Well, the Summer break is here at last. School's out and the living is easy. Let's hope so anyway [you can tell I'm getting old, I'm worrying already!]
Drawing inspiration from Bill's recent troll portrait, I saw this little troll in a meadow on Etsy and it reminded me that Me and Missus Moonbase will be visiting Switzerland soon and more precisely the small mountain town of Wengen.
It's funny, I only really know Switzerland from films; the Eiger Sanction with Clint Eastwood and On Her Majesty's Secret Service with George Lazenby I think. I've read about the James Bond breakfast that's available in a mountain top rotating restaurant, which is a must! Are there any more film connections in Switzerland that you know of readers?
The Great Escape, Sound of Music?
ReplyDeleteWhilst in Switzerland, I would recommend Giger Bar in Chur to commemorate the late master. Order one on me as well.
ReplyDelete"Don't be so gloomy. After all it's not that awful. Like the fella says, in Italy for 30 years under the Borgias they had warfare, terror, murder, and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and the Renaissance. In Switzerland they had brotherly love - they had 500 years of democracy and peace, and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock. So long Holly."
ReplyDeleteMay I add: They also invented the clandestine banking sector to enable international tax eviction. And here we are.
Hi Paul - Great choice for a holiday - I went out there in 2003 to go to the Shilthorn where the Bond O.H.M.S.S. Piz Gloria scenes were filmed. They indeed had a Bond Menu (I sold my spare one on Ebay years ago !) some nice 007 souveniers in the gift shop and the whole place was just as you see it in the film. From their website it looks like there's even more to see now - http://schilthorn.ch/en/Welcome
ReplyDeleteWe drove to Lauterbraun (where they also filmed some scenes - such as where Bond is nearly gunned down in a phone booth ) then mountain railway to the village of Murren, then cable car to the Piz Gloria. You should be able to do the whole thing in a day - we spent 2 nights in Lauterbraun and took a whole day up there - it was really spectacular and I'd say it's a must-see ! Be sure to watch the film again before you go !
Also - when I was there in 2003 just outside Lauterbraun there was (believe it or not!) an Erich Von Daniken Theme Park (no, really !!!). Sadly we didn't have time to stop as we had to be in Venice that evening and when I checked a few years ago it is now just an ordinary theme park. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jungfrau_Park
But an Erich Von Daniken Theme Park ! If I hadn't kept a tourist flyer for it I wouldn't have believed it myself !
Hope all that helps - Best wishes - John Swan (who seems to be missing an Umlaut key !)
Thanks for all the comments guys. I feel like I've been tobleroned! ha ha. I'll check out the location of Giger's cafe Arto and how far it is from where we are. Great info John S, sounds like you had a super time. I will make sure I watch OHMSS again before departure and I hope to read the book whilst I'm there! How's that for product placement! That restaurant sounds like I just have to go there - rotating not stirred! I used to love Daniken and the Chariot of the Gods - sort of sums up the late Seventies for me, still an air of magic and mystery around as Hippiedom too its last puff. Can't imagine what a Daniken theme park would be like! ha ha. Maybe Aliens actually landed there! ha ha
ReplyDeleteAs for Harry Lime, as soon as I get to the bottom of this, I'll get the next plane!