Travel & Holidays in later life
SWISS RAIL WITH CLOCKWORK TIMING
Reg Butler returned to Switzerland on a journey into
nostalgia, following the route of his first-ever European holiday when he explored the Alps with an 8-day Swiss Rail Pass.
Of course, the Swiss franc is very hard currency, and prices can be unnerving. But there's
no hardship in stepping down a hotel star or two. Accommodation is spotless in even the
most modest of inns. And there are other ways of making your money stretch.
For my latest trip, I wanted to combine business and pleasure. Business called me to three
widely-separated areas. The rest of the week, I yearned to revisit the Alpine highlights.
My choice was to rent a self-catering apartment in Lucerne, in the heart of Switzerland
and very central on the rail system.
Travel Facts

Visit our holidays,
breaks and travel options pages
TRAVEL FACTS The Swiss Pass allows unlimited travel on consecutive days on the Swiss rasil bus and boat transport network. It also includes free entry to 400 museums.
For a villa or apartment rental contact Interhome Ltd.,
Gemini House
10-18 Putney Hill , London
SW15 6AX
.
Holiday Hotline Tel:
0208 246 4100
Be prepared for higher living costs than back home. The exchange rate of
Swiss Francs to the pound will make most items seem expensive. But the scenery comes free!
The gnomes of Zurich and their exchange-bureau colleagues in railway stations give you the
best rates, and charge nil commission.
Buying your francs in Switzerland is a better deal than
from UK bureaux.
More information: Switzerland Tourism, 30 Bedford Street,
London WC2E 9ED. Freephone: 00800 100 200 30.

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The apartment was booked through the website operated by the Interhome group which
features 20,000 properties in 15 European countries and Florida.
Just pick your resort from a map or
a drop-down menu. Then enter your preferred travel date, and the available properties are
listed out with prices. Like turning the pages of a printed brochure, you get a photograph
and full details of facilities and location. When you've decided, reservation is instant,
and is confirmed by e-mail.
From my arrival at Zurich airport till departure a week later, the transport system worked
of course like Swiss clockwork. Everything cog-wheels together - trains, buses, trams,
lake steamers, mountain funiculars.
Incredibly for such a huge airport, we landed at 6 p.m. and easily caught the 18.33 train
direct to Lucerne. While travellers collected baggage, an electronic information board
above the conveyor belt showed the times and destinations of the next dozen trains out of
the airport.
Luggage trolleys are designed to ride up and down escalators to reach the railway station
below ground. Our first impression of the double-decker train was the incredible
smoothness and silence of the ride, like gliding over velvet.
The Lucerne accommodation was part of a well-equipped block of apartments, one minute from
a bus stop. Every few minutes another bus arrived, direct to the railway station, the hub
of Lucerne's transport system for trains and lake steamers. You just step from one to
another, for painless connections.
Lucerne is Switzerland's most popular resort, where even the bus drivers can speak
English, French and their local Swiss-German dialect.
The town is beautifully located at the end of Lake Lucerne, where it flows into the
fast-moving River Reuss, teeming with fish. A wooden bridge - damaged by fire in 1993, but
totally restored - ranks as one of Europe's tourist highlights.
Restaurants and small hotels along the river bank are colourful with murals, and every
balcony is festooned with flowers. Swans pose for the constant click of tourist cameras.
Lake steamers offer endless possibilities of leisured cruising - stopping off at
other lakeside resorts, exploring around and then catching another boat to yet another
beauty spot.
Or you can take a bus to the suburb of Kriens, swing in cable-cars to the breathtaking
7,000-ft peak of Mount Pilatus, go down the other side by cog-tooth railway to
Alpnachstad, and thence catch a steamer back to Lucerne. It's one of the great excursions
of Swiss tourism.
Eveningtime, Lucerne offers more entertainment than any other Swiss resort. In the famous
Stadtkeller you can jodel and sing old Swiss folk-songs like "Roll out the
Barrel", while quaffing wine or great tankards of beer.
Using the go-anywhere Swiss Pass, my two most memorable days were aboard the Glacier
Express; and a trip to Grindelwald where the pass entitled me to a 50% reduction on the supplement to reach 6762-ft Kleine
Scheidegg to view the snows of Jungfraujoch, 6,000 feet higher up.
The Glacier Express, connecting Davos and St Moritz to the winter-sport
and mountaineering centre of Zermatt, is the most thrilling train ride in Switzerland.
Advance seat reservation is essential.
On Swiss mountain trains, goggling through the windows is not enough. You also need to
look straight up to admire the mountain peaks, towering high above.
The Panorama carriage of the Glacier Express is fitted with maximum-view windows and a
glass roof like a greenhouse on wheels. On a sunny day passengers ripen like mobile alpine
tomatoes, while listening to an English-language commentary, French and German.
In some mountain sectors, the track changes to rack-and-pinion, and the train snakes
through spiral tunnels like a corkscrew. It sounds
a dizzy idea, but Swiss railway engineering makes it work.
Above all, a Swiss timetable is 100% dependable, not merely a fond hope. Everything runs
to time, and you can make even the slimmest connections. With free run of trains, lake
steamers and postal buses, you can fit in maximum sightseeing.
Post Buses are the mountain goats of Swiss transport, climbing up into the highest side
valleys, along narrow winding roads with precipitous drops to ensure that you stay awake
to admire the scenery.
"Books to read - click on cover pictures" or
click on the links below Switzerland Insight Guide - With its excellent and
numerous photographs, and detailed descriptions, this book doubles as a holiday memento
besides being providing guidance during your stay in the country.
The Fondue
Cookbook - If you're hooked on the taste of Swiss fondue, buy this low-cost cookbook
which offers a remarkable 50 recipes for cheese fondue, and variations using beef, poultry
and fish. You can also experiment with dessert fondues.
Michelin
Green Guide: Switzerland - The classic Michelin pocket format in its latest 480-page
edition, giving ample scope for detailed descriptions of the innumerable Swiss sightseeing
highlights.
AA Essential
Guide: Switzerland - The Automobile Association's standard layout, well tested for
other countries, covering the ten essential highlights of Switzerland.
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