The Swiss Alps lived up to their expectations, but I was surprised to find out how much I enjoyed the Swiss cities. Not only were they pretty, each with their own character, but they gave a special feeling because of their oldness. The cities I visited for a half day or more are: Geneva , Lausanne , Bern , Zurich , Luzern, Wengen, Murren.

The train system is awesome – always left within a minute of when they were scheduled. The first class seats were a little more comfortable than second class, but not worth the extra expense to me. I found train travel to be restful and never boring. I could enjoy the scenery, read, or plan details of the trip. I purchased the Swiss Rail Pass which allows you unlimited travel on most trains, buses, and ferries in Switzerland . For special excursions such as to Jungfraujoch it gives a discount. I bought the 15 day version for 380 Swiss francs (the 8 day for 320 SF was not as good a bargain).

While I was on the trams in the various cities, tickets were never verified. It was the honor system, but if an inspection were to yield that a person cheated then there would be a 60 SF fine.

I liked the French aspect of the numerous pastry shops which had tempting delights you could purchase and nibble as you walked. Similarly, my standard lunch was to get a hard bread such a baguette and just eat some as I walked. The major food (and more) chain stores Coop and Migroes also had fresh bread and other items at reasonable (for Switzerland ) prices.

The exchange rate was very favorable (1.7 SF per dollar).

My ability to read French reasonably well helped a lot in understanding signs, especially in the Geneva region. However, I had difficulty understanding spoken French. And my German capabilities were nonexistent. Next time I would spend some time trying to understand some key written German words. But whatever, most people were fluent in English, and if not gestures would usually work. When all else failed, I tried the next person.

The weather during my trip was mostly overcast with low level clouds, and some fog. However, on the important days while I was in the Zermatt and Interlaken regions, the weather was great. Switzerland is warmer than I envisioned. Only on one day did the temperature get below freezing, and that was when I was above 7000 ft. The grass in the lower areas such as Geneva , Bern , Zurich , Luzern, Lausanne was still green. None of these cities get much snow. There were lots of vineyards along the train routes between the major Swiss cities.

To find hotels in the small tourist towns such as Wengen, there is usually a computerized map of the town near the train station. The map shows where the hotels are located and provides a phone for calling those the number identified on the map.