Switzerland. Just mouthing the words send shivers of excitement down my spine. Images popped into my mind, bursting in brilliant colors, like fireworks exploding in the sky. Lush green hills, smooth glass-like lake, snow-capped mountains, pebble-filled winding trails… It is nature at its best. People come from different places and speak different languages, mixing together like a big bubbling cauldron filled of tantalizing items, overflowing with the steam of cultural elegance and diversity.
Mountain Pilatus
It was a pretty steep train ride up mountain Pilatus. The houses and cottages below grew smaller and smaller until they were only hundreds of miniscule dots jumbled together in the distance. It was unbelievable how quickly the temperature plummeted with the altitude. The stone paved path was narrow, one side was the solid mountain but the other gave away to a steep, high cliff all the way down to the valley hundreds of feet below. Only strings of ropes tied to thin wooden poles separate us from the mountain and the endless sky. The vast lush green carpet stretched far into the hazy horizon, as far as the earth would allow it. White soft clouds hung in the pale blue sky, some thin and wispy and others fluffy and buoyant like marshmallows. It seemed like I was gazing at a landscape painting, but then I reminded myself that it wasn’t just an illusion. The exhilaration of being at such a heavenly place was absolutely overwhelming. It seemed like the perfect place to dream about the future, ponder about life’s meaning and gain personal epiphanies.
© Kelsey Chuang 2015
Lake Luzern
The lake was a spitting image of Van Gogh’s painting Starry Night over the Rhone. The lake reflected the glowing windows from the restaurants and designer boutiques that lined the marina. Occasionally a soft wind ruffled the surface, disrupting the mirror image. The lights from the wooden footbridge spanning diagonally across the water cascaded down on the midnight black surface, stretching far in the distance, shimmering and dancing, a thousand dazzling crystals winking back at us. The colors were stunning－sapphire blue, crimson red, golden bronze, and even the faintest hint of periwinkle. Looking up, the dazzling array of stars shone against a canopy of darkness. It was breathtaking.
© Kelsey Chuang 2015
Zermatt and Matterhorn Mountain
Zermatt, one of the most attractive tourist sites in Switzerland, is situated at the foot of Matterhorn Mountain. It’s an adorable and beautiful little town. Red, blue and black mini cable cars running on electricity zigzagged along the winding roads that slanted upward along the side of the hills; tourists sat leisurely at flowered-filled outdoor cafes or strolled casually on the breezy, sunlit sidewalks. Matterhorn Mountain’s triangular pointed peak was covered in pure white snow. One side was in slight shadow, the other illuminated by the brilliant sunshine. We roamed the vintage European streets, clicking madly away with our cameras, watching the colors bounce off the walls of buildings and restaurants.
© Kelsey Chuang 2015
© Kelsey Chuang 2015
The Italy Border
Mont Blanc is 3800ft above ground, so we took a big gondola and two smaller ones to get up there. Peering out of the gondola, the endless view of nature spread out under us in all directions. The ground was packed hard with snow, so that everywhere we turned, all we could see was blinding whiteness, stretching smoothly and endlessly into the mountains. Ant-sized hikers were trudging slowly right below us, leaving a faint trail of tiny footprints, triggering a scene of the movie ‘Everest’ in my mind. The endless snowy white earth and gigantic mountains looked rugged and remote but serene and peaceful at the same time. The emptiness and silence of the atmosphere suddenly made me realize how unimportant I was at that moment. It is amazing how nature can make you feel so tiny, so fragile, and so humble. I want to really feel the beauty in my bones, to mull over my thoughts slowly, and not be overwhelmed or drink it all in too hastily. But the end of the ride came all too soon, and I leapt down from the little red gondola feeling quite emotional and bewildered.
© Kelsey Chuang 2015
This gorgeous country should really be on everybody’s bucket list. Stepping out into the world and meeting such rich, diverse cultures and scenery makes me feel refreshed and pumped up again for my own life, bringing me appreciation and love for beauty, whichever form they may be. That is the power of traveling.