Last Saturday I travelled out of Zurich with some other exchange students for the day. Our first destination was the tiny village of Kerns in Central Switzerland, nestled in the foothills of the Alps. The reason: to witness the spectacle of the traditional 'Alpabfahrt', or in other words, to look at some dressed up cows.
The cows are taken from one part of the valley to another for the Winter, passing the heart of the Kerns village.
We walked to the village from the Sarnen train station, and we heard the cows before actually seeing them. The farmers dressed the cows in flowers, flags and giant cow bells, and those cow bells can be heard from quite a distance! It was nice to head into the countryside and breathe fresh alpine air in such a beautiful setting. It has certainly given me the wanderlust to head back into the mountains at some point for some hiking or skiing.
During the event, I momentarily lost my generalization of Switzerland being ultra clean as the streets were covered in cow urine and the like. However, immediately after the last cow had passed through the village, true-to-form, the Swiss had already begun sweeping the dung-covered streets! We then headed to Lucerne for a city tour and a barbeque.
Lucerne is perhaps the prettiest city in Switzerland. Pictured: the Kapellbrücke.
I was looking forward to visiting Lucerne as I had already heard just how beautiful it was, and my expectations were certainly met. The picturesque city is set on the banks of the Vierwaldstättersee lake, and is encircled by rather well preserved city walls.
It is possible to climb up some of the guard towers and walk on top of the wall.
This trip has certainly made me more eager to see the rest of Switzerland and to make the most of this county's central position in Europe by making trips elsewhere too.
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