Text by : Loraine Balita Photos by: Arlene Rossi
I will forever remember this country as the place which almost gave a me a heart attack.
I have never said ‘Wow’ and ‘Oh my gosh!’ as many times as when I was in
Up until my last days there, I was waiting for someone to shout ‘Cut!’, for the lights to go out and for people to start dismantling the set starting with the snow capped mountains, the perfectly mowed green grass carpet, and flower beds followed by the crystal clear lakes (swans and ducks included!).I kept asking myself if it was just a movie and everything was just put there on display, because it all were too beautiful to be true and too perfect to be real.
Being in
It has four national languages: German, French, Italian and Romansh, which explains the long translations of ingredients and instructions at the back of chocolate bars and Swiss watch manuals.
Aside from army knives, cuckoo clocks and their uncanny ability to organize everything, they also boast of their excellent and reliable transport system. With trains, trams, boats and buses arriving on time. Hence you’d often see a marathon of women in four inch heels, desperately dashing towards the station, because trains and buses almost always leave on time. Not even Helen of Troy, who’s face launched a thousand ships could make a train here wait.
The Swiss Youth pass sold at major train stations enabled me to go around and discover what treasures this quaint little country has to offer, starting with its most popular resort.
The posh
Not being a fan of any of these I went on to do what I consider is my favorite sport, the only exhausting and time consuming activity most girls can do—window shopping.
The town has some if not all of the most popular and expensive shops in the world. No wonder everybody walking down the street wore bumble bee-eye-sized sunglasses. Not only were these used to shield the eyes from sunrays reflected by the snow, it also serves its purpose of shielding the eyes from the blinding sparkle of rocks, gems and jewels, laid out on display inside glass windows in shops along the streets.
The stores lining the foot of the mountain made the place look absolutely surreal giving it an overall dreamy atmosphere. People from all over the globe, who’s got a little more to shell out, flock this place to relax and unwind.
From the laid back atmosphere of this ski resort, I moved on to see the more upbeat, busy, coffee frenzied town up North.
With coffee shops at almost every corner, university students with bulging backpacks, trudging the city with their laptops, and men in business suits glued to their cell phones, swinging leather briefcases, you’ll know what this city is all about.
This is no place to spatter sun tan lotion and frolic under the sun. With its fast paced atmosphere, this city clearly epitomizes the Swiss’ passion for neatness, precision, punctuality, and hard work.
But despite the impression of 
It is the city where people would happily volunteer to take your picture, when they notice that you’ve been desperately trying to take a shot of your face with the background. It is where people would stop pedalling their bicycles to help you find your way back when they notice that you’ve been staring at the city map upside down. And it is the city where I met a friend who took some time off from school to show me around.
The best way to tour
“You have clocks everywhere!” I exclaimed, as we went pass the fifth clock I’ve seen that day. The next one becoming the sixth, is
Right across the Grossmunster is the Fraumunster church founded in 853. It is made popular by its magnificent stained glass windows by Marc Chagall designed in 1970.
My tour ended with a long walk along Bahnhofstrasse,
From the German speaking part of
Montreux : Chateau De Chillon
After going around the famous Olympic museum in Lusanne, I grabbed a copy of the ship route map from the tourist office and hopped on board one of those little ships cruising around
“This has got to be fake!” I continuously told myself when the boat approached the next stop in Montreux. A medieval castle built on an islet, facing a spectacular view ushered me to get off.
Snow capped mountains lined the other side of the lake with its feet gently dipped in the waters. Sunrays peeked from the mountain sides, caressing the surface of the lake making the water
sparkle. Add that to the already astonishing view of Chateaux De Chillon (
This, I thought would make the greatest reason to stay single, I could now say that I fell in love with a castle in Montreux. And just like discovering substance behind a pretty face, I discovered the historical significance of this place.
The rock upon which the castle stands is said to have been occupied since the Bronze age. Nobody knows when the first medieval walls were built, but it was partly enlarged from the 11th to the 13th century.
Francois Bonivard was held prisoner by the Duke of Savoy in its chilly castle prison. The earlier was a lay official at St. Victor’s priory in
Bonivard was immortalised in the poem “ Prisoner of Chillon” . It was written in the 19th century by Lord Byron who carved his name on the third pillar in the castle prison. Other 19th century poets and authors enchanted by this castle include Shelley, Victor Hugo, Hans Christian Andersen, Flaubert, Mark Twain, and Charles Dickens.
The huge chambers and courtyards are filled with medieval finds and centuries old artefacts. Knight’s armours, swords, silver spoon, plates, treasure chests and paintings stood witness to the lifestyle of the Dukes and Counts who lived here.
“Now this explains why royal duchesses and princesses looked so slim” I joked as me and a group of tourists went up the endless staircase leading up to chambers and towers. Imagine climbing up these staircases everyday in those bulky long dresses, talk about exercise.
After days of going from North to South and East to West I decided to settle midway and discover the country’s capital.
Happily situated where German speaking
Kids seemingly lost in time, in their low waist pants, I-pods and piercings are back dropped by 15th century structures inside
The perfectly preserved limestone edifices, medieval arcades, and Rennaisance fountains convinced UNESCO (United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization) to deem
I must have spent half an hour staring at the St. Vincent Cathedral in awe. This gothic structure towers high above the rooftops in 
Wanting to satisfy the kid in me, I ran off to the
After running around in cities, I decided to get a glimpse of
Lugano: Dolce Vita
Much of Lugano’s success as a centre of tourism can be attributed to its mild climate, moderated by the presence of lakes with a high proportion of sunny days. It borders
Lugano offers an oasis of peace and beauty for people looking for a place to relax, away from the bustling cities and busy streets elsewhere. This is where people spend their hard earned cash for a ticket to indulgence.
Cafes, shops and restaurants line the lake side where outdoor tables and chairs invite tourists to soak up in the gentle heat of the sun. Unspoiled, lake side villages lay nestled at the foot of the mountain.
After hours of window shopping along Lugano’s arcades, I decided to take a long soothing walk by the lake side.
These were all too much for me. The colourful and sweet smelling flowers lining the walk, the soft green grass, the warm, calming wind brushing against my face, almost lulled me to sleep. And after only a few minutes of walking I finally gave in. I sat amidst the tranquil greens of the lake side park, soaking in the relaxing scent of the flowers. Resisting the urge to lie on my back, I told myself what this place would prompt everybody to say ; This is dolce vita (sweet life)!
After weeks of going around this blessed little country, my fun trip came to an end. Dragging myself lazily to the airport in
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