HYDERABAD: Switzerland is everyone’s dream, thanks to Bollywood being its unofficial brand ambassador! The breath taking panorama of snow capped mountains, and the lovely Alpine landscapes add liberal doses of glamour and glitz, making the dream merchant’s creative journey smooth and comfortable. Snowflakes melting into dream sequences conditioned us to think of snow at the mere mention of Switzerland.
Luckily it was a clear day when we set out from Lucerne. An hour’s train jouney took us to Engelberg. The charming village of Engelberg at the foot of the mountain Titlis, became internationally known as a resort and spa, often visited as much for skiing as for its clean air. With its combination of modern sports facilities and alpine location, Engelberg is a magnet for both summer and winter tourism. Like most of the Swiss mountains, Mount Titlis too provides a spectacular 360 degrees panoramic view.
My maiden encounter with snow was in Gangtok, walking on a frozen Changu lake and riding on a yak on a freezing Christmas Eve. I enjoyed the Yak ride, envying the animal for taking all the cold nonchalantly. My walk on the Changu lake was filled with trepidation, as I was afraid that anytime the top sheet of ice could give way and off I would go into the depths of killing ice cold water.
During my recent visit to Zermatt, familiarity with snow grew further and gave me a new impetus to look forward to the Mt Titlis experience. We took the gondola from Engelberg to Trubsee station, and from there a cable car took us to Stand station. During the last stretch we got into the world’s first rotating cable car ‘Titlis Rotair’ that whisked us up ( it was very smooth though) to the peak. During this trip the gondola turned through a complete 360 degrees that gave us amazing views of sheer cliff faces, deep crevasses and snow covered mountain peaks. It was a splendid sight!
From the top station we got down and walked through the snow (the walk wasn’t easy, we had to balance very carefully on the smooth and slippery snow). I saw many people skiing effortlessly. Their silky gliding looked graceful and I could get a vicarious thrill watching them.
At the peak was the Titlis Cliff Walk, a 330-ft long and 3-ft wide suspension bridge, hanging in the air. At 10,000ft above sea level, it is the world’s highest suspension bridge, 1500 ft above a glacier. It was very windy that day – crossing it with the wind speed of 95 km per hour seemed impossible. We were almost blown away as we went close. But just for the thrill we stayed there for quite some time, braving the cold and the wind, fully aware that the moment was too precious to let go. We climbed on the small peaks and rolled down (the best thing to do if you can’t ski). As I soaked in the snow, my speech started to slur and my frozen fingers (in spite of the gloves) numbed, failing to even click pictures. That was the time we turned back.
I glanced one last time at the majestic Mt Titlis. At the peak, at a height of 10,000 feet, with the snow gently drizzling on me, surrounded by a vast whiteness that looked divine, I felt blissful and wondered at the mystical creation of the Supreme. From the stillness around, a wind gushed forth, whistling in full agreement.
(The author is a documentary filmmaker and travel writer;blogs at www.vijayaprataptravelandbeyond.com)