Tuesday's Travel To Do- Switzerland

For as long as I can remember I have longed to go to Switzerland to ski the Alps . Now as I have grown older I sort of figure that there is more to Switzerland than just skiing and winter wonderlands so this week’s TTTD is…you guessed it, Switzerland . LOL I’m going to show you why Switzerland is a great place to visit no matter the season. The below picture was Bing’s background image about a month ago and provoked me to feature Switzerland on an upcoming TTTD. I figured this week would work before I head off into the sunrise on my Egyptian adventure in 12 days.

 This is the famous Chateau de Chillon that sits on Lake Geneva. Isn't it breathtaking?

Fast Facts:

• Capital- Bern
• Official Language (s) - German, French, Romansch, and Italian
• It’s known around the world for being neutral and hasn’t been in a state of war since 1815
• Zurich and Geneva are two of the largest cities
• Switzerland is one of the richest countries in the world 

The below is a piece I grabbed from Lonely Planet. I wish I could right this good, awe maybe one day.

Known as a summer and winter sports paradise (just look at those glistening white 4000m-plus Alpine peaks and glittering lakes), Switzerland is where people first skied for fun. Illustrious names evoke all the romance and glamorous drama of the mountain high life: Zermatt, St Moritz , Interlaken , Gstaad, the Jungfrau , Verbier and more. Cities like Geneva (the most cosmopolitan), Zürich (the most outrageous), Basel and Lausanne heave with heady artistic activity and sometimes incendiary nightlife.

Zermatt

Gstaad

Beyond the après-ski chic, edelweiss and Heidi lies a complex country of cohabiting cultures. It not only has four languages(Swiss German, French, Italian and Romansch), but the cultural variety to match. You could be chomping on sausages over beer in an oom-pah-pah Stübli one day and pasta over a glass of merlot in a granite grotto the next. And if over-indulgence becomes a problem try one of the country's thermal baths, from Yverdon-les-Bains to Scuol.

The grandeur of the finest churches, such as the cathedrals in Lausanne and Bern , contrasts with sparkling but lesser-known treasures like the frescoes of Müstair or the abbey complex of St Gallen (both World Heritage sites).

cathedral in Lausanne



cathedral in Bern

The list of enchanting towns is endless: from Lucerne with its covered bridge to Neuchâtel and its fountains; from Gruyères with its cheese and Grimentz with its traditional timber houses to the sgraffito-blazoned buildings of Engadine towns like Scuol and Zuoz.

 

Whether visiting the remotest Ticino villages or sampling the finest of Valais wines, you'll find Switzerland a chocolate box bursting with unexpected flavors.

Basel

Bern

Zurich in the summer

So either pack backpack and walking stick to head out and see the country during the summer or pack your ski suit and hit the slopes in the winter, either way GO THERE and maybe I'll see you!