19 – Market town on the fringes of the Alps.

If there’s one thing that Switzerland is most associated with, it’s the Alps – that famous, snow-capped mountain chain that divides Central and Northern Europe from the Latin South, and which stretches across more than two thirds of the Helvetian Republic.

A trip across Switzerland inevitably includes a journey through Alpine forest.  In the Winter, this forest is a vast tract of pristine white, inviting winter sports enthusiasts from all over Europe and the world to ski, snowboard, and make merry in general.  In Summer, the forest is lush and deep green, providing for magical experience straight out of fairytales.

Our train will take us through the section of the Alps known as the Urner Alps, which sits between the cities of Bern and Lucerne.  The route is winding, cutting through ancient, craggy rock-faces and curving alongside precipitous cliff-edges.  Majestic evergreens abound, as do quaint villages and epic castles peeking out from behind the forest canopy.  When Lucerne finally looms in the distance, it is too much too fast for our enraptured visitor.

20 – Castle peeking through a break in the forest cover.

21 – Alpine intersection.

22 – Cottages in the forest.

23 – Winding road tunneling though craggy rock-faces.

24 – Majestic evergreens.

25 – Civilisation beckons.

26 – Re-emerging from the forest.

D – Swiss Alps

PDF: D – Swiss Alps (Museum of Natural History to Central Park) (2.3 MB)