Scaling new heights , Mt Rigi , Switzerland. December 2012

View from the top

The Swiss flag that is on our ferry. 

 Its time to scale new heights , in the form of Mt Rigi. That day , my family and I woke up to a chilly Swiss winter as usual and headed out for a day full of activities. We were heading for one of the highlights of our trip , Mt Rigi. Mt Rigi , also known as the "Queen of Mountains" with its highest peak being at 1797.5 meters above sea level.  We took a ferry from the Lucern station and cruised on Lake Lucern and arrived at Vitznau. At Vitznau , we took a tram up to the mountain , there were some houses and resorts on the way up and the view was already exceptional , I remembered thinking , "what will the scenery be like when we reach the top??" . On the op , the scenery is simply stunning!! Mountain ranges , snowy scenes and a sea of clouds makes it looked like heaven to me. But the surprise thing was that it was not really that cold up there which is weird because being at 1797.5 meters above sea level during a European winter on a peak of a mountain sounds freezing , in fact , I think its colder in Lucern than on the peak! After alighting from the tram , we hiked up a "road" that was made for hikers up to the very top. Everyone of us totally had a great experience as that was our first time going up a snow mountain which was the "Queen of Mountains" and overall , a really fun time and it made me love Switzerland more. 

The tram at Vitznau 

On the way up up up up ~

Sign for Skiers and Slegders 

Sign for Hikers 

Family <3

Lucern , The City , The Lake , The Mountains. Switzerland , December 2012

The Chapel Bridge with Mt Pilatus in the background

Buildings in Lucern.

Lake Lucern.

Lucern is indeed all about the City , the Lake and the Mountains. Lucern's most famous and most historic landmark , the Chapel Bridge which was built in 1333. It contains many interior paintings dating back to the 17th century , unfortunately , many of them were destroyed in a fire that occurred in 1993. The bridge is also Europe's oldest wooden covered bridge. We also went to visit the Lion of Lucern , which is also one of the famous landmark in the city. The sculpture was designed by Bertel Thorvaldson , it is to commemorate the Swiss guards who were massacred during the French Revolution in 1792 , when the Swiss mercenaries stormed the Tuileries Palace in Paris , France. The city's Cultural and Convention Center located beside Lake Lucern holds many different kinds of concerts , conferences and conventions , it was designed by architect Jean Nouvel , unfortunately , I did not take any picture of it. Of course , the Lake and Mountains were simply breath-taking , we took a cruise to Mt Rigi (which will be my next post) and we were treated to a series of absolute beauty of Lake Lucern and its surrounding mountains. Lake Lucern is the fourth-largest lake in Switzerland and much of its shore line rises up steeply into the mountains resulting in picturesque views of Mt Rigi and Mt Pilatus. To sum it up , i'll have to say that Lucern is an amazing place with the perfect blend of City,Lake and Mountains , it also has lots of Theaters , Cinemas and Museums for those who are searching for some art in the city.      

Carving of the dying Lion.

Me and my family :)

Chapel Bridge and the Jesuit Chruch.

Bern , the Swiss capital. December 2012.

Federal Palace of Switzerland 

Just me 

 We traveled from Lucern to the Swiss capital of Bern by train in a 1 hour long journey.  Bern is freezing cold at that time with temperatures of 0 degrees Celsius. Bern is Switzerland's fifth most populated city and the widely spoken language there is a dialect called Bernese German. The city center of Bern consist largely of old European style infrastructure and it is also named a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Upon our arrival in Bern , we stepped out of the train and headed out of the RailCity (their train station) and into the streets. First thing I noticed is that the buildings there are really European and there were also lots of Churches and Theaters which were really well built and i really admire the architecture of them. Sometimes i really do wonder how did people from the 15th to 18th centuries built such amazing buildings. We came across a flea market and they were selling really cool items such as beautiful candle waxes of different shapes and colours , hand-crafted accessories as well as hand-made bags and winter beanies. We went to look at the Federal Palace of Switzerland which is the Parliament Building of Switzerland and took some photos of the scenery. There are also eleven famous Renaissance allegorical statues on public fountains in the old town of Bern. Overall i think Bern is a wonder place to visit especially if you are someone who likes to admire European Buildings or arts as there are quite a number of Festivals in Bern throughout the year. 

Flea Market in Bern 

One of the Renaissance allegorical statues.

Streets of Bern 

Just another me. 

Panoramic view of Bern  

Yup its 0 degrees Celsius. 

The sense of peace and tranquility. Switzerland , December 2012.

  These pictures were taken while we were on our way from Lucern to the city of Bern , the capital of Switzerland. Browsing through my photos taken during our Europe trip , i came across these few shots which makes me feel peace and tranquility. Living in the those small towns in between two big cites , Lucern and Bern , is a wonderful land of quietness , apart from the occasional noise generated from oncoming trains. I would dream to live in such a place someday and build my ideal home but of course, it will be very difficult. I could sit there , do a sketch on the breathtaking scenery that is gifted to this place , in absolute tranquility. I remember when i was sitting the train , looking at all these wonderful landscapes going by in a flash , i was totally mesmerized by the beauty of not only these places but the entire Switzerland. It also made my relaxed and calmed my mind and soul down a little. To sum it up , these are beautiful landscapes that were gifted by mother nature.   

Snow , GRAFFITI , Tracks.

Shots taken from a train ride from Zurich Airport to the city of Lucern . While travelling across the Swiss towns and beautiful terrains in their local SBB Intercity Train , its not just the towns or mountains that i observed , but also quite a series of graffities along the walls beside the train tracks. Personally , I love graffiti art a lot because i feel that it brings out what a teenager or young adult is feeling or his or her style is like. Unfortunately , most places in Singapore are banned from doing graffiti art , in my opinion , if the government were to allow more places to allow graffiti art , this will enhance Singapore's art scene. Singapore can then develop a particular area into an art street or a place for artist to express their art work , which of course includes the use of graffities. I love the graffiti-filled walls in Switzerland especially when it is along the train tracks , tourists can admire the art form and what those Swiss teenagers or young adults were expressing. I feel that graffiti art also filled those dull-coloured walls with beautiful and vibrant colours , thus , makes it more eye-catching. In conclusion , I feel Singapore should allow graffiti in some places so as to allow teenagers or young adults the chance to show their graffiti art skills and to colourise our walls.  

Graffiti Art on the walls along the tracks in Switzerland

Murren , Bernese Oberland , Switzerland. December 2012

Panoramic view and a normal shot of the mountains from a mountain top village of Murren , Bernese Oberland , Switzerland in Winter. The Village offers views of towering mountains , Eiger , Monach and Jungfrau , it is situated 1650m above sea level and it is also a popular tourist destination during Winter or Summer. It also offers a total of 52km of Ski Runs and one of the popular activities there is also sledging. Murren was originally a farming village until it reached a tourism boom , the village expanded in terms of size and wealth and tourists flocked in during the Summer and Winter seasons. I went to Switzerland and Paris during December 2012 and this place is one of the most unforgettable ones. My family were able to enjoy a lunch in a cozy local restaurant with views like the ones above.  We sat there by the window , looking out to the mountains and snow , thinking , "wow, i wish i could just live here". What makes it even more unforgettable is that we do not have snow and mountains in Singapore and personally , i love natural environments much more than the busy and stressful city life like Singapore , that makes Murren so special with extraordinary views with famous mountains in Switzerland.