Fond(ue) memories of Switzerland

Evening again (I'm on a roll here!)

Switzerland is an interesting country. It's famously neutral, and indeed has only just joined the UN. It's not in the EU. It has 4 languages, and decides everything by referendum. It's famous for being very ordered and clean (Singapore is known as the Switzerland of Asia). Mountain railways, punctuality, chocolate, cuckoo clocks, cheese with holes in it, Roger Federer...

With these basic images in my mind, and sans guidebook I caught the train to Lugano (beloved of Intrust as you know, Maggie!). A nice journey becomes very scenic as we get near, the train crossing Lake Lugano. On arrival I take the short walk down to the town, where I find my accommodation (the Hotel Dante Lugano), a cracking hotel, one of the best I stayed in on the whole journey, and good value compared with some of the other Swiss places I stayed in. It's the little details that impress, the fruit bowl on reception, the choice of pillows, the frigobar in the room with a selection of free soft drinks, and in a really good location.

Enough of this 'Wish you were here' style hotel woffle! Lugano is a very attractive town, located by a lake and surrounded by mountains. It's in the Italian speaking zone, so all the food and wine is Italian, but being Swiss everything is clean and orderly. It's a nice place to walk around, but very quiet on a Sunday, as virtually every shop was shut!
http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/mfconway@btinternet.com/detail?.dir=91d4re2&.dnm=4dd5re2.jpg&.src=ph

Annoyingly, I still couldn't buy an English language guidebook, and as there weren't any internet cafes either, couldn't look anything up there either. In Milan I used a map from the hotel (sponsored by La Tour sexy dance floor restaurant!) to find the tourist office. Here, I used another hotel map, which indicated a funicular going up one of the local mountains, Mount Bre. I took this to the top, where the view was nice but not brilliant (as you couldn't see in every direction), then hot footed it back down again to catch the England Ecuador game!
http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/mfconway@btinternet.com/detail?.dir=91d4re2&.dnm=bc0fre2.jpg&.src=ph
http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/mfconway@btinternet.com/detail?.dir=91d4re2&.dnm=79fare2.jpg&.src=ph

The next day I caught the train to Zurich, a very scenic route across the Alps, using several pioneering tunnels and loops to climb and descend. Some classic chocolate box scenery, viewed from a very comfortable train!
http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/mfconway@btinternet.com/detail?.dir=511ere2&.dnm=c3abre2.jpg&.src=ph

While on this journey, we crossed to the German speaking section, the most spoken language. Swiss German, as a spoken dialect, is significantly different to Classic German, and they use many French words such as merci for thank you (though pronounced more like the English mercy!) To prove the Swiss Germans are significantly different from the Germans, the Swiss LOST on a penalty shoot out this World Cup!

Zurich is Switzerland's largest city, and a global banking centre (and no I don't have an account there). Finding accommodation proved to be a headache, the only vacancy the tourist board had was in a divey place above a bar! I wonder if this shortage was football related, as Zurich isn't that far from southern Germany, and is also where the headquarters of FIFA is based...
http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/mfconway@btinternet.com/detail?.dir=/ca8cre2&.dnm=965ere2.jpg&.src=ph
I spend two days here, wandering around. On the first afternoon, I finally manage to find a bookshop selling an English Lonely Planet, a real relief! No longer wandering blindly around, I see some of the sights and walk along the attractive lake shore.

That evening I watch Switzerland crash out of the World Cup in a rather splendid beerkeller...the food and beer were of somewhat better quality than the Swiss football team...

For a bit of rare culture on this trip the next day I visit the Art Gallery and the Le Curbusier pavillion (the last building he designed). At the former for completing a vistor's survey I am given a brochure on the Alberto Giacometti exhibition...in german! If anyone wants to translate for me...
http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/mfconway@btinternet.com/detail?.dir=/ca8cre2&.dnm=3dcare2.jpg&.src=ph

That evening I watch France beat Spain on a big screen at the railway station, the French have a lot more support than the Spanish.
http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/mfconway@btinternet.com/detail?.dir=/ca8cre2&.dnm=6ffbre2.jpg&.src=ph

Moving on the next day, I take the short journey to Lucerne (Luzern). A very attractive town, with it's lake on one side, the river through the middle crossed by several historic bridges, medieval town centre and mountainous backdrop. Definitely my favourite Swiss town from this trip.

On arrival, as my room wasn't ready, I headed off for yet another highlight of Lucerne, the Transport museum, Switzerland's most popular museum and deservedly. The sort of place you can spend hours in, with it's vast collection of trains, planes, boats, cable cars, cars and bikes, and excellent audiovisual displays, in a selection of languages. In addition, there's a space exhibition, a tv studio, a giant photo of the country you can walk over and the brilliant Tourism flipper (albeit built by someone born in Romford!)
http://www.morgan-art.ch/sculp7.htm
The queue for the flight simulator was too long but I did have a go at the (very realistic) rail simulator, succesful driving an express train to Zurich! There was also a temporary exhibition of Sauber racing cars, seeing the difference between the a 2005 GP car (with it's strange aerodynamic addons) and older ones was interesting.

One final nice touch, on entry you are given a sticker to show you've paid. On leaving, they've provided somewhere to put your used sticker!
http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/mfconway@btinternet.com/detail?.dir=f9d3re2&.dnm=fe04re2.jpg&.src=ph

Back in town, the most famous image of Lucerne is the 14th century Chapel bridge, which had to be rebuilt after a terrible fire a few years ago. These days, it tends to get very crowded, especially with Japanese Tour groups!
http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/mfconway@btinternet.com/detail?.dir=f9d3re2&.dnm=2a2cre2.jpg&.src=ph
http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/mfconway@btinternet.com/detail?.dir=f9d3re2&.dnm=a8dbre2.jpg&.src=ph

The next day I popped to the laundrette first (it's all hedonistic pleasure on these trips), before heading up into the mountains again.

To be continued.....