Switzerland - It's About Time
Written: Jun 28 '01
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Product Rating:
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Pros: The location, the scenery and the people
Cons: You'll wish you could stay longer
The Bottom Line: Switzerland is home to many destinations that would make worthwhile visits during a European vacation.
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| andyvegas's Full Review: Switzerland |
My wife and I spent some time in Switzerland as part of our ten day tour of four European countries (the other three being Germany, Austria, and Italy). In this review I will first talk about he two cities we stayed in, Lugano and Schaffhausen, then give some thoughts on Switzerland in general.
Lugano
Lugano is in southeastern Switzerland, not too far from the Italian border. As such, Italian seems to be the language that is spoken the most. It is a resort town on Lake Ceresio that seems to be a popular holiday spot for Europeans. When arriving in Lugano by train, you must ride a cable into the town itself, which sure is a fun way to enter a town.
Lugano is also the watch capital of Switzerland (at least according to a brochure we picked up). This claim is borne out by the number of watch shops at which you can purchase very nice, Swiss-made watches. We took advantage of this and purchased watches at Manor, which is a huge department store right in the center of things.
In addition to shopping, all the other activities you would expect at a resort town are available. You can ride paddle boats on the lake, eat in one of the many great restaurants, or take a nice stroll through the beautiful park. All in all, it is a very picturesque and relaxing place to visit.
Schaffhausen
Schaffhausen is in the northeastern part of Switzerland, not too far from the German border. Most people in this Medieval town seem to converse in German. It is billed as “Your leisure time destination on the Rhine.” The best thing we did in the day we were here was to walk the 3-4 km path along the banks of the Rhine to Rhinefall, which is Europe’s largest waterfall. It was something to see and definitely worth the trip. In addition to seeing Rhinefall, there is the typical assortment of good restaurant and historic sites (some very historic) to see and visit.
Overall
One of the best parts of our stay in Switzerland was the train ride from Lugano to Schaffhausen. Not only are Swiss trains clean, efficient, and precisely on time, but the ride through the Swiss Alps gave us many spectacular views.
Switzerland may have been our favorite country on the trip. The part we were in had incredible scenery everywhere you looked. Coupling that with the friendliness of the people makes Switzerland a worthwhile part of a European vacation. Don’t worry if you don’t speak one of three official languages (German, Italian, and French), because it is not too hard to find someone who can speak to you in English.
And yes, the Swiss do seem to have a fascination with time and time keeping. You can see this not only in the precise watches they make, but also by the number of public clocks seemingly everywhere you turn. Let me put it this way, if the music group Chicago had been from Switzerland, the never would have written the song “Does Anybody Know What Time It Is?’
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Couples
Best Time to Travel Here: Jun - Aug
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Epinions.com ID:
andyvegas
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Member: Andy Roth
Location: Adamstown, MD USA
Reviews written: 46
Trusted by: 7 members
About Me:
In the picture, I'm the one on the right. Please check-out my reviews. Thanks.
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