My trip to the playground of Europe

These summer holidays saw me and my family going to Switzerland commonly referred to as the playground of Europe. Although we had been to this beautiful country thrice before the sweet experiences made us go back for even more.

After starting from the IGI airport, New Delhi at 4:00a.m., we reached Istanbul Ataturk International Airport for transit. Then we took a flight to Zurich Airport and reached there in the evening at 5:00p.m. In this airport we took a sky metro to take our luggage. We then took a train to Interlaken ost from there. After reaching the Interlaken ost bahnof or railway station we took a bus to bonigen where we had booked our apartment. It is a beautiful village by the Lake Brienz. The bus took us to our destination around 8:30p.m. At that time sun was shining brightly as sunsets in summers could be as late as 10p.m. Then we found our apartment and completed all our formalities for our stay of four days

The next day we set out to enjoy the scenic beauty of this country. We first went to Interlaken Ost from where we took a train to Spiez situated by the lake Thun. It began to rain and so we decided to enjoy the Ship journey or in other words ferry from Spiez to Interlaken ost on Lake Thun. It was a very nice ride with the magnificent views of the mountains, villages and of course the magnificent lake. We then went to COOP supermarket to buy our daily essentials. We then went out for a walk around the lake which was a marvelous experience.

The next morning was bright and sunny and we went to Faulensee to have the nice view of Lake Thun. The village was dotted with many Cherry trees and apple trees. Then from there on we went to the capital city of Switzerland, Bern. The city has a nice bear pit which has many bears. Then we went to the main market from where we bought chocolates, sat in trams and went shopping in MIGROS and other shopping outlets. There were magnificent views of river Aare during our walk around the city. Then we took a train back to Interlaken. Bears in bear pit

The next day early morning we went to roam about bonigen on its lakeside and do some photography. Then we took a ferry to the world famous Giessbach fall on the Lake Brienz. It was a sunny day so I could enjoy the deck fully. After reaching the falls we went for a trek to the top of the mountain to have the most spectacular view of the fall. Then after an hour we took a ship to Brienz and took a walk around Lake Brienz. Then we took a train to meringen, the city in which Sir Arthur Canon Doyle sent his famous fiction character Sherlock Homes to die. Then he had to revive him ultimately on demand by the readers. The best Sherlock Homes museum has been set up here. A representation of Sherlock homes house at 221, Baker Street, London has been set up as described by Sir Arthur Canon in his books. Giessbach fall

We shifted to our new apartment which was in the same village but at a different location and more luxurious. We then went to wengen after the shifting. We took a nice cogwheel railway which has trains which have special mechanism so that they can climb high mountains easily. In wengen we took a walk around the village and the nice children’s park and market. We did some shopping. We bought bells and chocolates from there. The magnificent view of Mt. Jangfrau made our walk all the more beautiful. After reaching Interlaken we took a walk on the lively streets of Interlaken West. Seeing so many tourists shopping, eating and enjoying was wonderful.
The next day was wonderful with the weather just favorable for a perfect sightseeing day. We planned to go to Lake Geneve the largest lake of central Europe. We went to Lusanne a beautiful city by this wonderful lake. We took a train from Interlaken Ost which took us directly to Lusanne. Then we went to the shore which was beautifully decorated by statues and flowers. The flower clock, there was great. Then after enquiring about the museums we took a walk along the shore to the Olympic museum which is run by the ‘International Olympic federation’ which has its base there. This museum wonderfully presented the history of Olympics and also all the torches along with the medals given out in all of the modern summer and winter games. Then we took a tram to the railway station and then a train to Interlaken. Flower Clock
Olympic museum

Early next morning we decided to explore the mountains of the Interlaken region. We went to Grindelwald first which is on top of a mountain giving magnificent views of the surrounding peaks including Mt. Titlis. The Ropeway journey up there was an experience of a lifetime. We trekked on top of the mountain enjoying the serene beauty of the scenery up there. After a ropeway ride down to Grindelwald we decided to roam about the market place. We bought chocolates and took a journey back to Interlaken.

The next day we set out early to explore southern Switzerland. We went to Brieg a historical town towards Italy. We took a train from Interlaken which took us through the Alps. There were several tunnels one of which was 13 kilometers long. Another tunnel is being constructed which will be 43kms long, the longest in the world to further shorten that distance. We went to the magnificent castle of the King of Brieg which taught us many great things about the rich history of Switzerland. Then we took a walk around the walled city which had narrow roads laid with stone. Then we went to see the Clock Tower which is also a marvel of ancient Architecture. Then we decided to check out some modern technology amidst that historical wonderland. We went to Inter Discount and bought a walkie talkie which was used by us for conversations between our apartment and the lake. We also bought 2 cordless for our house. We reached Interlaken and took our late evening walk around Interlaken.

This was the day when we decided to go to Luzern, one of the biggest commercial centers of Switzerland. We took a train which took us to our destination through the mountains. We experienced excellent views of the gorgeous lake Lungern, whose water seemed green by the reflection of the trees. After reaching Luzern we took a walk around the lake and reached the transport and communication museum which was an amazing experience. There was a live broadcasting setup and we could host our own TV show. There was a stimulator of an F1 car. Many great models of racing cars, bullet trains and steam engines were on display. There were many ships which could be operated and used by us for racing. There was also an excellent planetarium which solved many mysteries of space that adorned us. We than went to the “Bridge of Sorrow” a popular shooting spot for Indian directors. We then went back to Interlaken.

The next day we went to Murren, a beautiful hill station on the mountains in Bernese Oberland. We went there by a beautiful ropeway which took 40 people at a time on a fascinating journey to the hill station. After reaching the ropeway station we took a train to Murren. The views from both the ropeway and the train were mind-boggling. We enjoyed the serene beauty of the place by foot, trekking and cherishing the wonderful views. We then came back to the ropeway station by our cogwheel railway and took a Ropeway back to Interlaken. In the evening we had to de a lot of packing as it was our last day in Switzerland and it was time to go back home.

The elegant and cosmopolitan Geneva to the genteel Interlaken, from the lush green alpine region to the rugged snow capped mountains made all our experiences including this one made our experiences sweet. I will cherish the sweet memories of this trip forever.