This was our first ever family holiday "abroad", that is Anil, Amanda, Alder and myself, we have never been outside of India or UAE on holidays by ourselves. At the beginning of 2013, we thought Amanda would be going away to University and so I wanted a "bonding" time with her, with all of us.
We're so busy doing everything else and being immersed in this life that the focus on the really important things, the little things that keep and sustain us is meagre. And so germinated the idea of taking off together, a new place to explore, experience and embrace. Europe was the natural choice but Switzerland became the obvious choice, not just because the Chopra's made it famous for Indians but because of the variety of activity it provided for each of us with our 4 different personalities, likes and dislikes and for the one goal of us bonding. The choice was also made easy by the fact that the place predominantly embodied that which runs in our veins... verdant and lush green mountainous landscapes.
I have in an earlier blog about Mangalore been not very polite about the beauty of the Alps... I hope you can hear me gulp furiously as I eat my words in haste. I refuse to compare the mountains to my beloved Charmadi ghats but the Alps are breathtaking, majestic and awe inspiring. It may sound that the experiences I have are individual to me but the family confesses to feeling like I do too, so I'm not alone in feeling that my soul healed somehow, maybe as we walked by the lake and fed the swans and ducks, or maybe when we trekked down the snow clad mountains or maybe as we rode up the mountains in magnificient cable cars and trains or in the lovely conversation we had with Frau Maria or the impossible flowers that grow abundant, maybe in the quiet serenity of the cobblestoned pathways of the old city... I don't know.
The Swiss are so amazingly organised and efficient, I have begun to appreciate the benefits of orderliness and do hope that I will transform. All those things you hear about - that travel is supposed to do for you, is so true. I found that all of us are very similar in nature, some of us are sophisticated in etiquette and manner thanks largely due to the society we live in and others are just getting there. The Swiss society though is far advanced than Indian society for sure, the engineering they adopt and the mature yet simple way of life is a far cry from ours. Both our cultures have a rich heritage and an ancient history and culture and yet their society is far more progressive in all aspects.
We stayed in Lucerne and spent a day each in Basel, Mount Titlis, Mount Pilatus, Mount Rigi, Interlaken and surrounding areas and in Ballenberg.
In subsequent blogs, I will give a day by day summary with pictures. The entire experience was great though and I am one happy cow... Indian that is.
