Great Continental Railway Journeys (2012) s01e04 Episode Script
Switzerland
1 I'm embarking on a new railway adventure that will take me across the heart of Europe.
I'll be using this, my Bradshaw's Continental Railway Guide, dated 1913, which opened up an exotic world of foreign travel for the British tourist.
It told travellers where to go, what to see and how to navigate the thousands of miles of tracks criss-crossing the Continent.
Now, a century later, I'm using my copy to reveal an era of great optimism and energy, where technology, Industry, science and the arts were flourishing.
I want to rediscover that lost Europe, that in 1913 couldn't know that its way of life would shortly be swept aside by the advent of war.
Armed with my 1913 railway guide, I'm following in the footsteps of early 20th-century travellers and making five long journeys across Europe.
Today, I'm exploring Switzerland, whose remarkable railways helped to make it a favourite with Edwardian tourists.
- Cheers.
- Cheers.
I'll discover the cargo carried on the country's first-ever line Mmm, wonderful! before heading for the glorious Alps, .
.
I've been lucky enough to experience some very beautiful train journeys, but this one must be one of the very best.
where the British left their mark on sport British people are sometimes a little bit crazy.
and literature Do you remember any Sherlock Holmes stories? and where astonishing engineering feats conquered the most challenging peaks.
That's the longest glacier of the Alps.
That is awe-inspiring.
My Swiss adventure begins in Basel, then traces a route outlined in my guidebook via the Industrial city of Zurich, then southeast to Chur.
From there, the famous Glacier Express will carry me through some of Switzerland's most stunning alpine scenery, before I turn north to explore Lake Lucerne.
Finally, I'll make the impressive railway ascent to Jungfrau/och, Europe's highest railway station.
It's clear from the dizzying array of routes and the lyrical descriptions contained in my Bradshaw's 1913 Continental Railway Guide that by the beginning of the 20th century, the railways had opened Switzerland to tourists, and the draw of what my guidebook calls "the finest lake and mountain scenery" had made Switzerland one of the most aspirational of destinations.
I shall be following one of my guidebooks recommended routes through this spectacular country, but to reach my first stop, I'm travelling on a French train along French tracks.
I'm heading for the Swiss border city of Basel, which, since medieval times, has been a melting pot of French, German and Swiss influences.
By 1913, it had also become the nexus of a sprawling Continental railway network.
Bradshaw's tells me that Basel is "the key to Switzerland where several international railway lines meet, and the customs examinations take place.
" "Here, the trains from Alsace," where I've just come from, "run in, connecting with the principal Swiss railways.
" And although I've come to a Swiss city, this part of the station is still officially France.
I'm unpicking the history of this railway hub with historian Martin Lengwiler.
- Hello, Marlin.
- Hello, Michael.
This is really a very international place, isn't it? I see French trains, Swiss trains, German trains.
This is the meeting point of the nations.
That's true indeed.
And Basel has a special place in the history of the Swiss railway system because it's the first town that has been linked to any railway line and it's still the only town in Switzerland that has three stations of three national origins.
Surprisingly, the very first railway on Swiss soil was actually built by the French.
In 1844, they constructed a line from Strasbourg to the Swiss border, and proposed a terminus within Basel's city limits.
But they got a lukewarm reception from the ruling elite.
They were anxious because of military reasons.
They were afraid that the French would use the railway to attack Basel with troops.
That's quite surprising to us because we now associate the Swiss almost as much with railways as we do with wristwatches and clocks.
It's strange to think the Swiss were reluctant to have a railway.
Railways got off to a slow start across the country.
Thanks to Switzerland's mountainous landscape, late industrialisation and its decentralised political system, the first home-grown line wasn't built until 1847, by which time, Britain had over 2,000 miles of tracks.
Basel finally got a Swiss station in 1854 and the Germans soon followed with one of their own.
Today, the French and Swiss termini share a site.
But the French section has extraterritorial status, so to join the Swiss network, I'm cussing an International frontier.
The murals are inviting us to visit the rest of Switzerland.
- A lot of alpine scenery here.
- That's true.
The lake of Lucerne, the Berne Alps.
This is designed for tourists, of course.
Appropriate for me, because I'll be visiting scenery like this.
Before I continue my journey, I'm venturing out to explore this multicultural city that straddles the River Rhine.
Just a year after my guidebook was published, life in picturesque Basel was disrupted, as Switzerland's neighbours were drawn into the First World War.
But for Edwardian readers of my "Bradshaw's", this city's hub location made it the perfect pit stop.
In the days before air travel brought us jet lag and climate shock, guidebooks were concerned to treat travellers gently.
My Bradshaw's says, "Basel is recommended as an intermediate station for the change of climate between the warm south and the low-lying north and alpine districts.
" "It offers its visitors manifold points of pleasure.
" I think I might just stick to a meal.
Followers of my 1913 guide would have made a beeline for the beautiful historic centre.
It's where I've come to see how French, German and Swiss traditions have influenced Basel's cuisine.
We offer you the veal, Basel style.
- This is the rÃsti, it's typical.
- RÃsti.
Yeah, typically Swiss.
Thank you very much indeed.
Bon appétit.
I think the Swiss German farmers used to make it for their breakfast, and during World War I, the term rÃstigraben was invented.
The ditch based on the rÃsti which separated those of French and German sympathy.
And it's an expression that's still used to express the cultural divide, the rÃstigraben.
Much as I'd like to stay and explore Basel, with almost 300 miles to cover on my 1913 guidebooks recommended route, there's no time to waste.
And so, Switzerland opens before me.
From a slow start, the Swiss railway network has become one of the most admired in the world.
And I'm going on a journey of discovery to find out why.
The quality of Swiss trains is as you would imagine.
Beautifully clean, delightfully air-conditioned, and this is first class, spacious and luxurious.
And even second class is absolutely satisfactory.
I'm following in the footsteps of Edwardian tourists, but I'm about to delve into Europe's much more distant past.
- Hello.
- Hello.
May I see your ticket? - I'm going to Brugg.
- Thank you.
- Thank you very much.
- You're welcome.
Bye-bye In the early 20th century, ancient history was a hot topic, as British archaeologists blazed a trail across the globe.
Inspired by their exotic foreign discoveries, readers of my 1913 guide would have been tantalised by the description of my next stop.
I shall be getting off this train at Brugg and my Bradshaw's says, "A little to the north of Brugg, the Aare River is joined by the Ruess, coming from lakes of Zug and Lucerne.
" "And at the point of junction, once stood the ancient Roman town of Vindonissa, scarcely a trace of which now exists.
" I'm hoping that in the 100 years since my guidebook was published, more traces have been unearthed.
In fact, by 1913, pioneering archaeologists working in the village of Wind/sch, just outside Brugg, had already begun to reveal what is today a nearly fully excavated Roman legionary camp.
It was the Romans' key military stronghold in Switzerland.
I'm exploring with archaeologist Jürgen Trumm.
I'm amazed by what I've found here.
My Bradshaw's Guide tells me there aren't many traces left of Vindonissa.
When did people first become aware of what they had here? I think the beginning of the archaeology was linked with the railway.
The railway from Basel to Zurich.
The mid-19th-century railway engineers unearthed a Roman rubbish dump filled with bones, ceramics, coins and wooden objects.
Then, in the 1900s, the local community put things oh a formal footing.
They founded an archaeological society and in 1912, set up a museum proudly to display their heritage.
The 20th century was also a high period for archaeology.
I think of some of the great discoveries that excited the public so much, like Tutankhamun in the 1920s.
Yes, in Switzerland, archaeology was en vogue at the beginning of the 20th century.
So people dig Roman ruins, they dig the ruins from the Stone and Bronze Ages.
The work begun a century ago continues today.
Whenever a building is planned in the modern towns of Wind/sch and Brugg, the archaeologists go in first to check for buried treasures.
What's the most exciting thing you've found? A very nice one here.
Dice made out of bone.
- Looks really like today's dice.
- That's absolutely wonderful.
And these markings are the original markings? It's incised into the bone.
Incised into the bone? Isn't that beautiful? It's amazing to think that all this lay beneath the feet of the Edwardian tourists who came here.
- OK.
- That's OK.
Off we go.
Before I leave, a modem Invention gives me a new perspective on this remarkable site.
- We are going to have a wonderful view.
- Yes, indeed.
I'm looking out at a Roman world and I'm seeing it as no Roman ever did.
I'm now continuing along the railway route recommended in my 1913 guide.
I'm bound for a place which attracted Edwardian tourists concerned for their health.
I shall be disembarking at Baden, which my Bradshaw's tells me is "a picturesque town near Zurich on the river Limmat, noted for its hot mineral springs, most beneficial in cases of gout, rheumatism, chronic catarrhs etcetera.
" I'm here in search of a local speciality which is probably a bit less healthy, but which is inextricably linked with the railways.
Baden has the honour of being the starting point for the first fully Swiss railway which, from 1847, carried wealthy Zurich folk to their water cure.
But soon after it opened, the line gained an unusual nickname.
Even today, it's known as the SpanischbrÃdlibahn after a local sweet treat.
Hello, Michael.
A warm welcome to you in Baden.
Thank you.
It's a beautiful town.
I'm very pleased to be here.
Tour guide Beatrice Candrian knows the story.
I'm half Spanish and I understand that in Baden you have a pastry which is called a spanischbrÃdli.
- That's true.
- What is this? Yes, well, it's a very nice fluffy pastry.
We don't quite knew the origin.
We think that a Spanish baker just travelled through Baden and he brought this recipe here.
The cake became a much-loved delicacy with the people of Zurich, 15 miles away.
When the railway was built between Zurich and Baden, I suppose that helped people in Zurich to come to Baden and buy their brÃdli.
It sure did.
It helped mostly the servants because before the opening of the railroad line, the servants had to walk through the darkness of the night along the Limmat two to three hours to buy them here very early in the morning and to bring them back for their breakfast.
So you can imagine that those servants were mostly happy when they could board the train.
By the mid-20th century, these rich pastries had fallen out of favour, but five years ago, a few local bakeries revived the recipe.
Now, Michael, here meet please Benny, the baker of our spanischbrÃdli.
Benny, hello.
I'm going to learn how to make the modern version.
What have you put in there? Hazelnuts, carrots, sugar and persipan.
Wow, that sounds very, very sweet.
To keep the puff pastry perfect, spreading the mixture requires a light touch.
This is the tricky bit, getting up to the limit.
Mine has rather the leek of a Swiss mountain range; just tee many valleys.
Here we go.
Ooh! Oh, no! Oh, Benny! Oh, my edges are all broken.
No one will know.
Just patch that up.
The spanischbrÃdli are cut into individual cakes.
Whoa, you need a steady hand for this.
First one is a bit squashed.
Second one's going to be great.
Ah, that one's brilliant.
Then 18 minutes later, it's time for the acid test.
Mmm, they are good.
The pastry is great, isn't it? Very fluffy pastry.
Fluffy and light, yes.
Well, they taste OK to me, but I want to know whether they're worthy of their railway namesake, so I'm taking my efforts to the streets.
- Now these are spanischbrÃdli.
- Ah, SpanischbrÃdlibahn.
Yeah, do you The SpanischbrÃdlibahn? I know, but not really.
- SpanischbrÃdlibahn.
- Yeah, that we know.
SpanischbrÃdlibahn.
What was the SpanischbrÃdlibahn? Trains between Baden and Zurich.
The first train in Switzerland.
- Would you like to try it? - Yeah, yes.
Go ahead, tell me what you think.
Have a bite.
Ja.
Mmm, wonderful! - I'll try for you.
- Just a favour to me.
Yeah, sure.
I will.
Oh, OK.
Very good.
- It's delicious.
- It's good.
- Is it good? - Hm-hmm.
Tastes like one.
Do you think it would be worth a journey from Zurich to Baden to buy that? Yeah.
Why not? - You can take it on your train.
- Yes! And then your train will be the SpanischbrÃdlibahn.
That's it.
Thank you very much.
- Thank you.
- Bye.
I'm now swapping my spanischbrÃdli for the SpanischbrÃdli line, to head to the next stop on my Edwardian itinerary.
I'm new travelling the route of the first railway ever built in Switzerland towards Zurich, which my Bradshaw's tells me "is the capital of the canton of Zurich, and commercially, the most important town in Switzerland.
" I think of it for its financiers, the so-called gnomes of Zurich, but it also has a substantial history as an engineering town.
Zurich's entrepreneurs were at the heart of the Swiss Industrial Revolution, and the British traveller arriving here in 1913 could marvel! at the city's many textile mills.
Bradshaw's comments that the principal manufacture is concerned with silk, but the engineering trade is also extensive.
And at the beginning of the 20th century, those skills were being applied to railways.
To the average Briton in 1913, trains meant steam.
But a trip to Switzerland might mean an encounter with an exciting new technology.
" electricity.
Railway engineers had experimented mm electric traction from the 1840s, but around the tum of the 20th century, electricity was to transform European travel.
I've come to the suburb of Oerlikon to hear how a Zurich firm played a leading role in the story.
My guide is railway enthusiast Albert Schoch.
- Hello, Albert.
- Hello, Michael.
This is an extraordinary place.
It has the feel of an industrial building but the look of a park.
What is it? It's referring to these old buildings of Maschinenfabrik Oerlikon and it shows the dimensions of an old assembly hall.
Today this is a peaceful public park, but the Maschinenfabrik Oerlikon, or MFO, was once one of Zurich 's biggest employers, with over 2,000 workers.
It started out as a metalworks, but then, in the early 20th century, the world's first electric locomotive, using alternating current was constructed here.
And these new trains proved ideally suited to Swiss conditions.
Switzerland is very demanding territory for locomotives.
Very high mountains, very low temperatures, very steep slopes.
- MFO was able to meet the need.
- Yes, Michael.
Electric trains were cleaner in Switzerland's many tunnels than smoky steam engines and the country's abundant supply of hydroelectric power made them cheap to run.
One of MFO 's greatest achievements was when it dawned a locomotive for the Infamous St Gotthard line, one of the steepest in the country.
They electrified the St Gotthard line in 1921 and MFO gave the solution with the famous Crocodile, the CE68 or BE68.
A really powerful machine never seen before and this was not just a locomotive for Switzerland, this was a really outstanding object of admiration.
After the triumph of the Crocodile, MFO went from strength to strength.
But in the 1990s, its railway activities were outsourced, and by the year 2000, the factory was finally shut down and eventually dismantled.
The only part to survive was the old administrative building.
Why have you brought me to a building site next to the railway line here? Michael, this beautiful brick stone building from 1889 used to stand on this position where we are now.
Do you mean they demolished it and then rebuilt it over there? No, not at all.
They moved it, 60 metres westward.
They are enlarging the station of Oerlikon, so they had to decide, to demolish or to move.
Amazingly, rather than lose this last piece of the company's industrial history, the building was moved, lock, stock and banal, at a cost of over £8 million.
After ten months of preparation, on the 22nd of May, 2012, it was carried along special tracks, at a rate of four metres per hour.
Clearly the people here are very proud of MFO's history and clearly the Swiss are still engineers of world class.
Yes, you may say.
Directed by my 1913 guide, early 20th century visitors would have bypassed Zurich 's industrial outskirts and headed straight for the centre.
I'm following in their footsteps to see why it receives such a glowing recommendation.
My Bradshaw's comments that, "The older pans remain, in places, quaint and picturesque while the modern quarters are spacious and handsome.
" With the main station behind me, Hauptbahnhof, and this being Bahnhofstrasse, this is part of the modern Zurich, and it's time to take a tram.
In the cradle of modern electric trains, what better way could them be m travel? While some British cities have recently restored a tramline or two, most still regret the fact they did away with their tram systems many years ago.
Look at Zurich's map.
This is a place for tram lovers.
My 1913 guide directs me south towards the shore of the famous Lake Zurich.
My Bradshaw's says, "From the quays, there's a beautiful view over the lake and the surrounding country.
" I find Zurich a stunning city, made all the prettier by pink evening light.
The sunset's my cue to find a hotel, and as usual, my guidebook has the answer.
Well, for my night's stay in Zurich I turn to my Bradshaw's Guide which has an advertisement for the Savoy Hotel.
"First-class family hotel, apartments with bath and toilette, restaurant Français, American bar.
" Sounds ideal.
I'm checking in with manager Manfred HÃrger.
- Manfred.
- Evening.
Great pleasure meeting you.
Great to see you.
You stay, in fact, in the hotel which has been the first hotel ever built in Zurich.
So how old is the Savoy? It was opened on the 24th of December, 1838.
American bars first opened in Europe in the late 19th century.
And readers of my guidebook would have known that any hotel advertising one would serve fashionable US-style cocktails.
It's good to know that my "Bradshaw's" could point the thirsty cognoscenti in the direction of a perfect martini.
- Manfred, cheers.
- Cheers.
You know, after a long and busy day, I was feeling a little shaken, but the beauty of your hotel has left me stirred.
Thank you, that's very kind of you.
Fortified by a night of Edwardian-era luxury, it's time for me to continue along the route recommended by my 1913 guide.
But before I leave, I want to get an insight into this country's famously efficient rail sen/ice.
Zurich is of course Switzerland's busiest railway station.
Today I've been given privileged access to the control tower.
It's a complex operation, for no terminus in Europe has more trains arriving and departing.
From Zurich, you can travel directly to all corners of the Continent.
3,000 trains and around 350,000 passengers pass through this vital railway hub every day.
And the nerve centre of the operation is this tower that looms over the station's 24 platforms.
Inside, the banks of screens are watched over by a team of highly trained staff.
- Hello.
How do you do? - Nice to meet you.
I notice you're all very calm.
It's a wonderful atmosphere in here actually.
Yeah, but that can be different when we have delays.
I didn't know there were delays in Switzerland.
This is news to me.
Yes, but we are talking about delay when a train is three minutes late.
The Swiss reputation for precision is maintained by the latest technology and faultless attention to detail.
Well, here you really just see the station so well.
You see, now it's ten o'clock, two minutes after ten o'clock and all the trains in Zurich main station, they come some minutes before full and half hour and they leave some minutes after.
So now all the trains are leaving and if you see in ten minutes, ten, 15, the whole station will be empty.
Really? It's every hour exactly the same thing.
That is the secret of Swiss timekeeping.
Exactly.
It's my cue to return to the platform and recommence my route along the tracks of Edwardian travellers.
A signal box looking after us every kilometre of the way.
I'm leaving the city behind and moving towards the Swiss landscapes promised in my 1913 guide.
I've been lucky enough to experience some beautiful train journeys, but this one along the southern shore of Lake Zurich must be one of the very, very best.
My "Bradshaw's" paints a wonderful picture, saying, "Oh either hand sloping meadows rise from the water's edge, the higher lands being clothed with vineyards and orchards.
" I'm hoping it's just the first of many views that will amaze.
My journey across Switzerland now enters a new phase.
I've left behind the big city of Zurich and I'm headed for the Alps.
I can trace my journey on the pull-out map.
My train started in Zurich, moved along the southern shores of Lake Zurich, and then it will go down towards Chur.
From Chur, one of Europe's most scenic train journeys will carry me west.
At GÃschenen, I'll join the engineering triumph, the Gotthard Line, before crossing by boat to Lucerne.
I'll then stop off at Meiringen's famous Reichenbach Falls en route to a station 3,500 metres above sea level.
Danke.
What better to accompany the Swiss mountains than a rugged range of Swiss cheeses? Nowadays, its winter sports that bring people to the Alps, and I'm on my way to discover how that story began in the age of my 1913 guide.
I'm changing train in Chur.
My Bradshaw's tells me it's "the capital of the canton of the Grisons.
" "1,935 feet above sea, the Curia Raetorum of the Romans in an attractive situation on the River Plessur.
" "In the winter, skating and skiing.
" Well, in summer, like today there's no snow to be seen, but this important railway junction is gateway to a lovely ski region and British tourists played an important part in its development.
To find out mom, I'm taking one of the most spectacular trips that the nation has to offer, the Glacier Express.
The moment you get on the Glacier Express, it has a special feel, because, of course, there's so much more light because of these windows along the roof line and it looks like everybody on board is going to be tucking into a very good lunch.
The Glacier Express links two of Switzerland's most famous ski resorts, St Moritz and Zermatt.
The complete trip takes over seven hours, winning the service the reputation as the slowest express train in the world.
These panoramic tourist trains have been In use for only 30 years, but the line was completed back in the 1930s, when it first began to carry eager skiers to the Alps.
- Hello, Guido.
- Hello, Mike.
- How lovely to see you.
Have a seat.
- Thank you.
Guido Ratti is joining me to explain how the winter holiday was born right here in Switzerland.
British tourists, they are the really founder of winter tourism and winter sports.
Which is very surprising because we have really no mountains and very little snow.
Yes, but if you will allow, British people are very special, sometimes a little bit crazy.
And they like to have action.
Until the 1860s, British tram-seekers contented themselves with summer hiking trips through the Alpine scenery.
But then an enterprising hotelier from nearby St Moritz, keen to extend the season, had a brainwave.
We had the famous bet of Mr Johannes Badrutt.
He owned the Hotel Kulm.
And he made a bet with his English guests, they should come in winter and he promised them if they came in winter and they didn't like it, he would pay the journey from London to St Moritz and back.
I was told they came at Christmas time and leave St Moritz only after Easter.
They probably did in those days.
They were people of leisure.
Sold on the idea of Switzerland in the winter, the British soon took to skating and skiing.
But that wasn't enough for the biggest adrenaline addicts.
First they came, of course, for skiing but as British people are very special and very sporty, they founded the skeleton sports, the bob sports, even horseracing in St Moritz was due to British people.
- Horseracing in St Moritz? - Yes, of course.
On the frozen lake we have a very special race.
We have a full-blood horse without jockey, but with a skier in his back and this is a very exciting race.
A racehorse towing a skier? Fantastic.
Some of the hair-raising pursuits founded by British tourists continue today, including the infamous Cresta run.
But winter sports weren't just for the adventurous few.
In the early 20th century, British entrepreneur Henry Lunn organised the first package ski holidays, and by 1913, the trains were bringing over 1,000 winter tourists to the Alps every year.
My Bradshaw's Guide of 1913 has a lot of timetables in it and I notice that in 1913, you could get on the train in London and it lists all the way down to getting off in St Moritz.
- That's amazing.
- That's true.
There was a very special tourist train, and after a journey of 24 hours, you went from London to St Moritz.
It's extraordinary, isn't it? 100 years ago it was just 24 hours from one world to a completely different universe.
That's true.
It's astonishing to think that downhill skiing in Switzerland is less than 150 years old.
But traveling on this extraordinary train today, it's easy to see why people want to enjoy this landscape all year round.
It's a new day, and I can't wait to get started on the next section of my guidebooks recommended route.
My Bradshaw's Guide is breathless about the next stage of my journey.
"Limits of space preclude any attempt to describe the journey from GÃschenen to Flüelen, as the train glides through engineering triumphs that constitute the St Gotthard line.
" I fear that I too may be lost for words as clearly I experience one of the great train rides of my life.
When the Gotthard line opened in 1882, it marked a turning point in this country's railway history.
Although it wasn't the first to conquer the Swiss Alps it did involve building the world's longest tunnel, at a cost of 200 lives.
Between GÃschenen and my next stop, the line has to drop over 2,000 feet, and the engineer came up with a clever way to keep the gradient as shallow as possible.
To make the descent, the train has to go through a series of loops, as my Bradshaw's says, with a tunnel and a bridge every few yards.
These are the engineering triumphs, and I'm going to leap around from side to side of the train trying to catch a glimpse of where I'm going and where I've been.
Thanks to the line's ingenious design, the scenery appears to shift around you as the train corkscrews ever deeper into the valley.
That pretty church, the church of Wassen, appeared now on my right, I believe we're going to see it on different sides of the train as we wind our way down.
How did that happen? In a few moments, the church has switched side cf the train.
It was on the right, now it's on the left.
The Gotthard line shows just how far Swiss railways had come by the turn of the 20th century.
The sheer vision and ambition demonstrated by biasing a line through the towering Alps astonishes me.
It put Switzerland at the heart of the European railway network.
It's brought me to Flüelen where I'm swapping the train for another form of transport.
My Bradshaw's tells me that here at Flüelen, "We embark upon the southern arm of Lake Lucerne, and many pleasant excursions may be made by the steamer services.
" If I'm going to continue to enjoy this wonderful scenery, it's time for me to get aboard.
I'm taking a boat trip from the southernmost Up of the lake right to the top.
And my 1913 guidebook is packed with landmarks to look out for on the way.
My Bradshaw's says, as we leave Flüelen, "On the left, in the hollow between the peaks of the Uri Rotstock, a glacier is plainly seen.
" "And in a line from the glacier on the lake's shore is the dynamite factory of Isleten.
" I'll give you a prize if you can think why there's a dynamite factory in such a noble and peaceful place.
Dynamite was Invented In the 19th century and was a vital tool for the railway engineers carving new routes through the mountains.
The factory here was established by dynamite 's inventor, the famous chemist Alfred Nobel.
His explosives were later used extensively in war, but he wanted to be remembered for something more positive.
On his death, Alfred Nobel left a legacy which was to form a prize to be awarded to those who did the most or the best work for fraternity amongst nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the promotion of peace congresses.
My 1913 "Bradshaw's" lyrically describes Lake Lucerne as "a narrow sheet of water with lofty, wall-like, forest-clad mountains, rising sheer out of the water on either side".
Its beauty is today in no way diminished, but not everyone on board seems to appreciate N.
Hello, gentlemen.
Do you mind My I sit down? Yeah.
So, you're travelling on the boat through this beautiful scenery.
- But you're playing cards.
- Playing cards.
Why don't you look at the scenery? - We know it.
- Ah.
Do you travel very frequently then? No, we live over there.
Why are you on the boat if you know it? We are a carnival group and every year make a little journey.
The locals may be blasé but I can imagine the wonder that British Edwardian tourists must have felt experiencing this landscape.
And I'm how approaching one of their most favoured holiday spots.
Bradshaw's says that "Lucerne is perhaps the most beautifully situated tourist centre in Europe, surrounded en three sides by exquisitely wooded hills with a magnificent prospect over a small arm of the lake.
" And to judge by the pages of advertisements for hotels, it was, at the beginning of the 20th century, a very popular tourist resort.
But I'm here in pursuit of one of my personal heroes from the 19th century.
In the 1860s, the musical genius Richard Wagner joined the growing numbers of wealthy families drawn to Lucerne 's stunning waterfront.
He made his home in the suburb of Tribschen, in this luxurious lakeside villa.
In 1913, fans making the pilgrimage here were disappointed, as it was still a private house.
Luckily for me, in the 1930s, the city of Lucerne finally responded to the flood of visitors by tuning R Into a museum.
I'm meeting the museums manager, Yvonne Bieder.
Lovely to see you.
I'm quite a fan of the opera composer Richard Wagner.
What years was he living in this house? He spent six years of his life in this house from 1866 to '72.
Were these happy years for the composer? Very happy years, yes.
He said the happiest of his life.
German-born Wagner moved to Switzerland from Munich and was closely followed by his married lover Cosima von Bülow.
Two of their three children were born here, and in 1870, he finally married his mistress in Lucerne.
Wagner ls best known for music that ls big and loud, but this stunning setting and the birth of his son, Siegfried, inspired a dreamy kind of work.
So as a surprise for her 33rd birthday, Richard Wagner composed a very nice piece of music called Siegfried Idyll, and it was performed for the very first time on this staircase.
He was standing exactly here and conducting and all the musicians were standing upwards and downwards on the staircase, and around him.
Cosima woke to hear this orchestra playing.
Yes, she was so moved.
I know a lot of people wonder what surprise birthday present they should give their wives.
Now they know.
They just have to compose a piece of music - and bring in an orchestra.
- Yes, exactly.
Wagner's birthday composition was originally entitled the "Tribschen Idyll" which was how he referred to his lakeside home.
And I'm being treated to a piano duet version of the work, performed on a very special instrument.
The piece is now being played on Wagner's piano.
Yes, his original era grand piano, standing in the same corner at the period he was living in this house.
Thank you so very much.
I enjoyed that enormously.
You know, many people think of Wagner as being loud and bombastic and tuneless and yet this is very soft and very loving and very melodious.
This is kind of Wagner for Wagner haters.
I can see why this most stunning of Swiss cities inspired Wagner's gentlest music.
I'm now taking to the tracks again to make one last journey before nightfall.
Every year, thousands of tourists come to Switzerland on railway holidays, and it's great to be among so many like-minded travellers.
You've got your map of Switzerland out.
Are you doing a grand tour? We are.
We're trying to Intel-Rail the old railway lines and boats of Switzerland.
You're a man after my own heart, doing it all by railway.
Are you an aficionado of trains? I wouldn't say so, but we went InterRailing 20 years ago, and wanted to go again with our kids and see the changes.
There are some.
- It's not as easy as it used to be.
- No? Switzerland, you can still hop on and hop off, but the rest of Europe, you really have to pre-plan and do your reservations.
So it's not as easy.
- But Switzerland is good for railways.
- It's excellent.
After a long day's travel, my 1913 guidebook has led me to a dramatic Alpine valley and, I hope, my bed for the night.
I've spent the night in Meiringen at the Hotel Du Sauvage barely changed since 1880.
I am allegedly not the first Englishman to stay in this hostelry.
"In this hotel, called by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle the Englischer Hof Mr Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson spent the night of 3rd to 4th May, 1891.
" I can't wait to find out what happened next.
Out on the streets, the Sherlock Holmes connection is obvious.
But I wonder if visitors to Meiringen know why Britain's favourite detective will be forever linked to this Swiss town.
Do you know about Sherlock Holmes? - A detective? - Yeah.
- Sherlock Holmes? Wir kÃnnen das.
- A-ha! Do you remember any Sherlock Holmes stories? He always had that - Pipe? - Pipe.
- Died.
- He's dead.
Here.
In 1893, Arthur Conan Doyle famously chose the Reichenbach Falls just outside Meiringen as the setting for Sherlock Holmes's death.
And ever since then, fans have been visiting the scene of the crime.
Reaching the spot on foot entails a gruelling climb, but since 1899 there's been a more restful route to the top.
My Bradshaw's says, "On the south side of Meiringen in the summer, the Reichenbach Falls are illuminated by electricity.
" "An electric rail runs from near the Hotel Reichenbach.
" No mention there of the famous fictional detective.
I think because every reader knew about Sherlock Holmes, and the Reichenbach Falls were a notorious household name.
Conan Doyle decided on the Reichenbach Falls as the scene of Holmes's shocking demise after visiting them on a summer holiday.
Guy Marriott is from the Sherlock Holmes Society of London.
- Guy.
- Michael.
Hello.
How good to see you.
Nothing prepared me for the Reichenbach Falls.
They are absolutely tremendous.
No wonder Conan Doyle set his melodrama here.
They are looking particularly good today.
They are looking as Conan Doyle would have seen them when he was here in the summer of 1893.
What had led Conan Doyle to kill off Sherlock Holmes? Conan Doyle was tired of the character of Sherlock Holmes.
He had been mailing monthly stories for the Strand Magazine.
He was finding it difficult to think of good plots, and he felt that Sherlock Holmes distracted him from more important work.
As in many of his Holmes stories, Conan Doyle's intended last case for the great detective, "The Final Problem", features a railway journey.
Like all good Victorians, Holmes and Watson knew the best way to plan a trip by train.
Holmes, or particularly Watson, made good use of Bradshaw's, didn't they? Yes, they did.
They had in their rooms at 221b Baker Street a copy of each month's Bradshaw's railway timetable and on several occasions in the stories it's recorded Holmes instructs Watson to check Bradshaw in order to find the best time of a train to whichever destination they need to go to because a case has arisen.
No journey can begin without Bradshaw.
In "The Final Problem", Holmes and Watson travel by train further afield.
Staying ahead of criminal mastermind Moriarty, they journey to Switzerland, and decide to make the steep climb to the Reichenbach Falls.
But just before they reach a narrow ledge at the edge of the torrent, Dr Watson receives a message calling him back to the hotel.
When Watson finally returns, having discovered, of course, that it's a hoax that has taken him back, he finds no trace of either Holmes or Moriarty, instead only a handwritten note from Holmes saying that Moriarty has found him here and they are going to fight out the issues between them.
Watson concludes that both men have plunged to their deaths, and his devastation was shared by Holmes's many fans.
It is said, although this is probably apocryphal, that clerks in city went to work wearing black crepe armbands, in memory of the great detective.
- A moment's silence, I think.
- It seems appropriate.
But Holmes's body hadn't been found, and that left readers with a sliver of hope.
Despite Conan Doyle's resolve, he was eventually persuaded to revive his hero, and went on writing cases until his own death in 1930.
Like Sherlock Holmes, I rely on Bradshaw's.
Unlike Sherlock Holmes, I've made it back from the Reichenbach Falls to continue my journey.
I'm now embarking on the final leg of my Swiss trip, and I'm departing from my guidebooks recommended route.
I'm making a long ascent which takes me via Interlaken ever upwards through the Alps, towards Europe's highest railway station, Jungfraujoch.
The Swiss may have been slow starters when it came to the railways, but as this journeys shown ma, they came to build ever-more impressive and daring lines.
I've come to Kleine Scheidegg to experience what might just be the apogee of Swiss railway engineering.
I'm about to begin the very last stage of my journey on the Jungfrau railway which Bradshaw's tells me is seven and a half miles long and was begun in 1896.
"The line ascends from here from Kleine Scheidegg through narrow tunnels to the Eismeer at 10,275 feet, the MÃnch at 10,995 feet and Jungfraujoch at 11,090 feet.
" It's one of the epic rail journeys of our Continent.
This extraordinary line opened just a year before the publication of my 1913 guide, and a century after it was built, its final station remains the highest in Europe.
It attracts over 750,000 visitors every year, and my companion for the final ascent is Roland Fontanive.
New our journey begins, our epic journey to the top.
The audacious Jungfrau line project was the brainchild of Swiss entrepreneur and passionate promoter of the railways Adolf Guyer-Zeller.
His brilliant plan was to harness the power of a local mountain river, creating a state-of-the-art electric-cog raliway to the summit.
The railway always was electric.
What were the old carriages like? They were made of wood.
They were much slower than this train.
Nearly ten minutes more to go up.
Do you have any of those original cars? We have only one.
One here in Kleine Scheidegg you can rent for special days or for honeymoon, like this.
Quite an idea for a honeymoon to rent the 1912 car and come up here.
The hydroelectric plant built for the railway was one of the first in Europe.
But the biggest challenge was building the line itself.
To reach the Jungfraujoch, tunnels had to be bored through two of the tallest peaks in the Alps, the Eiger and the MÃnch.
And soon after leaving Kleine Scheidegg, the train is plunged into darkness.
When you hear you're going to go up a mountain, you don't expect it to be an underground railway experience.
- But it is, isn't it? - Yes.
Seven of the line's nine kilometres are in tunnel, but beyond them is some of Europe 's best Alpine scenery.
Panoramic windows carved into the rock at each station provide passengers with views that make your jaw drop, over features such as the Eismeer or ice sea.
Very impressive.
This is the ice sea here, is it? Yes, that's correct, yes.
And so this is the Eiger now going up above us.
That's the south face of the Eiger here.
And you see how the glacier goes down to Grindelwald.
It's really beautiful and impressive, isn't it? When the line was first proposed, there were concerns that ascending to this altitude at speed was a risk to health.
Guyer-Zeller even commissioned a medical report to allay people's fears.
And approaching the summit, you can understand why they were worried.
Well, Roland, we're here.
I can really feel it in my breathing having to take long breaths.
- I better walk rather slowly, I think.
- Yes.
And welcome to Jungfraujoch, top of Europe.
Thank you.
So here I am at 11,333 feet at the Jungfraujoch, that is to say, the saddle of the Jungfrau mountain.
This is nicknamed "the top of Europe".
After all, it is just about three times as high as any piece of land in the United Kingdom.
The climax of the long journey to the top is a visit to the Sphinx building, perched on a rock 117 metres above the station.
Tourists come for the spectacular flaws, but ever since the 1930s, the visiting crowds have shared the mountaintop with scientists.
The High Alpine Research Station ls today looked alter by two custodian couples, and for Maria and Urs Otz, this inhospitable place is a part-time home.
- Hello, Maria.
I'm Michael - Hi, Michael.
- Hello.
- Hello, Michael.
Lovely to see you.
At first, scientists came here to research reign-altitude medicine and astronomy, but recent work has helped to document climate change, and charted the impact of the Icelandic volcanic eruption in 2010.
Maria and Urs send daily weather observations to Zurich from their remarkable home in the sky.
- So this is our terrace.
- This is absolutely divine.
Your terrace, yes.
A very, very special terrace.
- This fantastic valley, what is this? - That's the Aletsch glacier.
It's a huge glacier.
And the place you see there, there are coming three glaciers together.
The deepness of the glacier there is about 900 metres.
- 900 metres? - Yes.
That's the longest glacier of the Alps.
It's about 23 kilometres long.
That is awe-inspiring.
As I marvel at what must be one of Europe's most spine-tingling vistas, I can't think of a more fitting end to my Swiss railway adventure.
Here, at the top of Europe, cutting-edge science and technology are juxtaposed with the raw beauty of the Alps.
Switzerland is a country of exceptions.
It lies at the heart of our Continent, and yet it isn't a member of the European Union.
Its railway engineers helped to make it special by taming this wild landscape.
Where else by 1913 could you have constructed an electric underground railway to a station above the clouds? Next time, I'll experience fin de siècle opulence in the Low Countries Feels like you want to take a bath in it.
Yes, you would.
- following my guidebook - It's like a railway bible.
to the western front where from 1914, tourists were replaced with soldiers, facing the honors of the trenches.
He was one of the 72,000 people who never had a grave.
I'll be using this, my Bradshaw's Continental Railway Guide, dated 1913, which opened up an exotic world of foreign travel for the British tourist.
It told travellers where to go, what to see and how to navigate the thousands of miles of tracks criss-crossing the Continent.
Now, a century later, I'm using my copy to reveal an era of great optimism and energy, where technology, Industry, science and the arts were flourishing.
I want to rediscover that lost Europe, that in 1913 couldn't know that its way of life would shortly be swept aside by the advent of war.
Armed with my 1913 railway guide, I'm following in the footsteps of early 20th-century travellers and making five long journeys across Europe.
Today, I'm exploring Switzerland, whose remarkable railways helped to make it a favourite with Edwardian tourists.
- Cheers.
- Cheers.
I'll discover the cargo carried on the country's first-ever line Mmm, wonderful! before heading for the glorious Alps, .
.
I've been lucky enough to experience some very beautiful train journeys, but this one must be one of the very best.
where the British left their mark on sport British people are sometimes a little bit crazy.
and literature Do you remember any Sherlock Holmes stories? and where astonishing engineering feats conquered the most challenging peaks.
That's the longest glacier of the Alps.
That is awe-inspiring.
My Swiss adventure begins in Basel, then traces a route outlined in my guidebook via the Industrial city of Zurich, then southeast to Chur.
From there, the famous Glacier Express will carry me through some of Switzerland's most stunning alpine scenery, before I turn north to explore Lake Lucerne.
Finally, I'll make the impressive railway ascent to Jungfrau/och, Europe's highest railway station.
It's clear from the dizzying array of routes and the lyrical descriptions contained in my Bradshaw's 1913 Continental Railway Guide that by the beginning of the 20th century, the railways had opened Switzerland to tourists, and the draw of what my guidebook calls "the finest lake and mountain scenery" had made Switzerland one of the most aspirational of destinations.
I shall be following one of my guidebooks recommended routes through this spectacular country, but to reach my first stop, I'm travelling on a French train along French tracks.
I'm heading for the Swiss border city of Basel, which, since medieval times, has been a melting pot of French, German and Swiss influences.
By 1913, it had also become the nexus of a sprawling Continental railway network.
Bradshaw's tells me that Basel is "the key to Switzerland where several international railway lines meet, and the customs examinations take place.
" "Here, the trains from Alsace," where I've just come from, "run in, connecting with the principal Swiss railways.
" And although I've come to a Swiss city, this part of the station is still officially France.
I'm unpicking the history of this railway hub with historian Martin Lengwiler.
- Hello, Marlin.
- Hello, Michael.
This is really a very international place, isn't it? I see French trains, Swiss trains, German trains.
This is the meeting point of the nations.
That's true indeed.
And Basel has a special place in the history of the Swiss railway system because it's the first town that has been linked to any railway line and it's still the only town in Switzerland that has three stations of three national origins.
Surprisingly, the very first railway on Swiss soil was actually built by the French.
In 1844, they constructed a line from Strasbourg to the Swiss border, and proposed a terminus within Basel's city limits.
But they got a lukewarm reception from the ruling elite.
They were anxious because of military reasons.
They were afraid that the French would use the railway to attack Basel with troops.
That's quite surprising to us because we now associate the Swiss almost as much with railways as we do with wristwatches and clocks.
It's strange to think the Swiss were reluctant to have a railway.
Railways got off to a slow start across the country.
Thanks to Switzerland's mountainous landscape, late industrialisation and its decentralised political system, the first home-grown line wasn't built until 1847, by which time, Britain had over 2,000 miles of tracks.
Basel finally got a Swiss station in 1854 and the Germans soon followed with one of their own.
Today, the French and Swiss termini share a site.
But the French section has extraterritorial status, so to join the Swiss network, I'm cussing an International frontier.
The murals are inviting us to visit the rest of Switzerland.
- A lot of alpine scenery here.
- That's true.
The lake of Lucerne, the Berne Alps.
This is designed for tourists, of course.
Appropriate for me, because I'll be visiting scenery like this.
Before I continue my journey, I'm venturing out to explore this multicultural city that straddles the River Rhine.
Just a year after my guidebook was published, life in picturesque Basel was disrupted, as Switzerland's neighbours were drawn into the First World War.
But for Edwardian readers of my "Bradshaw's", this city's hub location made it the perfect pit stop.
In the days before air travel brought us jet lag and climate shock, guidebooks were concerned to treat travellers gently.
My Bradshaw's says, "Basel is recommended as an intermediate station for the change of climate between the warm south and the low-lying north and alpine districts.
" "It offers its visitors manifold points of pleasure.
" I think I might just stick to a meal.
Followers of my 1913 guide would have made a beeline for the beautiful historic centre.
It's where I've come to see how French, German and Swiss traditions have influenced Basel's cuisine.
We offer you the veal, Basel style.
- This is the rÃsti, it's typical.
- RÃsti.
Yeah, typically Swiss.
Thank you very much indeed.
Bon appétit.
I think the Swiss German farmers used to make it for their breakfast, and during World War I, the term rÃstigraben was invented.
The ditch based on the rÃsti which separated those of French and German sympathy.
And it's an expression that's still used to express the cultural divide, the rÃstigraben.
Much as I'd like to stay and explore Basel, with almost 300 miles to cover on my 1913 guidebooks recommended route, there's no time to waste.
And so, Switzerland opens before me.
From a slow start, the Swiss railway network has become one of the most admired in the world.
And I'm going on a journey of discovery to find out why.
The quality of Swiss trains is as you would imagine.
Beautifully clean, delightfully air-conditioned, and this is first class, spacious and luxurious.
And even second class is absolutely satisfactory.
I'm following in the footsteps of Edwardian tourists, but I'm about to delve into Europe's much more distant past.
- Hello.
- Hello.
May I see your ticket? - I'm going to Brugg.
- Thank you.
- Thank you very much.
- You're welcome.
Bye-bye In the early 20th century, ancient history was a hot topic, as British archaeologists blazed a trail across the globe.
Inspired by their exotic foreign discoveries, readers of my 1913 guide would have been tantalised by the description of my next stop.
I shall be getting off this train at Brugg and my Bradshaw's says, "A little to the north of Brugg, the Aare River is joined by the Ruess, coming from lakes of Zug and Lucerne.
" "And at the point of junction, once stood the ancient Roman town of Vindonissa, scarcely a trace of which now exists.
" I'm hoping that in the 100 years since my guidebook was published, more traces have been unearthed.
In fact, by 1913, pioneering archaeologists working in the village of Wind/sch, just outside Brugg, had already begun to reveal what is today a nearly fully excavated Roman legionary camp.
It was the Romans' key military stronghold in Switzerland.
I'm exploring with archaeologist Jürgen Trumm.
I'm amazed by what I've found here.
My Bradshaw's Guide tells me there aren't many traces left of Vindonissa.
When did people first become aware of what they had here? I think the beginning of the archaeology was linked with the railway.
The railway from Basel to Zurich.
The mid-19th-century railway engineers unearthed a Roman rubbish dump filled with bones, ceramics, coins and wooden objects.
Then, in the 1900s, the local community put things oh a formal footing.
They founded an archaeological society and in 1912, set up a museum proudly to display their heritage.
The 20th century was also a high period for archaeology.
I think of some of the great discoveries that excited the public so much, like Tutankhamun in the 1920s.
Yes, in Switzerland, archaeology was en vogue at the beginning of the 20th century.
So people dig Roman ruins, they dig the ruins from the Stone and Bronze Ages.
The work begun a century ago continues today.
Whenever a building is planned in the modern towns of Wind/sch and Brugg, the archaeologists go in first to check for buried treasures.
What's the most exciting thing you've found? A very nice one here.
Dice made out of bone.
- Looks really like today's dice.
- That's absolutely wonderful.
And these markings are the original markings? It's incised into the bone.
Incised into the bone? Isn't that beautiful? It's amazing to think that all this lay beneath the feet of the Edwardian tourists who came here.
- OK.
- That's OK.
Off we go.
Before I leave, a modem Invention gives me a new perspective on this remarkable site.
- We are going to have a wonderful view.
- Yes, indeed.
I'm looking out at a Roman world and I'm seeing it as no Roman ever did.
I'm now continuing along the railway route recommended in my 1913 guide.
I'm bound for a place which attracted Edwardian tourists concerned for their health.
I shall be disembarking at Baden, which my Bradshaw's tells me is "a picturesque town near Zurich on the river Limmat, noted for its hot mineral springs, most beneficial in cases of gout, rheumatism, chronic catarrhs etcetera.
" I'm here in search of a local speciality which is probably a bit less healthy, but which is inextricably linked with the railways.
Baden has the honour of being the starting point for the first fully Swiss railway which, from 1847, carried wealthy Zurich folk to their water cure.
But soon after it opened, the line gained an unusual nickname.
Even today, it's known as the SpanischbrÃdlibahn after a local sweet treat.
Hello, Michael.
A warm welcome to you in Baden.
Thank you.
It's a beautiful town.
I'm very pleased to be here.
Tour guide Beatrice Candrian knows the story.
I'm half Spanish and I understand that in Baden you have a pastry which is called a spanischbrÃdli.
- That's true.
- What is this? Yes, well, it's a very nice fluffy pastry.
We don't quite knew the origin.
We think that a Spanish baker just travelled through Baden and he brought this recipe here.
The cake became a much-loved delicacy with the people of Zurich, 15 miles away.
When the railway was built between Zurich and Baden, I suppose that helped people in Zurich to come to Baden and buy their brÃdli.
It sure did.
It helped mostly the servants because before the opening of the railroad line, the servants had to walk through the darkness of the night along the Limmat two to three hours to buy them here very early in the morning and to bring them back for their breakfast.
So you can imagine that those servants were mostly happy when they could board the train.
By the mid-20th century, these rich pastries had fallen out of favour, but five years ago, a few local bakeries revived the recipe.
Now, Michael, here meet please Benny, the baker of our spanischbrÃdli.
Benny, hello.
I'm going to learn how to make the modern version.
What have you put in there? Hazelnuts, carrots, sugar and persipan.
Wow, that sounds very, very sweet.
To keep the puff pastry perfect, spreading the mixture requires a light touch.
This is the tricky bit, getting up to the limit.
Mine has rather the leek of a Swiss mountain range; just tee many valleys.
Here we go.
Ooh! Oh, no! Oh, Benny! Oh, my edges are all broken.
No one will know.
Just patch that up.
The spanischbrÃdli are cut into individual cakes.
Whoa, you need a steady hand for this.
First one is a bit squashed.
Second one's going to be great.
Ah, that one's brilliant.
Then 18 minutes later, it's time for the acid test.
Mmm, they are good.
The pastry is great, isn't it? Very fluffy pastry.
Fluffy and light, yes.
Well, they taste OK to me, but I want to know whether they're worthy of their railway namesake, so I'm taking my efforts to the streets.
- Now these are spanischbrÃdli.
- Ah, SpanischbrÃdlibahn.
Yeah, do you The SpanischbrÃdlibahn? I know, but not really.
- SpanischbrÃdlibahn.
- Yeah, that we know.
SpanischbrÃdlibahn.
What was the SpanischbrÃdlibahn? Trains between Baden and Zurich.
The first train in Switzerland.
- Would you like to try it? - Yeah, yes.
Go ahead, tell me what you think.
Have a bite.
Ja.
Mmm, wonderful! - I'll try for you.
- Just a favour to me.
Yeah, sure.
I will.
Oh, OK.
Very good.
- It's delicious.
- It's good.
- Is it good? - Hm-hmm.
Tastes like one.
Do you think it would be worth a journey from Zurich to Baden to buy that? Yeah.
Why not? - You can take it on your train.
- Yes! And then your train will be the SpanischbrÃdlibahn.
That's it.
Thank you very much.
- Thank you.
- Bye.
I'm now swapping my spanischbrÃdli for the SpanischbrÃdli line, to head to the next stop on my Edwardian itinerary.
I'm new travelling the route of the first railway ever built in Switzerland towards Zurich, which my Bradshaw's tells me "is the capital of the canton of Zurich, and commercially, the most important town in Switzerland.
" I think of it for its financiers, the so-called gnomes of Zurich, but it also has a substantial history as an engineering town.
Zurich's entrepreneurs were at the heart of the Swiss Industrial Revolution, and the British traveller arriving here in 1913 could marvel! at the city's many textile mills.
Bradshaw's comments that the principal manufacture is concerned with silk, but the engineering trade is also extensive.
And at the beginning of the 20th century, those skills were being applied to railways.
To the average Briton in 1913, trains meant steam.
But a trip to Switzerland might mean an encounter with an exciting new technology.
" electricity.
Railway engineers had experimented mm electric traction from the 1840s, but around the tum of the 20th century, electricity was to transform European travel.
I've come to the suburb of Oerlikon to hear how a Zurich firm played a leading role in the story.
My guide is railway enthusiast Albert Schoch.
- Hello, Albert.
- Hello, Michael.
This is an extraordinary place.
It has the feel of an industrial building but the look of a park.
What is it? It's referring to these old buildings of Maschinenfabrik Oerlikon and it shows the dimensions of an old assembly hall.
Today this is a peaceful public park, but the Maschinenfabrik Oerlikon, or MFO, was once one of Zurich 's biggest employers, with over 2,000 workers.
It started out as a metalworks, but then, in the early 20th century, the world's first electric locomotive, using alternating current was constructed here.
And these new trains proved ideally suited to Swiss conditions.
Switzerland is very demanding territory for locomotives.
Very high mountains, very low temperatures, very steep slopes.
- MFO was able to meet the need.
- Yes, Michael.
Electric trains were cleaner in Switzerland's many tunnels than smoky steam engines and the country's abundant supply of hydroelectric power made them cheap to run.
One of MFO 's greatest achievements was when it dawned a locomotive for the Infamous St Gotthard line, one of the steepest in the country.
They electrified the St Gotthard line in 1921 and MFO gave the solution with the famous Crocodile, the CE68 or BE68.
A really powerful machine never seen before and this was not just a locomotive for Switzerland, this was a really outstanding object of admiration.
After the triumph of the Crocodile, MFO went from strength to strength.
But in the 1990s, its railway activities were outsourced, and by the year 2000, the factory was finally shut down and eventually dismantled.
The only part to survive was the old administrative building.
Why have you brought me to a building site next to the railway line here? Michael, this beautiful brick stone building from 1889 used to stand on this position where we are now.
Do you mean they demolished it and then rebuilt it over there? No, not at all.
They moved it, 60 metres westward.
They are enlarging the station of Oerlikon, so they had to decide, to demolish or to move.
Amazingly, rather than lose this last piece of the company's industrial history, the building was moved, lock, stock and banal, at a cost of over £8 million.
After ten months of preparation, on the 22nd of May, 2012, it was carried along special tracks, at a rate of four metres per hour.
Clearly the people here are very proud of MFO's history and clearly the Swiss are still engineers of world class.
Yes, you may say.
Directed by my 1913 guide, early 20th century visitors would have bypassed Zurich 's industrial outskirts and headed straight for the centre.
I'm following in their footsteps to see why it receives such a glowing recommendation.
My Bradshaw's comments that, "The older pans remain, in places, quaint and picturesque while the modern quarters are spacious and handsome.
" With the main station behind me, Hauptbahnhof, and this being Bahnhofstrasse, this is part of the modern Zurich, and it's time to take a tram.
In the cradle of modern electric trains, what better way could them be m travel? While some British cities have recently restored a tramline or two, most still regret the fact they did away with their tram systems many years ago.
Look at Zurich's map.
This is a place for tram lovers.
My 1913 guide directs me south towards the shore of the famous Lake Zurich.
My Bradshaw's says, "From the quays, there's a beautiful view over the lake and the surrounding country.
" I find Zurich a stunning city, made all the prettier by pink evening light.
The sunset's my cue to find a hotel, and as usual, my guidebook has the answer.
Well, for my night's stay in Zurich I turn to my Bradshaw's Guide which has an advertisement for the Savoy Hotel.
"First-class family hotel, apartments with bath and toilette, restaurant Français, American bar.
" Sounds ideal.
I'm checking in with manager Manfred HÃrger.
- Manfred.
- Evening.
Great pleasure meeting you.
Great to see you.
You stay, in fact, in the hotel which has been the first hotel ever built in Zurich.
So how old is the Savoy? It was opened on the 24th of December, 1838.
American bars first opened in Europe in the late 19th century.
And readers of my guidebook would have known that any hotel advertising one would serve fashionable US-style cocktails.
It's good to know that my "Bradshaw's" could point the thirsty cognoscenti in the direction of a perfect martini.
- Manfred, cheers.
- Cheers.
You know, after a long and busy day, I was feeling a little shaken, but the beauty of your hotel has left me stirred.
Thank you, that's very kind of you.
Fortified by a night of Edwardian-era luxury, it's time for me to continue along the route recommended by my 1913 guide.
But before I leave, I want to get an insight into this country's famously efficient rail sen/ice.
Zurich is of course Switzerland's busiest railway station.
Today I've been given privileged access to the control tower.
It's a complex operation, for no terminus in Europe has more trains arriving and departing.
From Zurich, you can travel directly to all corners of the Continent.
3,000 trains and around 350,000 passengers pass through this vital railway hub every day.
And the nerve centre of the operation is this tower that looms over the station's 24 platforms.
Inside, the banks of screens are watched over by a team of highly trained staff.
- Hello.
How do you do? - Nice to meet you.
I notice you're all very calm.
It's a wonderful atmosphere in here actually.
Yeah, but that can be different when we have delays.
I didn't know there were delays in Switzerland.
This is news to me.
Yes, but we are talking about delay when a train is three minutes late.
The Swiss reputation for precision is maintained by the latest technology and faultless attention to detail.
Well, here you really just see the station so well.
You see, now it's ten o'clock, two minutes after ten o'clock and all the trains in Zurich main station, they come some minutes before full and half hour and they leave some minutes after.
So now all the trains are leaving and if you see in ten minutes, ten, 15, the whole station will be empty.
Really? It's every hour exactly the same thing.
That is the secret of Swiss timekeeping.
Exactly.
It's my cue to return to the platform and recommence my route along the tracks of Edwardian travellers.
A signal box looking after us every kilometre of the way.
I'm leaving the city behind and moving towards the Swiss landscapes promised in my 1913 guide.
I've been lucky enough to experience some beautiful train journeys, but this one along the southern shore of Lake Zurich must be one of the very, very best.
My "Bradshaw's" paints a wonderful picture, saying, "Oh either hand sloping meadows rise from the water's edge, the higher lands being clothed with vineyards and orchards.
" I'm hoping it's just the first of many views that will amaze.
My journey across Switzerland now enters a new phase.
I've left behind the big city of Zurich and I'm headed for the Alps.
I can trace my journey on the pull-out map.
My train started in Zurich, moved along the southern shores of Lake Zurich, and then it will go down towards Chur.
From Chur, one of Europe's most scenic train journeys will carry me west.
At GÃschenen, I'll join the engineering triumph, the Gotthard Line, before crossing by boat to Lucerne.
I'll then stop off at Meiringen's famous Reichenbach Falls en route to a station 3,500 metres above sea level.
Danke.
What better to accompany the Swiss mountains than a rugged range of Swiss cheeses? Nowadays, its winter sports that bring people to the Alps, and I'm on my way to discover how that story began in the age of my 1913 guide.
I'm changing train in Chur.
My Bradshaw's tells me it's "the capital of the canton of the Grisons.
" "1,935 feet above sea, the Curia Raetorum of the Romans in an attractive situation on the River Plessur.
" "In the winter, skating and skiing.
" Well, in summer, like today there's no snow to be seen, but this important railway junction is gateway to a lovely ski region and British tourists played an important part in its development.
To find out mom, I'm taking one of the most spectacular trips that the nation has to offer, the Glacier Express.
The moment you get on the Glacier Express, it has a special feel, because, of course, there's so much more light because of these windows along the roof line and it looks like everybody on board is going to be tucking into a very good lunch.
The Glacier Express links two of Switzerland's most famous ski resorts, St Moritz and Zermatt.
The complete trip takes over seven hours, winning the service the reputation as the slowest express train in the world.
These panoramic tourist trains have been In use for only 30 years, but the line was completed back in the 1930s, when it first began to carry eager skiers to the Alps.
- Hello, Guido.
- Hello, Mike.
- How lovely to see you.
Have a seat.
- Thank you.
Guido Ratti is joining me to explain how the winter holiday was born right here in Switzerland.
British tourists, they are the really founder of winter tourism and winter sports.
Which is very surprising because we have really no mountains and very little snow.
Yes, but if you will allow, British people are very special, sometimes a little bit crazy.
And they like to have action.
Until the 1860s, British tram-seekers contented themselves with summer hiking trips through the Alpine scenery.
But then an enterprising hotelier from nearby St Moritz, keen to extend the season, had a brainwave.
We had the famous bet of Mr Johannes Badrutt.
He owned the Hotel Kulm.
And he made a bet with his English guests, they should come in winter and he promised them if they came in winter and they didn't like it, he would pay the journey from London to St Moritz and back.
I was told they came at Christmas time and leave St Moritz only after Easter.
They probably did in those days.
They were people of leisure.
Sold on the idea of Switzerland in the winter, the British soon took to skating and skiing.
But that wasn't enough for the biggest adrenaline addicts.
First they came, of course, for skiing but as British people are very special and very sporty, they founded the skeleton sports, the bob sports, even horseracing in St Moritz was due to British people.
- Horseracing in St Moritz? - Yes, of course.
On the frozen lake we have a very special race.
We have a full-blood horse without jockey, but with a skier in his back and this is a very exciting race.
A racehorse towing a skier? Fantastic.
Some of the hair-raising pursuits founded by British tourists continue today, including the infamous Cresta run.
But winter sports weren't just for the adventurous few.
In the early 20th century, British entrepreneur Henry Lunn organised the first package ski holidays, and by 1913, the trains were bringing over 1,000 winter tourists to the Alps every year.
My Bradshaw's Guide of 1913 has a lot of timetables in it and I notice that in 1913, you could get on the train in London and it lists all the way down to getting off in St Moritz.
- That's amazing.
- That's true.
There was a very special tourist train, and after a journey of 24 hours, you went from London to St Moritz.
It's extraordinary, isn't it? 100 years ago it was just 24 hours from one world to a completely different universe.
That's true.
It's astonishing to think that downhill skiing in Switzerland is less than 150 years old.
But traveling on this extraordinary train today, it's easy to see why people want to enjoy this landscape all year round.
It's a new day, and I can't wait to get started on the next section of my guidebooks recommended route.
My Bradshaw's Guide is breathless about the next stage of my journey.
"Limits of space preclude any attempt to describe the journey from GÃschenen to Flüelen, as the train glides through engineering triumphs that constitute the St Gotthard line.
" I fear that I too may be lost for words as clearly I experience one of the great train rides of my life.
When the Gotthard line opened in 1882, it marked a turning point in this country's railway history.
Although it wasn't the first to conquer the Swiss Alps it did involve building the world's longest tunnel, at a cost of 200 lives.
Between GÃschenen and my next stop, the line has to drop over 2,000 feet, and the engineer came up with a clever way to keep the gradient as shallow as possible.
To make the descent, the train has to go through a series of loops, as my Bradshaw's says, with a tunnel and a bridge every few yards.
These are the engineering triumphs, and I'm going to leap around from side to side of the train trying to catch a glimpse of where I'm going and where I've been.
Thanks to the line's ingenious design, the scenery appears to shift around you as the train corkscrews ever deeper into the valley.
That pretty church, the church of Wassen, appeared now on my right, I believe we're going to see it on different sides of the train as we wind our way down.
How did that happen? In a few moments, the church has switched side cf the train.
It was on the right, now it's on the left.
The Gotthard line shows just how far Swiss railways had come by the turn of the 20th century.
The sheer vision and ambition demonstrated by biasing a line through the towering Alps astonishes me.
It put Switzerland at the heart of the European railway network.
It's brought me to Flüelen where I'm swapping the train for another form of transport.
My Bradshaw's tells me that here at Flüelen, "We embark upon the southern arm of Lake Lucerne, and many pleasant excursions may be made by the steamer services.
" If I'm going to continue to enjoy this wonderful scenery, it's time for me to get aboard.
I'm taking a boat trip from the southernmost Up of the lake right to the top.
And my 1913 guidebook is packed with landmarks to look out for on the way.
My Bradshaw's says, as we leave Flüelen, "On the left, in the hollow between the peaks of the Uri Rotstock, a glacier is plainly seen.
" "And in a line from the glacier on the lake's shore is the dynamite factory of Isleten.
" I'll give you a prize if you can think why there's a dynamite factory in such a noble and peaceful place.
Dynamite was Invented In the 19th century and was a vital tool for the railway engineers carving new routes through the mountains.
The factory here was established by dynamite 's inventor, the famous chemist Alfred Nobel.
His explosives were later used extensively in war, but he wanted to be remembered for something more positive.
On his death, Alfred Nobel left a legacy which was to form a prize to be awarded to those who did the most or the best work for fraternity amongst nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the promotion of peace congresses.
My 1913 "Bradshaw's" lyrically describes Lake Lucerne as "a narrow sheet of water with lofty, wall-like, forest-clad mountains, rising sheer out of the water on either side".
Its beauty is today in no way diminished, but not everyone on board seems to appreciate N.
Hello, gentlemen.
Do you mind My I sit down? Yeah.
So, you're travelling on the boat through this beautiful scenery.
- But you're playing cards.
- Playing cards.
Why don't you look at the scenery? - We know it.
- Ah.
Do you travel very frequently then? No, we live over there.
Why are you on the boat if you know it? We are a carnival group and every year make a little journey.
The locals may be blasé but I can imagine the wonder that British Edwardian tourists must have felt experiencing this landscape.
And I'm how approaching one of their most favoured holiday spots.
Bradshaw's says that "Lucerne is perhaps the most beautifully situated tourist centre in Europe, surrounded en three sides by exquisitely wooded hills with a magnificent prospect over a small arm of the lake.
" And to judge by the pages of advertisements for hotels, it was, at the beginning of the 20th century, a very popular tourist resort.
But I'm here in pursuit of one of my personal heroes from the 19th century.
In the 1860s, the musical genius Richard Wagner joined the growing numbers of wealthy families drawn to Lucerne 's stunning waterfront.
He made his home in the suburb of Tribschen, in this luxurious lakeside villa.
In 1913, fans making the pilgrimage here were disappointed, as it was still a private house.
Luckily for me, in the 1930s, the city of Lucerne finally responded to the flood of visitors by tuning R Into a museum.
I'm meeting the museums manager, Yvonne Bieder.
Lovely to see you.
I'm quite a fan of the opera composer Richard Wagner.
What years was he living in this house? He spent six years of his life in this house from 1866 to '72.
Were these happy years for the composer? Very happy years, yes.
He said the happiest of his life.
German-born Wagner moved to Switzerland from Munich and was closely followed by his married lover Cosima von Bülow.
Two of their three children were born here, and in 1870, he finally married his mistress in Lucerne.
Wagner ls best known for music that ls big and loud, but this stunning setting and the birth of his son, Siegfried, inspired a dreamy kind of work.
So as a surprise for her 33rd birthday, Richard Wagner composed a very nice piece of music called Siegfried Idyll, and it was performed for the very first time on this staircase.
He was standing exactly here and conducting and all the musicians were standing upwards and downwards on the staircase, and around him.
Cosima woke to hear this orchestra playing.
Yes, she was so moved.
I know a lot of people wonder what surprise birthday present they should give their wives.
Now they know.
They just have to compose a piece of music - and bring in an orchestra.
- Yes, exactly.
Wagner's birthday composition was originally entitled the "Tribschen Idyll" which was how he referred to his lakeside home.
And I'm being treated to a piano duet version of the work, performed on a very special instrument.
The piece is now being played on Wagner's piano.
Yes, his original era grand piano, standing in the same corner at the period he was living in this house.
Thank you so very much.
I enjoyed that enormously.
You know, many people think of Wagner as being loud and bombastic and tuneless and yet this is very soft and very loving and very melodious.
This is kind of Wagner for Wagner haters.
I can see why this most stunning of Swiss cities inspired Wagner's gentlest music.
I'm now taking to the tracks again to make one last journey before nightfall.
Every year, thousands of tourists come to Switzerland on railway holidays, and it's great to be among so many like-minded travellers.
You've got your map of Switzerland out.
Are you doing a grand tour? We are.
We're trying to Intel-Rail the old railway lines and boats of Switzerland.
You're a man after my own heart, doing it all by railway.
Are you an aficionado of trains? I wouldn't say so, but we went InterRailing 20 years ago, and wanted to go again with our kids and see the changes.
There are some.
- It's not as easy as it used to be.
- No? Switzerland, you can still hop on and hop off, but the rest of Europe, you really have to pre-plan and do your reservations.
So it's not as easy.
- But Switzerland is good for railways.
- It's excellent.
After a long day's travel, my 1913 guidebook has led me to a dramatic Alpine valley and, I hope, my bed for the night.
I've spent the night in Meiringen at the Hotel Du Sauvage barely changed since 1880.
I am allegedly not the first Englishman to stay in this hostelry.
"In this hotel, called by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle the Englischer Hof Mr Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson spent the night of 3rd to 4th May, 1891.
" I can't wait to find out what happened next.
Out on the streets, the Sherlock Holmes connection is obvious.
But I wonder if visitors to Meiringen know why Britain's favourite detective will be forever linked to this Swiss town.
Do you know about Sherlock Holmes? - A detective? - Yeah.
- Sherlock Holmes? Wir kÃnnen das.
- A-ha! Do you remember any Sherlock Holmes stories? He always had that - Pipe? - Pipe.
- Died.
- He's dead.
Here.
In 1893, Arthur Conan Doyle famously chose the Reichenbach Falls just outside Meiringen as the setting for Sherlock Holmes's death.
And ever since then, fans have been visiting the scene of the crime.
Reaching the spot on foot entails a gruelling climb, but since 1899 there's been a more restful route to the top.
My Bradshaw's says, "On the south side of Meiringen in the summer, the Reichenbach Falls are illuminated by electricity.
" "An electric rail runs from near the Hotel Reichenbach.
" No mention there of the famous fictional detective.
I think because every reader knew about Sherlock Holmes, and the Reichenbach Falls were a notorious household name.
Conan Doyle decided on the Reichenbach Falls as the scene of Holmes's shocking demise after visiting them on a summer holiday.
Guy Marriott is from the Sherlock Holmes Society of London.
- Guy.
- Michael.
Hello.
How good to see you.
Nothing prepared me for the Reichenbach Falls.
They are absolutely tremendous.
No wonder Conan Doyle set his melodrama here.
They are looking particularly good today.
They are looking as Conan Doyle would have seen them when he was here in the summer of 1893.
What had led Conan Doyle to kill off Sherlock Holmes? Conan Doyle was tired of the character of Sherlock Holmes.
He had been mailing monthly stories for the Strand Magazine.
He was finding it difficult to think of good plots, and he felt that Sherlock Holmes distracted him from more important work.
As in many of his Holmes stories, Conan Doyle's intended last case for the great detective, "The Final Problem", features a railway journey.
Like all good Victorians, Holmes and Watson knew the best way to plan a trip by train.
Holmes, or particularly Watson, made good use of Bradshaw's, didn't they? Yes, they did.
They had in their rooms at 221b Baker Street a copy of each month's Bradshaw's railway timetable and on several occasions in the stories it's recorded Holmes instructs Watson to check Bradshaw in order to find the best time of a train to whichever destination they need to go to because a case has arisen.
No journey can begin without Bradshaw.
In "The Final Problem", Holmes and Watson travel by train further afield.
Staying ahead of criminal mastermind Moriarty, they journey to Switzerland, and decide to make the steep climb to the Reichenbach Falls.
But just before they reach a narrow ledge at the edge of the torrent, Dr Watson receives a message calling him back to the hotel.
When Watson finally returns, having discovered, of course, that it's a hoax that has taken him back, he finds no trace of either Holmes or Moriarty, instead only a handwritten note from Holmes saying that Moriarty has found him here and they are going to fight out the issues between them.
Watson concludes that both men have plunged to their deaths, and his devastation was shared by Holmes's many fans.
It is said, although this is probably apocryphal, that clerks in city went to work wearing black crepe armbands, in memory of the great detective.
- A moment's silence, I think.
- It seems appropriate.
But Holmes's body hadn't been found, and that left readers with a sliver of hope.
Despite Conan Doyle's resolve, he was eventually persuaded to revive his hero, and went on writing cases until his own death in 1930.
Like Sherlock Holmes, I rely on Bradshaw's.
Unlike Sherlock Holmes, I've made it back from the Reichenbach Falls to continue my journey.
I'm now embarking on the final leg of my Swiss trip, and I'm departing from my guidebooks recommended route.
I'm making a long ascent which takes me via Interlaken ever upwards through the Alps, towards Europe's highest railway station, Jungfraujoch.
The Swiss may have been slow starters when it came to the railways, but as this journeys shown ma, they came to build ever-more impressive and daring lines.
I've come to Kleine Scheidegg to experience what might just be the apogee of Swiss railway engineering.
I'm about to begin the very last stage of my journey on the Jungfrau railway which Bradshaw's tells me is seven and a half miles long and was begun in 1896.
"The line ascends from here from Kleine Scheidegg through narrow tunnels to the Eismeer at 10,275 feet, the MÃnch at 10,995 feet and Jungfraujoch at 11,090 feet.
" It's one of the epic rail journeys of our Continent.
This extraordinary line opened just a year before the publication of my 1913 guide, and a century after it was built, its final station remains the highest in Europe.
It attracts over 750,000 visitors every year, and my companion for the final ascent is Roland Fontanive.
New our journey begins, our epic journey to the top.
The audacious Jungfrau line project was the brainchild of Swiss entrepreneur and passionate promoter of the railways Adolf Guyer-Zeller.
His brilliant plan was to harness the power of a local mountain river, creating a state-of-the-art electric-cog raliway to the summit.
The railway always was electric.
What were the old carriages like? They were made of wood.
They were much slower than this train.
Nearly ten minutes more to go up.
Do you have any of those original cars? We have only one.
One here in Kleine Scheidegg you can rent for special days or for honeymoon, like this.
Quite an idea for a honeymoon to rent the 1912 car and come up here.
The hydroelectric plant built for the railway was one of the first in Europe.
But the biggest challenge was building the line itself.
To reach the Jungfraujoch, tunnels had to be bored through two of the tallest peaks in the Alps, the Eiger and the MÃnch.
And soon after leaving Kleine Scheidegg, the train is plunged into darkness.
When you hear you're going to go up a mountain, you don't expect it to be an underground railway experience.
- But it is, isn't it? - Yes.
Seven of the line's nine kilometres are in tunnel, but beyond them is some of Europe 's best Alpine scenery.
Panoramic windows carved into the rock at each station provide passengers with views that make your jaw drop, over features such as the Eismeer or ice sea.
Very impressive.
This is the ice sea here, is it? Yes, that's correct, yes.
And so this is the Eiger now going up above us.
That's the south face of the Eiger here.
And you see how the glacier goes down to Grindelwald.
It's really beautiful and impressive, isn't it? When the line was first proposed, there were concerns that ascending to this altitude at speed was a risk to health.
Guyer-Zeller even commissioned a medical report to allay people's fears.
And approaching the summit, you can understand why they were worried.
Well, Roland, we're here.
I can really feel it in my breathing having to take long breaths.
- I better walk rather slowly, I think.
- Yes.
And welcome to Jungfraujoch, top of Europe.
Thank you.
So here I am at 11,333 feet at the Jungfraujoch, that is to say, the saddle of the Jungfrau mountain.
This is nicknamed "the top of Europe".
After all, it is just about three times as high as any piece of land in the United Kingdom.
The climax of the long journey to the top is a visit to the Sphinx building, perched on a rock 117 metres above the station.
Tourists come for the spectacular flaws, but ever since the 1930s, the visiting crowds have shared the mountaintop with scientists.
The High Alpine Research Station ls today looked alter by two custodian couples, and for Maria and Urs Otz, this inhospitable place is a part-time home.
- Hello, Maria.
I'm Michael - Hi, Michael.
- Hello.
- Hello, Michael.
Lovely to see you.
At first, scientists came here to research reign-altitude medicine and astronomy, but recent work has helped to document climate change, and charted the impact of the Icelandic volcanic eruption in 2010.
Maria and Urs send daily weather observations to Zurich from their remarkable home in the sky.
- So this is our terrace.
- This is absolutely divine.
Your terrace, yes.
A very, very special terrace.
- This fantastic valley, what is this? - That's the Aletsch glacier.
It's a huge glacier.
And the place you see there, there are coming three glaciers together.
The deepness of the glacier there is about 900 metres.
- 900 metres? - Yes.
That's the longest glacier of the Alps.
It's about 23 kilometres long.
That is awe-inspiring.
As I marvel at what must be one of Europe's most spine-tingling vistas, I can't think of a more fitting end to my Swiss railway adventure.
Here, at the top of Europe, cutting-edge science and technology are juxtaposed with the raw beauty of the Alps.
Switzerland is a country of exceptions.
It lies at the heart of our Continent, and yet it isn't a member of the European Union.
Its railway engineers helped to make it special by taming this wild landscape.
Where else by 1913 could you have constructed an electric underground railway to a station above the clouds? Next time, I'll experience fin de siècle opulence in the Low Countries Feels like you want to take a bath in it.
Yes, you would.
- following my guidebook - It's like a railway bible.
to the western front where from 1914, tourists were replaced with soldiers, facing the honors of the trenches.
He was one of the 72,000 people who never had a grave.