Today I will express some of my thoughts and impressions of our three week stay in Switzerland.
Switzerland is about the size of West Virginia. It is bordered on the north by Germany, on the east by France, on the south by Italy and on the West by Germany, Austria and Liechtenstein. The Alps range across the southern part of the country. The Matterhorn, 14,685 feet high, is on the southern border with Italy.
There are four different language areas. Bob Berg tells me that the Swiss German is very different from high German, but that is the language for about 60% of the country, French is spoken by about 25%, leaving Italian and Romansh the other 15%.
The reason for these different languages is related to the merging of the four ethnic groups into a confederation several hundred years ago. My German language experience was too far in the past to be of any value, but there is no problem using English anywhere in Switzerland. At least I remembered when looking for a restroom that Herren not “hisen” was for males. At a very early age the Swiss children are required to take two or three languages including , in most cases, English. Most guides and information booth personnel speak to the tourist in English.
Despite increased competition across Europe, Switzerland remains one of the most expensive countries in Europe. The rate of exchange is 1.5 Francs for each U.S. dollar.
The cities of Geneva, St. Moritz, Zermatt, and Zurich are exceptionally expensive. Lodging for two will average over 150 Swiss Franc (SF). Dinner for two can easily require another 150 SF. A glass of beer, a cup of coffee, or a coke will cost 3 -4 SF, a half carafe of average wine 8 SF.
The Swiss Alps are relatively new in geological time. They were thrust up from the ocean floor and so basically, they are limestone in origin. The run-off from these mountains contains the readily soluble parts of the limestone and looks like weak skim milk. As this water continues on its way to the many deep blue lakes in Switzerland, it loses its soluble calcium salts. The soil derived from this calcium-based bedrock is very productive.
It was a surprise to me to see all the beautiful farms and to learn that Switzerland is an exporter of farm products, particularly dairy products. The fabled brown Swiss cattle were a common sight. In the summertime, the cattle are sent to the high mountain pastures. The herder lives in a little sturdy house sometimes for 3-4 months and processes the milk into many different kinds of cheeses. Hay is collected from the lowlands while the cattle are in the high pastures. Water is no problem and no irrigation is required. In late August, this beautiful country is sparkling emerald green, so intense that it appears unreal and magical.
We were told that there are five aging nuclear power plants in Switzerland, and they plan to retire them and build no more. Water power is and will remain as their major source of electricity. We were also informed that most of the water power has been harnessed. Water engineering is a major study at the university in Zurich, and we were shown scale models concerned with increasing the efficiency of their water power. The placement of darns, water friction and particulate matter were being investigated.
From almost anywhere in Switzerland on a clear day, and at any time of the year, one can see snow covered peaks. We took a cog-railway excursion train out of Interlaken to the granddaddy of all high-altitude excursions: the Jungfraujoch, the site of the highest railroad station in the world. The train climbs up steep grassy slopes past the timberline to the tiny, isolated village of Kleine Scheidegg. Here we changed to the Jungfrauban which travels mostly in tunnels straight into the rock. It stops briefly for views out enormous picture windows blasted through the rocks stony face. We felt very lightheaded and somewhat sick as we arrived at the terminus at an elevation of 11,400 feet .
We chose not to go up in a 90 second elevator which would have carried us up 364 more feet. We made a mistake by eating at the Top of Europe restaurant as that robbed what little oxygen was getting to our head. The clouds had moved in, so there was no view from the windows. We did venture into tunnels in the glacier known as the Ice Palace Room. There we saw slightly soggy ice sculptures of birds, animals and other objects. We immediately felt better after we descended to a lower elevation.
In a country where few heavy industries are evident and there appears to be no coal or oil, it is easy to ponder about the apparent wealth of the country. In Zurich, one sees the most expensive cars. People are shopping and buying expensive goods. There are no signs of poverty, no beggars, and street musicians are a welcome sight. It is obvious that tourism is a very important source of income. Switzerland is the wintertime sports capital of Europe and the world.
Zurich is one of the leading financial centers of the world. It is a wonderful mix of digital screens ticking off beef futures, and cowbells echoing in the velvet mountain pastures. There are only three high-rise buildings and many Gothic guildhalls remain. Snow clad peaks can be seen in the distance over the beautiful blue water of the Zurich Zee. Bahnhofstrasse is its principal business and shopping boulevard. It was said that there is more wealth in the bank vaults under this street than any other place in the world and would equal that held in London.
We will often think about how the four ethnic groups with their different languages have peacefully coexisted for hundreds of years and have an efficient national government. We wonder how the Swiss have maintained neutrality during all of the great wars. We saw a group of their National Guard unloading cases of beer and coke into tankers inside the mountain near our apartment. We were told there were eight such underground areas scattered throughout Zurich. They contain food, water and supplies for all the inhabitants of Zurich.
The memories of our Swiss trip will stay with us for a long time. We will remember the super transportation system, the beautiful homes with their wide eaves and colorful flower boxes. We will see the cattle in their high mountain pastures and hear their bells. We will remember the snow-covered peaks, and we will long see the clean, blue, deep waters of Lake Zurich and Lake Geneva.
- Percy