ON OUR JOURNEY TO MT.TITLIS

Titlis Glacier

View of Titlis from above

   We stayed at Banklialps in Engelberg for two days. On the first day we saw the Trummelbach Waterfalls, a unique thundering waterfall naturally formed below the rocky cliffs and made us feel the mighty and magnificent thrilling force of water. The same day we had the thrilling journey to Jungfrau mountain to experience the pure virgin-like touch of ice-world with artistic ice-palace and refreshed ourselves there with hot cups of coffee and scintillating Swiss chocolates. The next day we went on another adventure to view the snowy hill, Mt.Titlis and explore more miracles of this Alpine region. Engelberg is just at the foot of this mount at a  distance of 5.4 Kms, a matter of ten minutes to reach the Mount Titlis, which is in the Urner Alps of Switzerland is located between the two cantons (regions) of Obwalden and Berne.

Titlis Rotair

Ice Flier

                                               

View of Titlis from Rotaire

Mount Titlis Station

The first ascent of Titlis (3238 meters or 10,263 feet high) was made in 1435 by Ignaz Herz and J.E.Waser along with two other men. In March 1967 the cable car to Mt.Titlis was inaugurated. On Jan. 21.1904 the first ski-ascent was made by Joseph Kuster and Willi Amrhein. Due credit we must give to Swiss engineers and workers who toiled hard to set up this cable car arrangement and facilitated so many tourists to reach this summit of 10,600 feet high above the sea level, and enjoy the breath-taking view of valleys, lakes and snow-white glaciers from a high altitude.

 We have to reach Mt.Titlis in three stages. In the first stage the cable car takes passengers from Engelberg to Gerschnialp (1262 meters high) in twenty minutes. In each cage there is accommodation for six people. During this ride one can see the distant view of Engelberg town with green slopes, cottages and cattle grazing freely with tinkling Swiss bells around their necks. From Trubsee Lake Station we have to go in a bigger cable car, each carrying about sixty people. In five minutes we can reach Stand located at a height of 2428 meters. From Stand there is a rotating cable car called Titlis Rotaire whose base rotates 360 degrees to give you a complete view of the glacier and mountain valleys on all sides. It takes just five minutes to reach the Titlis Mountain Station located at a height of 3020 meters above sea level. The topmost station in the whole of Europe looks quite ultra-modern with all facilities and comforts with flight of steps up to fourth level.

 Soon after we got down we rushed to the photo shop located on the fourth floor so that we may have our photos taken early without standing in queue and waiting for our turn. As soon as we entered the photo studio we saw an array of clothes, boots, head gears and socks connected with mountain-climbing and native Swiss tradition. A row of photos are displayed showing people dressed as Swiss musicians, farmers and hunters with the backdrop of bluish Titlis Mountain range. Three ladies helped us in getting dressed as a Swiss musician holding a long brass Alp-horn and another person a  in the guise of a hunter with a gun held aslant on his shoulder accompanied by two of our ladies dressed in traditional Swiss gowns  and broad-brimmed hats. Though at first we felt a little bit nervous to get dressed in a strange attire, our helpers encouraged us to assume right posture facing the camera, by saying "Cheers, Cheers" again.

Tourists in Swiss native dress

Photo Shop at Titlis

                                                                        
           

 Later we climbed into the lift and went up to the snow park upon the glacier. As we entered we saw the life-size portraits of the most popular and romantic Indian film actors, Sharukh Khan and Kajol as shown in the Hindi film "Dil Wala Le Jayenge Dulhania " (Briefly called DDL). We learnt that many Hindi films are shot in Swiss mountain regions which serve as an apt romantic landscape for many movies. At the far end of the glacier a huge mass of snow is seen in the shape of the Buddha seated in meditation, lending an aura of purity to this white glacier. A surprising coincidence indeed !

Portriait of Sharukh Khan and Kajol

Trubsee Snow Park on Titlis Glacier

  









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           3rd December, 2015                                                     SOMASESHU GUTALA

ON OUR JOURNEY TO JUNGFRAU

   

View of Jungfrau from Interlaken

Jungfraujoch Station

               

View of Jungfrau from moving train

Train moving through tunnel

                 









  After viewing the subterranean waterfalls inside the rocky mountain, we travelled to Lauterbrunnen to catch the cogwheel railway train to explore the wondrous charms of Jungfrau, one of the summits of the Bernese Alps. From Lauterbrunnen the Bernese Oberland Railway will take you up to Kleine Scheidegg. From there the Jungfrau Railway will take you to Jungfraujoch, the highest railway station in Europe, standing at a height of 11,332 feet,  the nearest railway station to go to the Jungfrau hill summit. As we travelled we had a spectacular view of hills, pastures and bushy firs with small cottages here and there. The distant snowy peaks of Alpine mountains came nearer to our sight as our train slowly climbed up the mountain slopes. Our train entered the seven km. long  tunnel, a miraculous achievement of Swiss Engineers, made through mountains towards the glaciers on the south side of Jungfrau. In 1893 Adolf Guyer Zeller (1839-1869) conceived this idea of constructing a tunnel to reach Jungfrau. It took almost sixteen years to accomplish this task. The summit station was opened in 1912.  

Restaurant at Jungfrau

Chocolate Shop

              









  Our train entered the tunnel running eastward through Eigher. On the way our train halted at two places namely Eigherwand (on the north face of Eigher) and Eismier (the south side of Eigher) for a few minutes. It took fifty minutes to reach Jungfraujoch, which is nearly 9.4 kms from Lauterbrunnen. As soon as we got down, we saw a spacious hall with a coffee bar. A surprise indeed even on such a lofty freezing icy summit ! A blur tour symbol on the wall with arrow mark gave us the direction to reach the snowy hills. In the  first hall called "Jungfrau Panorama" we watched the 360 degrees cinematic experience of the Alpine world of ice, rocks, snow, cloud and cold blowing winds--a sort of introduction to our exploration of these crystalline shining charms.

  In the second hall we can witness the heroic struggle and dedication of the people who strove to set up this tourist center on the highest level in Jungfraujoch. By means of light, music and carved statues and figures, we are given a clear picture about the past and present conditions of tourism and the construction of the Jungfrau Railway track through formidable fountains.

Statue of Adolf Guyer Zeller

Ice Palace Entrance

        










  Another attraction is the man-made ice palace and the ice-cave, a must-visit for all tourists.This cave is nearly 1000 square meters in area and has many niches and passages. To keep the ice-sculptures and statues away from melting due to the warmth caused by thousands of tourists, the cave is cooled and constantly kept at minus 3.0 degrees. This ice-palace or Eispalast is the highest altitude palace in the world. This palace was started in 1934. The crystal figures of penguins, bears, automobiles, humans and eagles is an awsome and wondrous work of ice-art. In the dim-lit vault they shine with glossy, transparent charm. These ice-made grottoes remind one of the legendary palace of the Chinese Emperor, Kublakhan, described by the great poet, S.T.Coleridge in his unfinished poem. 

Ice Sculpture

Penguins carved in in ice

                       

        Due to lack of time we could not visit "Sphinx Terrace" which was opened in 1931. In 1950 an observatory with a dome was set up for astronomical study and research. One can go there by lift and view the Aletsch Glacier, a shining expanse of lily-white snow with clouds of hovering mist touching the blue sky. On the topmost level people go on skiing or gliding on the cable snow-ride over the Aletsch glacier just below Jungfrau. 

  In the Lindt Chocolate Shop in the main complex, we can find a vast variety of Swiss chocolates made by Lindt  Master Chocolatiers, the world-famous enterprise which manufactures delicious chocolates like Lindor balls.From here we can have a glance at the breath-taking view of the Alpine charms,tasting the most delicious sweets at the same time while standing on the highest altitude of Europe. If you still feel warm, you can enjoy the sweet, melting Swiss ice-cream too. In the coffee bar we can enjoy a hot cup of steaming coffee which tastes heavenly after our spine-chilling adventure through icy world.   

 As if to admire our courage and adventurous spirit, we were given Jungfrau Railways Passport, a compliment to us, who reached the topmost station in Europe. Before leaving we went to see the gift shop where one can find Swiss branded articles like souvenirs,
T-Shirts, bags, Tissot Watches and many other items to buy as cherished tokens of this unforgettable journey to one of the most enchanting places on the top of Europe, as enchanting as another lunar world of shimmering ice.   

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   15th November, 2015                                                  SOMASESHU GUTALA

A WORLD OF CRYSTAL DAZZLING WHITE --- JUNGFRAU

   

Mountain Jungfrau

                           

Eigher, Monch and Jungfrau Mountain Peaks

    Jungfrau (13,642 feet in height) is one of the main summits of the Bernese Alps, situated halfway between Interlaken and Fiesch. Together with Eiger and Monch Mountains, the Jungfrau forms a massive wall overlooking the Bermese Oberland and the Swiss Plateau. Jungfrau is six kms. from Eiger and 3.5 kms. from Monch. Jungfrau, the scenic mountain, separates the cantons of Bern and Valais, and is a part of the Bernese Alpine range, with two other peaks namely, Aletchhorn (13,763feet) and Finsteraahorn (14,022 feet), both surpassing it in height.

 

Cox-wheel Railway Track

 In 1811 two Swiss brothers, Rudolph Meyer and Hieronymus Meyer, climbed this mountain (Jungfrau)  from Valais, the eastern side. In 1885 Fritz and Heinrich Von Allmen along with others made the first ascent from the difficult western or Interlaken side. In 1911 from the more dangerous and difficult north-eastern ridge, Albert Weber and Hans Schluneggar succeeded in
climbing this mountain. In 1865 a more direct route on the northern side was opened. In 1912 the coxwheel railway track was completed and the summit station, Jungfraujoch, was opened at a height of 11,332 feet to make this most enchanting mountain accessible to all. Jungfrau mountain along with Aletech Glacier in the south is a part of the Jungfrau-Aletech area and was recognized as a World Heritage Site in 2001.

         

Aletsch  Glacier

  Let me end this article with a poetic touch, a kind of glowing tribute, to Jungfrau, one of the most beautiful creations of God, that one can not describe in human language.

                         
                           " A shivering world of snow-white ice
                              Shining like moon in sunny light            
                              A world of crystal, dazzling white;
                              A thrill of joy swells up in rapturous cries.

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THE MARVELLOUS SUBTERRANEAN WATERFALLS (PART--II)

 
                                                                             

staircase through the tunnel

Lauterbrunnen Valley

  The Trummelbach Waterfalls is formed from a series of ten glacier waterfalls formed  at ten levels  inside the mountain, a rare natural phenomenon indeed. To view this waterfall inside the rocky mountain, a tunnel lift was provided to carry people up to a platform from where flights of steps give us scope to see the gushing waters at different levels. The thundering sound of water echoes inside the rocky mountain producing a deafening sound. Hence the waterfalls is named as Trummelbach which means a stream that sounds like a drum.

Surging flow

                 

water flowing through gorge

                                                    

  This is the largest subterranean waterfall located in Lauterbrunnen valley, often called the valley of seventy-two waterfalls. The snow melt from glaciers of Jungfrau, Eigher and Monch forms a powerful torrent through caves and cuts through rocks forming many shapes in different colors and sizes. There are view points or small look outs  to see the ten chutes that fall into the Trummelbach river. The total height of the waterfalls is four hundred and sixty feet with an approximate width of forty feet, with ten levels or drops.
These waterfalls carry up to twenty thousand liters of water per second flowing over an area of twenty-four square kilometers. Half of its drainage area is covered by snow and glaciers. The swirling waters with swelling foam is an enchanting spectacle to see. The outburst of flow revolves and plunges into narrow crevices and gorges and emerges mysteriously at another level. The spiraling waters through rocky fissures creates a magical view of the rushing waters which appears like a tornado scattering showers of water all over our heads from above. The surging white waves circling through rocky gorges made us wonder at the roaring might of these waters which carry tons of debris along with its energetic flow. In winter it is not open for tourists and the rushing water becomes frozen and no sound is heard then.

  As we descended, a calm view of spacious pasture appeared in sharp contrast to the turbulent commotion we saw inside. Oh, what a contrast at the same spot ! The lines of Lord Byron, the rebellious Romantic poet, written on the board attracted our attention.
                                                     
                          "The sunbow's rays still arch
                           The torrent with many hues of heaven
                           And roll the sheeted silver's waving column
                           O'er the crag's headlong perpendicular." (From Byron's Alpine Diary)

In 1816 Byron standing at the base of one of these waterfalls described that it looks " like the tail of the white horse streaming in the wind."
                            
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THE MARVELLOUS SUBTERRANEAN WATERFALLS (Part--I)

Engelberg Town

Engelberg town

  In the morning we could see the picturesque landscape of Engelberg, an international tourist resort with many hotels, shops and mountain sports training centers. We saw people paragliding accompanied by coaches in mid-air, hovering like birds above us. The pure climate, freshwater from mountain springs made this town a favourite destination for establishment of  spas and for enjoying Swiss delicacies. People here speak Swiss-German, a variation of German language, and can understand English also. People come here to enjoy sports like hiking, mountain climbing, bike-riding, sailing, skiing and swimming. This town is located at an altitude of 3,350 feet above sea-level surrounded by Alpine mountains. Because of its beautiful landscape abound with green valleys, mountain lakes and fresh air, this place is appropriately named "Engelberg" or "The Mountain of Angels." 

Inner View

 

Engelberg Church

            

Scenic View

Tunnel way

    










This town is well-connected to nearby cities like Luzern and Stansted by rail. Many hotels were established here during 1872 and 1874 by families of Cattani, Hess and Odermatt, pioneers of tourism. Because of its enchanting scenic spots, many Indian films were shot here. Another tourist attraction is the snow-covered peaks of mountains like Mt.Titlis. In 1967 Titlis Cable Car connection was opened here. In this town the Engelberg Abbey is a very ancient institution founded in 1122 by Conrad, Count of Seldenbiuren. During French Revolution many precious volumes of the abbey's library were burnt down. The abbey was re-built in Baroque style later. The abbey was given many privileges by kings and Bishops. This abbey founded a Fine Arts School for painters and writers. This abbey also maintains a cheese shop, a florist's shop, blacksmith's store and a well-equipped library. Even now nearly thirty monks stay here to run the institution.

  On our way to Trummelbach we took a short stroll through the park and streets of Engelberg. The beauty of this town lies in the fact that the place is not cut off from natural scenic surroundings. Wherever you go, you have a picturesque view of hills and green slopes with dotted with tiny cottages and herds of cattle. A serene and pure climate seems to get into every pore of your body. Some people were seen enjoying Swiss ice-cream while others were seen buying Swiss souvenirs from the vendors on the pavement. The photo cards and miniature figurines of Swiss cowbells and animals seem to attract everyone's attention.
 

Road from Zurich to Interlaken

Tunnel highway

 

    

Swiss Landscape Picture Card

Swiss Souvenirs

      

Lake Sarnen

                               

Interlaken

 Our bus passed through many tunnels and came across many lakes. The Swiss engineers are experts in construction of tunnels through mountainous terrain and in construction of ghat roads and rope-ways. The wide tunnels with bright illumination reveals the perfect workmanship and consummate skills of these dedicated architects. The distance from Engelberg to Interlaken is nearly one hundred miles and it took nearly two hours for us to reach that place. On the way we saw  Sarnen Lake with crystal-clear water mirroring blue skies. Interlaken is a tourist resort situated between two lakes namely Lake Thun and Lake Brienz. The Aare river flows between these two lakes. Mountains like Jungfrau (13,642 feet), Monch (13,474 feet) and Eiger (13,020 feet) are near the vicinity of this Swiss town. Hence many tourists come here to enjoy mountaineering, skiing, paragliding, boat riding etc. In 1890 the Berner Oberland Railway connected Interlaken with other tourist destinations like Lauterbrunen and Grindelwald.The nearestrailway station to Trummelbach waterfalls is Lauterbrunnen. But we went directly to the Trummelbach falls which is sixteen kilometers from Interlaken. 

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    9th November, 2015                                           SOMASESHU GUTALA

AN EVENING IN ZURUCH

Lake Zurich

Hans Waldmann

    After traveling about fifty km. in an hour, we reached Zurich, the financial hub of Europe, which
attracts big shots and the capitalists to deposit their wealth safely and escape from the legal hurdles of their native states. Though Bairns is the capital of Switzerland, Zurich attained prominence owing to its financial status. By the time we reached Zurich, it was very late in the evening. So we had a brief stop over and strolled through a few streets. The Zurich Lake with seven bridges spanning across it, is the main attraction of the city surrounded by many monuments and buildings. Many tourists come here to enjoy boat rides and do shopping on the river front promenade. The water in the lake is very clear and pure. This lake is formed by the Linth river which rises from the glaciers of the Alps and flows through the Escher canal and Lake Walen into the Lake Zurich. The outflow from this lake forms Limmeth river.  The richest world famous bank. U.S.B. (Union Bank of Switzerland) is located in this city. Established in 1854 it grew into one of the leading private banking and asset-management institutions. It has branches in more than fifty countries. It has more than 64,000 employees with huge assets of 910 billion dollars. This bank manages nearly 35% of private and institutional offshore funds.The U.B.S. merged with another gigantic Swiss Bank "Swiss Bank Corporation" in 1998 to form the present new U.B.S.

U.B.S. Bank, Zurich

Union Bank Of Switzerland

Fraumunster Church

Framunster Church near Munster Bridge

    Our Tour Manager during this brief stop over, took us to a beautiful historic church "Fraumunster Church" built on the remains of a former abbey. The German King Ludwig gave lands and many privileges like collection of toll, marketing and minting rights to this Benedictine Abbey. Emperor Frederick gave more powers and freedom to this abbey in 1218. During Reformation Movement the abbey was dissolved. The Romanesque Church building serves as a parish church under the evangelical reformed church of the canton of Zurich. We saw beautifully painted stained glass windows done by Marc Chagall in 1970. The carved figures on the walls depict the story of martyrdom of the patron saints, St.Felix and St.Regula. The paintings on the walls were done by Paul Bodmer in1920s blending the spirit and style of the medieval architecture.We sat for a while in the church and lit candles. The statue of Madonna with Baby Christ in her hands made us feel the tender affection of the Divine Mother.

Carved figures on column

Columns at Framunster Church

Paintings on church wall

  Later Our Tour Manager showed us from distance the hotel where Winston Churchill stayed when he came to Zurich on September 19th, 1946 to deliver a lecture at Zurich University. A stone plaque with
words "Europe, Arise!" is still seen in the city street "Paradeplatz". He also added that Switzerland, because of its non-involvement in World Wars became a peaceful shelter for many celebrities like Lenin, Albert Einstein and James Joyce. "The Cafe Odeon", a Viennese style coffee-house opened in 1911 overlooking Bellevue Platz, was the favorite spot for Lenin, Einstein and James Joyce. Joyce stayed in Zurich for four years (from 1915 to 1919) and was very much attracted by the peaceful atmosphere of the city, and admired Zurich as "the city of order and prosperity."

Paradaplatz, Zurich

Stone Plaque at Paradeplatz

               










  Finally at the western end of the Minister Bridge (Munsterbrucke) we saw a bronze statue of Hans Waldmann (1435-1489) the famous mayor and military leader of Zurich, who contributed much to the careful planning and development of the city. As the Master of Kambel Guild he renovated churches and beautified the city. But due to his overambitious nature and indiscriminate act of imposing heavy taxes on peasants of neighboring villages resulted in the revolt of villagers against him. In 1489 he was charged with corruption and was executed in public. The statue of the Mayor riding on a horse was done by the famous sculptor Herman Haller and was unveiled in 1937 by Kambel Guild commemorating his services to the great city.

  After this brief orientation tour in Zurich we traveled to Engelberg, a resort town in the canton of Obwalden in central Switzerland . It took nearly two hours to cover a distance of one hundred kilometers through Alpine region with mountain slopes and spacious pastures and dark clumps of fir dotting the hills everywhere. Our lodging was at Hotel Bankialp, a place with moderate amenities. To have our meals we were whisked away in batches to another place where Indian menu was provided. It was almost 10.00 p.m. After an exhausting journey we sank into our beds dreaming about the pastoral scenes of the Black Forest, the loud ringing Swiss bells, the melting sweetness of Swiss chocolates amidst the wild roaring sound of gushing Rhine Waterfalls heard from afar. In the morning we shook ourselves out of slumber responding to the wake up call at 6.30 a.m. In one hour we should get ready to see many more charms of the Alpine region.


         30th OCTOBER, 2015                       
                                                                                                               SOMASESHU GUTALA