twenty-three - Mount Titlis and Lucerne

#23: Switzerland

After travelling for 2 weeks with a backpack and a luggage, I finally arrived at my temporary lodge for the 49 days trip i.e. Bern. I honestly had not have very good sleep throughout the two weeks partly because I was sick right when I was in Iceland even though I was staying in a very good hotel.

This was my 2nd visit to Switzerland and once again, I feel that I had not made very good use of my time there, just like when I was in London. Perhaps because I have no keen interest in Switzerland thus I never fully explored the place. Previously, I went to Jungfrau and the Interlaken region and paid so much money for all the train. When I was up at Jungfrau, there was a huge snowstorm and I did not enjoy a good view of the mountains at all! I also went to Lauterbrunnen the other time but it was rainy and I did not explore it as much as I would like to.

So this time round, I went to Lucerne and Mount Titlis instead. On hindsight, I should have made used of my half fare card to explore regions like Zermatt, Geneva, etc. perhaps? Things are very expensive in Switzerland which makes me wonder how the people survive. People travel in many different ways. Some people want to cover everything in a country when they visit whereas others return to the place over and over again. Usually, I would think that it does not matter which travelling option you take but when it comes to Switzerland, I would strongly advise people to go there once and never return. Make full use of the half-fare card and go to as many of the mountains as possible so that you will never have to visit again. Haha! Perhaps it is because I know that my bff is there so I can always return to visit again but come to think of it, I am not making my money worth when I do that. But I figured that I will most likely visit Switzerland again with my family when they eventually go to Europe which explains why I choose to do bits and pieces of it rather than cover everything all at once.

Enough said, Titlis will wow you. :)

From greenery and clear skies to one shrouded in fog in 3 hours. 

Had to take 3 cable cars to get to the top!

It was extremely slippery. Guess we did not have the right kind of snow boots then so we had to squat down to go down the slopes. Hilarious.

This image is my favourite with the following caption - "If heaven had an image, does it look like this?"

Suspension bridge. It was shaking quite a bit when the winds came blowing. If you have a fear of heights, you still have to do it. LOL! Just gotta overcome it. 

Shortly, the entire sky was shrouded in fog. This was what happened when I was up at Jungfrau. 

On the way down in the cable car. Extremely steep!

Lake Lucerne! 

Gotta keep this post short cause I am pretty sleepy now. LOL!

14th

#14: Noisy passengers on Swiss trains

Every country is famous and infamous for certain things or behaviour. The trademark characteristics of a Singaporean are 'Kiasu' and 'Kiasee' i.e. afraid of losing out and afraid of dying but damn efficient (partly because we are 'kiasu' so we want things to be done fast!). I used to take this very seriously and am very conscious of such behaviour be it when I am at home or overseas. However, the more I travel, the more I realise that everyone, regardless of their nationality, is kiasu. It is just the degree that differs. The only country that I find an exception is Japan. Their need to conform to a group identity makes them less likely to overreact in situations and they are the most polite and considerate people that I have ever met in my entire life.

Most people have this idea that the westerners are very chillax and are the least kiasu people around. They are very gentlemanly and considerate as well. I want to correct this stereotype in this post. While travelling on the Swiss trains on this trip, I met two different groups of Swiss nationals who were extremely rowdy in the train cabin, talking, screaming, laughing like the entire world was deaf to their conversations. Once, it was early in the morning at 8 am and the other time was around 8 pm at night. Even when I put on my earpiece and blasted music up to a volume of 80%, I could still hear them. They might be the black sheep among the lot but still, people generalise. Only a handful of Singaporeans are kiasu and kiasee but it has become a label on the people from our country. After this trip, I no longer think that these Europeans are considerate or superior in behaviour to us.

Next, while flying, there were so many instances of them rushing to queue up to board the plane and after the plane has landed, they were all rushing to stand up and open the overhead compartment to retrieve their belongings to disembark. The worst experience, IMO, is their inconsiderate act of squeezing their coats into the overhead compartment. Isn't the overhead compartment meant for cabin bags? A coat does not have a fixed shape and can be easily placed on one's lap. If you find it uncomfortable to hold on to the coat, think about the next person who has to carry his or her cabin bag with him or her throughout the entire flight. That happened to me. Just because my cabin bag was a bag pack, I had to carry it with me because this one passenger refused to remove his coat from the overhead compartment and allow cabin bags to be placed instead. It is not that people in Asia do not behave in a similar fashion but that thankfully we never have to carry big coats with us while flying.

My conclusion is that these people are so kiasu because there is a price to pay for losing out. Circumstances shape a person's behaviour, not the country of origin. The westerners have enjoyed way too much comfort and freedom for way too long when they have strong economic fundamentals and financial strength to back them up. They can afford to be chill about things because they have never had to compete.

I am not pro-Asian or anti-Westerners or whatsoever. I strongly believe that every country has its own culture that we must respect. We must appreciate a country for both its good and bad. My point is that if we all behave in the same way, why do we then choose to despise our own races and celebrate the superiority of another?

That said, I am not complaining. I just wanted to share positive and negative things that I have come across during the trip and not paint a picture that life is a bed of roses. :)

After thoughts of my epic 49 day adventure #4

#4: Northern Lights

Despite having spent six months in winter in Sweden, one of the favoured destinations for viewing the Northern Lights, I have never seen it throughout my entire time when I was there. Perhaps I knew that it was an indulgence that a poor student like me could not afford back then. However, I cannot remember how seeing the Northern Lights got on my bucket list and I started trying, first in Finland and this time round in a more remote place, Iceland.

I would say that I did see the Northern Lights on a few occasions on this trip but what I saw was very different from what I had imagined or seen in photographs. Those bright green patches that seem to be dancing in the sky seems to be a luxury of a cameraman or photographer. Perhaps the weather was not good enough or perhaps I was not lucky enough. There were days when the sky was cloudy but activity was high and there were days when the sky was clear and the activity was high, and also a day when the sky was cloudy and activity was moderate. All in all, I now know how the Northern lights are like but the next time I chase after the lights, I will make sure I camp in a cottage and wait throughout the night just like the days when I used to camp and wait for stars or shooting stars. :)

The saving grace from Northern Light hunting was that I saw a sky filled with stars while in Iceland and caught two shooting stars. It happened so quickly that I did not have the time to make a wish but I am still a happy girl with this episode. After all, the last time I saw a shooting star was in 2007 in Halong Bay. How time flies.

All in all, to say I am not disappointed about this whole Northern Lights saga would be an understatement of how I felt because I spent a bomb on all these tours. However, I do not have any regrets about embarking on it because seeing the Northern Lights is always something special, no matter how strong or weak the activity is! :)

Interlaken day 2 and Zurich!

I was complaining about how I missed seeing the French and Italian alps due to the foggy weather. Come to think of it now, I am absolutely fortunate because the very next day, Jungfraujoch was closed to visitors due to a snow storm! :)

Nevertheless, I explored Munnen and lauterbrunnen. Both are villages or stopover points for people to get to Jungfraujoch and schitlorn. I went all the way to Munnen, saw the Jungfrau, Eider, etc from Munnen. Yeah, it was snowing up there and the scenery was awesome! :) I guess Switzerland did impress me and made me wanna go back again some day.

I went to lauterbrunnen as well, green with valleys etc but there wasn't much for me to explore as it was raining. There wasn't much shopping to be done anyway. So I returned to interlaken after taking some photos. And since i started the day early, I finished the two places by 12 noon.

Initially, my plan was to get to a inn for their wings but I missed grocery shopping when I was in Stockholm.! So I went to coop and grab some pizza and prepared my own dinner! :) I guess that's one thing I miss a lot about Europe! :)

I went around the town centre and interlaken west for some shopping but bought nothing! I guess the best way to cure the shopping impulse in me is to have myself face the situation of not being able to bring it back to Singapore! As I'll be flying on Ryanair and they have this absolutely dumb rule of only 1 hand carry including your handbag, I would have to squeeze 4 bags into 2.! Come on!

While on my way to Zurich, I pass by super pretty scenery! :) mountains covered with snow, lakes, cottages covered in snow, etc. I guess the name of the area is Thun! Some day, I should be there! :)

As for Zurich, it's a small city. Or rather the downtown is small! Finished the whole area within 5 hours. Did the shopping, went to a Christmas market, absolutely love the atmosphere of Christmas! Perhaps it's a Saturday, that's why everyone is out! ;) kids running around, lovers strolling along the rivers, etc etc!

The one thing I'm sure about the Swiss is - they adore Louis Vuitton! I see the LV bags everywhere I go.! Love this feel of walking around, doing nothing.! Absolutely relaxing.... And yet i know soon my dream will end and I'll have to be back to reality once again....

Interlaken

Embarked on my journey to Jungfraujoch this morning. For those who are unaware, Jungfraujoch is at the highest point of Europe, 3000 plus metres above sea level! :)

I guess the planning should have been done better because I had forgotten to check the weather! It was too foggy up at the top thus I was not able to see the French, Italian and German alps! ;( Nevertheless, it was a wonderful experience. The train ride up there exposed me to the beautiful landscapes or the famous mountains of Switzerland, the greenery, countless pine trees that stood tall and was covered in snow, etc! It was also the first time I experienced a "snow storm."

Some day, I'll be back during summer at Jungfraujoch I believe! The one thing I love about Switzerland is that it is really safe. The streets are extremely quiet at night and the weather is freezing cold. However, the people are absolutely warm and always willing to help!

My first Swiss hospitality experience was on the very night that I arrived. I had a hard time getting to the hostel and ended up flagging for a cab. The driver drove me to the place for free! My second experience was with regards to my gloves. I left one of my gloves on the train unknowingly. When I boarded another train, the conductor on the previous train found my gloves and immediately got the station master to bring it on board my train for the owner to claim it back. They did it with a smile, and with a true sense of responsibility. Kudos to the Swiss! They impress people! :)