Jun 22 2009
Notes from the Swiss Alps
Switzerland is, without a doubt, one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been.
In some ways, the beauty here is almost frustrating. I can’t find the words to describe how amazing it is, and constantly find myself saying, “Oh, that’s so pretty,” “Wow, look at that,” or something similarly inadequate.
Sometimes, it’s so darn pretty here that it’s nearly comical. Yesterday, on the train from Lucerne to Lugano, there was a lush green valley to my right with a crystal-clear brook running through it, and tiny colorful houses all around. On my left was a mountain rising sharply, towering over the train. Emerald green, covered with countless evergreens, two glacier-fed waterfalls tumbled down its sides. At a rocky precipice near the base, the waterfalls came near each other; they had the audacity to crash off the rocks and meet, mid-air, over a grotto of craggy rocks. I think I saw a rainbow.
It was all so ridiculously beautiful, all I could do was laugh. Where did this place come from? I began to wonder if this was some kind of Toblerone-induced mirage.
Read more: Central Europe, Cinque Terre, Lucerne, Switzerland, the Alps, Train Travel, Travel, Zurich


