Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Switzerland

Recently we had been to Europe for Vacation Sorry ! A Marathon Sight Seeing Trip. Though it was hectic sometimes, the trip was awesome. We really got rejuvenated after the trip. My kids too had very good time. I try to compile and write my travelogue here. We visited eight countries altogether. I am starting off with my Switzerland experience .

We traveled from Milan Italy to Engelberg , Switzerland. The Suisse border is just 50kms away from Milan. We crossed the border without any problem and headed towards Engelberg. Engelberg is really an “Earthly Heaven”. The place is so astonishing with prestine and breathtaking Alps with beautiful lakes, lush green meadows and waterfalls. My heart sank and I awed big time at the first sight of Lake Lucerno (Vierwaldstättersee) on our way to Engelberg.

Engelberg is the leading mountain resort in Central Swiss. The mountain is 1050 m above the sea level. We had breathtaking panoromic views all through our way to Engelberg. You would see herd of cows grazing with the big swiss bell hanging around the neck making the clink-clank sound which is kind of very melodious to me.

We stayed in a Hotel from where we had remarkable views of Mt.Titlis. We thought of taking a stroll down to the valley once we reached the Hotel. But after seeing the narrow,steep winding roads and the thought of false slip stopped us from taking a stroll and we relaxed in the hotel itself. We started exploring the places from the second day.




Kapellbrücke

Oldest Wooden Bridge








Swiss Cuckoo Clocks




Casino Kursaal in Interlaken

Romantic scenes of Bollywood movie Dilwale Dulhaniye Le Jayenge were shot here .






We visited the following places when we stayed in Switzerland.

Trummelbach Falls :
It’s a very unique experience visiting this glacier waterfalls that empties up the Glacier on top of Monch, Eiger and Jungfrau mountains and flows deep inside the mountains and down the Valley of Lauterbrunnen. You will be taken by a tunnel lift to the top and from there you will be climbing series of steps to see 10 cascading illuminated waterfalls . It’s worth to see the roaring water gushing through the deep canyons. You will get to see the panoramic view of the mountains when you come out of the lift and all the way down the valley with white streams and lovely flowers. The waterfalls are open to the public only thro APR-NOV.




LUCERNE

Lion Monument (Löwendenkmal) :

We visited the Lucern’s Lion Monument which is located near Lucern’s Glacier Garden. This monument was sculpted and dedicated to the fallen swiss guards who defended the king’s palace during French Revolution . The extreme sadness Portrayed on the lion’s face draws sympathy for the soldiers who died and acclaims to the sculpt Bertel Thorvaldsen.



Mt. Titlis :

We visited Mt.Titlis which is at 3020 m (10,000 ft) above the sea level
And it is the only Glacier mountain in central Switzerland. We reached the top of Mt.Titlis by taking three different Cable cars.










From Engelberg we took Gandola(cable Cars) to reach Trübsee station. From there we took another cable car and reached the station called Stand. The last and final cable car to the peak is the Rotair in which the floor of the cable car rotates, So we get to see 360 degree of the uncompromising and ever cherishing views of the Mountains.



We took the Ice Flyer ride also called Ice flyer Chairlift. Though Each chair comes with the shield , I was scared a bit as I was holding my daughter in one hand and camera in other hand. I was speechless seeing the breathtaking serenity of Alps mountains. We visited the Glacier Park on top of the mountains . My son and daughter enjoyed so much there . We did Snow tubing , snow-Scooter and balancers on the snow. Once you slide down in the tubing, they had magic carpet moving walkways that automatically took us to the top . It was really fun.










Jungfraujoch






Finally we visited the high alpine ice wonderland Jungfraujoch also known as the " Top of Europe" . We took the train to reach the highest railway station in Europe at 3454 m . The train operates by modern Cogwheel mechanism.










Our Roundtrip was as follows
Interlaken Ost - Lauterbrunnen - Kleine Scheidegg - Jungfraujoch - Grindelwald - Interlaken Ost.

We visited the ice palace, Sphinx Observation Terrace and top of Europe
Glacier Restaurant.



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