Blogs from Switzerland, Europe - page 318

Kelly, Avital and I arrived in Zurich. School starts August 2nd. Meanwhile, we enjoyed the largest city of Switzerland. ... read more

Switzerland is best known as a neutral country during most of last century. This is very surprising because Switzerland bordered war-torn Austria, France, Italy, Liechtenstein, and Germany during the great wars. The official language in Switzerland is German but most people do also speak a bit of French and English to some degree. The population is just over 7 million. There are over 11 million tourists visit this country annually. Geneva and Interlaken is just a couple of the many highlights this country has to offer. My stop was in the beautiful city of Bern, the capital of Switzerland. Switzerland is very expensive and is better known as a tourist spot than anything else. You’ll need to budget at least CN$40-50 spending money per day. The Alps is the main attraction to see visit Switzerland, with ... read more

My trip along the Silk Road begins oddly enough in Switzerland - and why not! I visited a very good friend from a previous trip to Central America some three years ago. I stayed for almost a week in Zurich, and it was great. Zurich feels like a northern city with Southern influences, and despite the fact that there are approx. 30% foreign workers, their influence on the city was to me surprisingly little, compared to other cities with much lower immigrant ratios. A small compact and beautiful city with a sense of tradition, built in some part on banking history. Under the streets of Zurich are stored the gold and riches of many, but despite letting my imagination run wild it was hard to envisage. Summer came early when I was in Zurich - it ... read more

The hostal here in Interlaken is really good; i met alot of cool cats and there is a nite club in the basement. The bad thing is they wake you up at 9am and make you leave your room...this so you will want to do one of their activies so you have something to do in the day. So today I ended up going rock climbing up in the alps. It was a really amazing experience but i'm so tired after climbing and hiking the day before. I think I need a vacation. Switzerland gives me a great feeling; so tranquil and peace yet you see the swiss army walking with machine guns and fighter jets flying through the mountains. In fact I had a drink with of the army guys at the bar...it's manditory ... read more

Yes! Gimmelwald must be one of the most beautiful places on earth. The songs of birds, the sound of brooks and all this natural beauty leave one awestruck. It has been said "When I die, if Heaven isn't what it's cracked up to be, send me back to Gimmelwald" - true enough. We made our way into the heart of the Swiss Alps. After a stop in Interlaken, we rode a gondola lift up to traffic-free Gimmelwald and sleept in our creaky old chalet - Pension Gimmelwald. Next day we took a ride up to the Schilthorn at 10,000 feet and hiked part way down. For more Alpine thrills, we took hikes to the foot of the majestic Eiger and Jungfrau peaks. Back at the chalet, we had fondue for dinner.... read more