Irrespective of the type, I have always found trains interesting. This one also reminded me of my childhood. I was watching a train moving on the railway track that was just adjacent to our hotel premises. It was fun to watch the train so closely. It added to our excitement as we were actually going to board a train that day - Jungfraujoch line, and that too, after a cable car ride. The coach ride was lovely once again. We enjoyed watching the magnificent landscapes as we would do every day. Colourful trains on the way looked pretty. At one point, our route was diverted due to ongoing road repair work. Even while the repair was in progress, the site was not unkempt. Blocks, barriers, tools, sand, chippings, etc. were neatly kept and did not affect the traffic adversely in any manner. The diversion was also very neatly planned, which took us through a small town, probably the countryside. Once again, I envied the people residing there for being able to stay in such a picturesque place. Quite unexpectedly, we came across a railway crossing barrier gate, which is very common in India. But, it was unmanned and operated automatically. The train was painted in dual tone - yellow and indigo, and needless to say, was beautiful. The discipline displayed by all in terms of the traffic was commendable. I wondered why such proficiency was not palpable in my home country. I was lost in thought when we arrived at Grindelwald terminal. We boarded the ‘Eiger Express’, the fastest and most modern attraction. It is a high-speed cable car. It took just 15 minutes for the cable car to take us from Grindelwald (3000 feet) to Eiger Glacier railway station, which was at 7000 feet. I was quite used to the neatness and cleanliness of Europe by then. Eiger Glacier railway station was as spick and span as other places would be. But when I looked at it keenly, I found the station quite swanky, almost like an airport lounge. It was learned that all the railway stations in Europe were equally classy. Our train was simple, but an elegant meter-gauge train. It was a ‘Cogwheel Railway’, specially designed to operate on steep grades. The trains are fitted with cogwheels that mesh with a toothed rack rail, which runs between the running rails. We were welcomed onboard by offering delicious chocolates. Barring a few minutes in the beginning, the entire ride was through a 7-kilometer-long tunnel. It was learned that the tunnel took 16 years to complete. In about 30 minutes we reached Jungfraujoch - Europe's highest railway station, which was at 11000 feet. As soon as we got off the train, we became a bit breathless, getting a hint of high altitude. The giddiness became very obvious as we reached the elevator area. We had scaled nearly 8000 feet in just more than an hour. The lack of acclimatisation showed its effects. Some of us took longer to recover. It was a great relief and a pleasant surprise to have a sumptuous Indian lunch on the top of a great glacier in the Alps. By the time we had our lunch, all of us had recovered from the high-altitude sickness. Once settled down, we took an elevator to the Sphinx station, an observatory deck from where we could see the lofty snow-covered peaks of the magnificent Alps. It was just white all over, yet looked beautiful. Zero visibility, harsh winds, and sub-zero temperatures were narrating the might of nature. Two black birds sitting on the fence of the deck were drawing the attention of all, perhaps telling us how they dared to fight mighty nature. The Ice Palace was a great amusement. Some of us said that the sculptures inside the Ice Palace were not solely made of ice and some other techniques were used. Overall, it was interesting. Jungfraujoch is the most favoured destination for skiers, which offers over 250 kilometers of perfect slopes, infrastructure, descents, snow parks, and a great opportunity for adventure sports. The area between Jungfraujoch railway station and the Sphinx observatory is called the ‘Top of Europe’ building, which includes several restaurants, shops, and a post office. Each one of us received a small booklet resembling a passport. There was a Jungfraujoch Passport Stamp machine just off the restaurant area for people to get a souvenir stamp. One could insert the dummy passport inside the stamp machine and get a stamp of the Jungfraujoch. It was fun. All of us were tired and needed refreshment. Although we knew that the coffee would be with less milk, we opted for it, thanks to the perfect weather. We returned to Grindelwald terminal by the same route. All along the way, I was wondering about the efforts Switzerland had made to preserve its beautiful vintage look even while implementing the most sophisticated technology. Every care was taken not to disturb the ecological balance while creating engineering marvels like cable cars, tunnels, roads, or the railway network. Uninterrupted wi-fi connectivity at the great heights of Jungfraujoch was laudable.
As our coach moved through the small
towns, our eyes once again got glued to the windows as they would do every day. Our
excitement grew as our tour manager informed us that we were about to reach
Interlaken (between lakes), yet another beautiful place. Interlaken is a Swiss district in the canton of Bern, and the main transport gateway to the mountains and
lakes of the region. The town is a base from where travellers and backpackers
begin their expeditions and explore the surrounding areas. The district has
various companies providing guided services for skydiving, canyoning, hang gliding, paragliding, and skiing. We could see people gliding down
and landing on a sprawling lush green ground which was just across the road.
The walk-ways, roads, and footpaths were extraordinarily beautiful. Colourful
flowers added to the beauty of the roads. We wondered how the beautiful
planters were taken care of. Every corner was spick and span and contributed to
the overall prettiness of the place. The place had hustle and bustle, yet it
had a unique calmness. The shops were upper-class, but they still appeared humble. The overall
manifestation was so elegant, still, it revealed serenity. We walked further to
reach a spot near the Congress Centre. It was a popular tourist spot. For
Indians, it was more so because of its relation to Hindi cinema. The late
legendary Hindi cinema director Yash Chopra discovered Switzerland in 1970. The
renowned film director was fascinated by the landscape around Interlaken and shot many of the scenes from his films there. The aura
of the films had a great impact on the Indian audience as well as the Indian
cinema industry. Since then, many directors have chosen Switzerland for
shooting their films. This boosted Swiss tourism to a considerable extent. In 2011, the Swiss government honoured the late Yash Chopra with the title of
Ambassador of Interlaken for presenting Switzerland's beauty to Indians through
his films. In 2016, a bronze statue of the late Yash Chopra was installed as a
tribute by the Switzerland government at the place where we had gathered.
It was indeed an honour to see the acknowledgement of an Indian at such a
faraway place.
We boarded the coach, but with a heavy heart, as we were supposed to bid goodbye to beautiful Switzerland and proceed to Paris the next morning. Perhaps nature has gifted all its treasures to Switzerland. Switzerland has valued the treasures with all its might and made every effort to preserve even the most trivial aspect of the setting. Switzerland does deserve acclaim for its vision, will, zeal, and inclination. The Persian verse, which I mentioned previously justly speaks about the paradise status of Switzerland. Nature always gives us abundantly. However, it is entirely in our capacity to cherish, love, value, preserve, and conserve a beautiful gift.
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