Think of Switzerland and instantly there are dozens of stereotypical images that flood peoples minds: Swiss cheese, Toblerone and Lindt chocolate, St Bernard dogs with barrels under their chins, alpine horns, expensive watches, Swiss army knives, William Tell, Heidi frolicking in the high alpine pastures, cows with bells, cheese fondue and of course the "Fed-Express" himself- the GREAT "King Roger Federer" just to name a few! This picture-postcard country which claims the title as being the most mountainous in the world has one image that is a true icon - the mighty Matterhorn - it is a sight that I believe everyone must see (at least!) once in their lives! (And why is it that Swiss cows wear bells around their necks you ask? So they don't catch the birds when they chase them of course! Well, it could also be something to do with finding them in the winter-fog but I prefer my version to be honest!)
A country with four official languages (German, French, Italian and Romansch (a Latin based language!) Their own version of German, "Swiss-German" ("Schweizer-Deutsch") has a beautiful melodic sing-song to it just like the Scandinavian languages. Its four official names are Schweiz, Suisse, Svizerra and Svizra and it's country code, CH, seems to confuse many as to what it represents! No, not "CHeese" or "CHocolate" but "Confederation Helvetica" - basically the Confederation of Helvetian states that began its alliance way back in 1291. The legend of William Tell and THAT apple comes from those times!
After a journey eastwards from Lyon and crossing into the French region of Switzerland one must negotiate their way around Geneva, home of the U.N.'s headquarters in Europe and its famous Jet d'Eau (the large water jet in the lake!). Apart from that I find it is a city that does not require much time in which to dwell as it is further along the northern shores of the lake that this area's jewels begin to appear. The wineries of south-western Switzerland are one of those jewels and are gorgeous even if their wine is not so well recognised on the world's stage.
Further east of Geneva and past Lausanne, the home of the IOC, the "jazz-mad" town of Montreaux with its opulent lake-side hotels is a popular place for holiday-makers and was a place where Queen and Freddie Mercury recorded many tracks. It even holds an annual Freddie Mercury Memorial Day in honour of the late singer! Just across the lake on the French side is the famous town of Evian - and I think we all know what they do there!
Switzerland's MOST photographed building is just a further five minutes drive along the water - Chateau de Chillon. A spectacular medieval castle built on the shores of the lake with magnificent fortifications and a gorgeous backdrop with the mountains to the south and east. Much history and many tales of prisoners held in its various prisons for years on end it make it an extremely popular tourist destination.
As one zig-zags their way further south-east, the mountains slowly rise up around you and eventually one must start climbing to eventually reach the small village of Tasch. It is here that one must take a train to reach the combustion engine-free mountain resort of Zermatt. A gorgeous mountain village that contains beautiful old wooden farmer's homes with slate rooves, it sits already at 1600m, just below the ever watchful gaze of the 4478m Matterhorn. Though it is Switzerland's most famous peak it is not its tallest and is just pipped by a couple hundred meters by the nearby Monte Rosa.
With around 6000 inhabitants its population swells in both summer and winter months for the myriad of summer outdoor activities that are offered here as well as some spectacular ski runs in winter with its longest almost 22km in length! With cable-cars, gondolas and cog wheel railways there are plenty of ways to get a great view here but for me the best is also its highest - the 45minute journey by Zermatt-Express gondola and then cable-car to Klein Matterhorn ("little Matterhorn"). The final few hundred meters is not for those with a phobia of heights thats for sure as the car itself is suspended a few hundred meters above the valley floor. Reaching almost 3900m the views here encapsulate the Matterhorn (of course), Monte Rosa, Breithorn, Castor, Pollux and in good weather one can even see Europe's highest peak, Mont Blanc off toward the west.
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| Matterhorn Express Gondola |
Awaiting the visitors are viewing platforms of the alps and glaciers, cafes, a glacier "paradise" carved into the glacier itself and even summer ski fields for those who wish to have a "schuss" down the mountain if they didn't quite get their fix during the long Swiss winter! It's here that many European ski teams do their summer ski training even!
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| Matterhorn Express gondola |
Many people have lost their lives climbing the peaks in the area and the beautiful cemetery with colourful flowers on all the graves in the valley pays testament to locals and visitors alike who have lost their life trying to scale one of the spectacular peaks that surrounds the village. The Matterhorn itself is not considered by mountaineers to be a very technical climb and each year thousands scale its various routes to claim recognition of scaling this famed peak.
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| Cable car to Klein Matterhorn 3880m |
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| Ice sculptures in "Glacier Palace" |
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| "Glacier Palace" |
Anyway here's some random pics to whet the appetite for visiting this gorgeous part of the world!
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| Monte Rosa on left |
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| One of the many glaciers |
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| Looking west towards Mont Blanc |
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| Edelweiss |
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| Typical Swiss flower box display |
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| Alpine horns |
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| Climbers scaling Breithorn peak,4164m |
Sunrise sequence over the Matterhorn If you have ever wondered where exactly it is that you have seen the Matterhorn before then go no further than your nearest Toblerone block of chocolate and take a look on the packet and there it is!
Note this is a pretty rare site to see this famed peak like this - I think the weather Gods were smiling on me the morning I took these pics!!
So after a few days here (including a cheeky summer-ski up at 3800m!) it's off tomorrow to climb the Simplon Pass and enter Italy. A visit to Stresa on Lago Maggiore and the beautiful Isola Bella before heading back into "Svizerra" at Lake Lugano!
As they say would around here , adieu!!
Think of Switzerland and instantly there are dozens of stereotypical images that flood peoples minds: Swiss cheese, Toblerone and Lindt chocolate, St Bernard dogs with barrels under their chins, alpine horns, expensive watches, Swiss army knives, William Tell, Heidi frolicking in the high alpine pastures, cows with bells, cheese fondue and of course the "Fed-Express" himself- the GREAT "King Roger Federer" just to name a few! This picture-postcard country which claims the title as being the most mountainous in the world has one image that is a true icon - the mighty Matterhorn - it is a sight that I believe everyone must see (at least!) once in their lives! (And why is it that Swiss cows wear bells around their necks you ask? So they don't catch the birds when they chase them of course! Well, it could also be something to do with finding them in the winter-fog but I prefer my version to be honest!)
After a journey eastwards from Lyon and crossing into the French region of Switzerland one must negotiate their way around Geneva, home of the U.N.'s headquarters in Europe and its famous Jet d'Eau (the large water jet in the lake!). Apart from that I find it is a city that does not require much time in which to dwell as it is further along the northern shores of the lake that this area's jewels begin to appear. The wineries of south-western Switzerland are one of those jewels and are gorgeous even if their wine is not so well recognised on the world's stage.
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