Day 5: 14-Oct-2026
Zürich, Switzerland
Prosaic. Uninspiring. Austere. It looked straight out of a postcard, although like a one a Mumbai-based accountant from the 80s would have related to. Arriving in Zürich from Paris didn't help either. For all its insouciant-bordering-on-brusque locals, Paris still made up to visitors with its charm, art, and neighborhoods. Zürich lacked it all.
We lost a goodie bag somewhere between Zürich HB station and a local pub; and we felt really bad about it.
The day had Rhine Falls in it. The falls are not something an Indian would have in mind but they were still pretty. The marriage of reliable civic infrastructure and breezy climate delivers on the promise of worthwhile visits to even mediocre attractions in Europe.
The day drew to a close with us finding ourselves in Lucerne. Lucerne blew Zürich out of the water for us in mere 5 minutes of us arriving. You move your head and there's a visual arresting your senses. Public infrastructure was laid out mindfully, with travelers as its centrethought.
The relatively-less-famous attractions of Lucerne had us in for a surprise for all their charm & magnificence. In days leading up to the trip, when well-meaning curious friends asked about the itinerary, I said I was looking forward to 'walking.' And, boy, did I walk the hell out of Lucerne. Gleefully.
The cafés were so inviting that I looked past safe Indian dining options with indifference unbeknownst to me. We landed at an Irish pub - Alpineum Kaffeehaus°Bar where we devoured their bread menu and washed it down with Belgian lager.
P.S: Every time you tilt your head to spot a visual, there'll be more than a handful of Indian heads poking into your visual frame. Well behaved though. Most Indians are well behaved when their surroundings look frighteningly clean. (I can't help but chuckle, remembering Manu Joseph's Why The Poor Don't Kill Us here).
Day 5: 15-Oct-2026
Mount Titlis, Switzerland
Start of the icy adventures bit, slated to last till 17-Oct. Mount Titlis at the top of the list. Day started with a multi-changeover journey from Lucerne to Stanstad to Engelberg to Mount Titlis. I'm beginning to run out of words to describe the scenic landscape. But, what awaits at the base of Mount Titlis is a human engineering endeavor to marvel at. An undertaking of highest ambition with visitors' gasps & shrieks as its end goal. Cable cars and ice-walks lead you straight into the mountain's bosom, a cold one at that. There's enough coffee at the 3000-mt altitude to let you continue enjoying the view.
It was hard to spot a non-Asian on the mountain though. I held up a magnifying glass to spot one finally, who was staring into the abyss, probably wondering at the effects of globalization that practically Asianized tourist spots in a country like Switzerland.
A handful of memories (read: pictures) later, our way back to Lucerne was like clockwork: transiting through trams and buses at right timestamps to arrive in this mountain-village Wengen.
You do a 270° sweep, standing at the mouth of the railway station, and the village reveals itself entirely to you. It looks straight out of European postcards we laid our hands on in the 90s. It's a village with no cars. We were walking up the street to arrive at our hotel, and we knew we were in a special place. The night was concealing it all but showing just enough to perceive its specialty.
< 100 mts. from our hotel is a glowing Irish pub with Aerosmith playing and IPAs flowing. Crystal Bar. The name took me straight back to RTC X Roads in Hyderabad. A couple of Belgian lager pints and a crusty pizza later, we nestle ourselves in our room with a balcony that oversees the snowy mountains.
All in all, it's been 12 hours we're here in Wengen. The sights of mountains and the smells of Mary Jane waft on the streets. Each one has something to take. We'll go with the sights.
We have a 4-hour mountainous adventure for the day, and that's it.
More to follow.
No comments:
Post a Comment