Switzerland or Swiss will be high on the list of anyone who would like to visit a place for its sheer natural beauty. So it was a like a dream come true (well almost), when I landed in Zurich airport in the last week of January.
It was an official trip for a week, so did not get much time to explore the place. However, we made sure that we will explore the place on the last day of our stay, before we get on to the flight back home.
The public transport in Switzerland is so well connected that you can travel to any part of the country in public transport and in some cases until the last mile!
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| Zurich on a cold afternoon |
We had 1 afternoon and the forenoon the following day to explore what we can. So on the first day we decided to pay a visit to the Rhine falls, which apparently is the largest waterfalls in Europe!
By the time we got down at the Laufen-Uhwiesen station it was already 4:00PM. Considering the time of the year, we did not have much time. Adding to that was the drizzle that started the moment we reached there. By the time we got the tickets to falls and reached the falls, it was almost around 4:30PM. The falls was magnificent!
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| ZURICH |
Truly a sight to see and behold if you are in the Swiss. Unfortunately because of the gloomy weather, we could not spend much time there and the photographs does not do justice to the beauty of the place. I am wishing to get one more chance to go to this place while the weather is clear.
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| The magnificent Rhine Falls |
Apart from the falls, the restaurant at the starting point of the falls is another sight to behold. The stone architecture and the cobble stone paved pathway are typical of the historical town that it is!
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| Classic Architecture drenched in rain |
The next day the weather was a bit better with the sun showing up now and then albeit the misty morning. We had until 3:00PM to spend. After much research in Google, decided to visit the Mt. Pilatus in the city of Lucerne. A trip to Switzerland cannot go abegging without a visit to the Alps!
Though there are higher peaks in the Alps like the Mt. Titlis for instance, those are quite far from Zurich and we will not be able to return back by 3:00PM. Hence we settled with Mt. Pilatus. It peaks at about 2100mts above MSL and offer some beautiful view of the Alps!
Once again thanks to the exceptionally well connected public transportation of Switzerland, we were able to get the tickets for the entire travel in the Zurich Main Station, including the cable car ride to the top of Mt. Pilatus!
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| The magical Lucerne City and Lake on a Misty Afternoon |
We decided to start very early in the morning, so we can spend enough time outdoors. We had a train to Lucerne from Zurich Main as early as 6:51AM. We reached Lucerne around 7:40AM. This town looks as if has jumped out of some classical fairy tale! The old charm of its architecture and bridges can captivate any traveler! It is so unfortunate that we did not have enough time to explore and enjoy this beautiful city, except for a few minutes in the afternoon once we returned from Mt. Pilatus.
We reached the cable car station by 8:00AM. Since we arrived quite early, the crowd was lesser. Could be because of the weather. The cable car ride is in 3 legs with wonderful views in every leg! Here are some photos of beautiful Alps!
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| Tunnels that offer a view! |
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| Early arrivers getting ready for a Ski |
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| A restaurant in the middle of the Alpine trees |
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| Morning sun pushing hard against the mist giving a golden glow |
I hope I will get another chance to visit this beautiful place again in another season to see the other side of this beautiful natural country!
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| The Summit |
2 comments:
What a wonderful opportunity for you! I visited Switzerland many, many years ago. I remember Rhine Falls, among other places.
Thanks Linda. Sorry for the very late reply. I had made some changes in the comments settings and have missed all the comments. Only now changed it.
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