Pre-Convention 2015 Part 3: Gimmelwald and Muren

View from the cablecar at Stechelberg.

    I originally wanted to put this post together with the last. But on second thought, these two mountainside villages deserve a post of their own, if only for the heaven-like location they occupy. It is no wonder the wifey suddenly decided that this is where she wants to retire, and be a farmer no less!

    Our next adventure was totally unplanned. The Swiss train system impressed with its precision. I knew weeks in advance which platform every train I was supposed to take would be on. The only downside was the number of trains one had to change in order to get anywhere. Thus I was a little concerned when the man behind the info counter told us that for our next destination, we had to take a train, change to a bus, board a cable car, then another cable car and train back. Fortunately when we got the hang of things, it wasn't that confusing.

Gimmelwald

    Next stop, Gimmelwald (Train from Interlarken Ost to Lauterbrunnen. Then bus to Stechelberg, and up the cable car to Gimmelwald). Gimmelwald is the epitome of "off the beaten track". This little mountainside village (yes, the houses are literally perched on the mountainside) doesn't even have a public washroom. Nevertheless, one cannot say that you've experienced a real non-touristy mountain village if you've not been to one like Gimmelwald. This little village would suit you more if you're here to contemplate life than to sightsee.

    I originally wanted to hike to the waterfall but changed my mind when I realised the hike would take us 2 hrs. We decided to hike to the town of Murren instead (we originally bought cable car tickets to Murren from Gimmelwald). With the sun beating on our backs, we climbed the slopes up to Murren. It wasn't planned for. Imagine the two of us, not knowing how long the climb would take, and the wifey in her Ferragamos no less...

    The view from Gimmelwald to Murren was more than breathtaking. We've been to several mountains before, but nothing compares to power and majesty of these slopes. A forest of pines covered the foundation, leading up to green slopes, dotted with "little" chalets, and ending in snow covered caps. It gives new meaning to the lyrics, "Oh Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder, consider all the works Thy hands hath made... How great Thou art!" You almost expect lyrics of worship songs to appear on the mountainside. The views were more spetacular than those used as backdrops in worship services.

Nothing better than a glass of cold chocolate after an unplanned uphill climb.

Murren

Cheese fondue with the spectacular mountain view.
The alcohol in the cheese was so strong that we couldn't finish it.

      The way back from Murren, took us by train to Grutschalp, then cable car to Lauterbrunnen and train back to Interlaken Ost. The wifey had achieved what she wanted to do, mountain hiking and eating Swiss cheese fondue. Next stop, a change of base to St. Gallen...

Pre-Convention 2015 Part 2: Bern

    The next day, we were at the train station to catch the 9.00am train to Bern. It may seem early but there's not many English channels on TV and the shops close early, so we turned in early the night before.

    Our first stop in the City of Bears was the tourist information counter. Here we got ourselves a map and plotted our route. The whole of Bern is a UNESCO heritage site. The reason for this becomes obvious when we ventured into the town. Although the buildings were not as quaint as some other European towns, Bern exudes a charm of its own. The city is dotted with numerous fountains, each topped with a figure representing an ideal or a place in Bern history. These fountains are also good landmarks to find one way around.

    The wifey wanted to visit Albert Einstein's house and that's what we did. In my opinion, it's not worth the 6 CHF unless you're into the man or his works.

Albert Einstein's living room.

    Other notable sites we visited included the Peter and Paul church and the Rathaus (townhall). It is interesting to note that unlike other European churches, the Peter and Paul Church had edelweiss painted on its ceiling instead of the usual frescos. A place not to be missed is the rose garden. This vantage point lies outside the old city walls (past the bearpark and the river) and up a steep slope. The view is worth the climb I assure you.

Peter and Paul Church.

Walking across the bridge out of the city, near the Bear Park.

View from the Rose Garden.

      The highlight of the day must be the visit to the Swiss Parliament. One has to book the guided tour at least a day before. Fortunately for us, the English tour fitted perfectly into our schedule. The very design of the Parliament illustrated the Swiss ideals of equality amongst the cantons (they had to make space for the latest canton Jura which came into being after the completion of the ceiling) and the power of the people above all (stained glass depicting the Swiss people lined the topmost level of the building). We learnt that the Swiss have a unique system where the President is simply another member of the government and is elected for one year terms. We visited both the state assembly and chamber where the people's representatives met. The bicameral parliament mirrors those of the UK and the US. Members of Parliament had to be conversant in French, German and Italian and sometimes even Romansh. Swiss children learn two languages in school. Thus it is no big deal that Singapore children are made to learn their mother tongue and English. Detractors of this bilingual policy should be knocked in the head.

Shields representing all the cantons of Switzerland, including the newest, Jurga, at the bottom.

     We left the Parliament building and were greeted by Chinese music. To my consternation the plaz in front of Parliament had been transformed into a cesspit celebrating 65 years of Swiss-PRC relations. The worst thing was that they blocked the view of parliament I wanted to take a picture of. Yes Ian, like "TV mobile" they are indeed everywhere (at least TV mobile isn't operating now).

    We had originally wanted to have a meal at the Rathaus restaurant. However, we found that most restaurants weren't serving food past 4.00pm. We finally found a place that seemed decent enough. The problem was I didn't know what I was ordering and the waiter wasn't much help. Surprisingly, the beef and pork escalopes were really tender and delicious. Even the wifey liked it. Until today I've no idea what the yellow floury thingy mixed with cheese is (I later found out it's egg).

    People will tell you that one of the main attractions in Bern is the clock tower. You will find small crowds waiting beneath the tower for the hour to strike. Stupidly, that's what we did too. In fact we waited a full 20min. A minutes before the hour, the mechanism started and a row of little figures started turning. One round and it stopped. When the minute hand finally reached 12, the figures above this row started moving, poking their heads in and out, as if performing an Indian dance. It was over in no time. What a let down! A group of rowdy youth even clapped and jeered in sarcasm.

    It was getting late. We headed back to the train station and made our way back to Interlaken Ost.

Pre-Convention 2015 Part 1: Interlaken base & Top of Europe

    I was awakened by the rays of sun streaming through the oval window. A quick glance offered my first sight of Switzerland. Snow-capped mountain ranges greeted the eyes. The contrast of white snow sitting on the grey-brown rocks gave one the feeling of austerity. This was very quickly replaced by rolling green hills as the aeroplane flew over the little chalets that dotted the lush hillsides. It wasn't long when we landed in Zurich.

    From Zurich, we first took the train to Luzern and then changed to another. The second train wound through the mountains and forests of this beautiful land. The high windows offered the most beautiful views I've seen in a long time. Imagine steep mountains on both your left and right, capped with snow. Feeble waterfalls that ended in the bright green valleys which were dotted by little "huts" all along the way. Out of nowhere a stream appears and soon transforms into a river and then a lake. The sun reflecting from the water's surface gave it a shimmering azure sheen. This was the land of edelweiss and Ricola.

    Our base for this first leg was to be the Hotel Du Nord in Interlaken Ost. We found its location advantagous as it is situated between the Interlaken Ost train train station and Interlarken West. This is a four-starred establishment that offered the view of the distant mountains. We figured that the proprietors were more concerned about defending against the cold as the room offered no air-con. Thankfully a table fan was provided or we might have died from the summer heat. It had been a long day of travelling. We needed rest for our adventure the next day.

View from our room in Hotel Du Nord Interlaken Ost.

    Day 2 witnessed us up bright and early. The hotel breakfast was decent but nothing to shout about. We soon found our way back to the train station and on the way to the Top of Europe - Jungfraujoch.

View from the train on the way up the mountain.

View from the rock station of Eigerwand. There's no point
disembraking at both. Just choose one. The view is similarly
spectacular.

    To the uninitiated, the Swiss train system be extremely confusing. Most trips require a change of train or two. Going up the mountains, we first stopped at Lauterbrunnen and changed to a charming Jungfraujoch train. The final stop before the ascent was Kleine Scheidegg. No words can aptly describe the mountain views. No picture does it justice. The train from Kleine Scheidegg took us through Eigerwand and Eismeer, which were stations dug into the mountain rock itself. There were 5min picture stops at both. Then it was all the way within the mountain to Jungfraujoch and the Top of Europe.

Top of Europe - on the ice and snow.

Ice cave

On the Observatory ledge.

      We took the Grindelwald route back down the mountain. It was in Grindelwald that we had our first real Swiss meal.

Kleine Scheidegg

    A short walk around the village and we were back on the train. Hence concludes our Day 1 adventure.

Ground beef, on potatoes and lots of cheese, tastes like an
excellent lasagna.

Schnitzel coated with pan-fried sunflower seeds.

Our Italian Adventure: Part Quattro - Meeting the World in Milano

    It has been a hectic few weeks since I last updated this blog. I finally have the time to now present the last installment to "Our Italian Adventure". After wandering around Tuscany and Florence, we found ourselves back on the Freccia Rosa, travelling towards Milan. Milan was to be our final stop. Most people, the Italians themselves included, would raise their eyebrows when we tell them that we would spend the next few few days in Milan. "But there's nothing there to see," would be the usual refrain. This year things are different. This time, we're going to Milano to meet the world...

World Expo 2015: Milano

    This year's World Expo is held, yes you guessed it, in Milano. Actually in a suburb, a train's ride from the city center. The World Expo consists of pavilions from 145 countries, 3 international organizations and a host of other NGOs and commercial companies. The theme this year is "Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life." Being the foodies that we are, we anticipated that this year's expo would be interesting. We first headed to the Italian pavilion, which was one of the largest. We figured that the host nation would have one of the best around. After a long wait in  a snaking queue, we found that this was not the case.

Nutella pop-up concept store

    Two notable pavilions were those from Israel and Japan, Israel's was the epitome of "minimal effort, maximum output." They made the best use of interactive video technology to present a multimedia showcase of how they managed to first make the dessert bloom, and then export their technology to benefit the rest of the world. Do you know that cherry tomatoes are an Israeli invention? I was taken by the similarity of the Israeli work culture as compared to Singapore's. Both value efficiency to the extent of being clinical. Both are pragmatic to the extreme. I believe it is this work ethic that allows for the success that both enjoy.

    The other note-worthy pavilion belonged to Japan. True to their culture, the Japanese's presentation was tip-top, high-quality and no effort spared, from entertaining the people in the queue down to the very exhibits themselves. Similar to the Israel, Japan made excellent use of multimedia technology. The centerpiece was a rendition of their concept of the future restaurant. "Guests" (that means us), were treated to a "meal", with entertainment at the Japanese future restaurant.

walking through multimedia grass from Japan

Future restaurant

    Besides the various country pavilions, we also got to experience a future supermarket. Here details of every item are displayed on LED screens when one points to the item. Such information can really come in handy when deciding which type of food or which brand to buy from. Details include, the source of the ingredients, the carbon footprint used to produced the item, and whether it is organic or not. The checkout process was also fully automated.

Our trophy from the World Expo

    One thing I found disconcerting about the World Expo was that most of the countries were more interested in showcasing their food. Most presented no solution to the main issue, which was to feed the planet and create sustainable energy. Take the Vatican for example. The Holy See was only interested in showcasing it's charitable arms. What it offered was simply for the world to recognize where it "went wrong" and to pray. Iran was even worse. I couldn't care less about the "great" historical figures they showcased. Even the better pavilions, such as Japan, had no real idea of how they could contribute to the future betterment of the planet. Only Israel stood out with practical solutions to meet world hunger. In the end, as fantastic as it made itself out to be, in my view, the World Expo had more entertainment value than to be of any practical use.

Art and Culture

    Contrary to popular belief, there is lots to see and experience in Milano. No visit would be complete without a visit to the Duomo. We didn't climb the dome this time. Nevertheless, the facade and main sanctuary provided a feast that was more than enough for the eye.

Did Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi get his inspiration for the Statue of Liberty from the Milan Duomo?

Giant columns holding up the roof of the Milan Cathedral. They were designed to resemble giant cedar trunks, giving the sanctuary a sense of natural tranquility. As one's gaze follow the row of  forest trunks, one is led to the alter, which is the focal point. If you look closely enough, you can spot a red light slightly below the crucifix. This indicated the box which supposedly contains one of the nails that pierced Jesus during the Crucifixion.

Keystone representing the head of God the Father - cathedral museum.

     Besides the Duomo and related buildings, we also explored Sforza Castle. It is here that a entire room decorated by the great Leonardo Da Vinci is being restored and Michelangelo's final Pieta is housed.

Milan - fashion capital of Italy. How can we leave shopping out? In a way, shopping is part of the tourist culture in Milan.

Local Tradition - Stepping on a certain spot of the Turin Bull for good luck.

Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II - where history and shopping meets

Visiting the Navigli Canal district

Food Glorious Food

    When it came to food, Milan did not disappoint. Introducing the World Expo Limited Edition McAngus Burger and Lobster Panini from, of all places, McDonald's!

Fancy having a meal on a farm in the heart of the city? "Un Posto A Milano" would be your best bet. This 1700s farmstead now hosts a kitchen, bar, and even a guest house. Feast your eyes...

Which trip of ours would be complete without going for a Michelin starred meal? This time the wifey chose "Al Pont de Ferr" situated on the banks of the river. This nondescript restaurant hides it's identity really well. We could've walked past it if we weren't purposely looking out for it. Nevertheless, its Michelin Star is truly well-deserved. The excellent quality of food was a given. What was more surprising was that this was the least expensive meal of our entire Italian trip!

Foie gras with olives soaked in martini anyone? Potent!

I simply love the pumpkin rolls. Finished both of course.

Crazy Wheels pasta

We decided to take a stroll around the district after a more than hearty lunch. Just around the corner we stumbled on this gelateria. At first we were totally confused by the variety of ice-cream available, Thank God for kind grandmother who was buying ice-cream for her grandchildren. She explained the different flavours to us. We settled on "noblesse". Smooth sticky chocolate. Absolutely yummy. The only other gelato that gives this a fight is the one at Dubrovnik. Interestingly, this is the first time we came across this flavour. And we've never come across this flavour ever since. Definitely a must try.
To round off our Italian adventure, we decided to have dinner at the restaurant around the corner from our hotel. We had dinner here the night before and were taken by the size of the veal fillet. We had to give it a try. The picture does't do justice to the size of this fillet. It was nicely breaded, thin yet juicy enough to provide a good mouthful.

The maitre 'd offered us some limoncello to round up our meal. I'm not much of a drinker, so at first we declined. Moreover, we first tried the liqueur in Rome a few years ago, and it tasted absolutely horrible. However, the kind man pressed us  and offered "two drops". We couldn't turn down his generosity and relented. The "drops" turned out to be two glasses. I took a sip and was pleasantly surprised by the sweetness that greeted my palate. It was totally different from the one we tried in Capri (or was it outside Pompeii?). Another sip and the warmth hit me like a tonne of bricks! The sweetness masked a potent punch. Even the wifey who prides herself on having a healthy tolerance for alcohol went soft as fabric under its spell. We stumbled our way back to the hotel. Thankfully it was only across the road.

    It was indeed an apt conclusion to our adventure in Italy. Stay tune for our next adventure, coming up in a few weeks. This time,we head to Switzerland!