Cheese and Chocolate - A week in Switzerland!

Switzerland, the land of Toblerone and cowbells; snowy peaks and chalets; a place where people dunk chunks of bread into boiling hot pots of melted cheese ... in short, my happy place! This country is an eclectic mix of German, French and Italian influences but with a truly unique and Swiss flavour all of its own!

We spent a whirlwind week training across the amazing countryside, an incredibly easy and convenient way to see the breath-taking views and towns here. Below is a brief description of where we meandered:

Montreux – home to a famous jazz festival and perched on the far side of the gorgeous Lake Geneva. We stayed in a very old fashioned and quirky mansion which had been converted into a hotel, and visited the amazing Chillon Castle with its vivid history of conquest and kings that really brought Swiss history to life. I will never forget standing next to Gary in the fading light of the sun setting over the lake, surrounded by ducks and the lapping waters.

Luzern – a gorgeous old city with its iconic wooden and flower-adorned Chapel Bridge and Water Tower. It was here that we took another petit train to learn of the city’s past and nearly set an entire wooden fondue restaurant alight.

Zurich – a day trip here initially made us feel like we’d entered the Twilight Zone, so quiet and pristine was the city (and with no places selling food in sight!). However, we soon got our groove back quickly though and loved walking down the main Bahnhofstrasse, window-shopping and tasting the magnificent chocolate which you could buy by the gram. We strolled along the water, exploring the narrow alleys of the artists’ district and admiring the stained glass windows of Chagall.

Interlaken – arriving back here after my two previous visits was a major experience in de ja vu and I am almost sure that we stayed in the same hotel I had been in with my family nearly ten years ago. Interlaken has a smaller ‘feel’, nestled between the mountains. The Jungfrau is just a train ride away but, due to the inclement weather, we decided to take to the nearby lakes and had a wonderful ride on an old-fashioned paddle steamer which gave us incredible views of the powerful waterfalls and traditional hamlets dotting the shores.

Zermatt – a mountain wonderland in the shadow of the awe-inspiring Matterhorn, this town with its pedestrian-only centre and wooden chalet buildings gave us a very special Shabbat. We spent quite a bit of time in the Matterhorn Museum and walking through the mountain climbers’ memorial in the town cemetery – a humbling experience which chronicles the bravery and tragedy of young lives lost, as well as the power of nature.

Lucarno – perched on the edge of Lake Maggiore, we spent two days in this town and the Italian part of Switzerland (although don’t make the same mistake we did and ask where to get Swiss food, we were told very strongly that the people in this region have Italian heritage and blood). It was a great bridge to the next part of our trip, Italy, as the food, language and people were so Italian-influenced. We took a very old funicular ride up to the mountains above Locarno and visited a holy site where visions of the Virgin Mary had appeared many decades ago. The gorgeous grottos and views of the lake from this part of town were spectacular!