by Brett Manero
Switzerland is world-famous for its natural beauty, its charm, its chocolate, its fondue, and its Swiss Army knives. When one thinks of Switzerland, one may naturally think of the Alps, the chocolate, and its famous fondue. It really is a remarkably beautiful and clean country, and the Alps provide a pristine natural backdrop to much of the country.
This past March, I traveled to Switzerland from Colorado, taking advantage of my winter break (yay for a professor’s schedule!) as well as the cheaper tickets and cheaper rental car and hotel prices, thanks to it being the off-season. I had a week to explore, and hopefully I made the most of that week.
Thanks to Air Canada, which by far had the best prices for flying to Switzerland from Denver (and thanks to a significant credit I had with the airline), I had a great deal on my air travel, which took me from Denver to Toronto for a four or five-hour layover, and onward to Zurich, Switzerland. It felt luxurious to be served a meal while flying to Europe – airlines rarely give such amenities anymore. As a hater of air travel (turbulence always convinces me that the plane is going down), I was pleased with the mostly-smooth flight.
Flying to Zurich seems to be much more affordable than flying to Geneva. Although Geneva was a city I wanted to see, Zurich is the preferable option when it comes to price. Fortunately, the country is small enough so that it’s easy to land in Zurich, rent a car, and drive all the way to Geneva and back, and this could even be done in one day if necessary.
The first stop was Neuchatel, in the French sector. A charming small city on the famous lake that’s named after the city, it feels like any classic European town. One can easily walk everywhere, people are friendly enough, and the view of the lake (with a view of the Alps across the lake on clearer days) makes Neuchatel a pleasant, if somewhat quiet, visit. Decades ago, Neuchatel was an international hub for university students, very much like the University of St Andrews or Edinburgh today, but this is not so much the case anymore. Still, Neuchatel is a lovely town and worth the visit.
Be sure to walk up the hill from the center of the city, to the famous Protestant church that sits atop the hill and overlooks the city and the lake. I am a Catholic of course, but Protestant churches can radiate beauty as well. I was pleased to enter the church and find stained-glass windows of the four Major Prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, and Ezekiel), as well as a Bible on the main altar opened to the Book of Micah. Christianity still has devotees in Europe.
For Catholics, going to Mass is easy: the Basilica of Our Lady of the Assumption – known casually as the “Red Church” among locals due to its size and color – is the option for Catholic Mass. Something I noticed about attending Mass in Switzerland is how Catholic parishes and dioceses differ from their American counterparts in terms of advertising the Sacraments. We Americans are blessed with websites such as Mass times.org, and virtually all American Catholic dioceses have decent enough websites where one can access information about their parishes. Parishes themselves (and some better than others) give the public easy-to-understand information about their Mass times.
Not so much in Switzerland! Mass times can be trickier to find online, so just be sure to do the research before. But, I was thoroughly pleased to see that Mass attendance was just about the same as in America. We often hear horror stories about no one attending church anymore in Europe, but I was thrilled to see that this isn’t the case. The Sunday Mass I attended in Neuchatel, and the daily Masses I attended in Geneva, all had a comfortable attendance. The faith is still alive on the Christian Continent.
Restaurants in European cities are, of course, expensive, but a great option for a cheap pasta or pizza is Pizzeria Fleur-de-Lys, right in the heart downtown Neuchatel. Most of the staff is friendly, and the food is solid.
I spent two days in the marvelous city of Geneva, Switzerland. What a city! I was immediately overwhelmed – after being used to the smallness of Neuchatel – by the hustle and bustle of Geneva, which makes Denver seem like a small city. Cars and people everywhere and, so many runners along the famous Lake Geneva. I noted that Geneva felt quite a bit like Washington, DC (where I lived for six years): the international and political feel, the sense of urgency, the fast-paced nature of the city, and the sense that everyone is trying to get somewhere quickly. The United Nations, of course, has one of its primary headquarters in Geneva, and the city is packed with countless major international banks. The main bridge across the lake reminds anyone who’s lived in DC of the Key Bridge going across the Potomac River.
Geneva is magnificently beautiful, containing a nice balance of the oldness that Europe is known for, as well as a certain newness that makes it feel more like a modern city. For Catholics, the Basilica Notre-Dame of Geneva is a must-see, where Confession was heard before evening Masses during the week. Again, I was pleased to see how well Mass was attended. For any English-speakers looking for Mass in their native tongue, St. John XXIII Parish is the place to go, where Masses are in English and the pastor is a jovial fellow from Scotland. I went to Ash Wednesday Mass here, and I must say that it was altogether amusing it was that the one English-speaking parish is the most “modern,” so to speak. By “modern,” I mean in the architecture. If one is looking for old beautiful Catholic architecture, the Basilica is your place to go, although the joyful and welcoming community at St. John XXIII was something marvelous.
As I drove between Zurich, Neuchatel, Geneva, and also Lausaunne, I drove through much farmland and fields. Much of it reminded me of the Midwestern United States, and much of it reminded me of the views between Denver and Colorado Springs. Switzerland is truly beautiful, but home is beautiful too.
Perhaps the best place of all was the town of Morat (also called Murten in German), an old medieval town about a twenty-minute drive from Neuchatel. We had fondue in a charming restaurant here, and walked around the town, even up the old medieval wall that once defended the city. Not too far from here, one can find the remains of an old Roman amphitheater where, amazingly, gladiators fought it out some eighteen-hundred years ago. As the history teacher, I think this was the most exciting find of all.
I think the most peaceful moments were standing on the shore of Lake Neuchatel at night, watching the lights in the distance towards the Alps. Switzerland seems to go to sleep early – even the streets of a major city like Geneva were not bustling after 9pm – and especially Neuchatel. This does allow for a serene peace while looking over the lake.
I look forward to going to France next month, where there seems to be an over abundance of places to see and things to do that makes Switzerland look tiny by comparison. But Switzerland is a small charm of its own, and well worth the visit.