Ah! I’m back in Switzerland for the first time in about eight years or so. My first thoughts, as we circled the airport and the Swiss International Airlines non-stop flight from Boston turned on to final approach, were how beautiful and green Switzerland is, even as it becomes more and more populated.
Switzerland has always prided itself on its maintenance of its natural surroundings, on its bucolic image and on an infrastructure that works flawlessly from watches that keep perfect time to trains that enter and leave stations right to the second. The country still does not disappoint on any of these facets.
The underground train from the international terminal to the main terminal is silent except for mooing of cows and the sounds of alphorns that are piped into the rail cars as movies of the majestic Alps dotted with quaint chalets flash on the tunnel walls outside the windows. Baggage arrives quickly and the police and immigration formalities are quick and painless.
Anyone who has returned to the U.S. and has waited in long lines at passport control or who has passed through other European country’s immigration checkpoints can understand the benefits of efficient Swiss systems. But, this easy-going passport control will end in October when Switzerland joins the immigration control systems of the Schwengen Treaty. At that time entry into Switzerland will constitute entry into the European Union countries as well. Passport control will be beefed up and will match that found in Frankfurt, Paris, Rome and Madrid with the attendant increase in wait times.
Swiss Rail Pass
During this trip through Switzerland I am traveling with an 8-day first class Swiss Rail Pass http://www.raileurope.com/us/rail/passes/swiss_pass.htm that costs $435. Honestly, with the Swiss rail system, the 2nd-class pass for $290 would serve me just as well. After having the pass validated at the airport railway station, I was on my way into town. The Swiss Rail Pass is good on all trains, public transportation, post buses and ferries in the country. It makes life much simpler and allows one to criss-cross Switzerland easily.
On my trip from Zurich to Arosa, I started by taking a nine-minute ferry ride across Lake Zurich from Mannedorf to Wadenswil where I caught a direct train to Chur and then transferred to the regional Rhätische Bahn up to Arosa. I have already planned another using the Post Bus system that will loop up the valley and behind the mountains from Davos to Tiefencastel that will shave more than 45 minutes off the rail-only trip that must first follow tracks down valley and then connect with the regional trains into the heart of the Alps.
Zurich
I only passed through Zurich briefly because I stayed with friends who live on the north shore of Lake Zurich. But my short time in the vicinity of the railway station left an impression of a very quiet city. There is none of the hustle and bustle one might hear in downtown New York. Cars stop immediately when pedestrians place their foot into the crosswalks, trams roll so silently that pedestrians should be alert to look both ways when crossing tracks.
Years ago, I was always impressed with the nightlife of Zurich. The quiet-by-day city was as boisterous as Munich by night in the narrow streets and small bars of the Niederdorf. Today that nightlife section of the town still exists, however the vibrant, cutting-edge nightlife has moved to a former industrial area, Zurich-West. Once, the domain of shipbuilding and beer brewing, the neighborhood is now filled with artist galleries, restaurants, bars and discos.
On my way back through the city I will try to take time to see this new section. I only really know it from the old days when I used to rent an apartment and work a few days to make traveling money. The apartment had no shower or bathtub. We used to bath in those galvanized tubs where your legs would hang over the edge and friends would pour water warmed on the stove over you after you shampooed and soaped up. Definitely, a different world.
Prices in Switzerland
@#%!!^%&$!@ The Swiss Franc (Sfr) is now basically at par with the US dollar. Bargains are few and far between. Pizza, which has always been my fallback meal of choice to save money, costs about $20 or so. Pasta, once plentiful and cheap, is in the $20 range at restaurants. Even Chile con carne is going for Sfr19.50 as small fast food spots. Coffee prices make Starbucks look like a bargain.
Most restaurants have a Tagesmenu (daily menu) that will range from Sfr18 to Sfr33 or so. It comes with a starter salad, normally a soup and the main course. Sometimes a desert is included. A glass of wine (10 cl… about what you get in an American bar) costs Sfr 6 or so. A beer (33 cl) costs about the same. Otherwise, a la carte items will run from the low Sfr20s to the upper Sfr30s.
For lunches or snacks duck into the grocery stores or supermarkets such as Coop or Migros. Milk products such as butter, yogurts, cheeses and milk are about the same price that you might find in the U.S. Chocolate prices are similar to what we find back home. Frozen pizza runs between Sfr6 and Sfr9 again, similar to the U.S. But fresh vegetables and fruit are more than twice to three times as expensive.
Luckily, wine (available at Coop but not at Migros) is less expensive than back home, so I could drown my sorrows. I could find a good Spanish Navarra wine or Rioja wine for only Sfr8.50 to Sfr12.
In the mountains, raclette and fondue is a bargain. A set-up for four diners will only cost around Sfr30 for just the cheese and Sfr33 or so for cheese and Bundnerfleisch.
Photos by Charles Leocha
