland mountains. From there we proceeded to a resort called Harder Kulm. This place offers an uninterrupted view of the awe - inspiring peaks of Jungfrau making us feel humbled and over - whelmed. Throughout this distance the a/c coach belted out various songs of DDLJ and other movies which were made in these parts.
Day 4 began by a visit to a traditional Swiss farm. The milking technologies are, of course, nothing new to us but the size of the cows were. From here, we proceeded to Bern, the capital city. This city still retains its old charm in the Clock Tower, the Bear Pit, the Parliament buildings and the Gothic fountains. We also saw Einstein's house, where the brilliant physicist propounded his E=mc2 formula.
We had some leisure time here to go the market and buy and taste fresh juicy strawberries. Next stop was at Vevey, home town of Charlie Chaplin and then was Montreaux, which is situated on lake Geneva with the spectacular Alps in the background. We were literally enchanted by the picturesque narrow lanes and its wonderful waterfront. One amazing observation was that the rest rooms (toilets) were spotlessly clean, water taps, liquid soap dispenser, tissue paper trays and the hand dryers working in perfect order in all places without human supervision.
On Day 5, we drove past the beautiful city of Lausanne on the shores of Lac Leman to arrive at the 11th century Chillon Castle — a fortress made famous by Lord Byron. It is one of the finest and most visited monuments in Switzerland.
From here we went to Geneva to visit the United Nations building. Near the entrance is the statue of our own Mahatma Gandhi. We enjoyed a scenic mini train (solar powered) ride around lake Geneva wherin we also saw a working Floral Clock.
Day 6 made us proceed to a chocolate factory where we had the opportunity to taste some delicious chocolates. From here we went to Bahnhof - strasse, one of the most popular shopping avenues in Zurich, famous for its luxury stores and cafes.
The cost of living in Switzerland is very high and one Swiss Franc is approximately Rs.52. The price of various goods is so prohibitively expensive, that sometimes even an Indian multimillionaire will feel like a pauper. We next drove down to Schaffhausen to view the magnificent Rhine Falls in a boat ride. We got to eat tasty vada pav, samosas and drink piping hot masala chai from a street vendor of Indian origin. He incidentally owned an Audi A6 (costs Rs.60 lakh here).
On Day 7, we flew back and reached namma Bengaluru. The dreamland left behind... Inspite of the dust, the heat, the toilets being unclean, the a/c not working and the traffic snarls, north or south,east or west, India is the best.
Epilogue:
Deccan Herald news greets me on Day 8. Income Tax Dept. to issue notices to Switzerland travellers... huh? Life is normal and back to routine.
N. Raghavan of Raghulal & Co.
Courtesy: Star of Mysore
