Experiences Around the World

Last week was one of the best times in my life. Along with my family, I went to Germany and Switzerland. The optimal part was that all of this was covered by our car. 4000 kilometers exactly - driven entirely by my dad!

Starting from Warsaw, we drove to Berlin and stayed there. There was not much sightseeing done that day as it was a long and tiring drive. The next morning, we went around Berlin, showing some important sights to my relatives, who had joined us from India. Some of the major places we went included the broken church, the TV Tower, Brandenburg Gate and the Parliament/Reichstag.

Next day, we left for Munich, an industrial city. As I had already covered Allianz Arena and the Olympia Tower during my last visit to Munich in April, this time I spent more time in the BMW Welt. We had a much better experience there this time because a lot more exhibits were open. One of the exhibits that attracted me was one which showed the different types of fuels and how much CO2 emissions they emit. I also liked the new vehicle which BMW designed running on Hydrogen. Not only will this reduce the consumption of oil, but also save the environment. As seen last time, the BMW F1 car was also on exhibit.

From Munich, we drove to Switzerland. This was the entrance to heaven on earth. A country full of mountains and greenery; it was the time of my life. As soon as we crossed the border, we headed for Schaffhausen. Here was located the largest waterfall in Europe - the Rhine Falls. Since I've never been to the States and the Niagara Falls, this was a beauty for me. Water thrashing with such force was exhilarating. As we had the chance to go by boat to the closest point to the falls, we were able to see the artistic pattern in which the water flowed. We could see the crystal-clear water with fish flowing underneath it. Very well maintained, i must say (just come to Warsaw and see the Wisła river - then you'll know what i mean!).

After spending time near the waterfall, we headed for Zurich - the business hub of Switzerland. That evening, we went around the places especially a street named Hauptbahnhauf strasse. This was known as the oxford street of Zurich. With all sorts of shops from Tag Heuer to Dunkin' Donuts, a must walk, i must say. You will have an inner feeling of the city from here as it is the center point. The main railway station was also located there. A small city as it is, there was nothing more to see in Zurich. Nevertheless, it was a pleasant and urban town. That night, we had a sumptuous dinner at my relative's place, who lives there.

At around 2 in the afternoon, we drove down to Engelberg to go to Mt. Titlis. This is one of the largest tourist attractions in Switzerland. It takes you in 3 different cable cars, and you finally reach 10,000 ft. It was here that the first revolving cable car was introduced. All you do is stand in one place, and it will automatically move. You can see the whole view, and trust me, it is amazing! 12 months a year, there is snow, so we had fun. We played snowball fights, and for my relatives, this was really their first time seeing thick and proper snow! As we were one of the last people up there, there was no crowd. It looked like the cable car was exclusively running for us which made us feel very special! But if we had not returned within the allotted time, there was no chance of us finding our cable car. Even while we were returning, clouds just covered us up. When we were going back down in our cable car, we absolutely did not know where we were going! Maybe heaven or hell, god knew!

At around 6 in the evening, we drove down to Bern and rested for the night. Next day, we went to Geneva. Over there, we visited the UN Head Office(a guided tour) and the large fountain. It was a nice city other than the fact that it was too much of a business center. Unlike other cities in Switzerland, Geneva was unique due to many of its man-made buildings. While we were coming back, it was beautiful. The nature surrounded us from both sides and it was as if it was the best place in the world. Montreux and Vevey were one of the most fascinating towns we passed by. The beautiful streets and lighting. The architecture. Everything seemed perfect. Finally, we drove to Lausanne - the Olympic capital. Unfortunately, the Olympic Museum was closed but the park was beautiful. We went back to Bern for the night again.

The next morning, we walked around the main square in Bern where Albert Einstein house was located. There was a short documentary about his life which was informative. We went to other buildings around us including the Swiss Parliament. Bern was a nice and quiet place for a capital city. From Bern, we drove to Interlaken and went for a boat cruise there. The greenery was fabulous there but as it was about 3 hours long, it soon became boring. My dad's friend went paragliding which he thoroughly enjoyed!

And that was basically the end of our trip. We drove to Munich, stayed there for a night again. While we were at Munich at the end of our trip, we went to the Deutches Museum where we saw different types of planes from WWI and WWII. There were also some modern planes. From there we went to Berlin and rested. Finally, we came back to Warsaw safe and sound! On a personal note, I must say that no one should miss the lovely beauty of the nature and mountains in Switzerland!