A Swiss adventure

It was a wonderful morning in Zurich with the Sun beaming and temperatures dropping to 14C. One of my travel companions did not skip her running routine and I was tempted to set up my own walking mission and relish a slower pace.

In any case, it felt like an ideal way to start the day, allowing us to breathe in the fresh air as the cool breeze soothed our spirits. During rush hour, the well-maintained tramway served as the primary mode of transportation, while some folks preferred to use their bikes to stay out of traffic congestion.

Shaded by a verdant canopy, a thread of classic and modern structures spring up along the broad promenades of the Limmat River, giving travellers an impression of how Zurich changed from a rural suburb to a thriving textile town in the 18th century, before growing into Switzerland's largest city and significant commercial hub.

Amid the bustle of office workers, I was enticed to stick around on a nearby dock when I spotted a group of tame waterfowl approaching to greet onlookers. About 20 species of waterfowl such as the mute swan, Eurasian coot, little grebe, tufted duck, mallard, red-crested pochard, teal duck, gadwall and common merganser inhabit the area's clear and pristine streams.

Just 100m away, visitors can stroll across the Quai Bridge and relive what transpired between 1882 and 1887 when city engineer Arnold Bürkli was assigned to design the lakefront park area. After the old bulwarks were demolished, Bellevueplatz and Bürkliplatz were connected by this iron-cast bridge that extends over the outflow of Lake Zurich.

Functioning as the focal point of trams and traffic routes, the Bürkliplatz dock rises on the other side of the banks, where visitors can indulge in a variety of pleasant cruise trips or enjoy picturesque views of Lake Zurich against the backdrop of the Alps.

On the adjacent Bürkli Terrace, a magnificent statue of Ganymede by veteran Swiss sculptor Hermann Hubacher has been welcoming strollers since 1952. He adapted Greek mythology to create a Swiss-style Ganymede, which represents human desire. Instead of being abducted in this instance, Ganymede lifted his hand and begged an eagle -- a Zeus-incarnate -- to bring him to Mount Olympus.

Not far away, the Grossmünster church serves as a time capsule that takes visitors back to Zurich's heyday. Legend has it that this ancient Romanesque-style cathedral was built on the site where the graves of the city's patron saints Felix and Regula were found in the 8th century.

It became an important premise in Protestant Christianity when Heinrich Bullinger and Huldrych Zwingli began the Swiss Reformation here in the 16th century. In order to celebrate its magnificence, Johann Caspar Vögeli and Johannes Haggenmille added iconic neo-Gothic tower tops to the monastery compound between 1781 and 1787 before Gustav Gull and Hermann Fietz undertook its major interior renovation between 1913 and 1915.

Amid a sentimental ambience, worshippers may feel at ease to roam around the main hall and admire the colourful stained glass windows created by renowned Swiss artist Augusto Giacometti.

These windows illustrate the Christmas tale of Mary standing in a Protestant church while the baby Jesus almost disappears at the hem of her blue cloak. They are surrounded by angels carrying offerings of flowers, and two of the Three Magi are holding precious gifts.

A Charlemagne statue is also housed in its medieval crypt, whose walls are decorated in paintings from the 14th and 15th centuries depicting the martyrdom of the St Felix and St Regula. For 5 CHF (190 baht), visitors can ascend Karlsturm tower for a stunning view of the skyscrapers and Lake Zurich, and explore the bible collection.

Once I had recharged my battery, it took me only five minutes to stroll from my hotel to Bahnhofstrasse, a famous shopping boulevard with hundreds of popular designer boutiques, high-end timepiece stores, stylish dining options and shopping malls.

Glancing around, visitors may see how the frog ditch was converted into a stretch of the tramway in 1864 to connect the Central train station and Paradeplatz. This paved the way for the most significant commercial and financial district to emerge in Zurich since World War I.

One of the earliest retail establishments is the luxury department store Globus, located near the intersection of Löwenplatz and Bahnhofstrasse. Designed by acclaimed Swiss architect Karl Egender in 1961, it was the first store to use an innovative retail layout that came up with distinct sales zones under the concept of "Experience Worlds".

With its timeless designs, the five-storey shopping mall combines boutiques by world-class fashion labels on the ground floor to showcase the history of this posh shopping avenue. At the newly opened personal shopping lounge, the Style Experts team also offers one-on-one styling sessions as well as exclusive access to new product releases.

A sanctuary for foodies, its signature food hall is recognised for its wide assortment of premium ingredients, beverages and agricultural goods from all over the world. Currently, Globus is operated by Thailand-based Central Group and boasts nine branches in Zurich, Geneva, Bern, Lausanne, Lucerne, Glattzentrum, Basel and St Gallen.

In the late afternoon, we left Zurich for the historic town of St Gallen, home to the Cathedral of St Gallen in the Abby District, which was included to the list of Unesco World Heritage Sites in 1983.

Located on the site where the wandering Irish monk Gallus constructed his hermitage in the 7th century, this majestic Baroque-style church complex was rebuilt between 1755 and 1766 to house the Abbey Archives and Abbey Library, which contain some 160,000 volumes of manuscripts, handwritten papers, Bibles, liturgical works and incunabula, documenting the history of Europe.

Inside, worshippers can sit on wooden choir stalls and gaze up into the exquisitely painted cupola, which depicts a multitude of saints travelling to the centre of the open sky, where Jesus Christ, Mary and a dove -- a symbol of God's spiritual power -- appear.

The rood screen is embellished with gilded flower-like motifs to recall that God created the first humans in the Garden of Eden and that the God appeared to Mary Magdalene in a garden.

After seeing a prayer hall, we decided to explore the historic Abbey square rather than the Abbey Library, which was about to close. Unfortunately, an unexpected downpour that day made things difficult for us, and shopping seemed like the best way to pass the time.

Once a thriving hub for St Gallen textile industry, the iconic 133-year-old Multertor Building underwent a massive renovation and reopened as Globus St Gallen last year. It boasts an impressive Renaissance façade with large windows overlooking Oberer Graben, the urban piazza of Multertor, and the vibrant Neugasse shopping street.

The new shopping centre features a carefully curated selection of high-end fashion apparel, accessories and lifestyle items from top-tier brands. Additionally, Swiss celebrity chef Tobias Funke's Restaurant Multertor serves a delectable selection of local cuisine with a gourmet twist, making it the ideal spot for both locals and tourists to hang out.

The following day we took a road trip, and were amazed by the emerald waters of Lake Lungern as we gazed out the windows. Nestled in the canton of Obwalden, the tranquil mountain lake is encircled with vast green meadows, making it an excellent retreat for those wishing to escape the bustle and engage in fun water activities like paddling a boat, fishing and windsurfing over placid waves. The village also offers a handy campground with facilities where families may set up tents or spend the night in campervans.

After an hour's drive, we eventually reached the Schilthorn Cableway, which connects the Lauterbrunnen Valley with the car-free alpine villages of Gimmelwald and Mürren. One of the main peaks in the Bernese Alps, the 2,970m tall Schilthorn was well-known among ardent climbers and skiers as a place to get an adrenaline rush before it appeared in the 1969 James Bond film On Her Majesty's Secret Service and became a popular tourist destination.

Set against a backdrop of the Jungfrau region, a cable car continues to run on a single track, offering passengers a pleasant 10-minute journey and breathtaking views of the Lauterbrunnen Valley's beautiful grasslands and a little stream.

With little time to spare, we chose to pull over at the peaceful village of Mürren, a former settlement from the Lötschen Valley in Valais. At 1,638m above sea level, it's lined with traditional Swiss-style wood houses, chalet hotels, vintage-style eateries with outdoor terraces and souvenir shops. During the day, visitors can trek a natural path to see the village of Gimmelwald as well as the astonishing vistas of the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau.

Back to Earth, we headed to the village of Lauterbrunnen, where the Staubbach Waterfall, Switzerland's tallest free-falling waterfall, cascades down a 297m cliff. Located just 4.7km from the Stechelberg cable car station, this spot served as the inspiration for the 1779 poem Gesang Der Geister Uber Den Wassern by renowned author Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.

Our trip came to an end in Iseltwald Village, where visitors can picture themselves in the heartbreaking scene from the popular K-drama Crash Landing On You as Ri Jeong-hyeok played a piano by the Harbor Iseltwald.

Situated on the banks of Lake Brienz, tourists now have to pay an extra 5 CHF to pose on the well-known wood pier, which was built as a film location. For those who are not fans of K-series and would rather explore the natural wonders, there is the opportunity to trek to Mülibach waterfall and Tuffgraben, which overlooks Seeburg Castle situated in the bay.

TRAVEL INFO

• From Nov 1 to Dec 31, Central Group and Turkish Airlines offer Business Class passengers travelling from Bangkok vouchers worth 20 CHF for 100 redemptions, valid for shopping at Globus Zurich, Switzerland. In addition, The 1 members can earn points and Central The 1 credit card holders can receive up to 15% cashback. Visit tourist.centralgroup.com/tk-boardingpass-bc.
• The Schilthorn Cableway is renovating the Birg-Schilthorn aerial cableway until March next year. The Stechelberg-Gimmelwald-Mürren aerial cableway will be under maintenance from Nov 18-29. Visit schilthorn.ch/en.