Switzerland and Its Beauty

When it comes to natural beauty, Switzerland has no shortage. When it comes to man made beauty, Switzerland has no shortage. It's like the world had a draft lottery for beauty and Switzerland kept winning the #1 pick. Or maybe Switzerland was so awesome that all of nature's top free agents decided to sign here when the salary cap went through the roof. As I write this, I'm sitting on a train from Lucerne to Interlocken in central Switzerland. Since we departed a half hour ago, we've been surrounded by rolling green hills, majestic mountains, small picturesque farm houses, and bright blue lakes. Everywhere you turn is better than the last view, and we haven't even reached our destination yet.

Interlocken is a small city in Switzerland situated between 2 lakes, Brienzersee and Thunersee (Lake Brienz and Lake Thun). As a side note, I've learned that German is so intimidating because they shove 2-4 words together in every word. If they used spaces just a little bit, the rest of the world wouldn't be so terrified by it. Half the words are cognates and if you just sound them out, many sound like their English equivalent (e.g., table water is tabblevasser). Back to Interlocken, the city promises breathtaking views of the Swiss Alps in between its 2 lakes. We chose to forego the trip to the highest train station in Europe so we could take the day to explore Interlocken. Our goals are to find a nice cafe for lunch, explore an old castle, and get soaked on a jetboat tour of Brienzersee. 

This is an addition to the time we've already spent in Lucerne, a picturesque city between a lake and a river which exudes Swiss charm. There are ample cafes, an Old Town with cobblestone streets, and mountain views everywhere you look. We're staying at an Airbnb in a couple's apartment - a short 10 minute walk to the central part of town. The gem of the city has to be Kapellbrucke, an old castle from the 1400s situated in the middle of the river. In the bridge to the castle are old pieces of artwork, and the views from the bridge are so peaceful and serene it makes you want to stay there forever.

Pardon the interruption - since I began writing we now have to add a series of waterfalls each over 100 feet long to the list of incredible sites during the train ride.

In short, central Switzerland is amazing and seems to be one of the world's hidden gems, as it never gets the popularity or buzz of a Barcelona, London, Tokyo, or New York City. That's fine with me, I'll gladly take it as is.

Jeff