8th August 2007

Switzerland

It’s hard to write about the beauty of Switzerland and the Alps without sounding horribly clichéd. Even at this time of year, when there is hardly any snow to be seen, catching a glimpse of some sheer sided mountain around the corner is quite an experience.

We spent a couple of nights on the shore of Lake Geneva in a small town called Morges. It was a lovely little place with marvellous views across the lake to the mountains but, as we discovered, it has the most boring self guided tour in the world which seemed to focus mainly on the subtle changes in window design in the late Gothic period. I won’t go into the details because to be honest, I can’t remember them. We were just relieved that the tour was self guided that day and that we didn’t have to feign interest to an over zealous tour guide.

We were very fortunate to have a place to stay up on the alpine meadows for a few days. We loved the luxury and comfort of the chalet, but most of all the company. It’s been six years since we saw Martine and 18 months, give or take, since I saw my parents so everyone had a lot of catching up to do. We even went for a chilly swim in a lake. Well, the brave ones did.

A big thank you must go to Martine and her family for all their hospitality.

Our next stop was Bern. We weren’t aware of the fact until a few days before but we had chosen to arrive in the capital in time for the August 1st Swiss National Day. This is cause for big celebrations all over the country (the National day, not our arrival) and fireworks tend to figure heavily. By pure chance, we had chosen to camp in the best place to view the main event. We knew we were in the right place because, as the display began, everyone else in the campsite descended on our pitch, or at least, an area close by.

We also spent some time in and around Bern with Corrine and her family, exploring the city and travelling high into the Berner Oberland for a chair lift ride to a glacier fed lake. This time we weren’t so brave. We must also extend a big thank you to the Sprecher family for making us feel so welcome in their home.

Before we left Bern, we made time to visit the beautiful Bern Munster church with its incredible carved entrance depicting the last judgement. The views from the tower were worth the price of admission and mild exertion to reach the top.

We spent our last few days in Switzerland on the shores of the Bodensee, Lake Constance in perfect weather. We drove to Liechtenstein just because we could, which to be honest is why anybody drives to Liechtenstein. The capital Vaduz is miniscule as far as capitals go but it does boast a royal castle perched above the tiny town. The best thing about driving to the principality was the absolutely stunning drive back again.

On our last day in Switzerland we took a boat to Germany. It’s not hard as the Bodensee is bordered by three countries. The ferry took 2 and a half hours to reach our destination at Insel Mainau and it was a very nice way to get there. The island itself was something of an oddity with gardens, sculptures, water features and restaurants abounding. It also had a butterfly house but we were pushed for time and didn’t really do the place (or its hefty admission price) justice.

So now we’re back in Germany, right on the Bavarian/ Austrian border and just a stones throw from the fairytale castle of Neuschwanstein. But more about that later.