the feature article in the life section of the straits times on 30 march makes me re-visit my photo album (of our switzerland tour) so as to share our experience. we actually visited three countries - switzerland, liechtenstein and italy. in the case of italy, it was just crossing from lugano in southern switzerland to tirano in italy. it is like crossing the causeway from singapore to johor bahru town.

ours was a 14-day tour - yes, a bit too long - and we travelled by train all the way, except for the return trip to lugano from tirano (in italy) when we were put on a postal coach. our starting point was zurich. this was our itinerary: zurich - st gallen -vaduz (in liechtenstein) -st moritz - tirano - lugano -lucerne - interlaken - montreux - zermatt/matternhorn - zurich.

we had no choice but to travel by train. driving would have posed a number of problems. first, you had to get used to driving on the right side, just like in the usa. the other problem was that the road signs and information signs were either in french or german. train is the better alternative.

we had to travel lighter than normal. each of us carried a slightly bigger than cabin-sized bag. as it was summer, we did not have to pack thick woollens, long johns, scarves and gloves. however, up in the mountains, it could get quite cold. the alps are covered with snow all year round.

from interlaken we took the cogwheel train to jungfraujoch, the highest train station in europe. of all the places in switzerland, zermatt left the deepest impression in me. i like zermatt, where you can see the majestic matterhorn, for its smoke-free environment - no petrol driven vehicles.

yes, if you do not enjoy being herded around in a conducted tour group, travelling by train on your own is a good way to see switzerland. you do not need two weeks; one week is enough for you to take in all the touristy places.

12-day tour of switzerland in 2002

we planned our own itinerary with some help from our tour agent who also helped us book the air tickets, train tickets and the accommodations.

day 1 - 6 jun s'pore - zurich via bangkok. flight (on thai airways) leaves bangkok at 12.03 a.m. on 7 jun.

day 2 - 7 jun arrive zurich at 0720hr local time. fast train from zurich to st gallen at the heart of eastern switzerland. in the afternoon, continue train travel from st gallen to vaduz, capital of liechtenstein.

day 3 - 8 jun train ride up the engadine valley to st moritz, the winter playground of the rich and famous.

day 4 - 9 jun st moritz. explore the lakes and take cable car to the top of the mountains. (cable car not in operation)

day 5 - 10 jun st moritz to lugano by the bernina express to tirano in italy. from tirano, take postal coach back to lugano.

day 6 - 11 jun lugano to lucerne. explore chapel bridge on foot. tue and sat are the best days to visit lucerne because of the market.

day 7 - 12 jun lucerne. walk to the 9 towers and the lion monument.

day 8 - 13 jun lucerne to interlaken. scenic ride across the brunig pass to interlaken. visit the ballenberg.

day 9 - 14 jun interlaken. cogwheel train excursion to grindelwald and jungfraujouh.

day 10 - 15 jun interlaken to zermatt. take the panoramic express to zermatt via montreux.

day 11 - 16 jun zermatt & gornergat. explore the hinter dorf area.

day 12 - 17 jun zermatt to zurich. take the glacier express to zurich via chur.

day 13 - 18 jun zurich. quays that line the banks of the limmat and lake zurich.

day 14 - 19 jun zurich to s'pore.

day 15 - 20 jun arrive s'pore at 1000hr.

what we learnt from our trip:

1 eggs are not cheap in switzerland. in s'pore, we pay 13 cents (2002 prices) for one egg; in switzerland, the cheapest is about 60 cents.

2 poultry is not cheap also. at ntuc, you can get a chicken for $2.90 (in 2002). it is $7.90 in switzerland.

3 the swiss are rather reserved. they do not smile much and you hardly hear laughter. it does not mean they are not helpful; you have to approach them and ask if you need help.

4 most swiss speak and understand english but they are reluctant to speak the language. they rather converse with you in german. those in the south, speak italian and those in the west, speak french.

5 they are a hard-working people. some offices are already serving people before 7.00 a.m. sunday is a working day for some of them. the buses run till past midnight and the trains run practically 24 hours.

6 their claim to warm hospitality is disputable. the hotels we stayed in did not go out of the way to please the customers.

7 for us, 14 days is a bit too long. a one-week tour would have been just right.

8 you do not have to pay for a swiss knife. you can earn one by helping to carry bags for ladies at the railway station. i got one from a grateful lady.