Uber Bon Switzerland

It was obvious as soon as we crossed the border leaving Italy that things had changed. Everything seemed perfect and in place. Trains were on time to the second. Rubbish was non-existent. The people were friendly and courteous without expecting anything in return. The scenery was breathtakingly beautiful. We were now in Switzerland.

Our first stop on our brief tour of Switzerland was to its capital - Bern. A beautiful town and my new Swiss favourite. Its old town, mostly built in the early 15th century after the original city burnt to the ground was pristine and not showing its age at all. Its position sat on the bend of the river Aare so it was protected on three sides and with a wall protecting the fourth.

We spent our first day in Bern walking around the town following a popular walking track down the river. The locals were out in force with walking poles, dogs and baby strollers. It was great getting back to nature after the cultural overload of Italy. It reminded us of being back in New Zealand - but on a grander scale.

We climbed the 100 meter high tower of the Berner Munster cathedral for spectacular views of the city - and its many high up bridges crossing the river in various places. The Swiss love to show off their technical prowess and no object was insurmountable. Their motorways and trainlines take straight lines between two cities - one minute you're going through a tunnel and the next your crossing a canyon along a 100 meter high bridge. New Zealand take note. No winding, sickness inducing roads here.

But that's nothing compared to their latest undertaking. Although it has yet to begin, the Swiss are designing an underground train network for the whole of Switzerland! From one side of the country to the other in minutes - on maglev powered trains traveling at the speed of airplanes - all underground! Their vision is an underground Europe. Perhaps a few generations into the future will be traveling Europe by underground. Imagine if New Zealand had the will to undertake something of this size. You could live in Auckland and commute to Wellington and back every day. You could pop up to Taupo for the afternoon and be home for tea. Mind boggling. Unfortunately I think we lack vision for planning this far into the future. We're too concerned with now and quick fixes.

I'm still trying to understand some cultural aspects of Switzerland. They seem to have taken bits of their three main cultures German, French and Italian - and this is apparent in their language which seems to be mostly German with some French and a touch of Italian thrown in here and there for good measure. There are parts of Switzerland where the mix of people are equally split between German, French and Italian and the common language is English! English is widely spoken so we had no language difficulties here.

The day we were leaving Bern happened to be the countries busiest and most bizarre annual festival's - the onion festival. The streets were lined with confetti throwing festival goers from all ages. The stalls were a mix of hot food, mulled wine, christmas goodies and the most incredible array of onion figures, necklaces, faces and other decorations. Fascinating.

From Bern we took a leisurely train to Lucerne where we stayed at the nicest hostel yet. With comfy leather lounges and free Internet (the whole town has free open wireless) and friendly helpful staff, it was most pleasant.

We wandered around the picturesque town on day one, taking in the sights - the wooden bridge adorned with Swiss history portrayed on paintings, the watch tower / dungeon which stands out of the river, the old town and its ramparts, a bright and cheery church to help us thaw out before returning to the hostel for a home cooked meal and a good nights sleep.

Day two we had a few hours to kill before our train so we decided to try rollerblading... Gini was instantly a pro having tried it before. I was a little slower and nearly broke a few limbs getting the hang of it. Good cheap fun.

Our third and final stop in Switzerland was to its largest city - Zurich. Another beautiful city. We wandered the town, climbed the clock tower, saw the cathedral, wandered past the largest clock face in Europe - you know, the usual.

We also enthusiastically joined the locals during their busy weekday lunchtime for sausage and bread. An interesting spectacle where you choose your sausage (I got bratwurst) and get given a hunk of bread and some mustard to go with it - then you stand around with one in each hand and feast like a primitive. Men, women and children alike. Awesome.

Last sight in Zurich was its museum. The Swiss national history museum. A beautifully laid out and displayed museum inside what was once a castle palace. Each room had amazing wooden carved ceilings and ceramic cookers / heaters. The museum gave us a brief insight into how Switzerland was formed and how recent history has unified the people as "Swiss" people despite their cultural differences. It's added a few things to the ever growing list of things to read up on.

Our time was now up in Switzerland as we were to train it to Munich to drink beer with Paul. A fleeting and interesting visit to a country which has not seen the last of us yet.

T