I've always been fascinated by the beauty and bounty of nature. Vast expanses of land, sprawling mountain ranges, blue lakes and seas that merge into the horizon, glorious sunrises and colourful sunsets, I basically live for such views. And food.
On one such fine day in Swiss, my friend took me to Bern. It was as smooth train ride from Lucerne and I finally understood why the Swiss railways is so highly regarded. Once in Bern, we were picked up by her father, a lively, full of energy, young man of almost 60, from the train station and he drove us to Gurten Park somewhere on the outskirts of the city. The park is a famous spot for locals to hang out with family for picnics and get-togethers and is situated at a height of around 850 meters above sea level. I had the option to take the funicular (a railway, especially one on a mountainside, operated by a cable) to the top with my friend and her kid (lasting between 5-10 mins if I remember correct) or accompany uncle on a hike to reach the top (around 1.5 hrs). Of course I chose the latter, not wanting to miss soaking in the spectacular views and the opportunity to chit-chat with my new friend :)
Uncle spoke perfect english and our conversations revolved around a lot of interesting topics. When speaking about fitness and outdoor activities, he casually mentioned that his fitness routine involved an hour of swimming almost everyday. (Wow!) Clearly fitter than me, I kind of struggled to keep up with his pace of hiking, asking him to slow down every now and then (mildly embarrassed), catching my breath as I paused to soak in the gorgeous views and capture the beauty (maybe a little too much) on my phone..
We passed a few charming huts, one of them being a cutesy dog training school which made me miss Fluffy (my 5 yr old Shih Tzu) so much! (It's my earnest wish to bring her to Europe and if anyone knows a safe way for dogs to fly from India, please let me know!)
I was relishing every moment of the hike, noticing the beautiful change of landscapes from bright green pastures to pristine white snow covered spots to winding pathways. Call it the perks of hiking with a local who'd been to Gurten Park multiple times, uncle showed me an opening that was apparently a less known shortcut to reach the top. While I'm not too sure why we took the shortcut, (whether it being my annoying pit stops for photography or my sheer lack of expected fitness level, we'll never know) I was glad he'd suggested we take it anyway!
After treating our eyes to the gorgeous views, it was time to listen to our tummies, mine especially growling to be fed delicious, carb rich ROSTI, considered by many to be a Swiss national dish.
ROSTI - pronounced as 'Roosh-Tee' or 'Raw-Sh-Tee' in Swiss-German, has its origins in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. It's a simple dish consisting of two humble ingredients, grated potatoes (either raw or parboiled) and butter, seasoned with some salt and pepper. Variations with onions, meat, cheese, grilled vegetables are also widely available and equally relished.
As simple as it sounds, there is some technique involved in getting the perfect crunchy exterior with a nice soft interior in a perfectly cooked rosti. Potatoes being the star of the dish, the type one uses to make a rosti ends up playing a very important role - too starchy and your rosti will be soft and pancake like, whereas a potato with high moisture content gives a much crunchier final product, and that's exactly what I was served at Tapis Rouge, a cozy family-run self service restaurant. A part of the outdoor seating area overlooked the beautiful city below, a perfect setting for a relaxed lunch.
It was a self-service buffet restaurant and nothing interested me more than the live station for rosti. After a good 5-10 minutes of impatient wait and inhaling all the delicious buttery aroma from the counter, I was handed a heavy tray containing my wholesome meal.
Piping hot, dressed with grilled veggies and a sprinkle of cheese, I couldn't wait to dig in this golden skillet of deliciousness! Oh boy, the magic humble ingredients and brilliant use of them could do on your taste buds! The entire skillet was wiped off in no time with a nice crisp house red. Yum!
After spending the morning like a local, I wanted to get a little touristy and explore the capital of Switzerland. We left Gurten park and since I'd had my share of hiking for the day, I was more than happy to hop on the funicular that took us down, offering gorgeous panoramic views from it's glass doors.
My friend, originally form Bern, took me to all the touristy spots like only a local could, recounting memories and sharing stories along the way. We visited the famous Bear pit, spent some time talking about life in the peaceful Rose garden overlooking the Old Town and the Aare river, posed with Albert Einstein, admired the famous 14th century Clock Tower (which has been putting on a theatrical performance to indicate every hour, every day since centuries!), walked around the narrow alleyways of the old town and ended our little tour with a visit to the sprawling campus of University of Bern at twilight to a lovely pink orange sky and a breathtaking view of the mountain ranges.
And with that, we dragged our tired bodies home to Lucerne, mentally preparing to wake up super duper early the next morning, dress up and get on the streets for the annual Swiss carnival called Fasnatch!
More on than soon..
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