Swiss Sampler

As an inveterate traveler I am conscious of my three P’s of traveling: planning, patience, and politeness. Patience and politeness are merely a matter of good manners and courtesy honed to silence during critical moments. But planning takes thought ahead of time.

What does this have to do with Bern you may wonder? A few years ago my friends and I had visited Interlaken and the ski meccas of Grindelwald, Mürren and Wengen. We drove from Zurich at our leisure, going around the city of Bern without so much as a decent look. In retrospect that was extremely poor planning. Our focus was toward awesome ski slopes just outside of Interlaken. Not visiting Bern--even for only a few hours--was a shameful omission on our part.

But even omissions can be corrected and I can now report that Bern is a city that should not be missed on the way to the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau mountains. The city of Bern is located about 45 minutes by train from Interlaken (trains run twice an hour).

This winter is an excellent time to visit Bern. If you are an architectural buff and a painting enthusiast, you must visit the recently opened Paul Klee art museum. This avant-garde edifice was designed as if a series of gentle waves beckon you inside to view an unprecedented number of paintings by one artist in one location. More than 4,000 of works of iconic Klee are in this one center. The museum is wonderfully sectioned into several functional parts: the middle hall offers a rotating smaller exhibition; the main hall overwhelms you with his paintings and there is a Children’s Museum (Creaviva) for children ages four and older.

But this is the year of Einstein. Albert Einstein lived in Bern for seven years during which time he developed the Theory of Relativity. And, things being relative, a visit to Bern this winter must include a visit to the special exhibit “Albert Einstein 1879-1955” at the Historical Museum. Meet Einstein by experiencing his physics. Watch films and computer animations as they present his life and role in world history. “Hands-on” technological displays allow you to watch construction of a Roman Arch, lift weights by treadmill, ride a bike on a high wire, or even drive a disc-wheeled wagon. These are just the tip of a two-floor 2500 square meter exhibition. His life from Russia to Princeton with stops in Bern, Zurich and Ulm along the way will fascinate you.

Bern also wants to show off its STADE DE SUISSE. This multifunctional arena for cultural events and sporting venues will truly amaze your senses. Book a tour if your time is limited. If you can speak German or French, it’s easy enough to do by Internet at www.stadedesuisse.ch, but if not, you can still get a pretty good idea of this mammoth solar-sized power station and comprehensive facilities by surfing the site.

Built in the 13th century, the Clock Tower or 'Zytglogge' has stood in the center of Bern for centuries. (Copyright by: Bern Tourismus By-Line: swiss-image.ch)

Before I mention some other Bern sites, allow me to suggest you opt for a BernCard. Pick up one of these little gems in the Tourist Centers of Bern Tourism at the railway station or at the Bear Pits. Again, you can go on-line and access them at www.berninfo.com www.berninfo.com or contact them at info@berninfo.com. Good news for those that have trouble with French and German---it’s in English. In short, the BernCard offers an amazing number of discounts on tours, strolls, 27 museums and unlimited travel on the excellent public transportation system.

Bern is a walking city with an Old Town you’ll fall in love with. There’s the medieval Zytglogge “clock tower”; the Bear Pits, in front of churches, bridges and fountains and its famous Bundeshaus. Of course, there is much more, but this is enough to get the travel juices flowing.

Lastly, may I remind you that the capital city of Bern is also a UNESCO Cultural World Heritage Site.

Now that you have been alerted, when you do the planning for your next ski trip to Switzerland, include the lovely and magical town of Bern.

White roofs, snow-clad treetops and hills. In winter, Bern has a very special type of charm.
(Copyright by: Bern Tourismus By-Line: swiss-image.ch)

The Castle of Chillon

Lake Geneva is listed as the largest natural lake in western Europe, 45 miles long and nearly nine miles across at its widest point. But I don’t measure it linearly; I say it’s about an hour and a quarter long—the time it takes to ride a high-speed train from Geneva on the western end to Montreux on the east.

It is an all-too-short period of time, because there is so much to see along the spectacular route along the Swiss northern shore. And so much to remember, so many segues to the past.

Starting point of my recent journey was Cointrin airport, oft-visited by me in a half-century love affair with the Alps. A brief stop in Geneva reminded me that the cultural city is headquarters of many international organizations and has many fine museums.

On the second day of spring I was glued to a right window. On the lake that never freezes a solitary rower rippled the blue water. One of us was out of season. I was circling the lake to get to Champéry to ski in famed Portes du Soleil, the international domain that Switzerland shares with France. Behind the man in the boat, across the lake, snow-capped mountains caught low-lying clouds---puffs of cotton in the couloirs.

Between Geneva and Lausanne I was a bubble head, bouncing between the lake on the right and extensive vineyards on the left. What wines would flow from them in a few months? Behind the yellow apartment buildings I could picture the Olympic museum and its outstanding exhibits, not only of all the achievements of the modern Games, but of artifacts dating back to their Greek origins centuries before the Christian era. A great place for a skier to visit on a bad weather day.

I wondered if the ladies who relieved me of a few francs were still playing bridge in their posh hotel. When we stopped briefly in Vevey I remembered a visit to the home of Charlie Chaplin where a group of writers met with the family of one of his sons. A bronze statue of the Tramp on the lawn overlooking the lake was a reminder of the magic of the famous comedian.Vevey’s cemetery holds at least two other prominent actors, Audrey Hepburn and Richard Burton.

Our group also spent an evening with the son of Russian novelist Vladimir Nabakov; he had created a career out of reading from his father’s works.

When I wasn’t staring at the lake, I scanned the hills for castles and saw an occasional one. But at Montreux I jumped up from my seat as the train breezed by the 13th century castle of Chillon, featured in Lord Byron’s famous poem “The Prisoner of Chillon.” I knew that it would be in view for only a minute or two as we arced around its location on a tiny island.

When the lake disappeared, there was water still to be seen. The Rhone River flows into Lake Geneva at this end, emerges on the west and enters France to become its third largest river (after the Seine and Loire). I am always fascinated by the fact that three major rivers, primarily associated with other countries, originate in tiny Switzerland. France’s Rhone, Germany’s Rhine and Austria’s Inn all have their sources in the Swiss Alps.

My memorable train ride ended shortly afterward in the town of Aigle, where I made a connection for my Champéry destination. But if I were going farther on this express train toward Sion and Brig for a visit to Crans Montana or Zermatt, there would have been many more vineyards to marvel over and castles to romanticize.

     These Were Not Railroad Signals

Sometimes there can be distractions, interruptions in reminiscence. During an earlier train ride from Geneva to Zermatt I heard a voice over my shoulder. "Are you an American? You were talking to the conductor in English."

(I had apologized to him for not having validated my Swiss Rail Pass.)

She was blonde and pert, wearing boots and a leotard and looking like Janet Leigh with a few miles on her. Let’s call her Janet. I did not notice her when she came aboard. When a passenger across the aisle left the train, Janet slipped into the empty seat.

Thus began a three-hour encounter in which Janet flashed more signals than there are stoplights on Broadway. She was a widow from Australia, who didn’t miss her husband or his kids from an earlier marriage. "Isn’t it interesting that you and I are both going to Zermatt," she said. "Do you believe in fate? It’s such a romantic place, especially with new friends. I know you will be skiing, but what else are you going to do?"

She probed for areas of mutual interest. Did I like Hemingway? Wasn’t it a shame about Scott Fitzgerald’s wife Zelda? Whenever I tried to point out something in the passing landscape, she had a different frame of reference. The vineyards along the Rhone River didn’t interest her, but she wanted to know my preferred wine vintages.

I deftly worked into the conversation that I had served in World War II; she could easily calculate my age. I mentioned that I usually travel with my fiancée Connie. Janet ignored the irrelevant clues.

A horse drawn carriage from a top hotel was waiting for her at the station in Zermatt. I purposely avoided telling her the name of my hotel, but as we parted I said that I might call. Maybe we could have a drink.

"That would be truly lovely," she said.

I never did call. The brief encounter was good for my ego, even though it did nothing for my id. Long ago in B.C. - Before Connie - I might have had that drink.

I hope Janet liked Zermatt.

The excitement for this trip began in Newark, when I boarded the Swiss International Airlines flight to Zurich. What? Only 56 seats on the plane? So that’s what they meant by “business class only.”

The Boeing 737-800 was configured for maximum comfort. Leased by Swiss from a company called Privat Jet, the seats had more leg room than the lounge chair I watch TV from at home. And they reclined so dramatically that I was almost lying on the floor once we were in the air.

Over the years I have traveled with Swiss many times, not only to go skiing in their Alps but also those of Austria, France and Germany. always comfortably. This time I maxed out the opportunity to get some sleep. I passed up the chance to choose my own movie, eschewed the elaborate meal and settled for a light snack.

The crew didn’t bother me under my mask. Most other passengers also went to sleep early in the flight; I arrived in Zurich and transferred to Geneva alert and ready, not to do business, but to enjoy this marvelous rail adventure.

Editor's Note.  Editors of the Blue Book are fans of add-ons to skiing holidays. Visiting an historical city after a week in the mountains is a great way to make the flavor last. Barbara is not a skier, but she knows how to capture the allure of this popular add-on.

If you organize a European itinerary alphabetically, you'll risk missing Zurich.

It took me decades and a dozen trips to Europe to discover that the banking and cultural capital of Switzerland is nothing like the dour, nose-to-the-grindstone kind of place I expected.

Lively, charming, sophisticated, filled with visual treasures — these words more accurately describe Switzerland's largest city.

My view from the Hotel zum Storchen was an important ingredient in making my two-day visit a success. The hotel's outdoor cafe on Weinplatz is a fine place to sip an aperitif while listening street musicians and watching boats scoot up and down the unpolluted River Limmat. If you crane your neck, you might even see storks roosting atop the hotel's chimneys, a tradition which has continued for at least six centuries.

Swiss-image photograph of Zurich by Christof Sonderegger
 

The balcony in room 521 has a magical, intimate view of the river, as well. In summer hanging baskets of geraniums and a blue and white striped awning frame the twin towers of Grossmunster Church which was built from the 11th to the 13th Centuries. It was just one of three historic churches within earshot of my room.

St. Peter's, with the biggest clock face in Switzerland, is just around one corner. And, Fraumunster Church, built from the 13th to 15th century, is a few blocks away. On Saturday night at 7 P.M., I had a front row seat, as all three churches regularly chimed their formidable bells simultaneously for about 15 minutes. Together they created a glorious cacophony of free-form sound.

Hotel guests are invited to join an early morning jog along the quay towards Lake Zurich. But, for me, a walker's pace was more appropriate for a city whose roots go back to Roman times. Exploring Zurich’s Old Town on foot was one of the five activities I planned for my visit.

The Old Town area is an eye-appealing maze of winding, Parisian-style streets where townhouses are studded with ornate windows and balconies. On Augustinergass Street, buildings that date from the 17th century overhang narrow passageways. Nearby, sculptured fountains with names like Hercules, Temperance and Geiser add cachet to neighborhood squares. Street musicians festooned with earrings and funky clothes perform for diners at outdoor cafes.

Zurich has been Switzerland's cultural capital since the 18th century. (Thomas Mann, Goethe, James Joyce and Mozart were once residents.) More than 30 museums are repositories of numerous collections that focus on such eclectic subjects as coffee, tin figures, watches, North American Indians, classical archeology and the history of Swiss hotels. Today's population of 367,000 supports more than a dozen theaters and a neo-baroque opera house built in 1891.

One of my goals was to visit the Reitberg Museum to see its remarkable display of non-European art. Its treasures include Indian sculpture, bronzes from Tibet, Chinese grave decorations, Buddhist steles, ceramics, jade, masks and bronzes of African tribes. Craft work from the Pacific, Near East and North America are also on view.

The Reitberg Museum is located on the grounds of Villa Wesendonck, a hilltop mansion where visitor Richard Wagner fell under the spell of his hostess Mathilde Wesendonck. She is said to be the model for the heroine in his opera "Tristan and Isolde."

My next stop was to see the five stained-glass windows created by artist Marc Chagall at one end of the dim, cavernous Fraumunster Church. Chagall used colored glass and plant-like forms to evoke religious symbols and events. The color green dominates the central window, intending to show Christ's progression from childhood to becoming a religious martyr. A calming, ethereal light effuses the work, not only illuminating the immediate room, but, on a symbolic level, the entire world.

I booked a pleasant hour-long cruise along Lake Zurich’s northeast coast that is lined with well-manicured, half-timber houses. At Meilen, I disembarked to enjoy lunch at a lakeside restaurant, then returned to downtown Zurich by train.

My most memorable meal was dinner at Der Blinderkuh (The Blind Cow) where patrons dine in total darkness and all servers are blind or partially-blind. Ordering iwas done in the restaurant lobby, where I chose a simple salad, beef, potatoes, beans and pudding.

First, I followed a hand-on-shoulder, single-file train of diners into a semi-dark adjustment area, then I was led behind a second black curtain to my seat – where I could hear the other diners but saw absolutely nothing. For the next two hours, I felt for my glass, fumbled for a fork and ate slowly as courses arrived. It took courage to overcome my fear and faint sense of claustrophobia, but eventually I relaxed and learned from the experience. This was a real, if low-key, adventure.

After dinner, I strolled along Bahnhofstrasse where Zurich swings into commercial high gear. expensive watches and high calorie pastries filled the windows of boutiques and department stores.

At night, the equestrian figure of Mayor Hans Waldmann silhouetted in front of a flood-lighted Grossmunster church was especially dramatic.

Everywhere I went in Zurich, the sober, plain, reserved people I expected to find, turned out to b sincere, helpful – and charming.

One ancient festival that today’s Protestant, German-speaking community keeps enthusiastically alive is Sechselauten. Each April, when another successful ski season comes to a close, lantern-carrying guildsmen dress in medieval garb, play music and make social calls. Residents and visitors gather to watch the burning of a huge funeral pyre that supports Boogg, a straw figure symbolizing winter.

That’s one more reason to put Zurich on your "A" list of European cities to revisit.