Hill of Angels, Engelberg

When first mine eyes beheld that famous hill

The sacred Engelberg, celestial bands,

With intermingling motions soft and still,

Hung round its top, on wings that changed their hues at will.

William Wordsworth

 That morning we woke up in Mulhouse, our guide told us that the place was synonymous to Chumbi Valley, which is a valley in the Himalayan divide. Chumbi Valley is a valley in Yadong County; it is on the south side of the Himalayan drainage divide, near the Chinese border with Sikkim, India and Bhutan. Wikipedia

 Mulhouse is a city in France that shares its borders with Switzerland and Germany. We could not understand the borders for the reason that we travelled without any hindrance. The tourist visa and other charges were paid in advance, a few motorized toll arenas were seen and as we crossed the Rhine river we were told we had entered Germany. Mulhouse is famous for its museum, but we had planned to visit the Hill of Angels, Engelberg in Switzerland. The coach moved noiselessly through the enchanting greenery to slow down near a blue coloured Angel at the bottom of the Engelberg hill. We saw a trail of the best hotels and a few traditional cottages as we kept moving higher on the mountain path. Switzerland has been blessed with peace being a neutral nation. It has not fought any war since the year 1815 when it established its neutrality by signing the Treaty of Paris. It has been a peace-loving country and has been a haven for many refugees.

It was drizzling as we got down from the coach into a large clearing surrounded by the divine Snow-clad Mountains. It was a tryst with Alpine peaks, Alpine heavens and Alpine panorama. We were quickly ushered to the entrance of a huge pitch and then handed our tickets to venture on our own and enjoy the terrain of Mount Titlis in the Canton of Obwalden. We rushed to the cable car station to board the cable cars which were moving endlessly. The cable cars are called Gondolas here, while in Venice the boats are called Gondolas. The members of a group have to make calculated moves to scramble into the same cable car as these do not halt. The cable cars cater to thousands of people and there’s no manual security to check the tickets, instead there’s mechanical security which does the job.

The cable car moved over the black forests, plains and snow clad Alpine mountain ranges. It then took us to a smaller station. One could see the mist in the sky and snow all around. We walked around the small station, which led to a clearing with a restaurant and skiing spots. People knew the skiing tracks well and were well versed in skiing. They rented skis to plunge into the valley on the ascribed routes.  We were then huddled into crowds of fifty as we moved in serpentine queues towards the larger arena situated in the snowy mountains.

Here, we walked into a larger cable car with transparent windows all around to highlight the magnificence of Mount Titlis and the surroundings. The cable car makes complete 360 degree rotations, and moves up and down during the transit. This prevents people from rushing to the windows for a better view. This cable car is called a Gondola or ‘Rotair’.  Finally, it dropped us 3000mts above the sea level at Mount Titlis. The temperature had dropped to a few degrees less than zero, and we had the option to use the elevator or climb three flights of stairs to reach the summit.  The view on the top was breathtaking with snow everywhere. Fresh flakes kept covering us with snow. We again saw enthusiastic people all over the world who preferred to keep the snow flakes as reminisces while clicking photographs.  On our way to the Ice cave and the ski slopes, we kept meeting our fellow travellers, but the presence of Magpies in the cold weather astonished us. There were restaurants serving piping hot food making the place an adorable one as it meant good food, beautiful environs and lovable people.  

A suspension bridge on the summit called the Titlis cliff walk helps the determined tourists view and feel the enchanted snow clad ravines and summits of mount Titlis. A glacier cave in the mountains leaves the spirits of the tourist warm after a trek named glacier walk. People say the cave has remained frozen since the prehistoric times…. A few keen tourists in haste had their fall, but bounced back unhurt.

After a heart’s content of trekking, photography, and birdwatching, we began queuing back to the large cable car and then the smaller six seater cable cars to go down. We saw a large number of people moving back as we were supposed to reach back to the Coach after lunch by 3 in the afternoon. There was a tortuous crowd at all the restaurants catering the hungry crowds. The Indian restaurant was no different. We saw families bring back little children who fell sick owing to the cold weather and the long drive. Everyone managed to show their punctuality by reaching the Coach by 230 pm, but two of the families reached very late. They said their child had fainted owing to the drive and change in the weather. The child was made to rest while the authorities were kind enough to provide medical aid. They also added that the angels of Engelberg revived the child soon to normalcy.

We started moving to Lucerne which is the nearest Canton from Engelberg. Lucerne has a large lake surrounded by mountains like Rigi and Pilatus. The place became invaluable when I met my childhood friend. She took me around the village and to an eighteenth century Church where a mass was going on. The prayers and the serene atmosphere soothed my nerves. She spoke about the mountains, the angels, the demon, and the roar of thunder  that were interwoven with beliefs and nature. We walked on the  Chapel Bridge of Lucerne named Kapellbrucke, which has flowering plants lining the sides of the bridge. 

The Kapellbrücke is a covered wooden footbridge spanning diagonally across the Reuss in the city of Lucerne in central Switzerland. On August 18^th, 1993, shortly after midnight, about two thirds of the wooden Chapel Bridge were destroyed by fire. Only the pillars, the bridgeheads and the Water Tower could be saved. Within a year, Chapel Bridge was completely restored, Wikipedia

A lot of historical events and culture is depicted through the paintings on the inner walls of the bridge. My friend spoke of the fire that had destroyed the paintings in the Lucerne Bridge; a few had been revived, but failed to match the original ones. 

The plants that usually flower had not flowered in May, my friend who is an environmentalist attributed it to various environmental issues with  deep regret, saying that the year did not see a proper winter, spring or summer. The sudden pain in her voice could help me understand the beautiful environs a few years back, and the constant devastation of these scenic spots by Man.

 We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children. – Native American Quote