Switzerland: The Rooftop of Europe
Switzerland: The Rooftop of Europe as it is commonly referred to by travelers. It is quite a thrill to gaze up at these magnificent mountains. In Switzerland, we will explore Zurich and Geneva as well as the Alps. Since we are returning from Zurich to Philadelphia, we found it better to stay in Zurich and go to Geneva and Interlaken for day trips. Also, we will arrange for a day trip by bus from Zurich to explore the Alps from Interlaken.
Zurich Switzerland: Introduction
We boarded a train in Milan to take us to Zurich. A unique feature of our trip was the passage through the Gotthard Base Tunnel which is the world’s longest railway tunnel ( about 35.5 miles). Arriving in Zurich brought us into a magnificent old-style station which is the largest railway station in Switzerland. We had a short walk of about 5 to 10 minutes to our hotel the Zurich Marriott which conveniently is very close to the center of activities in Zurich. is the largest city in Switzerland with about 435,000 people and 1.83 million in the metropolitan area. For comparison, the population of Switzerland is about 8.7 million which makes Zurich the dominant area of Switzerland. with its influential financial center of the country. The city was also the center of the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. with its leader Huldrych Zwingli
Free City Walking Tour
Zurich Cultural Highlights
As usual, we started off with a free walking tour which led us down the famous Bahnhofstrasse. Every big brand of upscale retail shopping is located here which makes it a sort of a Rodeo Drive of Switzerland.
The next stop was the Fraumunster Church. I think that this dates from the 12th century. Frauminster is noted for a work by Marc Chagall (1978) the rosette in the Southern Transept as well as color windows in the Northern Transept that were done by Augusto Giacometti (1945). The church is located in Munsterhof Square which also contains many of the old Guild Houses that were a big part of medieval society in Europe.
Zurich’s Old Town
Zurich Cultural Highlights
We next walked across the Limmat River to the Gross Munster church ( finished in 1200).. This was the church of Huldrych Zwingli which played a big part in the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century. Its twin towers are a very recognizable landmark for Zurich since they are 203.41 feet in height.
We are now in the old town part of Zurich with its narrow winding streets housing many interesting cafes and shops. One interesting feature is Zurich’s many fountains and the fresh drinkable water that flows from them. Yes, it is quite safe to drink as I had tried it. In our hotel, the Marriot, they told us the tap water was quite safe as they did not distribute bottled water to the room.
We finished up at Lindenhof which is a nice park that is built on a high point of Zurich providing us with a nice view This was a very important place aside from the view. The grandson of Charlemagne built a palace on its site in the 9th century. In 1798, the oath sealing the Helvetic Constitution took place there in 1798
Zurich on our own
Zurich Cultural Highlights
We had a day on our own in Zurich, which enabled us to see the local art museum, Kunsthaus Zurich. https://www.kunsthaus.ch/en/This is our second time at the Museum. which I think we were last here in 2007. There was a $230 million dollar expansion since our last visit with a new building that held most of its modern collection. The museum has outstanding works by many well-known artists (Picasso, Van Gogh, etc). Admission includes a nice audio tour which gave us additional insight into these great works of art. There was a special exhibition going on featuring Italian director Federico Fellini, who was one of the icons of mid-20th-century filmmaking.
Also of interest was a visit to the FIFA museum. This dates from 2016. If you are a football (Soccer) fan, this museum has many artifacts from previous World Cups.
Sometimes, we pack a lunch and look for a nice spot to enjoy it. A good place in Zurich was the Rentenwiese which was a nice shady spot on the lakefront. Great for people watching as well as an awesome view of the harbor.
Another summer feature of Zurich is the use of the Limmat river by locals to go swimming. This is quite popular. Although I did not try, I found it quite tempting with the 90-degree temperatures during my visit.
Geneva Switzerland: An Introduction
Day Trips from Zurich
Geneva is the second largest city in Switzerland by population. The latest figures are 201,000 in the city and 1 million in its metropolitan area. It is the largest French-speaking city in Switzerland. It is quite an international city. In addition to it has illustrious history of diplomatic events, it houses the headquarters of many international organizations (many agencies of the UN, the Red Cross, etc.).
Geneva was one of the areas where the Protestant Reformation sprang forth and John Calvin was one of its leaders. In 1814, Geneva joined the Swiss Confederation
Geneva: Free City Walking Tour
We departed Zurich for a day rail trip to Geneva. Our Walking Tour consisted of Alex ( our guide ) along with about 20 other travelers from many countries for a 2-hour walk. Our meeting place was close to the train station. The weather was sunny and mild which made for ideal conditions for our walking tour.
We walked to a nearby Parc des Bastions where there was the Reformation Wall which paid tribute to key figures of the Reformation…. Calvin, Roger Williams, etc. Next, we walked through the “Old Town” area with its narrow streets and inviting shops and restaurants. It is quite a colorful sight.
Jardin Anglais:
Our last stop was at the Jardin Anglais which is a beautiful lakefront park. There we saw the iconic Flower Clock (L’Horloge Fleurie). The clock dates from 1955. and it is made with beautiful flowers which are changed seasonally. Another feature of the park is the Jet d’Eau, situated in Lake Geneva which is probably the most famous landmark in Geneva. You have 130 gallons of water per second jetted to a height of 460 feet (140 meters). The water travels at a speed of 200 km/hour (or about 124 miles per hour). It was first installed in 1886. The present Jet d’Eau dates from 1951. This park was a nice place to enjoy lunch and watch the harbor and people.
We were running short on time and quickly made our way back to the train station for our 2-hour and 45-minute ride back to Zurich.
TRIP TO THE ROOFTOP OF EUROPE
The Rooftop of Europe is called that for a good reason. It is definitely the highest point in central Europe with its many resorts that attract many visitors from all over the world. As you travel up the mountains, you start off seeing some scenic farming areas and end up at the top of the great mountains. This to me is such a wonderful feeling that I am speechless.
This was a nice day trip that I booked through Viator. We checked the weather forecasts for the best day to travel to the Roof of Europe since bad weather would certainly spoil the trip. It would be a full 12-hour trip back and forth. We left at 8:00 am from the Zurich Central Bus Station which is located across the street from the Central Train Station. This is a 5 to 10-minute walk from our Zurich Marriott hotel where we met our tour guide, Pedro. Our next stops were in Lucerne as well as another one in Interlaken to pick up more tour-goers. The Interlaken stop would also be a rest stop. While waiting to board the bus, we were pleasantly surprised to see some Paragliders descending and landing in an open field right across from our bus stop. That was quite a sight. For some more information on this and other fantastic Viator tours click on the below banner ad.
Going Up to the Roof Top of Europe
Day Trips from Zurich
We left Interlaken and headed for Grindelwald to take the Eiger Express. This is a brand new tricable gondola that will take you from the Grindelwald terminal to the Eigergletscher station (7637 feet) in 15 minutes. The opening date for the Eiger Express was December 2020. This is real state-of-the-art technology. The Eiger Express cuts the ascent time by 47 minutes. You are treated to a great view of the North Face of the Eiger and nice views of the Swiss countryside with its cute farms and a very green landscape as you make your ascent.
The next and final step of our journey involves taking the cog-wheel railway to the Jungfraujoch. The final stop at the Jungfrau is at 11,332 feet (3454m) which makes it the highest railway station in Europe. The train runs within the mountain (The Jungfrau tunnel). The line dates from 1912.
As I had mentioned that we are over 11,332 feet above sea level which made me feel kind of lightheaded for maybe the first 15 minutes atop the Jungfrau. You are able to go outside the station and access several viewing areas. This is quite breathtaking. Our guide gave us 2.5 hours at the top and we tried to make the most of it. Finally, we are truly at the rooftop of Europe.
Another feature is the Ice Palace. which would enable you to walk through a glacier. There are many ice sculptures that are on display at the palace. At the top complex, there are a few restaurants along with several souvenir shops. I did buy a tee shirt. since I cannot resist tee shirts and coffee mugs from souvenir shops. I have to have those memories of our trip to the Rooftop of Europe.
All good things have to come to an end and we took the train back to a station where our bus was waiting to take us back to Zurich.
Return to Philadelphia
This concludes our European Summer Trip. The following morning, we had a short walk to the Zurich Central Station for a 10-minute train trip to the Zurich airport. The rail station is located underneath the airport which makes for a smooth transition. Our American Airlines flight from Philadelphia to take us back home was a little late. However, we could relax in the Primeclass Lounge with some nice food and drink. After a 2 hour delay, we were on our way for a non-stop flight back to Philadelphia. I must have been in a musical mood when I picked two films to view on the flight. One was about Motown, focusing on Berry Gordy who was quite a character. The other was about Dennis Wilson of the Beach Boys who had some unusual qualities for a prominent figure in popular music.
Thanks for reading and looking forward to presenting our next post to some exciting spot that I hope you will click on.
