A TRUE NATURAL WONDER OF THE WORLD
For a country that prides itself on being neutral, we’d say there is a very strong bias towards fun. Rollicking fun in fact. There’s something about nature’s magnanimity that brings out the child in each one of us. When we encountered the snow-clad alps or the whitewash at Rheinfall, we were like two excited kids, spellbound by the gorgeousity that stood in front of us. We have to confess that we had way more fun that we thought we would. This postcard country offers a lot more than its wallpaper countryside.
MOUNT TITLIS: GOING BEYOND THE ROTAIR
Many people flock towards Mount Titlis to experience the Rotair - the world’s first rotating cable car that offers a 360 view of the Swiss Alps. While the view is nothing short of spectacular, the true joy of Mount Titlis is often not advertised enough. Before we get there, let’s begin at the very beginning – the base. One cable car takes you to the Rotair, and then that takes you to the top. Once you reach the top, there are three levels lined with restaurants and souvenir shops. Interestingly, you'll find a strong influence of DDLJ here. It's almost as if the Raj-Simran love story has been immortalised amidst this scenic beauty. Once you've had your fill of food and shopping, and make your way to the snow-clad mountain, you see glittering white snow all over. Now the real joy of Mount Titlis is at the end of this peak. As we made our way to the end, let us tell you an irony we experienced – HEAT. Yes, at 10,000 ft. in the snow, we were feeling hot. Luckily, we had layered up, so removing the top layers was good enough to get acclimatised. Okay, so what is beyond? Isn’t the idea of coming to a snow-clad mountain to just play with it and take it all in? Sure, you can do that, but if the mountain wants you have more fun, why won’t you? Fun begins with the Ice Flyer Ride. It’s literally an open bench with a bar in front of you that takes you from one mountain to the other. There’s no glass, no casing, nothing. Yet, it’s completely safe. Now if you have to be lucky to take this ride, because if the weather is bad, this ride is shut. So, we thanked our lucky stars and hopped on to get to the other side. This experience easily beats that of the Rotair. It’s spectacular. And what was waiting on the other side? Literally a mountain to ourselves. A handful of people and serenity. We walked. We ran. We fell. We laughed. Snow balls and photographs later, we walked towards the tube ride – essentially a float you sit on and slide down the mountain. We loved it so much, we wanted to do it again, but the low oxygen levels and the fact that you have to carry your float back to the top (there’s an escalator for that, yet it’s too much) got us tired. Mount Titlis was an exhilarating experience. It’s not the ride. It’s not the view. It’s not the snow. It’s all of that packed into one.
JUNGFRAUJOCH: THRILLS AND CHILLS
While Mount Titlis was a wonderful experience, we never felt the chills. I mean all that hype of Switzerland being extremely cold fell flat on its face, when on the contrary we felt hot. But Jungfraujoch now was 3000 ft. above Mount Titlis. And on the day we were going there, the temperature was -1°C. In a way, we were really fortunate to have experienced all kinds of weathers during our short stay there. Prepped again in layers, we made our way to supposedly the Top of Europe - Jungfraujoch (Factually, it’s the highest railway station at Europe and not exactly the top). The train ride is picturesque, especially when you’re inching closer to the top, right in the clouds. It’s literally walking into the clouds. Just like Titlis, we had to switch trains to get to the top. The experience at Jungfraujoch is nothing like that of Titlis. You can see clouds moving through the mountains, and it can get extremely cold. And when the wind blows, you shiver, there’s no way around it. (We had to switch to gloves till we got accustomed to the weather). But it’s an experience to savour. We shivered with joy, something one doesn't experience every day. Because of its high altitude, some of you are bound to feel heady and disoriented, so tread with caution. Once you’ve taken in the view from the gallery, you can head to the Ice Palace. Ot here, we got to see wildlife sculpted from ice. The highlight of the place though is Scrat from Ice Age, completely frozen. Finally, we headed to the plateau, where we saw the Swiss Flag flying high in the wind. It was extremely foggy when we got there, so much so that we couldn't see the person next to us, but in a matter of seconds, it was clear. It felt surreal. Jungfraujoch is like a little heaven in the clouds, and it stays back with you, long after you’ve descended to earth.
RHINE FALL: A FORCE OF NATURE
When nature’s wrath and nature’s glory unite, you get a visual spectacle like The Rhine Fall. Technically it’s where the long Rhein river flowing across Europe, finally ends. Now you may Google Rhine Fall and be astounded at what you see, but a mere picture or video cannot even come close to the real experience. It is every sense of the word a force of nature. Once you’re there, you can take a boat ride to get up close and personal. What strikes you first is the sheer size of it, and the gushing sound, which silences everything around it, including your voice. It really makes you feel puny in front of it. It’s exhilarating, exciting, and yet fleeting. It’s a flash of white that can blind you if you stare for long. Yet, you cannot seem to look away. It’s nature at her glorious best. And Rhine Falls is a beautiful beast. One you’d want to see for yourself.
Weekend Wayfarer Tip:
Layers are the way to go. Thermals help, but if you can handle the cold, you can do without one as well. Keep in mind, we went in the summers, but winters would ideally require heavy jackets. Also carry snow shoes or shoes with some grip. Sneakers on ice are one slippery mess.
We loved Switzerland. It charmed us, wooed us and has most definitely lured us into coming back for more. And for us, we can’t wait to explore more sides of this idyllic country.