ELAINE’S WHEELCHAIR SWISS JOURNAL #7
FINAL COMMENTS
What stands out about Switzerland?
The cities are clean, the towns are clean, the villages are clean. The streets, the gondolas, the cogwheel trains, the buses, the hotels, the restaurants—and THE RESTROOMS ARE SPOTLESS!
No graffiti!
The friendliness of strangers and staff.
The knowledge that seemingly everyone has about our nation, while we Americans know comparatively little about theirs.
The enormous Simmental cows, their bells clanging as they graze in the Alpine meadows.
The lush green meadows, pastures, and mountainsides, all dressed in the fresh green colors of spring—even in autum!
The CHEESE! Fondue and raclette!
The wine!
The butter!
The cuisine! Delicious always and plated artistically. Wunderbar!
The colorful flowers cascading from window boxes EVERYWHERE!
The building boom, with seemingly as many construction cranes as people! 😊 And helicopters that deliver parts, like steel beams, to construction sites!
The high cost of absolutely EVERYTHING!
The spectacular turquoise lakes and rivers.
The snowcapped Alps and magnificent glaciers, breathtakingly beautiful but sadly retreating.
The engineering marvels! Tunnels through mountains, trains climbing impossible slopes, gondolas soaring above valleys, and even a train that carries automobiles through the Alps!
The hairpin turns and narrow mountain roads, with tiny villages perched on slopes that seem almost impossible to inhabit.
The extraordinary care the Swiss take in maintaining their homes, gardens, villages, cars, and countryside.
And, of course, the accessibility. Switzerland offered us some wonderful experiences in my wheelchair, but also some frustrating obstacles. I hope that, as tourism continues to grow, accessibility will become a greater priority. Tiny elevators can be hard to maneuver in. Be sure you are good at backing up! Everyone deserves the opportunity to experience this magnificent country.
My final thoughts?
Switzerland is a country of extraordinary natural beauty, remarkable engineering, and people who seem to take enormous pride in their surroundings.
I first visited Switzerland in 1980. Returning more than four decades later, I found a country that had changed enormously in some ways, yet retained the breathtaking beauty I remembered.
And perhaps that is what I will remember most: the sheer wonder of being there, looking up at those towering mountains, across those emerald meadows, and out over those magnificent lakes.
What a privilege to have experienced it all again—this time on wheels!
On the other hand, I won’t miss paying for water at table. Nor will my miss the extremely high prices. Most importantly as a handicapped traveler in a wheelchair, I won’t miss the high curbs and tiny elevators.
THANKS😍
A special thanks goes to Susanne and to Claire and George Foundation. They arranged our entire trip based on my needs as a handicapped traveler. This included chauffeurs and guides who kept us safe and informed. All were so intelligent and had a passion for their country.
We both agree that discovering Claire and George in Bern, Switzerland was the best internet find we ever made! 😊