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Newsletter #33 - January 30 - February 5, 1960 |
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NewsLetter #33
January 29-February 5, 1960 Switzerland Mailed Frankfurt, Ger. 2/8/60
Rec'd. Philadelphia 2/11/60 Wie Geht es Ihnen Heute? How are you today? (German): Tonight [January 30] we are in Lucerne, which is the German speaking part of Switzerland, and this little city is in the heart of the Alps and has covered wooden bridges over the River Reuss, quaint old quarters and 15-l6th century houses of unusual beauty and ornateness. Lucerne is the capital city of its canton (state), of which Switzerland has 22, and is situated on gorgeous Lake-Lucerne, with its waters filled with lovely seagulls, swans and ducks of all species. Here we saw the Musegg Towers, which are nine towers connected by a wall and they are the largest remaining fortifications in Switzerland. Other interesting features of Lucerne are the Chapel and Hill Bridges; from the Chapel Bridge hang 109 paintings which depict the history of Lucerne and Switzerland. We also enjoyed several old fountains, one being the old Gothic Weinmarkt Fountain, and also several old churches, one a 16th century building with twin towers called the Hofkirche. We had to miss the famous Lion Monument, as it was covered for the winter for protection from the severe weather. We enjoyed Lucerne a great deal and although we think Zurich is beautiful with its Lake and setting among green hills, Lucerne is our favorite. At Zurich we saw the Grossmunster Cathedral whose twin towers dominate the landscape, also St, Peters, the parish church of Zurich, with a massive tower surmounted by a large, folden-faced clock. The stately Renaissance Rathouse (Town Hall) was also a most unusual structure in Zurich. In both these Lake cities we enjoyed watching the natives feed the gulls, swans, etc. Today [January 31] was a gorgeous day and we drove through two mountain pass areas which were literally packed with skiiers and ice skaters who lined up by the hundreds to get their turns on the ski lifts, their ski costumes woe very gay and colorful and we saw skiiers from the ages of 3 to 63 who all seemed to be experts for we saw very few spills. We drove almost completely around Lake Zug, which was a very picturesque area of reflections in its still waters and then came to Interlaken a Swiss Health Resort which lies between the lakes of Thun and Brinz, with the appealing mountain named Jungfrau rising at the end of the valley. Switzerland is every bit as beautiful as pictures you see on postcards and today our drive went through many villages which were just as quaint, rustic and attractive as any travel posters show and a small town called Sion which was flanked by two lofty, massive rocks named the Tourbillon and Valerie, one containing a castle while the other has a church, was certainly a sight of unusual beauty as the village is located in a lovely, fertile countryside with vineyards upon all its mountainsides. Tonight we are in a small town called Visp, where you get a train for Zermatt; it is the Swiss town nearest to the Matterhorn. We leave by train for Zermatt early tomorrow morning and we surely are hoping for a clear, bright day. NewsLetter #33
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[February 1] Just returned from a glorious day in one of the most noted of all Alpine climbing centers, Zermatt, which is also a wonderful winter resort and was overcrowded with vacationers who were either hiking, skating, coasting, skiing or playing a game similar to bowling (done on ice) called curling. It was extremely interesting viewing curling as they were having an international tournament while we were watching today. Both the women and men dress very colorfully for this sport (many in lovely bright plaids). We surely had a gorgeous day and under a radiant blue sky, bracing air and a warm sun, I could sun bathe while Meredith took many snaps of this lovely, picturesque cluster of chalets which are here in this showplace of Alpine magnificence called Zermatt. Later we took the highest cogwheel railroad in Europe to Gornergrat where you can almost touch the Matterhorn, as it seems so very close. Years ago this Gornergrat Railway ran only during the summer months, but because of powerful plows and ingenious engineering achievements they now run a winter schedule. We surely were thankful for this wonderful weather while being at such a famous place. We returned to Visp again tonight as we did not feel like taking luggage to Zermatt. Today [February 2] we left Visp and drove through more Alpine ranges and passed attractive Swiss towns such as Martigny, St. Maurice and Aigle, and then travelled along the French side of Lake Geneva until we arrived in the Swiss City of Geneva, which is beautifully situated on the banks of the Lake, where several attractive bridges cross this lake which is made even more attractive because of the swans, gulls and water fowl floating in its clear lake waters. The city of Geneva is almost encircled by hills behind which rise to one side the towering Alps and on the other side the more gentle slopes of the Jura Mountains. Since we were here in November and took the city tours then, we drove around in "Our Little Princess" today and saw a great deal more of the modern city as well as the old town which huddles around the Cathedral. Most of Switzerland's large cities we've seen thus far certainly have romantic settings on lakes or rivers with beautiful mountains as a background and Geneva is no exception, as it is at the Junction of the Rhone River and Lake Leman (Geneva) and is also in the shadows of Mt. Blanc, the Alps' highest peak. This morning [February 3] on our second day here in Geneva we surprised Anna Beckner Idzik, a girl from York, by stopping around at her home to see her and her baby Christopher who was born in November. He is an adorable little boy and as pleasant as can be, and Ann was just lovely to us, even though we dropped in on her unexpectedly. She told us about the local Flea Market, where antiques and old white elephants are sold, so after leaving her home we went to this open air market (which is open only two days each week) and I browsed around while Meredith snapped a few pictures. Since everyone knows I love antiques as well as a good bargain, this was a good market for me and I bought several unusual objects. (Our only problem is how to get the things home, as they are fragile.) - 2 -
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Newsletter #33
We spent the remainder of the day exploring some more of the city and returned to our hotel about five o'clock, where a message was waiting for us to call Ann Beekner Idzik and she insisted we had to come to her home for dinner and to meet her husband, Daniel. I tried to talk her out of having a dinner, but she insisted and we went and had a perfectly lovely evening. Her husband is charming and a most interesting conversationalist, and Ann's Swiss meat dish called Fondue was delicious and served beautifully. Meredith took quite a few pictures of the baby and we certainly hope they will turn out well. Tonight [February 4] we are in Bern, the capital city of Switzerland, and just as quaint and Interesting as the other Swiss cities we have enjoyed. Bern is situated on a peninsula formed by the River Aare and bias four bridges which connect the old town with the new. We loved its arcaded streets and the many decorative, colorful medieval fountains found on its old cobbled streets. Bern's most heralded attraction is the celebrated clock tower which has an hourly display of quaint mechanical figures which move when the large bell struck by a figure of a man with a mallet gives the signal. It is very picturesque and unusual. Other noteworthy places of Bern are their Gothic Cathedral with beautiful stained glass windows, the Rathouse or Town Hall, and the Bundeshous (the Federal Capitol Building). We thought the panoramic view of the snow-capped peaks of the Bernese Alps was very outstanding and a view we will never forget. During our drive to Bern we went through Lausanne, which I wrote to you about in November, as we stopped there two nights while en route via train to Paris. We also drove through the romantic lake-side suburb of Ouchy, where Byron once lived. Here it is Friday [February 5] night again and the end of another Newsletter week. We had a long drive today to Basle, the second largest city in Switzerland, which is splendidly situated on the Rhine, and it is an exit point to either France or Germany. From Basle we entered Germany and saw the city of Freiburg, an old university and cathedral town, picturesquely surrounded by vineyards. This was the beginning of a delightful drive through the Black Forests, so named because of the dark fir trees in the dense woods. The trees are very stately, tall and beautiful but I'll tell you more about this drive in next week's letter as we had to stop in Freudenstadt early because it got dark so soon. Since our trip in Switzerland is over we must tell you that we think this country has unparalleled beauty and even if it lost part of its breathtaking landscape it would still be one of the natural wonders of the world. Our only regret is we won't see it in the spring when the cows are on the hillsides and the mountain flowers and budding trees burst forth. Even though our letters are getting shorter, we are enjoying our trip as much as ever, but looking forward to Spring and good weather. Lovingly, Auf Widersehn, The Neimans - 3 -
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