Hitching back to Munich

Next the big hitch. We got as far as Bern then had to wait 4 hours for our next lift!! This buggered us up as at 10pm that night we were only in Stuttgart on the side of the freeway in the middle of nowhere. We very cautiously descended the grass bank on the side of the road and camped behind a tree - our first experience of camping freelance without a camping ground. The tent was on a sloping hill and we spent the night slipping down in our sleeping bags and listening to every noise from outside. We slept with our penknives in our hands. At the crack of dawn the next day we continued home in the rain. We got a lift with an orchestra conductor who practised his art all the way to Munich - 1, 2, 3, 4! We got food and went to sleep for the rest of the day aahh sweet luxury, linen, warmth and grub!

I had over spent but consoled myself that Switzerland is the most expensive country in Europe and 130German Marks for a 5 day holiday in Switzerland ain't bad mate.

Interlarken, Switzerland

Interlaken is an area in a valley flanked by the Eiger, Junfrau and Monch mountains. On our way there we stopped at some little town called Spiez where there is a castle on a lake. We didn't go in but had our cheese and bread overlooking the lake-exquisite-so green. We bought Mars bar ice-cream and to my surprise I can have a conversation in French at least on a functional level to buy ice-cream!


Spiez Castle

We have been so lucky with lifts - we got them within minutes. We joke about out ticket - the piece of cardboard we write the destination on. Interlaken is very boring and just a jumping off point to other interesting places.

Interlaken

We found a very expensive camping ground which was deserted, but people came later. A bunch of guys putting up 3 tents didn't like my joke when we walked past and I shouted "Do you guys need any help?" because our Igluzit was already up. Another frozen night and we were off again. Paz's waist strap from her backpack broke in the car door of one of our rides, so it was hard for her to carry. We were also missing clean clothes and beds so we decided to see one more site and then hitch home. We went to Lauterbrunnen which is famous for the Trumburg Falls. The glaciers from the three major mountains drain off into these falls. We went into the mountains and saw all the water gushing over glistening black rock with streaks of transverse white lines like fat in a beef steak. It was powerful and overwhelming.

Lady in the Square

We walked around a little more, The Bern people love to be out on the streets, just to be out. We saw a very cute scene, an old lady in a rain coat clasping a handbag, playing a game on a giant "Chess board" in the square with a young Latin looking lad. She was very determined and funny. Many people had stopped to watch. The game was with lumps of wood on the ends of sticks moved across a grid of squares to the corners. I think the lady won. At one point she hit one of the lad's friends for trying to help him.



In the square in Bern




Then we headed out to Interlaken.

Bears and Einstein in Bern

Another interesting fact about the Germans and Swiss is that they usually only leave school at 20 and their tertiary education at 28.

We took a very expensive bus to the camp ground and set up between two caravans to protect us from the elements and then we froze to sleep. This time however we bagged ourselves i.e. we lined the grass with newspaper under the tent, but our towels over our sleeping bags and our bags in large dustbin liners. It was a little warmer!

We broke the routing the next morning by having a shower then saddled up and returned to the center of Bern. It is called Bern after a king who named the city after his first catch during a hunt. At one end of the city there is a river and across the river are bear pits. The pits are made of cement and are about 500 years old. The bears are kept in the pits.

We had lunch (more cheese and bread) on a bench by the bears. I have little affinity for domestic animals but a lot more for wild animals.




We then went to Einstein's house. Albert was born in Ulm a city we've been through in Bavarian Germany, but he spent several productive years in Bern before moving to Princeton in the USA. He was Jewish by birth but an agnostic by choice. He married two times once to a Yugoslavian mathematician. His main contribution to the world was E=MC2. Energy+MassXSpeed squared, which is only a theory as it simply states that if you know the speed and you know either the weight or something or it's energy output you can work out the missing part of the equation. So they can calculate the weight of stars. Also it has something to do with time travel, if we can duplicate the speed of light. This other finding the Quantum theory is much more practical. It states that energy is in units and the units are called Joules.The house of Einstein was run by a very entertaining gentleman - very witty. "You can leave your packs by my desk but don't forget to take them, I have 26 already!" "I'll tell you about Einstein's sons but the daughter she doesn't concern us, we're not interested in her." "I lived in Malaysia a while, I wish the blacks would all just consume themselves."

I think the most interesting thing about Einstein is his look as an old man. I think there must have been someone in the distant past with a similar mock up whom everyone loved. It's the grandfatherly, professor look like wisdom.

Bern, Switzerland and a Fondue!

Bern is my favorite city in Switzerland. We were dropped at the main station where the tourist office is at about 6:30pm. They are very organized and hand out maps with a suggested walking route of the main Old City. So still with our packs on we decided to do half the tour of the main old city ending in dinner which was our main traditional Swiss meal - Fondue!

First we encountered a large open square with tables and chairs and live music. Then we turned into the main old street with cobbled stones and arches on the sides of the buildings. There were tram lines down the middle of the road and people walking in the road. The entire long street is lined on both sides by 4 storey buildings with arcade arches facing the road. Every few blocks there was a fountain in the middle of the road with a figure on top. The figures were mainly bears or soldiers each brightly painted and gilded with gold. They also have an ornate clock tower above one of the buildings.

We got to a restaurant that the book said sold cheap fondue, and the price had gone up. We really couldn't afford it but we splurged and spent 19.5 Swiss Francs for a fondue. We were in a cellar run by a woman, a very intimate atmosphere. Our fondue was delicious and very alcoholic served with ample crusty bread. We left as a group of students were coming in, it would have been nice to stay but camp was calling.

Lucerne Picasso Museum and Leaving Lucerne

We took ourselves to a Picasso Museum where we saw many of Picasso's original sketches, sculptures and paintings. His sketches were really the best of all the art forms on display. Picasso was French but lived most of his life in France near Cannes. Very prolific guy. He wanted to capture people from both the front and in profile and this lead to the abstract look of his figures. There are themes in Picasso's work - eyes, circles, women's bodies etc. When we got to the painting section an alarm would go off if you touched the pictures or walls. His paintings were in bright colors on large canvases.





We went walking across another bridge with murals on the eaves under the wooden roof depicting death coming to claim people. Death looked like a skeleton. We returned to the camping ground and packed up out Igluzelt, then headed out. We had intended to go to Interlaken next but the highway made it more logical to visit Bern first, so we did. We learn so much from the people who give us lifts - it's a wonderful way to travel and get to know the people of a country.

Lion Monument Lucerne

We went from the Old Town by bus to one of the residential areas were there were very well maintained blocks of flats. We got off the bus and walked down a hill amongst the greens and purples of nature to a site dedicated to the Swiss Guard who were massacred during the French Revolution of 1792. It is a cliff of white rock that has had a lion carved into the side as if it were in a cave. The lion has been stabbed and is lying on shields and spears. An Irish man and a group of boys rushed up to the site. I offered to take a photo of them. Then the teacher said "Right lads, back in the bus". That was the shortest trip ever and off they went!



We too returned "home" and prepared to sleep - we froze! My feet were the worst. The bottom of my sleeping bag cocoon felt damp all night. I used the same clothes to sleep and tour in for the entire 5 day jaunt in Switzerland! The sleeping bags were very restricting they turn and twist when you turn. We both just lay shivering all night. In the morning we managed to stand up right and creak our way out of the camp ground. I let my frozen blue wet rotten feet breath a bit and crush a few daisies and then donned my faithful socks. We locked out backpacks in out tent and used out 24 hour tickets to go and see more of Lucienne. We became very relaxed and bought breakfast/lunch then we sat on the edge of the lake and ate. On one side of us were posh cafes with aromas of food drifting onto the street and outdoor seating areas. We sat with hundreds of students also enjoying their lunch. My lunch that day was an apple and 4 boxes of Smarties - when in Switzerland eat chocolate!

Wandering around Lucerne(Luzern)

We found the hotel Paz was looking for, but to her surprise and dismay it had completely changed and didn't ring any bells with her. We followed a route she had walked with her "folks" all those years ago to a glass shop. The Swiss stores are very special each with unique items. We got to the edge of the lake where there was a beautiful Jesuit church. The church is in the baroque style and is considered the most beautiful in Switzerland. The inside was like all the other churches we had been in all over Europe but we had to take a peek inside, what the hell, we had given every other denomination a shot! The outside of the church was impressive with twin tits (onion domes) . The church is about 10feet from the water's edge where there are stairs going down to the water. Very Shakespearean/Venetian. We walked across the famous wooden bridge which has a wooden roof and half way across is a stone tower. All very peaceful. Across the bridge we wandered into the Old City where we meandered around. There are many beautifully painted murals on the buildings, this was a Medieval trend, the theme of most murals is of fairy tales, masked creatures and Trolls.

Stairs leading to the water's edge from Jesuit Church

Down one of the cobbled lanes we came to a square with a fountain and there were four men playing string instruments and singing in harmony - almost barn-dance style! In another square there was a man in top hat and tails turning the handle of a music box. We saw some exquisite fashions - and I was desperately looking for an outfit I could wear when my friend comes from Israel.

Lucerne, Switzerland

There are two similar sounding towns in Switzerland Lucerne - German pronounced Lutzurn and Lausanne - French. We were at the German one - the more famous on Lake Lucerne. It is far more attractive than Zurich with an older, brighter feel. Our first stop was information, and we were very disappointed to learn that we couldn't possibly afford to go up any of the mountains. Around Lucerne there is Mt. Pilatus and Mt. Titlis, but the cable cares are about $20.




We decided to walk to the camping ground at Lido beach. Lucerne has an old town on one side of the lake and a new one on the other side down the sides of a narrow section. Then the lake widens to a see-like width, and we walked around on the wider section. It was still cold and the walk was about 30/40 minutes, but very beautiful. Snow sprayed mountains with Swiss houses on them, the lake and brilliant green trees with pink and white apple blossoms. There were daisies and daffodils everywhere. We found the camp ground and set up our "Igluzelt", for the first time very successfully. Then we snoozed until 4pm and decided to go see the city. The sun stayed up until about 9pm so we got in 4 hours of sightseeing. We bought a bus ticket for 4 Swiss Francs which lasts for 24 hours, so that we could do our normal trick of using the local bus as a tour bus around the city and get to see where the real Swiss live. Paz also wanted to find the hotel where she had stayed 17 years before with her parents.

Leaving Hare Krishna

We made our pleasant adeus with no pressure of conversion and we donated 10 Francs then left. We got photos standing outside thee house but not with them as they don't allow their photos to be taken. We were relieved to leave although we were thankful for the experiences. I went into it with an open mind and left with an informed opinion that I disagreed with it entirely.





We loped down the steep hill towards the main stream of the city - excuse the pun - the Zurichsee lake. We walked the streets, but basically Zurich will always mean more to me as an Indian experience than anything else. So we headed out. Once again we had very goof luck with a lift to Lucern.

A Hare Krishna Breakfast

I slept the night on the floor of the Ashram but felt very safe in that environment although their whole imitation of Indians is hilarious. We were woken in time for the grueling two hour marathon programme. It varied slightly fro the evening service. Everyone goes up and takes a look at the idols in their glad rags. They also lay petals at the feet of the wax translator, everyone getting a turn. The same ceremony prevailed and the same battle to stay awake. After the service, with the chant still ringing in my ears, we had breakfast. men and women eat separately, and the breakfast consisted of sweet cheese, with kiwi fruit pressed into it, fruit salad mixed with yogurt, wet and crumbling halve, lettuce with a spicy sauce and avocados, hash brown potatoes stuffed with apples and sweet. To drink there was herbal tea. All very filling but what a combination of unfamiliar flavors at that time in the morning.

The Bhagawat, Hare Krishna food and other Krishna info!

I'm afraid that the Hare Krishna lecture was extremely simplified and unenlightening. The Guru spoke in circles and metaphors as meaningful as his one example about how the material world is like sand castles on the beach, they get washed away! At the end of his rambling dissertation my legs were as cramped from sitting as they had been from standing. The Guru gave people an opportunity to ask questions at the end, no one did which only proved that the audience were as confused as I was and even the Guru was confused but found talking a way to vent his frustration. I saw an ant cross the floor and had to stop my self from leaning across and thumping it into the ground.

After the service we retired to the waiting room where we were served dinner. It was on metal partitioned plates and hot milk in a metal cup. The food was rice, chutney, curried veg and halve. You are supposed to eat everything on your plate and eat with your right hand.

I got a chance to cross question one of the devotees over dinner and apparently the man in the photos and in wax was a translator who died in 1975. He translated the Sanskrit books, 80 of them, including their main book, The Bhagawat.

#The Hare Krishna wear orange robes to signify that they are single, married men where white.

#The men shave their heads to signify that they are all priests, and the women don't cut their hair because it is attractive!

#Women wear the red dot to show that they are married.

#Hare Krishna means "Welcome God".

#I tried to find out the connection between this and Hinduism but he didn't seem to know either. I know they use the same or similar Sanskrit and the same idols.

#They have a minor God for different areas of life.

#They don't eat meat.

#Two days a month they don't eat bread.

#No male/female contact until after marriage.

#Disregard for all things material.

#They wake up at 03:30!!!!!!

#They pray 7 times a day.

#Meals are called Parva (interesting the word in Hebrew for not meat or milk is Parve).

The devotee said we could sleep until 7am but could we please come to the "program" as they would be dressing the dolls in different, beautiful clothes! They dress them differently every day and at the 7am showing the curtains are fully opened to reveal the new outfits!

First experience of Hare Krishna Ceremony and Lecture

The devotees entered and lay flat on the ground, kiss it, and mumble then rise and face front. The front, my dear, let me tell you is a raised platform behind a proscenium arch compete with curtain. On the platform is an assortment of glittering, shiny, flowery oriental decorations under two identical canopies with pillars. On these platforms firstly there were two identical Indian looking dolls and on the other one a large white doll, a small white doll and a large black doll with eyes like saucers. All of the dolls were dressed in ornate clothing and jewelry. These are the idol's minor gods.



The twins represent Krishna as he appeared 5000 years ago (Krishna is god) and the other dolls are Krishna in other forms. There is a saried alter boy of sorts who stands behind the proscenium arch and performs and performs a number of ceremonial acts while the rest of the congregation chants to symbols and an oblong drum which someone is beating.



There are no chairs in the room and the men stand in the front with the women, and us at the back. The devotees shift their weight from one side to to the other. The alter boy waves incense, plays the symbols and waves around a long tuft of hair on the end of a stick. He also presents gifts of incense to the idols. Then he lights a little candlestick holder with about 5 flames, he takes this to one of the male congregation who takes it from the alter boy. Then this devotee takes the fire around to the other males who either warm their hands over it and run their hands over their bald heads, or they simply hold their heads over the flames. Then the fire is handed to one of the women to do to the female congregation.



Then they do a communal type thing with an egg cup of water which is sprinkled over every one's heads, a bit like the Catholic baptism. After a greweling half hour they all drop to the floor and start mumbling then they resume the chanting and finally the ceremony was over.



My ears were ringing from the constant clatter of tiny, tiny symbols. then we all took a mat and sat for the reading and lecture. My legs were very grateful.



Someone placed a book in the lap of the wax man, and too my surprise placed glasses on the dummy's nose . A guru sat in a large chair on the north side and with a book on a stand in front of him and a microphone.



Several people disappeared into a side room to do very good simultaneous translation into English, Yugoslavian and Spanish. We inserted earpieces into a hole in the wall to listen to the lecture in English.



A woman brought twigs on an tray and began stripping them of the leaves and stringing the leaves together to make necklaces for the idols ceremony the next day.

Meeting Krishna in Zurich

Perhaps I should tell you what I learnt, or no, let me reveal it to you as it was revealed to me! I could not brush my hair in the Ashram, only in the bathroom, for hygiene reasons. We donned dresses at Paz's suggestion and descended the stone steps to the temple - a room off the main entrance foyer.



My first sight, to my horror, was what looked like a man sitting on a cube of a stage, looking exactly like the man whom I assumed was the illusive Krishna - I had seen photos of him all over the building. On closer examination this man was a life size wax model of the man in the photos - sitting in the lotus position and wearing an orange sari like the other men in the temple. He was totally life like and sitting under a canopy of flowers and jewels on a waist high stage about 1 1/2 meters square. Wow - idol worship?

Swiss Krishna temple - getting to know you

Now you may wonder at Paz's willingness in all this adventure - knowledge cures all fear they say, and she had been to a ceremony before in South Africa with a friend of hers from the UK. We were lead to the Ashram where the women, single or married, live together and men are in a separate section. We passed the kitchen and I asked if a tour was possible, but apparently the kitchen is like their alter so I was not allowed to enter because I am not "one of them". However through the door the large quantity of stainless steel glowed. They are extremely clean, as were the showers.



The Ashram consisted of 2 sets of bunk beds 3 high in one corner, and lots of floor space for people to sleep on. The women were, as were the men, trying desperately to imitate Indians. Stone piercing through the nose, sari dresses, plaited hair, bare feet etc.(I find it hilarious how they have programmed themselves to Krishna as their word of God when it is actually blasphemy - don't know what I meant by this at the time of writing). We prepared ourselves for evening prayer and lectures.

Arriving at the Hare Krishna Temple - Zurich

A very ordinary Indian Swiss answered the Hare Krishna's temple door, and as he spoke no German he ushered us in. It turned out that he was just an inquisitive guest as well who came with his wife, bedecked with her red dot, to mark her as taken, both by a male and another faith. In the entrance hall we met a Hare Krishna person all done out in Orange - this season's color with the latest in Hari haute coiffure - a bald head with a tail growing out of it. Paz - having been duly pushed asked point blank "we met some of your devotees in town and they said that maybe..." oh dear "could we stay here tonight?" The answer was yes, if we made a donation. We finalized the deal and took seats in the waiting room with out fellow guests.



Minus shoes, totally soggy socks (they brought a new aroma to the Krishna incense) and our backpacks. Perhaps they picked up the sent of weary travelers as the first thing we were offered was a shower!

Shopping in Switzerland

I wanted to try some clothes on so we went to one of these fancy boutiques and I sealed myself in a cubical and tried on some tights size 40 - to my horror! Really expensive, over $300 for dresses. My sports shoes were rotten from the damp, along with my aromatic nylon socks from the snow, rain and car heating. I removed my socks in the changing room and threw them away. Oh well they are only 4 months old, but they've had a good life. My shoes I need I'm afraid.



We payed the exorbitant tram ride up the far hill side of Zurich, where the university stands and went in search of the temple. There we found a very ordinary looking house. We first took a peek at the garden as a potential tent ground - although we know it is illegal to camp in Swiss gardens. Then having ummed and aahed we eventually got up enough courage to ring the bell.

Meeting Hari Krishnas in Switzerland

Up this avenue lined with green trees and with more pedestrian traffic than cars we saw some Hari Krishna's with musical instruments doing their thing - freezing their willies off no doubt, and handing out balls - not their own frozen ones but white lumps of what can only be described as "stuff". We stopped and fumbled with our free pudding while talking to a Yugoslavian "devotee" who told us they had a temple and farm in the area. We cautiously asked if we could set up camp on their farm. They didn't quite get what we were asking but they said we could probably stay at the temple, and that we should come to the service in the evening anyway just to see what it was like. Paz and I were both keen for a little distraction and to be under a roof for a few hours. What really decided us though was when half a block later a German type woman sidled up to us, pursed lipped, like an undercover agent in some sordid novel. She produced a leaflet and kept pointing to the Krishna's saying "warning", "not good". We answered with "What is good? Muslims? No. Hindu? No." I played my ace on the Nazi "Jews? No...ah Christ..." and reverted to Krishna "not good". So after that we had more or less decided to see their ceremony.

Zurich, Switzerland - what the people think

A river leading to Zuricsee passes through the city which is built of thick old stone. We left our backpacks at the museum and managed to go for a walk around the back streets of the old part of the city - like all of Switzerland is full of little stores. The stores sell mainly exclusive goods - cakes, clothes. The smaller alleys are the best is any European city. Zurich has a tram system like other European cities. We collected our packs and went for a walk up the main street - Banhof - we were still hearing German but now in a different accent. In other areas of Switzerland they speak French, Italian and 2 of the cantons speak Romanch ( a relative of Latin). The 23 cantons united in 1291, although they are neutral the people are keen to join the EEC for the advantages it will provide them, although if they joined they could no longer be neutral. One of our drivers said that he felt the neutrality showed a lack of responcibility and when I said I felt it was ideal he said it was like trading with Iraq, and then when trouble starts, standing back and saying it is not their problem. I wasn't aware of Switzerland's history fighting as mercenaries in other peoples armies. Anyway I keep getting sidetracked! Traveling is such an education!

Switzerland - how it is run

Did you know that Switzerland has a lot of tunnels for cars? A lot of the smaller European countries make use of the underground space for parking. One of Switzerland's longest tunnels can be sealed off in the event of war and used as a bomb shelter for 10,000 people. There are hospitals and other facilities in the walls for this purpose as well. Although Switzerland is a neutral country they have conscription. The men in Switzerland go into the army for 6 months straight after school and for another 3 weeks every year until they are 50. The country - as one of our hitch hiking lifts told us - is run by the people. Every major law is voted on in a general referendum. Then the law gets passes by a government of representatives from each of the 23 cantons. Then the law gets passed by a smaller group of representatives, and then by the President. It is a long slow process and the banks influence the law making as they can back campaigns financially.