Switzerland is one of those countries that everyone knows by reputation, but which still manages to surprise in person. It is the country of mountains, lakes and order, of course, but it is also a place where nature and man have found a balance that is rarely seen elsewhere.
Cities are clean, functional, everything works. Trains arrive on time, the streets are well maintained, and even the most touristy corners maintain a dignity that never lapses into tacky. There is a discreet elegance that pervades everything, but without ostentation.
And then there are the mountains. Everywhere you look at them, they are there: they loom over the horizon, they are reflected in the lakes, they frame every glimpse. It's not just a postcard: it's a constant presence that reminds you how great nature is and how, after all, man here has chosen to live with it rather than overwhelm it.
It's just a shame about the air conditioning: during a heat wave, Swiss efficiency stops in front of a fan...
We arrived in Zurich on a hot day at the end of June, with the thermometer quietly exceeding 30º and a sirocco wind more African than alpine.
We spent the late afternoon visiting the beautiful central station, elegant and airy, and then we slipped into the nearby Platzpromenade, a corner of greenery and coolness at the intersection of two waterways, with the natives bathing as if they were at the sea.
We started the day in the cool, visiting the "Schweizerisches Landesmuseum", that is to say the museum of Swiss History and Culture.
Housed in a building reminiscent of a medieval castle, we were especially interested in the historical section, since objectively little is known about the country, and the beautiful exhibitions of religious art.
We dedicated the day to the "Kunsthaus", the Museum of Fine Arts in Zurich: vast, extremely interesting, and.... air-conditioned.
Ancient and modern art, installations and sculpture; definitely, we have had our fill of Art
To escape from the heat wave in Zurich, we took the train and took refuge in Lucerne which, nestled in the Alps, enjoyed a minimum of breeze.
Also overlooking a lake, it has as its symbol the Kapellbrücke, a long wooden bridge, crowded with tourists and spiders.
Back in Zurich, we spent the last day visiting the cathedral and the Fraumünster, a church with beautiful stained glass windows designed by Chagall.
