home

 switzerland

 

 

To view the pictures without reading the email click this arrow

From: damag@bigpond.net.au

To:

Cc:

Sent: Sunday, May 20, 2001 2:44 AM

Subject: Evian water and a gurgling computer

Hi All

 

Not a lot to say this week except - frustration +++++++++.  As you probably gathered from my hastily added note last week, we have had a few  problems with email.  Not to put too fine a point on it, we are back in Geneva and Arnold has seen the inside of a computer shop quite a bit this week and Bigpond has received quite a few phonecalls - couldn't email them could we!?!*

 

Believe the problem is now resolved.  If there is no Aaaaaaaaaagh! message at the beginning of this note you will know all is now running smoothly.

 

The good thing about being back in Geneva is that John and Jane (the Scots who live in Portugal and who like to drink cheap Chianti with whom we were going to have a drink last week) are still here.  Welcome John and Jane to the weekly epistle - you know only too well the frustrations we have been experiencing - what the rest of you don't know is that J & J have also had their own computing/video/phone problems and so it was compulsory to imbibe just a little bit of alcohol to drown our sorrows.

 

All of that aside, we did spend a great day here in Geneva. The Jet d'Eau was working well.  We went to the Red Cross/Crescent Museum and to  the United Nations (where, incidentally the World Health Organisation was holding a conference). 

 

Something that surprised me was the Red Crescent.  I was unaware that there is a Muslim version of the Red Cross which was actually officially recognised in 1929, and is called the Red Crescent.  The two organisations have worked together since then as the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.  Good to learn something new first thing Monday morning.  But seriously folks, it was an amazing place.  The first thing to greet you is a life size sculpture of people with bags over their heads and ropes around their necks.  It is called "The Petrified" and is a chilling entrance into the museum.  On entry, there are more "Petrified" sitting around the entrance - chilling. 

 

The museum has adopted Dostoyevsky's phrase "Everyone is responsible to everyone for everything" to show that they do not sit in judgement:  they present humanitarian acts.  The theme is followed throughout the 11 sections of the museum and tries to accentuate the positive.  It is very hard though when there is footage of atrocities from wars past and present and a whole room filled with pictures of displaced children from Rwanda.  There is an index of  7 million cards, created in Geneva by the International Prisoner of War Agency, that documents some 2 million prisoners held in camps of the 38 fighting nations in the First World War.  Prisoners of war had not been protected by the Geneva Convention up until this war. 

 

We left there both pleased that there are groups of people who are trying so hard to aid humanity but appalled by the fact that these groups are still so necessary.

 

A picnic lunch in the park revived our spirits a bit, particularly as we watched the most animated little squirrel you could find, scurrying hither and yon, totally oblivious to all around him.  He was so determined to do what ever it was he was doing that he had no idea of the entertainment he was providing.

 

Next step, across the road to the UN buildings.  Passports needed to be presented, metal detectors walked through and Visitors' Passes firmly attached.  We were walked through the conference centre (the picture you always see on the news - big UN sign behind the dais and lots of rows of seats all equipped with translation equipment).  It is huge.  The history and current projects of the UN were explained and again the need for this type of organisation to be in existence was an overpowering heavy feeling.  One of the WHO conference session titles was "The Committee for the Investigation into Torture"!  (Glad I'm not involved in organising some of these sessions - no hot air ballooning or grape crushing here.)  Nevertheless, again the positive was accentuated wherever possible.

 

We learned all sorts of things e.g.  the German language is not one of the official 5 languages that are used within the UN.  Guessing game time - do you know which are the 5 official languages of the UN?  Answer at the end of the letter.  The land on which the UN buildings is built was donated by a guy who only put a couple of provisos on the donation.  One was that he be buried there, easy.  Secondly that the park that surrounds the buildings be named after his mother - easy.  Thirdly, that his pet peacocks be allowed to breed and stay on the property forever!!  Nuisance - all these Diplomatic Corps cars with immunity for just about every traffic infringement known have to be really careful not to run over the ever present peacocks that have free reign over the grounds.  Not too high a price to pay I don't suppose for a piece of land that would be worth squillions of dollars these days.  The view over the river is awe inspiring and the conference centre huge.

 

We left Geneva with the intention of going to Evian les Bains, where Evian mineral water springs forth.  We did see the factory (from the outside) but didn't get as far as the spring because of computer problems.  The other problem was that the weather had again turned nasty and not quite suitable for mountain climbing - again!

 

As I said earlier, we came back to Geneva and fortunately, the sun is now shining again, the computer seems to be repaired and tomorrow we are off to a town called Annecy (France) and from there - who knows?  Let you know next week.

 

Thanks to Ron & Adrian for replying to all of our "Testing the Email" emails.  Hope there won't be too many more of them.

 

Answer to the question of the UN languages    English, French, Russian, Chinese, Arabic (although which actual dialects of Chinese and Arabic are used we were not told). 

 

Bye for now

Deb & Arnold

 

Emails for 28 May, 4 June in France 2001.

 

From: damag@bigpond.net.au

To:

Cc:

Sent: Monday, June 11, 2001 1:09 AM

Subject: Fondue and Folly

Dear All

 

Well, what is Gruyere without cheese - quite a lot really.  We managed the hike up the hill into the wonderfully picturesque town of Gruyeres.  This ancient, fortified town has given its name to the local area and also to the famous cheese.  We went into a display dairy at the foot of the town, that produces 48 wheels of Gruyere cheese every day.  Doesn't sound like many but it is an incredible process to watch.  4,800 litres of milk are used to make 12 wheels of cheese at once and the hundreds of litres of whey that are left over goes into making pig swill.  Nothing seems to be wasted. 

 

It was quite amusing that during this fully automated process, the final checking of whether or not the 4,800 litres are ready to be "pressed" into shape is still done by hand.  Two guys grab a handful of "cheese" and pat it between their hands, mumble a few words to each other, speed up the huge stirring arms of the machinery.  Wait.  Pat the cheese again and, when finally agreed that it is ready, appear to wash their hands in the "goo".  That must be what gives it the unique flavour.  7,000 wheels of cheese are stored at this one particular place and it is quite an amazing sight.  We were given "free" samples (I am sure included in the entry fee) of sweet, mildly salted and fully salted cheese.  It was all very interesting.  "Cherry" the cow was our audio guide and she walked us through the process of what happens to the cows during various seasons.  We were also able to smell all the various herbs and flowers that the cows eat.  Apparently these also influence the cheese flavour.  It was a morning well spent. 

 

As I said there is more to Gruyeres than the cheese.  Although at first glance the very small town, set up on top of a very tall hill, appears to be a little bit too touristy, it is really very pleasant and with the sun shining brightly quintessential Swiss scenery abounded.  Green pastures, Swiss chalets, big cows, even bigger mountains - all the postcard stuff was there.  It is an almost car free environment and it was an unimpeded wander around the town. 

 

Lunch time - oh dear!  What a decision - well not really.  It was to be fondue or raclette.  We opted for a Vacherin cheese fondue and (at huge extra expense) salad.  We have now had our cheese fix for the next 12 months!!  It was great.  Lots of fresh crusty bread and even more gooy, runny, very tasty cheese.  Had we had the raclette, I think even more cheese would have been consumed.  The Scottish-born Americans we spoke to had it and I think we made the right choice.  A HUGE hunk of cheese (about the size of a pound of butter) is placed under slow heat.  As it slowly melts you scrape the cheese off the lump and spread it all over bread, potatoes, gherkins and pickled onions.  Either way cheese was the flavour of the day.  Sagging under the weight of the above, we staggered back down the hill to lie quietly groaning for an hour or two.  Still the sun was shining and the scenery amazing.

 

We left Gruyeres and headed towards the Bernese Oberland area of Interlaken which, as the name implies, is between two lakes.  Stopped at a little church along the way that just happened to have some 14th C frescoes still clearly visible on the walls.  We were then stopped by a herd of very large cows, wearing very very large bells, clanging their way across the Jaunpasstrasse (very narrow pass through the mountains) to higher pasture.  As Interlaken is a very expensive place (and we are told that the campsites are NOT  value for money), we decided to stop at a camp about 13km short of the place (Camping Stuhlegg - very very clean, picturesque, friendly site). 

 

A couple of days of R&R - and a few of the old domestic duties - in the sunshine were followed by...rain.  Our goal at Interlaken was the rack-railway of the Jongfraujoch (another big mountain).  Because of the bad weather we decided to abandon this area for a short time and head for Luzern (Lucerne), believing that visiting a city is better done in the rain than visiting a very high mountain in the clouds.  Another narrow pass, the Brunigpass, saw us reach Luzern, still in the rain.  (Campsite - Camping International Lido - OK, 1/2 Swiss Franc for a shower, metered electricity, facilities would be very stretched in the season.  Easy trolley-bus ride into town.)

 

Didn't leave the van for 24 hours.  When I did, who should I see but our newly met Geneva acquaintances - the Scots who live in Portugal and drink cheap red wine - Jane & John.  We had apparently been in very similar areas since leaving in Geneva but had missed each other by days all along.  Well, folly pursued.

 

We decided that, as the rain was so inhibiting, that a visit to the movies would be a good idea - easily achieved and the rain even let up for a bit.  Movie over - dinner!  Would you believe we did the unforgivable.  There is a British Pub (Swiss owned) in the heart of Luzern and so after a couple of pints (served by a Portuguese barman) and a feed of fish and chips (cooked by a New Zealander), we staggered back to our respective vans and crashed at around midnight. 

 

Being on the road as we are, it is great to be able to renew friendships and when you meet people living a similar lifestyle, it is amazing the the topics of conversation that arise!  We really did have a silly, enjoyable night.  John is a right one to go to the movies with - he talks to the screen!

 

Well fondue and folly over for now.  The rain keeps pouring down and still Luzern has not been given a proper "once over".  We have been assured that the rain will soon cease and so hope to be able to report on a little more of Switzerland next week.  We did, however, go to the most frequented museum in Switzerland - the Transport Museum - and spent 5 hours wandering around the many many exhibits.  Everything from horse drawn carriages to space shuttle preparation apparatus for astronaut travel - Deb, the human centrifuge - we got the picture!!

 

Bye for now.

Deb & Arnold

From: damag@bigpond.net.au

To:

Cc:

Sent: Tuesday, June 19, 2001 12:14 AM

Subject: Over the top

Dear All

 

The rain did stop - last Monday actually - and we were able to go into Luzern to see the town.  Churches, old bridges and lots of lovely painted buildings.  The day was spent well.

 

With the weather being good, we decided to go back to Interlaken with the goal of going to the Jungfraujoch.  We were not disappointed.  Interlaken is a cute little tourist town but a great base from which to travel the myriad of cog railway lines up the mountains.  (Camping Sackgutt No. 6 - very basic but clean and plenty of hot water - Thanks John & Jane for recommending it.)

 

Back to the Jungfrau - we spent 2.5 hours on a train going up to the highest railway station in Europe (maybe the world), 3,454m above sea level.  The views on the way up are terrific.  The train just keeps chugging away on its ratchet rail and as the mountains get steeper, you just lean further back into your seat.  Having reached the top, via a couple of stops to admire the glacier, a very rapid elevator ride takes you to the top of the Sphinx lookout.  This massive structure allows tourists to hover above the glacier and to feel the mountains all around.  Very hard to compare it with Mt Blanc because the whole feeling of the place was different.  Not only did this trip allow us to view the mountains but it also afforded the opportunity to go down inside the glacier. 

 

An ice palace has been carved into the glacier and as you walk into this place you are greeted with walls, floors, ceilings and artwork all made of ice.  The cavity is many metres below the surface of the glacier.

There is no superstructure to hold all this stuff up, unless you call the whole glacier a phenomenal superstructure of its own, which I suppose it is.  Tunnels have also been drilled through the mountain which means that you are walking right through the mountain with solid rock all around.  It is a masterpiece of human endeavour which the Swiss have tried to keep as unsullied as possible. 

 

Out on the ice a dog sled team was working.  Naturally, I had to go see.  Spoke with the dog team trainer for quite some time and found out a lot about the dogs and his training methods.  Greenland Sled Dogs (close relations to huskys) are used because the husky failed to be strong enough for the local work.  These dogs work happily until they are at least 12 years old and are not really happy unless working.  Personalities vary greatly and young and old, strong and not as strong work together to form a "perfect" team.  These dogs flopped down onto the ice to take a rest and were quite happy to do so.  It was -6C outside but it did not seem to worry them.  Strangely enough, it didn't seem to worry us too much either (the temperature I mean, not sitting on the ice).  So much to see and do and take pictures of that, with the sun shining, the temperature was only noticeable when we were walking through the rock tunnels - that was also when the oxygen depletion also took its toll.  Light headed and breathless, we often went back into the warmth of the Sphinx, just to regain our breath. 

 

Clouds are a nuisance if you are trying to look at tops of mountains but, having seen them, it was wonderful to watch the huge storm clouds gather and listen to the thunder roll around the mountains.  It all added to the grandeur of the place. 

 

As if this wasn't enough, we went on another couple of cog (rack) railways (with the catch phrase of "Let's Rack and Roll").  Grindewald and the Alpine Botanical Gardens of the Schynige Platte were our goals.  Grindewald is a skiing village and a place where quintessential Swiss chalet and snowy mountain scenery abounds.  What was a trip of a lifetime though was up the Schynige Platte.  Fortunately for us the little train was not very full and we were able to hang out the windows and move from side to side of the train.  You needed your neck on a swivel to keep up with all the wonderous views.  The alpine garden itself was - cold!  Felt the cold more here than on top of the Jungfrau.  Small alpine flowers were everywhere and the garden extended further than we had time or energy to walk. 

 

You would think that that was enough of the great outdoors but no, there is still more.  The Trumelbach Falls were on the agenda for the next day.  We travelled to these falls on "The Post Bus".  The post office provides (for a small fee) seats on its delivery buses to all sorts of sights and so we rode the  bus to the falls.  10 waterfalls pound through the mountain.  A lift takes you deep inside the mountain and then, in the semi-darkness you follow the sound of rushing water.  20,000 litres of water a second pass through these falls and the noise is so loud there is no way you can communicate except by sign language inside the caves. 

 

Ready to move on we had to cross the Alps somehow.  Grimselpass and the Furkapasstrasse were our way to go.  That's okay.  There was a slight deviation on the first Pass.  The road had been closed and a smaller road was to be used - what they didn't say was that it was a GOAT TRACK!  I sat with my eyes closed most of the time whilst Arnold drove up and up and up and the road and us went back and around and up and around and up and back and the road changed from bitumen to gravel and we took several attempts to get around sharp corners.  Finally, however, we got back on to the road to be greeted with scenery that reminded us very much of Norway.  It was wonderful.  We stopped at the top of the Furkapass at the "Lake of the Dead" and wondered why the Grimselpass wasn't called the "Furka" Pass because that word seemed to be around a lot.  Fortunately, the Furkapasstrasse was not quite as scary as the Grimsel although the bends in the road were numerous and the recommended vehicle width was 2.3m - we are 2.13m.  Hat off to Arnold he drove brilliantly!  If, and I say IF, I ever do that again, it will be in a little car with a big engine and not in our ever-suffering, ever faithful truck.

 

I don't think I need to elaborate on the fact that this week has been a plethora of the wonders of nature and also of man.  But there is still a tiny bit more to add for the week.  It is the reason that this epistle is late.  We moved on to Italy and are now in Milan (Camping Citta di Milano - large, noisy, facilities ok - good hot water - only campsite we know of in Milan so you take what you can get).  Yesterday we went into the city and stared with awe at Milan Cathedral.  Over 3,000 figures adorn the huge pinnacles of the church and with the sun streaming down and the sky vibrant blue, the pink marble from which it is made shone.  We also went to La Scala, claimed to be the world's most famous Opera House, where the stage was being set for that night's performance of Turindot.  The theatre's museum contains such marvellous things as the Steinway piano of Franz Liszt; pens, batons, death masks, plaster casts of hands, pictures, manuscripts, commissions and all sorts of "things" belonging to all sorts of composers including Wagner, Verdi, Toscanini, Rossini and various opera singers.  A wonderful collection of Comedia statues, puppets and drawings were also there. 

 

The storm clouds gathered and we took shelter under a huge old roof and watched the water rushing into the drains.  Unable to get back to the van in a hurry because of the rain (about an hour on train and bus) we decided that a local restaurant could not be bad for dinner and so, some time later, feeling replete from our great meal and litre of good Italian house wine, we found our way back in the dark to the campsite. 

 

Today has been a day of recovery from last week.  It has really been a wonderful week and our future plans now involve about 10 days in northern Italy  before we leave by ferry, from Venice, to go to Greece.  We have previously spent time in Italy and we will also return to spend more time here when we come back from Greece.  So, for now, arrivederci, ciao and keep in touch.

 

Love

Deb & Arnold

top  home