A Million Moments

Dreams and law of attraction is something that I have always believed in and certainly have and seen people manifesting it. But at times destiny also has certain things planned and they definitely do happen. Probably this trip of mine to Europe was destined.

As soon as we boarded our bus from Pisa to head towards our next destination (dreamy destination) The rains resumed. It came down with all might and reminded me of my home Belagavi that lies amidst the Western Ghats of India where we see such rains. I have many times ridden in such heavy rains to reach my college or tuition. But seeing such a rain in Europe was unexpected. It was an eight hours long journey and it rained throughout. It was late night by the time we reached Zurich in Switzerland. Our hotel for the day was DORMERO near the Airport. Zürich is a beautiful city that was set up next to lake Zürich by the Romans around 2000 years ago. It is also the banking capital of the world (No, I didn’t open an account this time 😉 ).

Exploring Interlaken & Jungfraujoch

Captivating Interlaken

The next day we were scheduled to travel to Interlaken. There are day packages to Interlaken from Zürich or one could take a train. Train shall be the best option. Interlaken city as the name says is a city that lies between two lakes. The beautiful lush green city with almost moving towards Autumn welcomed us with our faces in awe! If I would like ever retreat it would be Lachen, Sikkim in the Himalayan ranges of India or Interlaken in Swiss Alps! The city and the landscape is definitely just out of dream. Indian cinema legend Yash Chopra did literally help Interlaken build their tourism industry by shooting his films. They acknowledge his contribution and have erected a statue of him. They have also named one of their cogwheel trains to honor Yash Chopra. After walking on the streets of Interlaken it was time to head towards the magical world. We believed that our trip to Interlaken and the city was mind blowing but were wrong. The train Journey to Grindelwald and further up to Jungfraujoch in the Jungfraubahn was out of this world. I couldn’t believe that the tracks were laid more than 130 years ago! It is dubbed as top of Europe and has been open for tourists ever since. One can buy 150 euro ticket to Jungfraujoch that covers travel to and from Interlaken. This includes entry to all attractions. This can be bought online or at Interlaken.

Interlaken

My suggestion if you are travelling to Interlaken is that you should go up to Jungfraujoch first and then later explore the city because the last train from the top to down is at 4pm & most activities start closing by 3pm. You can spend good 4 hours travelling up & down. The city needs another 2 hours to be explored. If you are self-planning your trip you can spend a night in Interlaken and then take a morning train back to Zürich. A comfortable trip would require you to spend a day and half in Interlaken. If you are looking for Indian food you can definitely visit Indian Pure Vegetarian Chotivala in Interlaken. Other activities include para-gliding which requires another 3 hours.

Taking the train of dreams to Jungfraujoch

The Jungfraujoch which is  also known as the top of Europe has in total 10 attractions. The engineering marvel, Jungfraubahn is the first attraction that will take you to the top. Jungfraubahn is a cogwheel train that locks itself to the track to avoid slippage during ascent or descent. The trains are heated so you will be comfortable during the journey. The Jungfrau station also connects directly to the main complex that offers access to rest of the attractions. I suggest to again follow top-down approach where you will explore the top first and then gradually come down. The top of this main complex is called the Sphinx-terrace which offers a 360 degree view of the Aletsch glacier. The sphinx terrace also is an astronomical observatory. This research station was opened in 1931 and has been featured in some Bollywood movies. Latest one being shown as lair of Vivek Oberoi in Krrish 3. Apart from this there is an Alpine sensation which provides the tour about the past of Jungfraujoch. There is also the Ice palace that offers brilliant crystal like ice structures & the glacier plateau. Sadly there was a blizzard when I reached the top and all out-door activities were stopped for the day and even the ice palace was closed for weekly maintenance. We took the last train down to Interlaken soaking ourselves the beauty this part of Switzerland has to offer.

Jungfraujoch

I will definitely be back and spend a couple of days in and around Interlaken (Hopefully soon!). After reaching back to Zurich we retired to our rooms.

Serene Titlis & charming Lucerne

It was another beautiful day in Zurich! We were heading towards Engelberg. I would suggest taking a day trip package from Zürich as it will be easy to travel. If you are adventurous and can speak German one could explore the trains. There are regular trains from Zurich to Lucerne and further to Engelberg & Mt Titlis. The tickets for the cable cars at Mt. Titlis have to be bought at vending machines at the base of the mountain. If you are planning to stay longer then you can hike up the mountain as well!

Engelberg is the home to another wonderful peak, Mt. Titlis!. The weather-gods were kind to us and we were able to explore Mt. Titlis to its fullest. First you take a cable car to the last stop and then take the ride up in a rotating cable car that can hold 60 people! It provides a wonderful & memorable experience. Mt Titlis too has its own ice cave with crystal ice sculptures and an open area where you have a viewing deck and skiing slope! You have a cut out from the iconic film DDLJ to pose with and explore around. One can spend 3-4 hours here and later head back to Lucerne.

Mt. Titlis

Lively Lucerne

Further after descending we went towards Lucerne where we explored the markets, Lion of Lucerne & famous ancient wooden bridge & chappel. The story behind the icon of the city, dying lion is definitely moving. It honours the bravery of the Royal Swiss guards who served Louis XVI during the French revolution who continued to fight after exhausting their ammunition and held their post until they were killed or massacred later after surrender by the revolutionaries. The stroll in Lucerne was definitely soothing. You can shop for delicious Swiss chocolates, watches & Swiss army knives in the lane next to Credit Susie office. You can consider Restaurant Taj Mahal for lunch or dinner or even Kanchi which is just on the opposite side of the road. The day was over with us returning to Zurich and us further heading to new country the next day.

Lucerne

Bidding goodbye to the dreamiest country…

Before we left Switzerland we had one more place to visit, the Rhine falls! I have seen some of the wildest waterfalls here in India but this was unique. We finally had our proper Indian tea after a week! It was magical. The price did not matter and we chugged down 2! I almost forgot! The rains were back again. But yes, it definitely enhanced the taste of the tea! After spending a brief time it was time to head towards Lichtenstein! A land locked country which was formerly infamous for money laundering but the stricter laws which were introduced recently have made it shed the tag. We had a lunch stop at Vaduz and explored the market nearby before we headed to another new country Austria! We will experience it in the next blog. Until then you can explore all my previous blogs here!

Other recommended restaurants
1. India gate (Zurich)
2. Namaste India (Zurich)
3. Schlössle Mahal (Vaduz , Liechtenstein)