Swiss Made Grand Tour… 7 day road trip {I}

“Look past the silk-smooth chocolate, cuckoo clocks and yodelling – contemporary Switzerland, land of four languages, is all about epic journeys and sublime experiences.”
Lonely Planet

Swiss Made Grand Tour. 7 days. Road trip. Driving through the Swiss country. Hired cars. 6 cities, maybe more, hosted by Switzerland Tourism, organised by NDTV Good Times. Like a dream which kept getting better and better.

No watertight schedules. Tailor made. Something for everyone. Great company. Delicious food. Gorgeous views. Stunning architecture. Clockwork precision. Beautiful people. Adventure sports. Rolling meadows. Cow bells echoing. Bales of hay. Spires, churches, steeples that dot the entire country and are fascinating by design. Architecture inspired by the French and German that changes as you drive from region to region; every frame knocks your breath away. As you long to hang on to the wings of time, there is even more jaw dropping beauty ahead. For me, non stop gasps, endless shooting, obsessive camera overdrive. {Warning : Image heavy post ahead}

Didn’t just end there. Filmed while experiencing the tour, sometimes quite hilariously, the show will be aired maybe around September, 2015 on NDTV Good Times. We stopped at beautiful hotels for the night, woke up to lavish breakfast spreads for those who chose to indulge, quick healthy deliciousness if ‘light’ was your call.Lunched by lakes, water bodies that magically appeared around the corner within 20 minutes of each other. We drove through the countryside because that’s what the Swiss Made Grand Tour is all about. ​It was a ‘pinch me, am I dreaming?‘ moment when I first got an invite to the Swiss Made Grand Tour. Completely unbelievable. I was told it was a scam, a ploy to kidnap me, an April fool gone late and a million bizarre such suggestions! After all you don’t get to experience a dream road trip in Switzerland everyday. Seemed like an unreal thing, out of reach. But guess what? It happened.

Now I cannot believe it happened. Did we really live those last few days? Yes we did, captured in a million and more images that will live with me forever! Best company ever! This time I was just so glad I am a compulsive shutterbug, an obsessive ‘picture taker’.Visas arrived a day before, the IDL never materialized, no itinerary, muddled head. The unsure journey began as we all met for the first time at Delhi airport headed for Zurich, traveling business class on Swiss Air. Complete strangers. A bunch of 3 bloggers, names not disclosed, a team from NDTV, and bags wildly stuffed in panic made for a strange unsure scene. A few luxurious hours later we landed in Zurich where the very sweet and fun Ritu from Swiss Tourism Mumbai joined us. We took a connecting flight to Geneva where the journey was to begin.Checked in at the beautiful Mandarin Oriental, getting our first glimpses of culturally rich and beautiful Switzerland. Geneva, lies at the southern tip of expansive Lake Geneva. It’s the city we had our first meal together, where strangers broke bread! Back slapping and in comfort zone over a gourmet picnic, an inspiring meal on the lawns of Hôtel du Parc des Eaux-Vives, showcasing the finest local food and wine. Got our first experience of the clockwork like, very efficient public transportation in the city, armed with the amazing Geneva Transport Card. The card is a norm across Switzerland; very handy to hop on and off public transport. Geneva must sees include the iconic landmark,“Jet d’Eau”, Old Town, Reformation Wall among others. Up the next morning to a beautifully set up and delicious breakfast, one of many to come, it was time to get those cars! Yes, the road trip beckoned. From here on, we would explore this stunning country via roads, driving off piste, stopping when and where we desired. Driving here is left hand like the rest of Europe. For me, a first time ‘left side driver’, it took ten minutes or so to rewire my brain and get used to the mirror like driving. What did help is that I’ve been on the wheel for over 30 years, am a sticker for rules, and have been driving an automatic. Still it took me a while to grab the wheel, but more about that later.

After much futile racing around at the courts in Gurgaon, I didn’t get my International Driving License and was sorely disappointed. I kept just one day in hand. Not enough. Make sure you have 2-3 days in hand. On the brighter side, Switzerland doesn’t really require one. A valid license in English is good for short durations. The cars we hired – a snazzy VW black convertible {how could we not}, and an Audi Q3. Vroooom, vroom … we were ready to go.

There is something special about driving off the motorway, through winding village roads, narrow streets, rolling meadows. Oh the countryside, the houses, the landscapes, the shimmering blue lakes, the Alps, the lifestyle. Every corner you turn in picture worthy, every frame tells a story. It isn’t a country in a hurry. Every region has it’s own beauty, and even though the next few days whizzed by like a dream, I am now recounting the journey through images.Here we go. Our beautiful drive from Geneva to the canton of Vaud, in pictures {far above and below}. First glimpses of steeples, spires, geranium filled window boxes, vineyards, meadows, cattle, cars, dogs, culture, cuisine, lifestyle. Also literally how picture perfect the country is, nothing out of place. Even dilapidated abandoned houses fit right in!Vaud – part of the French speaking region of Switzerland, foothills of the Alps, by Lake Geneva. We explored Montreux and Lavourne, and a bit of Vevey, home to the milk chocolate giant Nestle, and where the Charlie Chaplin Museum is. We stayed at the well located Hotel Astra. Vevey,  a 5 minute crisp walk to the gorgeous waterfront, was brimming with activity because it was Swiss National Day. Live music, food stalls, celebrations … then later spectacular fireworks to mark the event.

Aug 2nd, still had Swiss National Day celebrations on. Travel cards rule! A 15 minute bus ride to the main square at Montreux which has a strapping huge Freddie Mercury statue overlooking Lake Geneva. Montreux is known for the Montreux Jazz Festival held annually every July since 1967.  It’s a beautiful walk along the lake. We were on our way to the Chillon Castle but stopped because of this …An unplanned hop off as the festivities and colourful armies beckoned, the medieval army one of my favourites. The ease of the marches, the national pride, the ‘chilled out attitude’ to the photo crazy tourists milling around, is reflective of the Suisse community. So relaxed, friendly and accommodating, we felt like one of them!

Back to our original destination, Château of Chillon, a Swiss heritage site with over a 1000 years of history. It isn’t Switzerlands most popular castle for nothing. One of the most visited in Europe,  this is possibly the most important historical monument of the country. Stunning architecture, well preserved, like a page out of history, almost every window gives you a marvelous view of the lake.The underground dungeons of the castle inspired Lord Byron to write the Prisoner of Chillon, in 1816, a poem which chronicles the imprisonment of a Genevois monk, François Bonivard, from 1532 to 1536. Written in typical Byron style, the narrative describes the trials of a lone survivor of a family who has been martyred. The character’s father was burnt at the stake, and out of six brothers, two fell at the battlefield while one was burnt to death. The remaining three were sent to the castle of Chillon as prisoners, out of which two more died due to pining away. In time only the narrator lived.

The castle itself is a window into the daily life of the Court of Savoy, as also of the Bernese bailiffs. Three courtyards, huge banquet halls, a spartan Bernese chamber and much more. You can spend hours exploring each corner. We had barely an hour, soon hopped on to the boat back to the square, some shopping, coffee ice cream, posing with Freddie Mercury, walk in the lake. It was time to head for the vineyards and lunch with the rest of the gang for an amazing gastronomic experience in the vine district of Lavaux, one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

It’s vineyards as far as the eye can see, over 10,000 terraced vineyards held together by ancient stone walls built by monks over 500 years ago. Thanks to Lake Geneva and the many walls, they say that there are three suns in Lavaux: the one shining in the sky, the one reflected in the lake and, during the evening and night, the one coming from the heat accumulated within the walls during hot summer days.

Then a sublime lunch overlooking beautiful Lake Geneva, and run by a chef from our own Mumbai. Was an unusual experience to have delicious hot zucchini pakodas by the lake. We guzzled Rivella on the side, a local soft drink produced from milk whey, a by product of cheese making. It’s interesting to see how environmentally conscious the country is. Nothing goes to waste; innovation rules! Lunch for me was fresh fish fillets, filets de perche meunière, sourced from the lake, and my, was it delicious! It’s a local specialty and you can find a recipe here. I love that right across Switzerland  they celebrate local seasonal produce. Also, you will find the freshest of salads with greens and micro greens on the menu. Potatoes form an inherent part of the menu – fries, rosti, hash browns etc. Thanks to the three suns, the wine here is special and different. It is made for local consumption as the vineyards are small family business, each producing their own limited editions. We stopped by for a wine degustation along a cobbled village road tasting two crisp white wines from the locally grown Chasselas, and a red wine too. My favourite was the Grand Cru Dézaley, though I failed miserably at pronunciations.We bid adieu to the canton of Vaud and headed further north towards Interlaaken.

That’s another story. Until then, please meet the crew, our very generous host and the 3 bloggers. Loads of hidden stories!

Mandakini Malla aka Mandy– NDTV. Director. Hill girl. First among equals. Boss. Perfectionist. Knows what she wants. Gets it done. ‘Wicked’ the tee reads. Is not. Nature lover. Animal lover. Great fun once the shot is canned! Walking encyclopedia. Colourful footwear.
Neha Dixit – NDTV. Anchor/Host of Swiss Made Grand Tours. Hill girl, eco warrior. Animal lover. Thoroughly professional. Polite to the core. Never ruffled. Sharp, hilarious, nonsensical tongue at comfort levels. Workaholic. Great company. Peppy. Colourful! Very sporting. Also sports this odd little plait.
Ritu Sharma – Deputy Director, India. Switzerland Tourism. An Indian quite Swiss. Chilled out wonderful company. Rarely ruffled, but when she is, ouch! Knows Switzerland like the back of her hand. Hat ‘forgetter’. Punctual. Knows where to find the best food and wine. Loves black.
Jalaj Kathuria – NDTV. Senior camera person. Calmest in the group. Quiet. Thorough gentleman. Never an animated moment other than a sudden hearty laugh at the stupidest of jokes. Supportive to the core. Hears it all, never says a word. We heard there is another side. Yet to see it.
S Arun Kumar – NDTV. Strong shoulders camera person. Social media activist. Drama Queen King. Hilarious when in the mood. Ready for encore. Baby face. Bee bitten. Loves Indian food.
Dheeraj Hellan – NDTV. Omnipresent camera person. Call me ‘D’. That says it all. Then again. Charming to the core. Loves to drive. Couldn’t this time; that’s another story. Great behind the camera, even better in front. Fun all the way. Hindi, urdu, english…words roll off the tongue like butter. Chillon? Another story. He knows!
Siddhartha Joshi – Travel blogger. Dreamer. Cracker of a guy. Can get you to spin a tale. Peoples person. Quite the wanderer. Hyper. Super sporty. Super fun. Nonsensical banter person. Predictably unpredictable. Thorough gentleman. Great company. Selfie lover. Self ‘in the air’ portrait lover. Full LS paisa wasool!
Rachit Hirani – Auto Blogger. Vroom Vroom. Calm, composed, mature. Knows evrything that walks the road! Been there, done everything. That’s until you scratch beneath the surface. 1000 watt smile. Baby face. Parsi accent. Thorough gentleman. Mumbai lad. Super hero. Car selfie addict. Patient as can be, and great company.

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