DDLJ Church Interlaken

The DDLJ Church, Interlaken, Switzerland, is the most eternal place for Shahrukh Khan and Kajol Lover.It might sound boring but I wanted to explore Interlaken as much as Yash Chopra did for Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge. Based on the assumption that film was shot in Interlaken, I took decision that we must go and see the church which was part of that eternal movie. So we walked along streets of Interlaken and reached the church. It might sound crazy for someone, but it was dream come true for me.

Interlaken Lake Cruise

We then took train to Bern Sea from where the cruise departure point is. There were many romatic hotels in Interlaken next to the Bern Sea. The cruise took us around the Interlaken Lake and brought us back to the Bern sea. It was great experience. I have no words to describe it; therefore I had to add many pictures to support it. We could see some para-gliders flying in the sky. Unfortunately we had not planned that item in our list. There was huge cow’s statue outside the departure point. We took some pictures along with it.
After the cruise was over, we went to Interlaken Ost station.

Interlaken Switzerland and Yash Chopra

If I am not mistaken, every Indian bollywood Yash Chopra fan has dreamt of making a trip to Interlaken, Switzerland. This is most filmed country by the Indian film Industry. It attracts a lot of tourists all over the world.
We had planned our visit to Switzerland during Easter holidays for 6 days. Since there was no tourist visa required for UK Residents on work permit.
We booked BA return flight from London Heathrow to Zurich. If you are planning to go to Switzerland during Easter or summer holidays, I will advise you to book your tickets in advance. Last minutes deals to most wanted destination are always costly.
There is budget airlines airport at Basel and you can catch flights to Basel from any of the UKs budget airlines airport.

Click here to go to Switzerland Main page

Kase Fondu Dinner

The youth hostel had meal option but we thought of having traditional Swiss food for dinner. So we entered a restaurant next to the lake and had reasonable food prices. The waiter suggested us the dish Kase Fondu for our supper.
Kase Fondu comprises of pot full of melted cheese accompanied by baby potatoes and bread pieces. You need to dip the potatoes and bread in the melted cheese and then eat them. I would definitely say, Kase fondu was not our ultimate meal to end hectic day.

Click here to go to Switzerland Main page

Lunch at Top of Europe

We had our lunch at the restaurant at Junfraujoch. Since the attraction attracts a lot of Indian tourist, the restaurants at the JungfrauJoch have Indian food items in their menu. The restaurant seating provides an amazing view of Swiss Alps to its customers.

Click here to go to Switzerland Main page

Junfraujoch Shopping area

There is an area at the top where you can buy monuments, sun glasses, caps etc. We had to buy sunglasses to avoid the sharp sun rays. A pair of sunglasses is an essential to have at such high altitude. The detailed list of essentials is provided.

Click here to go to Switzerland Main page

Plateau - The Swiss Alps Excursion

The level two offers an amazing view of the Swiss Alps and you can wander around in the open space. If you are from tropical region and have not seen snow ever in life then you might even roll or sleep in the snow. One can get amazing view of the observatory.

Click here to go to Switzerland Main page

The Sphinx - The Observatory, JungfrauJoch

The top of the Europe is an observatory built by the Switzerland government. This observatory is used to record weather data and other scientific experiments are carried out over here. For more details visit the website. You can walk around the observatory. The observatory offers amazing views of the Swiss Alps and you can take some cool snaps while enjoying the view. On your way to the observatory there is a poster which displays the ‘JungfrauJoch – Top of the Europe’. It’s a Kodak moment for each and every tourist who visits this poster.

Click here to go to Switzerland Main page

The Ice Palace, Jungfraujoch

The Jungfraujoch has the Ice Palace. The ice palace made of ice. The walls and floors are also made of ice. It has some ice statues and idols. These are available through out the year.
Recommended: It is advisable to wear spikes shoes when visiting something with ice floor. It is recommended to hold the bars on the sides of the walls while walking in the ice palace.

Click here to go to Switzerland Main page

Some more pictures of Ice palace:

JungfrauJoch Canteen

We reached the JungfrauJoch at around 9:30 am in the morning. We had missed our breakfast we thought of eating something. Hot noodle soup in the menu was something which appealed everyone. Since the café is placed at the top of the Europe so is the price of the food items available over there. It is advisable to carry some snack bars with you if you want to save some money.

Click here to go to Switzerland Main page

Dinner at banks of Interlaken Lake

Dinner at banks of Interlaken Lake

The hostel serves evening meals, but you need to order one in advance. The hostel has kitchen facility for guests. Since ours was budget travel we cooked noodles and ate boiled eggs. We had our dinner in the courtyard of the hostel which is at the bank of the Interlaken Lake. That was one of the most amazing budget dinner experiences we had. After the dinner was over we sat on the banks of the lake and enjoyed the pleasant atmosphere. We could see the train passing through the tunnel on the opposite bank of the lake. Everything was picture perfect and romantic for that given moment.

Click here to go to Switzerland Main page

Mount Rigi Scenic Train

Mount Rigi Scenic Train

There was train station ahead at station. We jumped in to the train as everyone did. The train took us to the top of mount Rigi. The rail tracks took several twist and turns around the snow covered mountain. We were trying to take glimpse of beauty around through every corner of the train. We could see few restaurants, hotels and homes on our way to the top of the mountain.
The train halted at the final destination and we hopped off. Being my first experience of the snow, I had almost gone crazy. We rolled in the snow and everything what ever was possible. We climbed observatory at top of the peak and took some pictures.

Click here to go to Switzerland Main page

Ropeway to Mount Rigi

Ropeway to Mount Rigi

The ropeway was huge one and accommodated 20 to 25 people for single trip. That was my first experience and we were wondering what we are ultimately going to experience in the foggy clouds. As we rose higher and higher above the clouds, the skies became clear and in front of us were mountain tips covered with snow. To our surprise we could see some snow scattered on the mountain cliffs next to the ropeway path. Hmm…the exciting journey had just started but suddenly the ropeway halted at its destination and everyone de-ported it.
Everyone was assuming that its top of Mount Rigi. We walked through the tunnel un-know of what’s going to come up ahead in our path. At the exit we could see snow shovelled off the path. I immediately jumped into one and took a snap. That was my first encounter with snow. Well it was not the last one.

Click here to go to Switzerland Main page

Rigi Village, Luzern

Rigi Village

Our initial plan was to stroll in the village Rigi and take the next boat back to Luzern city. On enquiry at the information desk, we came to know about the ropeway. Since I had not sat in ropeway, we decided to experience one. The ropeway centre was on top of a small mountain and we had to climb several steep streets to reach there. Both of us were tired and were bit taken off when we came to know that we have to pay 50% of the fair amount for train journey to top of the mountain tip. We were in dilemma, whether to spend 50 Franks for the train after the ropeway or just opt for the ropeway. Ultimately we decided to go for both.

Click here to go to Switzerland Main page

Cruising in Lake Luzern

Cruising in Lake Luzern

We reached the city centre and hopped in boat. The boat had several routes including 1 hour, 2 hour and four hours. Since we had to reach Interlaken in the evening, we opted for 1 hour cruise. Once the boat leaves the dock, one can see the Luzern city settled next to the lake bank. Many hotels and villas populate the lake side. The better the lake view, costlier is the hotel. On the other side you can see the Swiss Alps tips lost in the foggy clouds. The boat halted at the stop named Rigi and we decided to de-port .

Click here to go to Luzern Main Page

Dinner by Luzern River Side

Dinner by Luzern River Side

Dinner in restaurant by River side was the best way to end the day. This was our second experience to have food next to water body, the first one being Marriott Goa, India. Since the city’s shops close at 5 o clock in evening, it was calm and quiet. We could hear the waves dashing the river bank and the quacking of the swans and ducks. The atmosphere was pleasant and we enjoyed every bit of it with a glass of wine followed by main course. As the time passed it became quieter and colder. We had to pull over our jackets to help us.

Click here to go to Luzern Main page

Walk in Luzern city centre

Walk in Luzern city centre

After crossing the bridge we walked along the lake side. We enjoyed the scenery and Swiss monuments in the city. There are loads swans swimming in the lake and you can take snaps with them with the city centre in backdrop. We reached the city centre by crossing the next bridge. There are many shops displaying swiss watches and knifes. You can walk along the streets browsing the shops. We came across a horse cart flooded with flowers and took snap of ours.

Click here to go to Luzern Main page

Chapel Bridge

The Chapel Bridge in Luzern is the Ancient Bridge. There are three bridges in Luzern. Two for traffic and other is the pedestrian bridge.
The bridge has facility to control the flow of the water into the lake from the river. Thus it serves two purposes at time.

Click here to go to Luzern Main page

Walk along the Luzern city wall

Walk along the Luzern city wall

:If you start walking along the wall then you can enjoy the view of the city from top. We took some snaps with cows grazing in the ground next to the wall. At the end of the wall you will walk down and reach the bridge.

Click here to go to Luzern Main page

Luggage Deposit lockers in station of Switzerland

As the title of the first page of blog suggests, Switzerland is truly traveller’s paradise.
Since tourism is one of the main economies of Switzerland, Swiss government has left no stone unturned for health, safety and ease of the tourists. Once tourist enters the country he does not have to worry about transport and other miscellaneous issues such as luggage deposit counters etc.
The Panoramic Golden Pass Line makes scenic tour as easy as possible. But most of the tourists are worried about carrying their luggage along with them to each attraction. To solve this problem, Swiss government has made available many locker facilities at each railway station near the major tourist attractions. One has to keep the luggage and then enter desired amount of coins in the lockers. The lockers are available on hourly basis. At major Railway stations Luggage storage Rooms are also available.

Click here to go to Switzerland Main page