Switzerland, the eternal Yash Chopra country, is more than just breathtaking locales where you romance with nature and where snow clad mountains hug spectacular glaciers. Interlaken, Mt Titlis and Schilthorn are passe. For the discerning traveller of today, who wants to taste the local flavours and a slice of adventure, the real Swiss experience is out there in the alpenregion, says Steena Joy

Every time one visits Switzerland, it takes your breath away. You marvel at the grandness of nature and the sheer beauty of the postcard perfect landscapes. If you are an absolute romantic, scenes from many a Bollywood love story - from Chandni to Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge - pass through the mind and you join a million movie crazy Indian fans who have seen and visited Switzerland many times on celluloid. But for the more adventurous the freedom of the mountains lies in the heart of the Swiss Alps. And the alpenregion comprising Brienz, Meiringen and Hasliberg offers you Swiss Alps galore - vast valleys , massive mountain ranges, rivers and lakes, spectacular waterfalls, quaint Swiss chalets...and even Sherlock Holmes! (The famous fictional detective is the honarary citizen of Meiringen; Why? We will come to that later).

Bond with Sherlock Holmes

The filming of the James Bond's movie On Her Majesty's Secret Service (starring George Lazenby as 007) at Schilthorn made the mountain an instant hit with tourists looking for that dash of excitement in their itinerary. But few tourists know that the famous Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of Sherlock Holmes, was so fascinated by Meiringen's scenic surroundings that he made it the location of the detective's death. You can stay at the strategically located three-star hotel, The Parkhotel du Sauvage, an elegant art-nouveau style hotel built in 1880, where the author wrote 'The Final Problem' in which the famous detective was killed. A stone's throw away from the hotel is the Reichenbach Falls and the cable railway that has a commemorative plaque that reminds tourists that Doyle was so impressed by the wild beauty of this waterfall that he decided to let Holmes fall to his death here after a fight with his arch enemy Professor Moriarty. You can ride the 101-year-old funicular up to the base of the falls and then walk to the platform where the final duel took place. The climb is steep, but the spectacle is worth it.

Meiringen has a town square named after Sherlock Holmes and there is also a Sherlock Holmes Museum situated next to a charming English Church in the midst of stunning Alpine scenery. The museum houses the world's first authentic replica of the detective's front room at 221b Baker Street.

From Meiringen a trip to the valley station of the Panoramawelt Lungern-Schonbuel is a must-see. A cable car ride will take you to Turren (middle station) and by chair lift to Schonbuel (2,011 metres). On the way up you can see the famous Swiss cows grazing in the meadows and hear the tinkling of their cow bells. Schonbuel offers you a fantastic view of the three mounts Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau and is a year-round attraction. It is a skier's paradise during the winter months and a hike & bike centre in summer. Here you can visit Mt Cox & Kings which has a mountain inn where you can savour lunch (traditional Swiss food including Alpermagronen with bulb cream sauce apple mash). There is also the Wild West Grizzly Saloon and even a singing cow stable. The inn also has overnight accommodation - two guesthouses - for those who want to spend dream hours at the mountain idyll.

Sunbathing and powder snow

From the end of November until far into spring, the sun-drenched region Meiringen-Hasliberg is snow guaranteed and therefore one of Switzerland's most popular winter sports centres. A dense network of 16 high performance transport systems and modern chair lifts carry winter sports enthusiasts up to an altitude of 2,400 metres. Sunny terraces invite the visitors to relax and generously designed and carefully groomed slopes make carving and free style action a real pleasure. And thanks to the exceptional snow sports school, the first turns won't present any problems to newcomers. Cross-country skiers or skaters will find a five kilometer long trail at Bidmi. Tobogganing fans will find numerous fantastic possibilities here - day or night. A guided tour or snow shoes through the fresh powder snow, in a group or alone, is a fascinating way to experience nature up close and personal. If you don't want to bring your sports equipment along- no problem! Local sports shops offer a full range of high quality rental sports equipment.

Cruising on Lake Lucerne

Meiringen can also be used as a base for a day tour to the nearby historic lakeside city of Lucerne. You can discover the cobbled streets lined with pretty, frescoed buildings and see its medieval towers, picturesque squares and the famous Kapellbrücke covered bridge. Lake Lucerne is Switzerland's most famous lake, well known all over Europe and overseas. The surrounding countryside varies from the charming, fertile banks of the Central Plateau to the steep mountain meadows of the Lower Alps, culminating in the sheer precipices overhanging the fjord like southern part of the lake - known as the Urnersee - which is situated in the High Alps. It is this variety which gives the lake its individual character and never fails to delight the visitor.

To enjoy a cruise on the lake, you need only step aboard any one of the five ‘old timer’ paddle steamers for a journey into time. If you prefer however, there are 15 elegant saloon cruisers also available for a tour of the lake that encompasses 38 kilometres of typically Swiss scenic splendour.

Jungfrau region - Eternal ice guaranteed!

No other mountain landscape typifies the Alps as accurately as the Jungfrau Region with its snow-covered summits and glaciers. The mighty Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau massif and the Great Aletsch glacier form the heart of this World Heritage site. The Great Aletsch glacier (the longest in the Alps) flows into the distance to the Rhone Valley, the classic curving lines of moraine giving the glacier its unique appearance. And even if the glacier ice is seen to lose some of its elementary might every year (it has been receding every year thanks to global warming), with a length of 23 kilometres it still boasts imposing dimensions.

Meiringen is just 19 miles from Interlaken East where you can take the Bernese Oberland Railway to reach Grindelwald. From here you take another train to reach Jungfraujoch. The train ride, which takes about 50 minutes, follows a tundra-like surface for a short way and then enters the mountain. The rest of the trip is through a tunnel carved through the mountain to near the peak. There are two five-minute stops along the way, at Eigerwand and Eismeer where viewing windows are cut into the face of the mountain.

Source :- expresstravelworld