Switzerland: A Land of Enchantment

Elevated heights lead to elevated thoughts. For the optimum upper, visit Switzerland. It is one of the few places in the world that exceeds ones anticipation of what it is like. If you have ever visited a highly anticipated place and found it a downer, Switzerland is the place to redeem those disappointments.
It is easy to visit all regions by comfortable, fast trains. For those of us unfamiliar with how to catch what train, it can be challenging. Rushing to get on a coach only to find you are on the wrong train going the wrong way gives you opportunity to see parts of the beautiful country not on your itinerary.  It is not a loss, I know. We covered the country from the German to the Italian borders by train.
A couple of places that stood out in more than one way are the Jungfrau, known as “The Top of Europe” (11,333 feet), and the Matterhorn.
The quaint village of Grindelwald is an ideal place from which to visit the Jungfrau by rack rail. The cafeteria, gift shop, and viewing rooms are also an ideal places from which to overlook the Eiger Mountain and Eismeer glacier. The myths of the Eiger North Face remain undiminished. It is a ninety minute adventure up the slopes. A change of trains at Klein Scheidegg is required. This was the setting that drew me back to this country after seven years. I wanted to go back, sit on the mountain side and listen to the cow bells. When you get on the tram at the Zurich airport there are background sounds of cow bells, a mooing cow, and a person yodeling. That is all lived out on this mountain side. Miss your connecting train and wait an hour for the next one to enjoy the views and melodious cow bells.
At the Jungfrau you are above 95% of the atmospheric pollution of the earth.
The snow and glaciers cover the mountains all year. The Ice Palace has been carved in the glacier. Long corridors and spacious rooms are made the more interesting by stunning ice sculptures.
Snow flakes that fall on the Jungfrau flow through the lower Grindelwald Glacier in the form of ice crystals for 200 to 250 years before melting and becoming part of the streams in the valleys.
This is a marvelous place to study global warming. A 10,000 year record shows a rapid change every 2,000 years from colder to warmer or warmer to colder. That is earth’s history.
From Grindelwald a three mile cable car ride to the area of First is a matchless way to see the forest and idyllic cultivated countryside up close.
A three hour rail trip from the hub city of Interlaken, itself a must visit town, near Grindelwald takes you through many tunnels, narrow valleys, and lofty passes to Zermott. It is the “WOW” route. The many enthralling views that surprise you result in frequent wows.
There are no automobiles in Zermott. It is the base from which the captivating view of the Matterhorn can be enjoyed. A rack rail trip to the summit of Gornergrat lifts you above most of the mountain peaks of the area and brings you face to face with the magnificent Matterhorn which appears to hold up the sky.
Go if you can. If you can’t, I hope this virtual trip has been interesting and uplifting.