On blockbuster Slopes

Bollywood restaurants and waiters who sing Tujhe dekha to jaana sanam8212;this is Yash Chopra country all right. But Interlaken and Lucerne, two sleepy canal towns, are also where the real Switzerland lies

Switzerland huh? Don8217;t forget your chiffon saris.8221; Thanks to Yash Chopra and his heroines in nine yards of gossamer on snowy peaks how do they do it?, I had to face this quip every time I told someone of my destination. No, I did not pack chiffon saris, even though May is the official start to summer. Instead, I prudently packed pullovers and jackets for my blockbuster Yash Chopraesque holiday.

While Chopra may have a lot to thank Switzerland for, the reverse is also true. For thanks to him and countless other Bollywood directors, Switzerland attracts a large number of Indian tourists8212;from honeymooning pairs to older couples on their second innings to young families with bawling kids.

We, however, wanted to keep away from the big cities. So we chose to go to Interlaken, a sleepy town that serves as a base for Jungfrau and other surrounding spots, and Lucerne. These smaller canal towns are where one finds the real Switzerland, calm and placid, far from the crowds.

Interlaken is a big draw because of its proximity to Jungfrau. It lies between two lakes, Lake Brienz and Lake Thun and hence the name. Despite the tourists it attracts, there are hardly any big hotel chains. What one finds instead are chalets converted to small, warm family-run establishments. Our hotel, Hotel Swiss Chalet, overlooked misty, snow-clad mountains.

On the first day of our trip, we took a train to Jungfrau. In May, this is the place for adventure8212;hiking trails, treks and sleigh rides. But it rained all morning at Interlaken and soon the mountains were swathed in white. In the relentless snow shower, all we could manage was to step out into the terrace for a brief photo-op, till we were driven out by the icy cold winds. A walk around the Ice Palace, full of ice sculptures in animal and human shapes, is also recommended. My favourite: Mickey Mouse in ice wearing red shades. And last but not least, on top of the peak, a Bollywood restaurant no missing out on this one.

Next stop: Interlaken. At most restaurants here, the waiters, used to dealing with Indian tourists, speak basic Hindi. One even did an impressive rendition of Tujhe dekha toh yeh jaana sanam for us. On our last evening there, we saw a double rainbow in the sky, almost like a farewell gift. The next day we took the train to Lucerne, the biggest city in central Switzerland8212;even so, you can cover it on foot in less than half-an-hour. It sprawls on the shores of Lake Lucerne and its most famous landmark is the Chapel Bridge, dating to the 14th century. This is the heart of the city, where local residents converge in the evenings, with live bands jamming with gusto.nbsp;

If you are at Lucerne, you must visit Mount Pilatus. But the journey to this peak is far better than the destination. After a ride on a steamboat in Lake Lucerne, one gets on to the steepest cogwheel railway in the world to reach the top of the mountain, while an aerial ropeway brings one down the slope. On top of the peak, I had a go at playing the alphorn, a wind instrument mastered by the Swiss. I was dismal. But I got a round of applause for braving it.nbsp;

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The bustling city of Lucerne has a lot to offer8212;from the Monument of the Dying Lion, an evocative carving in the middle of the city, to ancient cathedrals and a large number of watchmakers who stock wares to fit all kinds of budgets.

The liveliest parts of Lucerne are on the lakefront. There, the ducks come out of the water and peck the hands of the tourists who assemble there. One particularly assertive one followed me some way down, demanding more than its fair share of breadcrumbs.

My last evening and it was time for some quiet moments. I sat by the lakefront, the breeze slowly caressing me goodbye as the church bells tolled from the nearby cathedral. So what if I didn8217;t cavort on the peaks a la Sridevi, this was a perfect The End to my holiday.

How to get there
There are many flights to Switzerland from Delhi and Mumbai, includingnbsp;the national carrier Swissair and some budget options with stopovers. Most flights land at Geneva or Zurich. The rail system in Switzerland is excellent, covering all parts of the country. There are hourly trains to Interlaken from both cities and the travel time is about two-and-a-half hours. There are trains to Lucerne from Interlaken, Geneva and Zurich