There are no lousy pictures of Switzerland. Even a person like myself, who manages to get a finger or a thumb in almost every picture, can get some decent shots. And so, without further ado, here we go!

 

We spent a lot of time watching this clock. The Swiss worship time and our guides stared up at this clock reverently. They marveled at its mechanics and tried to get us to feel just as awed by it. It’s okay, the clock tower. But forty minutes waiting for its bell to ring was a bit much.

This was on top of a fountain. I think it’s some sort of goblin eating babies.

This is the Emmental Valley. I went here to visit a place where they make Swiss Cheese. Making Swiss Cheese is a lot of work. Lots of stirring, actually. I mean, really a lot of stirring. And the stirring has to be correct; too slow or too fast and you get yelled at.

I took this on the bridge between my hotel and Old Town. Berne is a beautiful city. Boring though. If you’re choosing between Berne and, say, Ibiza, go with Ibiza.

A couple sits on a bench outside a field in Interlaken, Switzerland, with the alps in the background. They’re facing the wrong way though. The only thing in the direction they’re facing is a Hooters and lots of tourists buying knives and wristwatches.

This was taken when I was walking through a glacier. Which is something you can do in Switzerland. Jungfruajoch, at 11,333 feet, is the highest train station in Europe.

There’s not much up there, at the Top of Europe. The Jungfrau Railway was built in 1912; it’s celebrating a hundred years of people getting to the top, getting off the train, looking around, realizing they’re frozen solid, shaking their head, then getting back on the train.

You could open the windows of this train, so I spent all my time hanging my head out the window. As you can see from this photo, the Swiss countryside is almost cloyingly beautiful.

I took this picture on a cable car adventure in Fluelen, Switzerland. But I saw loads and loads of firewood everywhere I went. So much firewood. I’m guessing Switzerland doesn’t need a permit to have a fireplace.

A ferry plies Lake Lucerne under an overcast sky. Switzerland is mostly water. 5 of Europe’s 8 rivers begin in Switzerland.

The Old Town of Lucerne on a rainy night. I like this picture because I didn’t have to cheat to make it look cool.

I totally cheated on this one. There is an old fair in Lucerne, with rickety rides and strange foods. They even have chestnuts roasting over an open fire. I had bags of them!

This is a picture of one of Lucerne’s wooden bridges. I was there to attend a conference, so I really have no insights into the meaning of the many murals you see above you as you cross the bridge. Though I suspect, since there are so many skeletons, it has something to do with death.

 

These last two pictures were taken when I rode the Cabrio, which takes you up to the top of Stanserhorn, where those not afraid of heights can enjoy the view from one of the viewing platforms.

There you have it. Some of my favorite pictures of Switzerland, a land both expensive and beautiful. I already miss it!