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
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 18th , 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.
Wonderful! The pictures as well as the words almost transport us to the ice-clad mountains. Thank you for a very good read!
ReplyDeleteThank you Sir, thanks for reading and appreciating the post.
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