Vacation in Switzerland

When listening to our friend sharing and describing her trip to Alps last week, suddenly all the sights of the beautiful mountains, Lake Geneva and Lucerne, the smell of cheese fondue, the gourmet Swiss pastry, and the exotic steep streets, all popped out conspicuously like movie screen in my head. It was not a dream after all, I had been there. I was also fortunate enough to be able to visit Switzerland this past June.
My husband chose two points for us to enjoy the beauty of Alps. First, we took train from Geneva to Zermatt and wondering at the hilly town so we can see Mt. Matterhorn from different angle, but weather prevent us from knowing her true fact instead just peeping in the mist. After a comfortable rest at Interlaken we moved on to visit Jungfrau. The name Jungfrau means maiden in German. She is part of a rocky, circular ridge enclosing several glaciers that unite to form the Aletsch Glacier. An electric railway carries tourist to Jungfraujoch, the top of Europe. The flat area in the ridge is 11,333 feet high. The railway was built and initiated by A.Guyer-Zeller in 19 Century. Imagine how enormous the construction was because they had to conquer the snow-storming weather and made numerous tunnels through those circular mountains, yet did not spoil their nature beauty.
Although it was a short stay at Lucerne, we did not waste any time. We walked along the street market by the river, breathing the smell of colorful flowers and fresh vegetables. We hiked to a castle at a hill about 20 minutes from downtown. There were some cows lying and walking at the pasture nearby the castle, we can hear their cow bells tinkling whenever they moved. We also dined on a boat while touring Lake Lucerne.
Another city I fell in love with was Lausanne, where we stayed four days because my husband had to attend meeting. Lausanne is located on the north shore of Lake Geneva and is a hilly city with steep roads. One of Lausanne’s landmark is a medieval Gothic cathedral and her famous beautiful stained glass windows. The cathedral was built in the era of 12th century. Several bishops were buried inside the cathedral. Those tombs were decorated with sculptures of sheep or lion to characterize the nature of each bishop. As I found out from the tour guide that the cathedral was within walking distance from the hotel, I went back twice, including their Friday night concert. It was a pipe-organ recital. When the divinely sound of pipe-organ filled the sacred cathedral, the music was so overwhelmed me that my tears came out.
Travel within Switzerland was an exhilarating experience. We can conveniently transport by bus, metro, train or by boat. We used boat and train to reach Chillon Castle twice; the castle is located near the city of Montreux which is at south east of Lausanne. The castle was built on a huge rock that was occupied by men of Bronze Age. The castle and its medieval weapons reminded me of the round table knights. The poet, Lord Byron has signed his name on a rock inside the castle, and I believe some of his great poems were inspired by the history and legend of the Chillon Castle.
During our trip I repetitively tell my husband that I thought God favored more at this part of the world when he created it. I do not deny there are many other great places in the world, because I had only been to few of them. Switzerland’s tranquility nature and dignified beauty attracted and amazed me most.