Beauté parfaite - Suisse

Zweilütschinen - Looks difficult to pronounce ? Yes it is.


But No matter how difficult the Vowel heavy words are to pronounce here, it doesn't prevent one from being equipollently ecstatic of the European heaven. Switzerland - a dream place to be in for many. Everywhere you look in Switzerland, beauty is all around you.  From towering mountain peaks that are snow-capped even in summer, to crystal clear lakes, well-preserved medieval cities, lush alpine pastures and charming villages, Switzerland has it all.

Cities in Switzerland

Lucerne - Famous for its medieval covered wooden bridge and the nearby peaks of Mt. Pilatus, Mt. Titlis and Mt. Rigi, Lucerne is a beautiful city which makes a perfect base for exploring further.

Bern - The Swiss capital is a friendly city built in a bend of the River Aare. A definite must-see is the Zytglogge.

Zurich - If you are flying into Switzerland, Zurich will probably be your gateway to the country.  Allow time to explore the Old Town, the twin towered cathedral and wander along the River Limmat which flows into Lake Zurich.

Geneva - Since Geneva was my base point during this tour I would write a bit more about this cosmopolitan city. This beautiful city which lies on the border with France is situated on the shores of Lake Geneva and within easy reach of some stunning alpine peaks. Its always in news for United Nations Meets or scientific forums. United Nations headquarters is surely a place to visit if international matters excite you. I heard Syed Akbaruddin speaking on UNSC closed door meet for India's abrogation of Article 370 in J&K and it influenced me to mention about UN office. Post world war II a hard effort was put in by countries to bring peace and oneness in the European region. One of the outcomes of this exercise has been the establishment of CERN.



The European Organization for Nuclear Research, known as CERN (Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire ), is a European research organization that operates the largest particle physics laboratory in the world. Established in 1954, the organization is based in a northwest suburb of Geneva on the Franco–Swiss border and has 23 member states. Israel is the only non European country to be granted its full membership. CERN Museum is certainly worth a visit to the people having love for the science.

One could take out some time to Visit Jet d'Eau a large fountain in Geneva, Switzerland, and is one of the city's most famous landmarks. With water coming out of it at 200 Kmph in the lake away from shore and droplets of water landing on silent lake make the stay pleasant altogether.



If you are with kids then its worthwhile visiting The National History Museum.You will quickly realize that visiting Switzerland’s largest natural history exhibition is much like taking a trip down memory lane. A straight dive into 60's architecture and interior design while setting off on a journey that will take you through the evolution of mankind.On the ground floor, you will find the Natural History Museum's very first exhibit, regional fauna. Over 200 stuffed animals are exposed so if you don’t enjoy taxidermy, you can go straight to the top floors. An oddity not to be missed is Janus, the two-headed Turtle which has become the Museum’s landmark. My daughter enjoyed the interactive console which produced sounds of various animals/birds.


Then there is broken chair near UN office, a giant Chair which stands on three legs with fourth one broken.Broken Chair is an original project of Paul Vermeulen, co-founder and director of Handicap International Suisse.


Jonction is a place where rivers Rhône and Arve are joining each others, which creates a beautiful and unique natural phenomenon. Both rivers have different colors of water and when joining, their waters are mixing and shuffling and joining together into the one final river, Rhône. You can watch this scenario best from the bridge, situated conveniently just 40 meters after the jonction.



Peaks and Lakes

Nearest peak from Geneve is Auguille du midi in the Mont Blanc massif within the French Alps. It is a popular tourist destination and can be directly accessed by cable car from Chamonix that takes visitors close to Mont Blanc at en elevation of 3,842 m. One can reach Chamonix via Bus from Geneve Airport, its a 2 hour route to this french destination.


The most gripping thing about the places you visit in Switzerland/Europe is the way the natural beauty has been preserved despite being visited by a large number of tourists. One of such places is Rhine Falls- A beautiful water fall on the Swiss-German border, whose milky white mist and serenity doesn't let you leave this places early. Train journey to the place from Geneva is worth a ride.




Lac d’Annecy

One of France’s prettiest medieval towns is right on the shore of Europe’s cleanest lake. It just doesn’t get much better than this. Annecy is laced with canals and the historic streets have fun passageways darting off to the sides.
The lake is glorious, bordered on all sides by mountains and with crystalline waters that call your name on hot summer days.
Half the time you may lose yourself staring at scenery – Lac d’Annecy has a year-round gossamer haze.

Interlaken - The place between two lakes.

If you have at least 2 days of time and want to have an experience of life time, I would suggest to visit Interlaken via Train. Its beautiful train track where train travels along picturesque view of lake Geneva most of the time. One would feel like being in heaven sometimes. Some of the places to visit are:
Lauterbrunnen - One of my favourite places to go in Switzerland, this beautiful village also happens to be the starting point for some of the top things to do in Switzerland

Interlaken east - Perfectly located between two sparkling lakes and at the foot of the Swiss Alps. You can do paragliding here. My wife took her maiden paragliding ride here.


Grindelwald - This popular resort town offers a host of fun things to do all year round but particularly during the warmer months.

Mürren is a Swiss mountain village at the foot of the Schilthorn peak, which is accessible by cable car. It has been Featured in a James Bond film.


First is a minor summit on the slopes of the Schwarzhorn in the Bernese Oberland. It is mostly known as a cable car station above Grindelwald and as a popular hiking area with the Bachalpsee in proximity.


About the Culture and people:

People here are helpful and honest. One would find a mix of people from different ethnicity and culture living peacefully. Local transport is costly and it is difficult to order in a restaurant if you don't understand french.

I would like to share an interesting incident that happened with me :
It was my birthday when I lost my bag pack in tram at genev bel-air. I Tried to contact tpg(Transport Public Geneve) headquarters for help, where they told me to connect with lost and found office on next day at glacis de rive geneve. Next day I wen to the lost and found office. Lady there offered me to have a look at the heap of items received from tram . I could find my bag .Another country after japan which amazed me. Honesty is rewarded here. TPG charged me a few francs, part of which goes to the person returning the property.



Closing curiosity

By the way Zweilütschinen is a train station near Interlaken and is pronounced like Shwailootcheenun.