THE "Daffies" (Monday, September 16)

So what do you do when you have eight hours on a train, even if it is the speedy Railjet, travelling at speeds of up to 233 km per hour. (Speeds and the route map are posted on overhead computer screens. Quite slick!) I for one let my mind wander to "silly" things. Like the Monty Python crew and their "silly walk", this is me and my " silly talk". I have unilaterally decided to create the "Daffies" - awards for my Swiss Best List. Not quite the Oscars, but what the hey!
Best City/Town:
Nominees are Zurich, Gruyeres and Lucerne.
And the award goes to....Zurich. (Cheers and applause can be interjected here!) I loved this dignified city with its quiet charm. I admit that the Chagall windows in Fraumunster may have played a large part in my decision. I would return to Zurich just to revisit those vibrant masterpieces.
Best Experience:
Nominees are Chillon Castle, the Lavaux Wine Terraces, and the Jungfraujoch (The Top of Europe)
And the award goes to....The Jungfraujoch. (Yahoos are heard all around!) Not even counting the adventure of two cog train rides, one actually taking you through the Eiger, the mind boggling views from the observation station out over the Alps and glaciers is a hands down winner. It was difficult at times to take it all in. How small and insignificant is mankind. Close on its tail, however, is tasting wine sitting outside on the Lavaux Wine Terraces surrounded by row upon row of vineyards. Not to mention the views over Lake Geneva. Oh, and the delicious wines!!
Best Music:
Nominees are the choir in Gruyeres Town Square, cow bells, ad hoc groups of yodellers.
And the award goes to....cow bells. (Bravo! Bravo!) Switzerland for me will forever be the land of tinkling cow bells. Even now as we whizz across the Austrian border, I can hear the welcome sound of those bells. Quintessential Switzerland!
Best night Music:
Nominees are: the rushing sound of Appenzell's Sitter River, the gurgling fountain in Gruyeres, the roar of Lauterbrunnen Falls.
And the winner is........the gurgling fountain in Gruyeres. (Applause! Applause!) How could you not have sweet dreams with the happy, inviting, bubbling and gurgling sound of that cheery little fountain as the backdrop?
Best Dinner Out:
And the nominees are Cully (tagliatelle with chantarelle mushrooms in a white wine sauce), Lucerne (the famous chicken pot pie at Opus), Cully again ( grilled perch, fresh from Lake Geneva).
And the winner is..... Grilled Perch from Lake Geneva. (Smacking lips can be heard.) Truthfully, the only area of disappointment for me in Switzerland was the food. To dine out nicely is exceedingly expensive. I missed the little Ma and Pop trattorias of Italy where an outstanding meal can be savoured for just a pittance. With the exception of one meal in Lucerne, the best food we enjoyed was in the French region of Switzerland.
Well, enough of these Daffies. I could list hundreds more and bore you - and me - to death. Our train is speeding on its final leg into Vienna. It has been an extremely long and tiring day, waking at 6:00 a.m., taking three different trains and ultimately arriving after 10:30 p.m. I would fly next time. Who was it that said travel by train?
Switzerland has been a treat. Every inch of the country is spotless ,neat and beautiful. Its friendly, accommodating people are fiercely proud of their mighty little country and so they should be. Their engineering ingenuity is staggering from mountain tunnels, to extensive bridges to mountain passes. Not an inch of their wild topographical landscape remains unused. The highway system, no matter how small the road, is beautifully maintained. Not a pothole to be seen. Did you hear that Mayor Ford?
With the exception of our departure from Zurich when we fly home. It is auf wiedersehn and au revoir to the land of cow bells, chocolate and cheese.
Let our Austrian adventure begin.......
I have only added two photos today. One is of the guardian angel, Niki de St. Phalle who hangs above the heads of travellers in the Zurich Train Station. The second is a logo I took of the side of a train. Nice to know that Canada plays a part in the efficiency of the highly regarded Swiss train system. Yeah Canada!

MOTHER NATURE and HER PNEUMATIC DRILL (Sunday, September 15)

Solid cloud had descended during the night to conceal the jagged peaks at the end of our valley. Heavy shrouds of mist clung to the walls of the Lauterbrunnen cliffs. Such was the view that greeted me this morning when I stepped onto our balcony. I confess to having a "Scotland moment". Was this Switzerland? Accessing the Schilthorn weather cam revealed a 'socked in' peak. Thank heavens for our weather window yesterday. Are we allowed to feel even slightly smug?
After a leisurely breakfast, we set out for Trummelbach Falls, Europe's only accessible glacial waterfall within a mountain. To be more precise, Trummelbach actually consists of a series of ten successive waterfalls. The ten glacial waterfalls have been made accessible by Swiss engineering ingenuity - a tunnel funicular, illuminated interior walkways, stairways and viewing stations. On approach, the green forested hills and sheer cliff walls reveal nothing of the raging glacial waters within. That is, if you cannot hear the thunder of this Swiss Niagara. I wondered what early settlers thought. A ghostly ogre? A roaring, angry mountain god?
Trummelbach drains the glaciers of Eiger, Jungfrau and Monch carrying 20,200 tons of boulder detritus per year and up to 20,000 litres of water per second. Viewing is prohibited during the spring runoff months. No kidding?
Once at the base, you ride a funicular up through the mountain to a level between Waterfall 6 and Waterfall 7. (I should interject here that Waterfall 10 is at the top, Waterfall 1, at the bottom.)
Exiting the funicular is to be instantly deafened by the roar of raging glacial waters. So overwhelming is the noise that Jim and I found ourselves yelling to be heard. We quickly reverted to hand signals for communication. An old throwback to our sailing days? Oh, and that hair you so carefully coifed this morning. Hah! Water dripping from the tunnel roof can only be likened to walking in a rainfall without an umbrella. My second shower of the day!
Now you begin your climb through claustrophobic wet caves, alongside the raging river and up a series of endless stairs. Each Waterfall presents a different photographic moment. Thank heavens for digital; the click of our cameras never ceased. The final ascent to Waterfall 10 is up a flight of 185 steps. To that fact I can attest because I counted each and every step. My quads, by the way, will verify such! Waterfall 10 is magnificent. Glancing upwards a cleft in the ceiling allows you to see the edge of the cliff and the point at which the mighty surge of glacial water begins its plunge though the mountain.
Your descent now begins back to the funicular station or, as Jim and I chose, a descent on foot to the lower five waterfalls. Passing below the tree line on this descent, you catch whiffs of green scented air, hinting that the base of the falls is near. Our adventure had ended.
A charming Swiss inn and a caffe latte provided us with a moment to reflect on the absolute power of Mother Nature - how her tools of time and water surpass the power of any tool man can devise.
This afternoon has been spent the the comfortable lounge of the Staubbach, organizing train schedules and preparing for our next phase - Austria!

COFFEE WITH BOND, JAMES BOND, THAT IS! (Saturday, September 14)

Possibly the worst James Bond film ever released, at least in my mind, was the 1969 "On Her Majesty's Secret Service". The appearance of Diana Rigg in that film may have been its only redeeming feature. So why mention it then?
With the exception of a few scenes filmed in St. Moritz, the majority of mountain and winter scenes captured, were filmed here in the Berner Oberland and more particularly, in Piz Gloria on the Schilthorn. The movie put the Schilthorn and Piz Gloria on the map, so to speak. Our desired destination today was the Schilthorn peak with its 9748-foot elevation, solar-powered revolving restaurant, and famous panorama terrace.
Web cams showing live video feed from the most famous peaks play just about every where you go - restaurants, hotels, shops. When the local economy lives by the weather you can understand why. Rain was our disappointing forecast for today. Imagine our delight when accessing the Schilthorn webcam early this morning, we were treated to pictures of a cloud free sunrise.
Aware that weather at the peaks can change drastically from early morning to even noon, we dressed, gulped down coffee and shovelled in breakfast in record time. Gluttony, with a purpose! By 7:30 a.m., we were purchasing our tickets at Stechelberg for our four-stage ascent. Yup! It takes four spine-tingling gondola rides to reach this peak. Where was my little cog train when I needed it?
As you ascend through each stage, ears popping, the altitude meter in the cable car registers your increasing height above sea level. For me, the stage that freaked me out was our final climb from Birg (8738') to the Schilthorn peak. Birg sits almost precariously on an rock massif jutting eerily out of the mountainside. From that point to the summit, the cable car, with views to the Mars-like landscape below, climbs straight up. I have to admit that I was "channeling my inner Amanda" here. One can feel the strenuous lugging of the car as it pushes to its ultimate stop. Then, smash! Crack! The few people in our gondola jumped in shock as our operator smiled and pointed up. "Ice". Yah, okay!
Stepping onto the panorama terrace with its mind boggling views over the majestic alps made me immediately realize the tiny place I occupy in our amazing world. Jim and I lingered at the top, identifying each peak and enjoying the unscheduled sunshine, mountain breezes and -2 C temperatures. Eventually, Jim elected to walk along a ridge out the back across a trail of scree and ice to an observation point. Chicken-hearted me, not eager for a slip and slide walk, remained behind on the terrace. Coffee was slowly enjoyed in the Piz Gloria restaurant in order that we might experience one revolution.
Long wisps of captured cloud on surrounding peaks were our signal to begin our descent. At Murren we made the decision to hike rather than ride down to the Gimmelwald gondola station. The steep trail wound down through heavily scented forests, aged Swiss farm lands, fields built up with avalanche bridging and past raging streams rushing to their ultimate plunge over the "Lauterbrunnen cliffs. Para-gliders, flying with the birds, were visible below us, their brightly coloured kites in sharp contrast to the sheer cliff faces.
Arrival in Grimmelwald, lunch at a charming little pension and then our final descent on the Grimmelwald to Stechelberg gondola. Leaving the gondola, we high-fived each other. Another sunny day, another peak and more "once in a lifetime" vistas.

WHOA! (Friday, September 13)

WHOA! You Are Kidding!
Built in 1878, the Jaunpass climbs and descends through the Alps from Charmey to Jaun. At its highest point, it is 1890 meters (4950 feet) above the valley floor. And guard rails? I am convinced that they too were designed in 1878 (or earlier), as they are constructed of either thin steel poles and a line of wire, or even safer (I think not) a string of wooden posts with yellow nylon rope running between them. The road, at its highest, is only wide enough for one and a half cars. My old real estate training would generously refer to it as a 'single car drive'. Getting the picture, yet? Nicely maintained and paved, but try having a tour bus come at you when you are on the valley side of the highway. I promise not to do a thousand word rant (as I did in Italy) about these monoliths selfishly and dangerously hogging roads not constructed with their lumbering size in mind. Use the highways where you belong! You are a danger! Although I would love to swear here, I was brought up to be a lady. Too bad! Our first clue about this pass should have been the green light posted at the beginning of our ascent which indicated that it is currently open. And it closes when? Only kidding!
The breathtaking vistas of valleys and mountains vibrant in the glorious sunshine made taking this shortcut through the Alps, rather than the long relatively flat highway around, more than worth my grinding teeth and long intakes of breath. Jim (AKA Sterling Moss) gleefully gloried in every hairpin turn. He still has not wiped the grin from his face.
WHOA! How Kind!
When last in Lauterbrunnen (a week ago), we stayed at the Staubbach Hotel. Built in 1890, this charming Swiss lodge, offering the best views in town and manned by charming, efficient and enthusiastic personnel, won our hearts. How relieved we were that it was here we would be returning to in a week's time. Today, upon arrival, Jim and I discovered that we, as returning guests, had been given the best room in the house - second floor, corner view over both Staubbach Falls and the valley below. We may never leave our balcony chairs!! "A glass of wine please, Jeeves!" Sitting on the desk in our room was a bright note welcoming us back accompanied by two wine glasses and a bottle of bubbly. Talk about great customer relations! And how kind!
WHOA! Way Cool!
On the final stretch of our days journey, we came to a grinding halt behind a long line of cars. Accident? Construction? No! Local farmers were bringing their cows down from summer pastures in the mountains. Bells ringing, cows mooing, they held up traffic as they moved across the road into their winter fields. Gotta' love it!
WHOA! How Incredibly Beautiful!
Having settled into our room and having enjoyed a lovely lunch (after that pass, I should also have had a drink!), we set out on a five kilometre hike along the rushing, winding Weisse River and then returned along a trail under the Lauterbrunnen Valley Cliffs. We have spent two weeks in Switzerland. I know there are other gorgeous locations we have not yet seen, but for me, this valley flanked by 1500-foot sheer rock cliffs, with its sweeping vistas of snow capped peaks, mighty waterfalls dropping hundreds of feet, and picture perfect villages set on vibrant green shelves, wins the "My Favourite" prize. How fitting that we end our Switzerland visit here.
WHOA! It's Friday the 13th.
A great day, in my books!