Real Rail Adventures: Switzerland

>> HI. I'M JEFF WILSON, AND I LOVE TRAINS. I'VE ALWAYS BEEN FASCINATED WITH FIGURING OUT HOW THINGS WORK. SO TO ME, TRAINS ARE IRRESISTIBLE-- THE HISTORY, THE VARIETY, THE TECHNICAL INGENUITY. AND IF THERE'S ONE PLACE THAT CAN MAKE A RAIL FAN'S DREAMS COME TRUE, IT HAS TO BE SWITZERLAND. JOIN ME AS I CRISSCROSS A NATION THAT SEEMS TO LOVE TRAINS AS MUCH AS I DO. NEXT ON "REAL

RAIL ADVENTURES

SWITZERLAND." WHY DO PEOPLE LOVE TRAINS? IS IT THE ADRENALINE RUSH OF BIG MACHINES SURGING AGAINST PROBABILITY UP A MOUNTAINSIDE? IS IT THE THRILL OF EXPLORATION, THE WAY THEY CAN SLICE THROUGH REMOTE AREAS, GIVING US UP-CLOSE VIEWS OF INACCESSIBLE LANDSCAPES? MAYBE IT'S THE NOSTALGIA, THE ECHOES OF A TIME GONE BY WHEN TRAINS WERE THE LIFEBLOOD OF EVERYDAY PEOPLE AND THE STATION THE CENTER OF EVERY TOWN. OR MAYBE WE LOVE TRAINS BECAUSE THEY'RE JUST PLAIN FUN. AS AN AUTHOR AND HOST OF HOME-IMPROVEMENT TV SHOWS, I'VE HAD LOTS OF ADVENTURES TRAVELING ACROSS THE U.S. NOW I'M LOOKING FOR EVEN MORE ADVENTURE AROUND THE WORLD. AND I CAN THINK OF NO BETTER WAY TO TRAVEL THAN BY TRAIN. STAKING OUT THE CENTER OF EUROPE AND CHISELED IN HIGH RELIEF BY THE ALP MOUNTAIN RANGE, SWITZERLAND SEEMS TO HAVE IT ALL-- SOPHISTICATED CITIES AND WELCOMING VILLAGES, GLACIAL SUMMITS AND FLOWER-STREWN MEADOWS STRAIGHT FROM THE PAGES OF "HEIDI." WITH MORE THAN 16,000 MILES OF TRACK, THIS COUNTRY TAKES PRIDE IN A RAIL SYSTEM THAT'S THE MOST CONCENTRATED IN EUROPE. THE SWISS RIDE TRAINS MORE THAN ANY OTHER GROUP OF PEOPLE. TOP THAT OFF WITH CLEAN, EFFICIENT CARS THAT ARE RARELY DELAYED, AND YOU'VE GOT A TICKET TO RIDE. EACH YEAR, THIS SUPERBLY INTEGRATED NETWORK CARRIES MORE THAN 350 MILLION TRAVELERS TO WORK, PLAY, AND MARVEL AT SWITZERLAND'S INFINITE NATURAL WONDERS. MODERN TRAINS ARE THE MAINSTAY OF SWISS TRANSPORTATION, BUT I'M PRIMED FOR MAXIMUM ADVENTURE, SO I'M GONNA HUNT OUT A WHOLE RANGE OF TRANSPORT OPTIONS, EVERYTHING FROM PIONEERING COG-WHEELS TO DEATH-DEFYING CABLE CARS TO HISTORIC TRAIN AND STEAMBOAT CONNECTIONS.

STEAM WHISTLE BLOWING

RAIL ADVENTURES

ZURICH, SWITZERLAND'S LARGEST CITY, MAKES AN EXCELLENT LAUNCHING POINT FOR MY TRIP. TEEMING WITH DESIGNER BOUTIQUES AND CHOCOLATE SHOPS, ZURICH FEELS PROSPEROUS AND ENERGETIC. NEUTRAL SWITZERLAND AVOIDED THE BOMBING THAT DEMOLISHED MUCH OF EUROPE IN WORLD WAR II, AND ZURICH'S OLD TOWN STILL ECHOES ITS MEDIEVAL DAYS. TRAMS ARE THE HEART OF THE CITY'S TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM. AS FAR BACK AS THE 1890's, ELECTRIFIED TROLLEYS STARTED SHUTTLING ZURICH'S CITIZENS, AND TODAY TRAMS ARE STILL THE FASTEST AND MOST CONVENIENT WAY TO GET AROUND. THE GREAT THING ABOUT SWISS TRAINS IS THEY CAN BE COMBINED IN SO MANY DIFFERENT WAYS TO CREATE YOUR OWN CUSTOM ITINERARY. USING SEVERAL POPULAR SCENIC ROUTES IS THE BACKBONE OF MY TRIP. I'LL LINK TOGETHER SOME OF SWITZERLAND'S SURPRISINGLY DIVERSE MAJOR REGIONS. MY PLAN IS TO START HERE IN GERMAN-SPEAKING SWITZERLAND AND HOOK UP WITH SOME OF THE COUNTRY'S BEST SCENIC TRAINS. I'LL HEAD SOUTH TO ITALIAN-SPEAKING LUGANO THEN BACK UP NORTH TO BEAUTIFUL LUCERNE. I'LL TRAVEL WEST TO FRENCH-SPEAKING SWITZERLAND AND FINISH AT ZERMATT AND ITS CROWNING GLORY, THE MATTERHORN. A SWISS PASS IS A GREAT OPTION FOR FOREIGN VISITORS. IT GIVES YOU UNLIMITED TRAVEL ON TRAINS, BOATS, AND BUSES. YOU CAN ALSO USE IT ON MANY CITY TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS, AND IT'LL GIVE YOU ACCESS TO HUNDREDS OF MUSEUMS. FOR A LIFELONG RAIL FAN LIKE ME, A TRAIN RIDE HAS ALWAYS BEEN THE BEST WAY TO DISCOVER NEW PLACES AND TO BE AWED BY DAUNTING LANDSCAPES MASTERED BY SHEER HUMAN WILL. YOU KNOW, WHEN I WAS A KID, MY DAD AND I BUILT A MODEL TRAIN SET IN OUR GARAGE, COMPLETE WITH TUNNELS AND BRIDGES, SO WHEN I BECAME A BUILDER AND REMODELER, I CAME TO APPRECIATE THE WORKMANSHIP AND THE SHEER INVENTIVENESS OF A WELL-DESIGNED RAILWAY. MY FIRST STOP IS CHUR, THE OLDEST TOWN IN SWITZERLAND. IT'S A FUSION OF MEANDERING STREETS AND HISTORIC BUILDINGS. THE CHUR RAIL STATION IS THE TERMINUS OF SEVERAL MAJOR NATIONAL LINES AND A MAIN STOP ON THE RHAETIAN RAILWAY, WHICH OPERATES THE COUNTRY'S FAMOUS ALBULA/BERNINA LINE. SEVERAL DIFFERENT TRAINS RUN ALONG THE ALBULA/BERNINA LINE. I'M ON WHAT SOME WOULD CONSIDER THE MOST FAMOUS, THE GLACIER EXPRESS. THE FULL GLACIER EXPRESS RIDE TRAVERSES 180 MILES ACROSS SWITZERLAND TO ZERMATT, BUT I'M TAKING JUST THE FIRST LEG, FROM CHUR TO ST. MORITZ. THEN I'LL CATCH UP WITH IT AGAIN LATER IN MY TRIP. THE ALBULA AND BERNINA LINE IS CONSIDERED A TOUR DE FORCE OF RAIL ENGINEERING. ANYONE CAPTIVATED BY TRAINS SHOULD EXPERIENCE THIS RIDE AT LEAST ONCE IN A LIFETIME. FIRST OPENED IN 1904, THE LINE TOOK ONLY 5 YEARS TO CONSTRUCT. IT TRIUMPHS OVER AN ABUNDANCE OF NATURAL OBSTACLES, NEGOTIATING 9 VIADUCTS AND PASSING THROUGH 7 TUNNELS. STEEP RAVINES AND GORGES AND SPANNED WITH CONFIDENCE BY IMPOSSIBLE-SEEMING BRIDGES. THE CELEBRATED LANDWASSER VIADUCT WAS BUILT WITHOUT SCAFFOLDING. ITS IRON UNDERPINNINGS PLUNGED DEEP INTO THE EARTH WHILE CRANES SET BRICKS IN A ROBUST FACADE. CALLED BY SOME THE MOST INGENIOUS RAILWAY EVER BUILT, THE ALBULA AND BERNINA HAVE BEEN JOINTLY HONORED AS A UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE. IN THE SMALL TOWN OF BERGUN, I DISCOVER THE BAHNMUSEUM AND LEARN MORE ABOUT THE DETERMINATION THAT WENT INTO THE RAIL CONSTRUCTION. >> THE ALBULA LINE WAS FIRST OPENED IN 1904. IT TOOK ABOUT 4 OR 5 YEARS TO BUILD THE WHOLE LINE BETWEEN CHUR AND PREDA. THERE WERE A LOT OF PEOPLE FROM ITALY COMING TO BUILD THIS LINE. I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY, BUT OVER 2,000 WORKED ALONE TO...TO MAKE THE HOLE FOR THE ALBULA TUNNEL. >> SO IT WOULD HAVE BEEN REALLY DANGEROUS WORK, TOO, WOULDN'T IT? >> IT WAS. THERE WERE SEVERAL DEATHS DURING THE BUILDING PERIOD. YOU CAN IMAGINE, IT WAS ALL HANDWORK, AND THEY HAD DYNAMITE AND WATER DRILLS AND NO BIG ENGINES TO BUILD THE TUNNEL. IT WAS REALLY HARD WORK. >> BACK ON THE TRAIN, WE HEAD SOUTH INTO THE HEART OF THE ENGADINE VALLEY, A LONG SWEEP OF PLUMMETING SLOPES AND SHIMMERING LAKES ANCHORED BY THE AREA'S STAR ATTRACTION, THE TOWN OF ST. MORITZ. SWANKY ST. MORITZ GLOWS WITH THE CONFIDENCE OF A PREMIER RESORT TOWN. SOME CALL THIS THE BIRTHPLACE OF SWISS TOURISM. IN THE 16th CENTURY, A GERMAN DOCTOR HAILED THE WATERS HERE AS THE BEST IN ALL OF EUROPE, AND FROM THAT POINT ON, PEOPLE FLOCKED FROM AROUND THE WORLD TO THIS MOUNTAIN RETREAT. IN THE SUMMER, IT HAS A LAID-BACK FEEL, AS CAREFREE SHOPPERS TROLL THE STREETS IN SEARCH OF THE LATEST FASHIONS. IN THE WINTER, IT EXPLODES IN A FRENZY OF OUTDOOR SPORTS, WITH EVERYTHING FROM SKIING TO HORSEBACK RIDING TO BOBSLEDDING. IN THE DISTANCE, THE SOUND OF ALP HORNS, THE FAVORITE INSTRUMENT OF SWISS MOUNTAIN DWELLERS, KEEPS LOCALS GROUNDED IN TRADITION.

ALP HORNS BLOWING

RAIL ADVENTURES

>> YAY.

APPLAUSE

RAIL ADVENTURES

JUST OUTSIDE OF ST. MORITZ, AT THE FOOT OF MOUNT CORVATSCH, AN AERIAL CABLE CAR LEVITATES MY FELLOW THRILL SEEKERS AND ME TO THE ZENITH OF THE ENGADINE VALLEY. AERIAL CABLE CARS ARE A TYPE OF LIFT THAT USE ONE OR TWO STATIONARY CABLES FOR SUPPORT WHILE A THIRD MOVING CABLE PROVIDES PROPULSION. THIS 15-MINUTE RIDE TAKES YOU TO THE HIGHEST POINT ACCESSIBLE BY CABLE CAR IN THE VALLEY. AT 10,000 FEET ABOVE SEA LEVEL, ALPINE HOUSES ARE DWARFED DOWN BELOW. FORESTS, MEADOWS, AND VILLAGES BLANKET THE SURROUNDING HILLSIDES, AND THE NEARBY GLACIER LOOKS CLOSE ENOUGH TO TOUCH. BACK AT THE ST. MORITZ STATION, I'M HEADED FOR MORE ADVENTURE. TO GET TO LUGANO, ONE OPTION IS THE BERNINA EXPRESS, A PANORAMIC TRAIN THAT CONNECTS SWITZERLAND'S GLACIAL NORTH TO ITS SUNNY SOUTH. BUT I'VE HEARD GREAT THINGS ABOUT THIS COUNTRY'S SCENIC BUS ROUTES. SO I'M OPTING FOR ANOTHER MAINSTAY OF SWISS TRANSPORTATION, THE POST BUS. I'M TOLD THAT THESE BUSES TRACE THEIR ROOTS TO THE DAYS WHEN STAGECOACHES CARRIED MAIL ACROSS MOUNTAIN PASSES. TODAY THEY PROVIDE NOT ONLY COMMUTER SERVICE FOR WORKING FOLKS, BUT ALSO TOURIST ROUTES THAT ALLOW VISITORS TO PLAN FLEXIBLE TRIPS TO SOME GREAT OFF-THE-BEATEN-TRACK DESTINATIONS. THIS ONE, CALLED THE PALM EXPRESS, TAKES AN ESPECIALLY SCENIC PATH TO LUGANO. ON THE 4-HOUR TRIP, WE LEAVE BEHIND THE GLACIAL LAKES OF THE NORTH AND DESCEND TERRACED HILLSIDES AND HAIRPIN CURVES ON THE WAY TO THE COUNTRY'S BALMY SOUTHERN CLIMES. FEELING MORE MEDITERRANEAN THAN ALPINE, LUGANO IS THE PERFECT BLEND OF SWISS POISE AND ITALIAN PASSION. IT SEEMS TO EXUDE GRACEFUL SOPHISTICATION. BATHED BY A TEMPERATE MIRCO-CLIMATE, LUGANO'S TREE-LINED BOULEVARDS AND HOLIDAY RESORTS CURVE AROUND A CRYSTALLINE LAKE CAPPED BY DRAMATIC MOUNTAIN VIEWS. ONE OF THE BEST PARTS ABOUT TRAVELING IS GETTING TO SAMPLE THE LOCAL SNACKS, AND DOWN SOUTH HERE, OF COURSE, THAT'S GELATO. UNO CHOCOLATE, PER FAVORE. >> OK. >> IT SEEMS THERE ARE TRAIN LOVERS THE WORLD AROUND. IN THE NEARBY TOWN OF MENDRISIO, I VISIT WITH FELLOW RAIL FAN MARCO NIMIS. HE'S PRESIDENT OF THE SAN GOTTARDO CLUB, A VOLUNTEER GROUP THAT'S DEDICATED TO RESTORING HISTORIC TRAINS. THIS LOOKS...I MEAN, IT LOOKS LIKE AN ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF WORK. >> THE PROBLEM IS OF THESE MACHINES, YOU CANNOT GO TO A SHOP AND BUY A REPLACEMENT PIECE. SO EVERYTHING YOU TAKE OUT, YOU HAVE TO DO IT AGAIN WITH, UH...IN THE FACTORY. YOU HAVE TO DO EVERY PIECE NEW. >> AND MAKE YOURSELF. >> MAKE YOURSELF, YEAH. >> MARCO EXPLAINS WHY HE'S SO DEDICATED TO THIS WORK. >> IT'S HISTORY. >> YEAH. >> THAT'S HISTORY. THAT'S, UH...WHAT CAN I SAY? IT'S, UH...SO THAT PEOPLE SEE HOW IT WAS AT THE BEGINNING OF THE CENTURY, HOW THEY WORK, AND HOW SOLUTION THEY HAD TO SOLVE SOME PROBLEMS. AND I CAN TELL YOU, THEY ARE VERY, VERY....ABOUT... VERY, VERY GOOD SOMETIMES. SOMETIMES YOU SAY, "WOW. THAT WAS A GOOD IDEA." >> IT LOOKS COMPLEX, BUT I KNOW IT'S A FAIRLY SIMPLE SYSTEM, RIGHT? YOU BURN COAL TO CREATE STEAM. >> STEAM, YEAH. WE HEAT THEM UP. IT'S LIKE A...COFFEE MACHINE, IT'S SO HOT. >> AND THEN IT'S TRAPPED. IT HAS TO GO SOMEWHERE. >> IT GOES UP THERE. THEN THIS PUSHES... ON THIS PART HERE. HERE IS... ALL THE STEAM GOES UP THERE, AND THERE IS THE VALVE INTAKES AND COME DOWN TO THE CYLINDERS.

HAMMERING

RAIL ADVENTURES

>> AH, YEAH. FIRST OF ALL, WHERE'S THE STEERING WHEEL?

LAUGHTER

RAIL ADVENTURES

I'M KIDDING. I KNOW. I KNOW THERE'S NO STEERING WHEEL IN A TRAIN. BUT YOU HAVE PRESSURE GAUGES, RIGHT? >> YES. SO OF THIS SIDE IS THE...THE GUY WHO GUIDES THE MACHINE. ON THIS SIDE IS THE POOR MAN... >> SHOVELING THE COAL. >> YOU. >> NOT ONLY WAS THE RAILWAY COMPLEX TO BUILD, BUT THE MACHINES THAT CAME ACROSS 100, 130 YEARS AGO AND REALLY OPENED UP THE REGION WERE ELEGANTLY ENGINEERED. >> ABSOLUTELY. AND THIS ONE HERE, IT'S A MACHINE MADE FOR A VERY SHORT RANGE. IF YOU LOOK AT THE BIG ONES, THEN THEY ARE GOING TO BE MORE COMPLICATED THAN THIS ONE. THEN YOU NEED EVERYTHING MORE, IS EVERYTHING BIGGER. BUT THE PRINCIPLES ARE ALWAYS THE SAME. SO FIRE, WATER, AND STEAM. >> STEAM AND PRESSURE. >> AND THEN IT WORKS. >> THAT'S BEAUTIFUL. A HALF-HOUR NORTH OF LUGANO, THE CASTLE TOWN OF BELLINZONA CONTRASTS A LUSH HILLSIDE SETTING WITH STARK MEDIEVAL BATTLEMENTS. LOCAL HISTORY BUFFS TELL ME THAT EARLY PREHISTORIC FORTS WERE BULKED UP INTO THESE MASSIVE DEFENSIVE STRUCTURES IN THE 15th CENTURY. THIS TOWN STOOD ON A MAJOR NORTH-SOUTH TRADE ROUTE PLIED BY MEDIEVAL MERCHANTS. NOW, THE POWERFUL DUKES OF MILAN WANTED TO CLAMP CONTROL OVER THE AREA TO IMPOSE TAXES AND TO PREVENT INVASIONS FROM THE NORTH. SO THEY STRUNG A SERIES OF FORTS ACROSS THE VALLEY CONNECTED BY WALLS, EFFECTIVELY CLOSING IT OFF. IF THEY WANT TO COME THROUGH, THEY'RE GONNA HAVE SOME TROUBLE. THE TOWN'S 3 CASTLES HAVE BEEN A UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE SINCE 2000. CASTLE GRANDE, HIGH ON THE TERRACED HILLTOP, LORDS OVER THE VALLEY. CONNECTED TO IT BY RAMPARTS, IS THE MONTEBELLO CASTLE. AND THE STALWART SASSO CORBARO, BUILT IN 1479, SITS ALONE ON AN OUTCROPPING FACING THE OTHER TWO.

BEEPING

RAIL ADVENTURES

NOT FAR FROM BELLINZONA, THE RITOM CABLE CAR PULLS ME UP A DIZZYING TRACK WHOSE MAXIMUM INCLINE IS THE STEEPEST IN EUROPE AND ONE OF THE STEEPEST IN THE WORLD. THE TRACK IS LONG, ABOUT THE LENGTH OF 14 FOOTBALL FIELDS. THE CABLE CAR WAS ORIGINALLY BUILT ABOUT 100 YEARS AGO TO HELP IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF A PIPELINE THAT CARRIES WATER DOWN FROM LAKE RITOM, WHICH SITS ON THE MOUNTAINSIDE HIGH ABOVE THE VALLEY FLOOR. LAKE RITOM IS NOT ONLY PICTURESQUE, IT ALSO PROVIDES A VITAL SERVICE-- IT CREATES HYDROELECTRICITY FOR THE SWISS RAILWAYS. NOW, MOST TRAINS USE ULTRA-CLEAN HYDROELECTRIC POWER, AND SOME EVEN GENERATE THEIR OWN ELECTRICITY WHEN TRAVELING DOWNHILL. HOW MUCH OF THE RAILWAY'S POWER IS RENEWABLE ENERGY? >> AT THE MOMENT, IN THIS YEAR, IT'S 83% RENEWABLE ENERGY, AND OUR PROJECT FOR THE SBB, THE SWISS RAILWAYS, WILL BE UNTIL THE 2025. WE WILL HAVE 100% OF ENERGY USED BY THE RAILWAYS WILL BE RENEWABLE ENERGY. >> SO IT WILL REALLY BE A GREEN AND ECO-FRIENDLY WAY OF TRAVELING. >> YES. >> I MEAN, IT IS ALREADY. IT'LL BE EVEN MORE SO, RIGHT? >> YES. YES, MORE. MORE THAN TODAY. >> SWITZERLAND HAS EARNED THE WORLD'S RESPECT WITH ITS FORWARD-THINKING POLICIES ON THE ENVIRONMENT. THE SWISS WORK DOGGEDLY ON STRATEGIES TO COUNTERACT GLOBAL WARMING AND SLOW THE MELTING OF GLACIERS, WHICH ARE SO CRITICAL TO LIFE ON THE CONTINENT. BACK IN BELLINZONA, IT'S TIME TO BOARD THE WILLIAM TELL EXPRESS, A TRAIN AND BOAT CONNECTION THAT CARRIES VISITORS BETWEEN TWO OF SWITZERLAND'S MOST SCENIC AREAS-- THE WARM ITALIANATE SOUTH AND THE GERMANIC CENTRAL REGION. THE TRAIN PORTION OF THE JOURNEY IS LESS THAN TWO HOURS AND IS A PORTAL TO SOME GREAT HISTORIC SITES. PANORAMIC CARS FRAMED BY EXPANSIVE WINDOWS GIVE EVERYONE A RINGSIDE SEAT TO THE PASSING VISTAS. YOU'VE GOT TO ADMIT, TRAINS HAVE A LOT OF ADVANTAGES OVER CARS. YOU CAN GET UP, WALK AROUND, AND STRETCH YOUR LEGS. YOU CAN RELAX, READ, EVEN NAP. BUT WITH SCENERY LIKE THIS, YOU WON'T WANT TO SLEEP. RIGHT NOW, WE'RE HEADED TOWARD THE GOTTHARD PASS, A PERILOUS ROUTE THROUGH THE ALPS THAT'S BEEN BOTH A THOROUGHFARE AND A CONUNDRUM FOR MORE THAN 700 YEARS. OVER THE CENTURIES, HUMANS HAVE TRIED MANY DIFFERENT WAYS TO CROSS THE INTRACTABLE BARRIER OF THE ALPS-- ROADS, TUNNELS, AND EVEN A BEDEVILED BRIDGE. IN THE 13th CENTURY, LOCALS STRUNG A WOODEN BRIDGE OVER THE SURGING REUSS RIVER, A TASK SO DIFFICULT, THEY HAD TO MAKE A PACT WITH THE DEVIL TO COMPLETE IT. SATAN'S PRICE WAS OWNERSHIP OF THE FIRST SOUL WHO CROSSED IT. BUT THE VILLAGERS TRICKED HIM BY SENDING A GOAT FOR THE INAUGURAL PASSAGE. EVER SINCE THEN, ANY ACCIDENTS HERE HAVE BEEN ATTRIBUTED TO OLD NICK SEEKING HIS REVENGE. THIS TRAIN CHURNS THROUGH THE 9-1/2-MILE-LONG GOTTHARD TUNNEL, DRILLING DEEP INTO THE MURKINESS OF THE MOUNTAINSIDE. FIRST OPENED IN 1882, THIS TUNNEL EXACTED A STEEP TOLL. THE LIVES OF AROUND 200 WORKERS WERE LOST. THE TRAIN DROPS ME IN FLUELEN, A PRETTY HAMLET ON THE SOUTHERN TIP OF LAKE LUCERNE. THIS TOWN HAS ALWAYS BEEN A CRUCIAL STOP ON THE TRADE ROUTE FROM SOUTH TO NORTH, AFFORDING WATER ACCESS TO SWITZERLAND'S LARGER CITIES. TODAY IT'S THE BOARDING POINT FOR AN HISTORIC PADDLE-WHEEL STEAMER, THE BOAT PORTION OF THE WILLIAM TELL EXPRESS. HELLO. AH, OK. OK. MERCI. HELLO. >> HELLO.

STEAM WHISTLE BLOWING

RAIL ADVENTURES

THOUGH LAKE LUCERNE REACHES LONG SINUOUS ARMS FOR MILES IN EVERY DIRECTION, THE SHELTERING MOUNTAINS AND SPIRE-LINED SHORES GIVE IT THE FEEL OF A SMALL STORYBOOK LAKE. 5 PADDLE STEAMERS, RESTORED TO THEIR EARLY GLORY, TROLL THESE WATERS. A COMMON HIGHLIGHT ON SWISS STEAMBOATS IS AN OPEN ENGINE, WHERE YOU CAN SEE THE WHIRLING, PLUNGING MACHINERY IN ACTION. LUNCH ON BOARD IS A LEISURELY AFFAIR, FEATURING HEARTY LOCAL SPECIALTIES SUCH AS SWISS MACARONI AND CHEESE TOPPED WITH CARAMELIZED ONIONS AND APPLESAUCE. WE'RE TRAVELING THROUGH A REGION THAT'S CONSIDERED THE BIRTHPLACE OF SWISS DEMOCRACY. IN RUTLI MEADOW, ON THE SHORE OF LAKE LUCERNE, A FATEFUL MEETING TOOK PLACE, AN EVENT THAT'S CONSIDERED THE TURNING POINT IN SWISS DEMOCRACY. IT WAS HERE THAT 3 CANTONS FIRST JOINED TOGETHER TO MAKE A COMMITMENT TO FREEDOM AND SWEAR TO MUTUALLY SUPPORT ONE ANOTHER AGAINST FRENCH AND HAPSBURG RULE. THOSE TURBULENT TIMES SPAWNED A TALE YOU'VE NO DOUBT HEARD, THE STORY OF WILLIAM TELL. WILLIAM TELL WAS AN EARLY FOLK HERO IN THE SWISS MOVEMENT FOR INDEPENDENCE. ACCORDING TO LEGEND, TELL REFUSED TO REMOVE HIS HAT IN TRIBUTE TO A HAPSBURG OFFICER. STRIKING BACK, THE OFFICER TRIED TO IMPUGN TELL'S REPUTATION AS AN EXPERT MARKSMAN BY FORCING HIM TO SHOOT AN APPLE OFF HIS OWN SON'S HEAD. FORTUNATELY, TELL SPLIT THE APPLE AND NOT THE BOY'S HEAD. OUR BOAT MAKES A STOP IN VITZNAU, A THOUSAND-YEAR-OLD TOWN HUGGING THE SHORE OF LAKE LUCERNE AND HOME TO A BIT OF RAIL HISTORY. 150 YEARS AGO, A SWISS ENGINEER NAMED NIKALAUS RIGGENBACH FORESAW THE POTENTIAL FOR SCENIC RAILWAYS ABOVE LAKE LUCERNE. SO HE PATENTED A SPECIAL COG-WHEEL SYSTEM THAT WOULD ALLOW TRAINS TO ASCEND STEEP INCLINES. A COG-WHEEL RAILWAY, ALSO KNOWN AS RACK AND PINION, USES TOOTHED WHEELS THAT INTERLOCK WITH RAILS THAT PULL THE CARS UP THE MOUNTAINSIDE. THE VITZNAU-RIGI LINE WAS THE FIRST COG-WHEEL RAILWAY IN EUROPE BUILT ON A MOUNTAIN AND ONLY THE SECOND IN THE WORLD AFTER ONE ON MOUNT WASHINGTON IN NEW HAMPSHIRE.

STEAM HORN BLOWING

BELLS RINGING

RAIL ADVENTURES

LUCERNE--THE NAME ALONE EVOKES A CERTAIN SENSE OF OLD-WORLD ELEGANCE. IT'S THE MOST POPULOUS CITY IN CENTRAL SWITZERLAND AND THE NEXUS OF TRANSPORTATION FOR THE REGION. A FEW HUNDRED YEARS AGO, WHEN IT WAS THE CUSTOM FOR WELL-TO-DO BRITISH TRAVELERS TO TAKE A GRAND TOUR OF EUROPE, LUCERNE BECAME ONE OF THE NEWLY DISCOVERED HOTSPOTS. WRITERS AND PAINTERS SUCH AS LORD BYRON, PERCY SHELLEY, AND JOSEPH TURNER RAVED ABOUT THE AREA'S NATURAL BEAUTY AND WHAT THEY DESCRIBED AS ITS SIMPLE AUTHENTICITY. LUCERNE SOON BECAME A MUST-SEE ON THE TOUR CIRCUIT. VISITORS AMBLE CHAPEL BRIDGE PAST THE TOWER THAT SURGES STAUNCHLY FROM THE WATERFRONT. THIS TIME-WORN WOODEN CROSSWAY WAS FIRST BUILT IN 1333 TO LINK THE OLD TOWN ON ONE SIDE OF THE RIVER TO THE NEWER TOWN ON THE OTHER. IT'S THE OLDEST TRUSS BRIDGE OF ITS KIND IN THE WORLD, THOUGH SADLY A FIRE RAGED HERE IN 1993, FORCING EXTENSIVE RENOVATIONS. TOURING A LIVELY CITY LIKE LUCERNE CAN REALLY WORK UP AN APPETITE. HEY, WHAT'S GOOD? SAUSAGE VENDORS, THE SWISS VERSION OF HOT-DOG STANDS, ARE ESPECIALLY POPULAR HERE IN THE GERMAN-SPEAKING PART OF THE COUNTRY. AH, MUSTARD. 6? >> 6 FRANCS. THANK YOU. >> DANKE. >> DANKE.

INDISTINCT

RAIL ADVENTURES

>> SEDUCTIVE ALPINE PEAKS THAT RING LAKE LUCERNE BECKON WITH WORLD-CLASS MOUNTAIN RAIL AND CABLE CAR RIDES. CARVING A CRAGGY SILHOUETTE AGAINST THE SKY, MOUNT PILATUS HAS ALWAYS BEEN A FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH. PERPLEXING ENGINEERS AND INSPIRING WILD LEGENDS, PILATUS MAKES A GREAT SIDE TRIP FROM LUCERNE. ANOTHER COG-WHEEL TRAIN, THIS ONE THE STEEPEST IN THE WORLD, SHOULDERS ADVENTUROUS SOULS UP THE SLOPES OF THIS NEARLY 7,000-FOOT SUMMIT. THE MOUNTAIN HAS SPAWNED MULTIPLE LEGENDS, INCLUDING ONE THAT CLAIMED IT WAS NAMED PILATUS BECAUSE IT WAS THE BURIAL SITE OF PONTIUS PILATE. IN FACT, UP UNTIL THE 1600's, LOCALS WERE FORBIDDEN TO CLIMB THE MOUNTAIN FOR FEAR THE OLD ROMAN'S RESTLESS GHOST WOULD RETALIATE FOR THE INTRUSION BY CONJURING THUNDERSTORMS. ANOTHER TRADITION HOLDS THAT DRAGONS ONCE ROAMED THE MOUNTAIN CAVES. IN 1619, ONE WITNESS WHO WAS CONSIDERED QUITE RELIABLE AT THE TIME, REPORTED THIS-- "AS I WAS CONTEMPLATING "THE SERENE SKY BY NIGHT, "I SAW A VERY BRIGHT DRAGON "WITH FLAPPING WINGS. "ITS HEAD WAS THAT OF A SERPENT "WITH TEETH, AND WHEN IT WAS "FLYING, SPARKS WERE COMING "OUT OF IT LIKE THE EMBERS "THROWN BY AN INCANDESCENT IRON "WHEN STRUCK BY SMITHS ON AN ANVIL." >>

SPEAKING GERMAN

RAIL ADVENTURES

>> THE ORIGINAL FUNICULAR THAT FERRIED RIDERS UP NEARBY MOUNT STANSERHORN WAS BUILT IN 1893. >> IT'S PULLING US UP. >> RIGHT. SO IT'S A TRUE FUNICULAR THING. RIGHT. A FUNICULAR IS A TYPE OF CABLE RAIL IN WHICH THE CAR THAT'S GOING UP IS COUNTERBALANCED BY THE ONE COMING DOWN. TODAY, THIS VINTAGE CAR IS JUST HALF THE FUN. A RIDE THAT PROPELS US BACK INTO THE 21st CENTURY IS THE CABRIO. IT'S THE WORLD'S FIRST CABLE CAR WITH A ROOFLESS UPPER DECK. THAT MEANS A HEAD-SPINNING 360-DEGREE PERSPECTIVE FOR RIDERS APPROACHING THE 6,200-FOOT CREST OF THE STANSERHORN, MORE THAN 4 TIMES THE HEIGHT OF THE EMPIRE STATE BUILDING. RELYING ON WHAT'S CONSIDERED THE LATEST IN CABLE CAR DESIGN, THE CABRIO SLIDES ALONG TWO SIDE-MOUNTED SUPPORT CABLES. IF THE RIDE ISN'T REWARD ENOUGH, A GRAVITY-DEFYING PLATFORM ON THE MOUNTAINTOP SUPPLIES FAR-FLUNG VIEWS REACHING MORE THAN 60 MILES OVER THE SWISS ALPS. A RAILWAY JOURNEY THROUGH SWITZERLAND WOULDN'T BE COMPLETE WITHOUT A TRIP TO THE TRANSPORTATION MUSEUM. THIS GREAT TRIBUTE TO TRANSPORT IS THE MOST-VISITED MUSEUM IN SWITZERLAND. THE SWISS ARE JUSTIFIABLY PROUD OF THEIR PHENOMENAL SUCCESS IN INTEGRATING HUMAN INVENTION INTO THE GLACIAL CONTOURS OF THEIR ALPINE HOMELAND. THE EARLIEST RAILWAYS, BUILT IN THE 19th CENTURY, WERE A REVOLUTION IN TRANSPORTATION THAT OPENED SWITZERLAND'S PREVIOUSLY INACCESSIBLE LANDSCAPES TO SCORES OF TRAVELERS. THE SWISS SOON FOUND THEMSELVES PLAYING HOST TO VISITORS FROM AROUND THE GLOBE. THIS COLLECTION OF MORE THAN 3,000 OBJECTS, INCLUDING COUNTLESS INTERACTIVE DISPLAYS AND SIMULATORS, IS EUROPE'S LARGEST EXHIBIT CELEBRATING MOBILITY AND TRANSPORTATION.

INDISTINCT P.A. ANNOUNCEMENTS

RAIL ADVENTURES

STOKED FOR MORE ADVENTURE? I'M LEAVING LUCERNE IN STYLE ON ANOTHER OF THE COUNTRY'S GREAT PANORAMIC RAILS, THE GOLDEN PASS. CUTTING A SWATH THROUGH CENTRAL SWITZERLAND, THE GOLDEN PASS TAKES ME FIRST TO THE BERNESE OBERLAND REGION AND THE RESORT HAVEN OF INTERLAKEN, THEN ON TO MONTREUX AND THE SHORES OF LAKE GENEVA. WHILE IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO PICK A FAVORITE FROM AMONG THE COUNTRY'S SCENIC RAILS, THIS ONE WOULD HAVE TO BE HIGH ON MY LIST. IT'S A SAMPLING OF SWISS RURAL LIFE WITH VIEWMASTER-LIKE MOMENTS CAPTURED IN TIME. SIT BACK AND ENJOY THE RIDE. THERE ARE SPANS OF FARMLAND SPECKED WITH ROAMING COWS, THEN A RUSH OF FOREST STREAKED BY FAST-FLOWING STREAMS. FINALLY, THE ASCENT TO THE DAUNTING BRUNIG PASS. SIR ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE WAS BOTH APPALLED AND INSPIRED BY THE PALPABLE DANGER OF THESE ALPINE HURDLES. IT WAS NEAR HERE, AT REICHENBACH FALLS, WHERE HE DECIDED TO KILL OFF HIS BELOVED CHARACTER SHERLOCK HOLMES. MOST SCENIC TRAINS OFFER FORMAL MULTI-COURSE DINING CARS LIKE THIS ONE, AS WELL AS MORE CASUAL OPTIONS. THERE'S SOMETHING SO STYLISH ABOUT DINING ON A TRAIN. I MEAN, WHAT COULD BE BETTER THAN A FINE MEAL SERVED AGAINST A BACKDROP OF SWISS COUNTRYSIDE? THE PASSING TABLEAUS ARE HYPNOTIC, LIKE SCENES FROM A MOVIE. MOVIEGOERS HAVE LONG HAD A PARTICULAR FASCINATION WITH TRAINS. LEGEND HOLDS THAT WHEN THE FRENCH FILMMAKERS THE LUMIERE BROTHERS PUT THE FIRST TRAIN ON FILM, THE AUDIENCE WAS SO OVERCOME BY THE IMAGE OF A LIFE-SIZE TRAIN COMING AT THEM THAT THEY SCREAMED AND RAN TO THE BACK OF THE AUDITORIUM. BUT MOVIES SET ON TRAINS CAUGHT ON. CLASSICS LIKE "MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS," "THE LADY VANISHES," AND "STRANGERS ON A TRAIN" PIQUED AUDIENCE IMAGINATIONS, AND TRAIN TRAVEL WAS FOREVER LINKED WITH MYSTERY, ROMANCE, AND INTRIGUE. >> THIS TRAIN CONTINUES TO INTERLAKEN EAST. >> ADVENTURE CAPITAL OF SWITZERLAND, INTERLAKEN IS A PLACE OF SUPERLATIVES. ON THE DOORSTEP OF THE HIGHEST MOUNTAINS IN EUROPE AND REIGNING OVER CRYSTAL-BLUE LAKES, INTERLAKEN IS A MAGNET FOR ADVENTURE SEEKERS FROM AROUND THE WORLD. ALONG WITH AN EMBARRASSMENT OF SCENIC RICHES, INTERLAKEN'S CENTRAL LOCATION MAKES IT THE IDEAL BASE POINT FOR EXPLORING NEARLY ANY CORNER OF SWITZERLAND. OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES ABOUND IN EVERY FLAVOR AND FITNESS LEVEL. IN WINTER, THERE'S SKIING, SNOWBOARDING, AND SLEDDING AGAINST A BACKDROP OF ICONIC MOUNTAINS. IN SUMMER, YOU'LL FIND EVERYTHING FROM HIKING TO SAILING, OR FOR THE MORE ADVENTUROUS, BUNGEE JUMPING, PARAGLIDING, AND HANG-GLIDING. AND THERE'S NO BETTER PLACE IN THE WORLD FOR IT. VIEWED FROM ABOVE, IT'S EASY TO SEE HOW INTERLAKEN, WHICH MEANS "BETWEEN TWO LAKES," GOT ITS NAME. LARGER LAKE THUN IS TO THE WEST, LAKE BRIENZ IS TO THE EAST, AND INTERLAKEN IS RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE. AND WITH THESE TWO HANDY AND INVITING LAKES, IT WOULD BE A CRIME NOT TO GET OUT ON THE WATER. >> LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, WELCOME ABOARD ON THE LOTSCHBERG, AND WE'RE HERE FOR THE JOURNEY. >> THE LOTSCHBERG, A CENTURY-OLD STEAMBOAT, PATROLS LAKE BRIENZ WITH AGED DIGNITY.

STEAM WHISTLE BLOWING

RAIL ADVENTURES

WHEN IT WAS BUILT IN 1914, THE SHIP WAS INTENDED PRIMARILY FOR TOURISM BUT ALSO CONTRIBUTED ITS FAIR SHARE OF LABOR, HAULING WORKERS AND MERCHANDISE FROM SHORE TO SHORE. TODAY, IT'S BEEN PAINSTAKINGLY RESTORED TO BRING BACK THE FEEL OF THOSE EARLY DAYS.

STEAM WHISTLE BLOWING

RAIL ADVENTURES

THE SHIP DOCKS IN THE VILLAGE OF BRIENZ, A PLACE THAT, TWO CENTURIES AGO, FOUND A CREATIVE WAY TO PUT ITSELF ON THE MAP. BACK THEN, VILLAGERS STRUGGLED TO SCRATCH OUT THE HUMBLEST OF LIVINGS, BUT WHEN WEALTHY TOURISTS BEGAN FLOCKING TO THE AREA FOR THE SCENERY, RESIDENTS FOUND THEY COULD SELL SOUVENIRS CARVED FROM LOCAL FOREST WOOD. A NEW INDUSTRY WAS BORN.

MUSIC BOX PLAYING

STEAM WHISTLE BLOWS

RAIL ADVENTURES

THE BRIENZ ROTHORN RAILWAY, BUILT IN 1892, IS SWITZERLAND'S OLDEST STEAM COG TRAIN. EVEN AFTER MOST SWISS TRAINS WERE ELECTRIFIED, THIS LITTLE ENGINE HUNG ON TO ITS OLD-SCHOOL WAYS. IT WAS THE CITY OF BERN THAT SPONSORED THIS RAIL PIONEER. BACK IN THE DAY, THE PEOPLE OF BERN SAW THE SUCCESS LUCERNE WAS HAVING BRINGING IN TOURISTS, AND THEY WANTED TO PULL SOME OF THAT ACTION FARTHER WEST. WITH ITS SPECTACULAR VISTAS OF THE BERNESE OBERLAND, THIS BECOME ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR DESTINATIONS FOR 19th-CENTURY TRAVELERS. ACROSS THE LAKE, SURROUNDED BY MASSIVE ROCK FACES, THE LAUTERBRUNNEN VALLEY IS ONE OF THE STEEPEST IN SWITZERLAND. THE DOZENS OF CASCADING WATERFALLS INSPIRED THE NAME LAUTERBRUNNEN, WHICH MEANS "MANY FOUNTAINS." ORIGINATING IN THE HIGH ALPS, THESE STREAMS SPOUT SO ABRUPTLY FROM THE ROCKY PRECIPICES THAT THEY OFTEN DISSOLVE INTO NEAR MIST BEFORE REACHING THE VALLEY FLOOR. MY NEXT STOP WOULD HAVE TO BE A HIGH POINT ON ANY TRAVELER'S LIST-- THE GREAT JUNGFRAU MOUNTAIN. >> LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, WELCOME ABOARD. THE JOURNEY TO KLEINE SCHEIDEGG WILL TAKE ABOUT 50 MINUTES. >> FROM LAUTERBRUNNEN, YOU CATCH A COG-WHEEL TRAIN TO THE STATION AT KLEINE SCHEIDEGG. FROM THERE, YOU BOARD THE JUNGFRAU RAILWAY, THE HIGHEST TRAIN IN EUROPE. >> TICKETS? >> THE TRAIN CLIMBS OVER 4,500 FEET AS IT CHUGS MORE THAN 6 MILES UP THE MOUNTAIN. MUCH OF THE RIDE IS THROUGH A TUNNEL BORED INTO SOLID ALPINE ROCK. COMPLETING THIS TUNNEL WAS NO SMALL TASK BACK AT THE TURN OF THE 20th CENTURY. HUNDREDS OF LABORERS WORKED ROUND THE CLOCK, AND SEVERAL MEN DIED ON THE JOB. IN ONE NOTORIOUS INCIDENT, 30 TONS OF DYNAMITE WENT OFF IN AN EXPLOSION THAT WAS HEARD ALL THE WAY TO GERMANY. ONCE AT THE TOP, ALL HARDSHIPS ARE FORGOTTEN, AS ONE OF THE MOST AMAZING VIEWS IN EUROPE OPENS OUT BEFORE YOU. THE ALETSCH GLACIER IS THE LARGEST IN THE ALPS AND A CRITICAL SOURCE OF WATER FOR EUROPEAN RIVERS AND THE PEOPLE OF THE CONTINENT. SADLY, LIKE OTHER SWISS GLACIERS, THE ALETSCH IS SHRINKING DUE TO GLOBAL WARMING. PAYING HOMAGE TO THE JUNGFRAU ALETSCH AREA AND ITS UNIQUE ECOSYSTEM, UNESCO RECOGNIZED IT AS THE FIRST WORLD NATURAL HERITAGE SITE IN THE ENTIRE ALPINE REGION. STIFLE YOUR FEAR OF HEIGHTS AND CLIMB THIS STEEP STAIRWAY FOR A UNIQUE VIEW AT THE GLACIER. ARE YOU GUYS READY? >> READY. >> OK. HERE I GO. >> THE JUNGFRAU ZIP LINE WILL HURL YOU AT BREATH-STEALING SPEED STRAIGHT OUT OVER THE MASSIVE RIVER OF ICE. >> OK. >> WHOO-HOO! >> THIS IS ONE FORM OF TRANSPORTATION THAT'S SURE TO GET YOUR HEART POUNDING AND GIVE YOU AN ENTIRELY NEW PERSPECTIVE ON LIFE. DEEP WITHIN THE HEART OF THE GLACIER, OTHERWORLDLY TUNNELS OF THE ICE PALACE OFFER A VENUE FOR A LOCAL ART FORM-- ICE SCULPTING. LIFELIKE ANIMALS GLOW IN BLUE STILLNESS. BACK IN LAUTERBRUNNEN, THE STAGE IS SET FOR MORE ADVENTURE, AS I BOARD THE AERIAL CABLEWAY THAT GLIDES 9,700 FEET UP THE MEGALITH KNOWN AS THE SCHILTHORN. THIS CABLE RIDE IS THE MOST TECHNICALLY CHALLENGING EVER BUILT. IT MOVES IN 4 STAGES. EACH PULLS RIDERS EVER HIGHER OVER PRECIPITOUS SLOPES THAT, IN THE WINTER, OFFER THE HIGHEST SKI RUNS IN THE REGION. AT THE TOP IS A PULSE-QUICKENING PANORAMA THAT STRETCHES AS FAR AS FRANCE, GERMANY, AND ITALY. IT'S EASY TO SEE WHY THE SCHILTHORN WAS CHOSEN AS THE SETTING FOR DRAMATIC SCENES IN THE CLASSIC JAMES BOND FILM "ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE." INSIDE THE VISITORS CENTER, A NEWLY UPDATED BOND EXHIBIT USES VIRTUAL AND INTERACTIVE TECHNOLOGY TO IMMERSE VISITORS INTO KEY PARTS OF THE MOVIE. THE HELICOPTER SIMULATOR LETS YOU TRY TO NAVIGATE A LANDING ON A HIGH MOUNTAIN RIDGE. OR YOU CAN DUCK AND WEAVE AS BOND DID, HURTLING DOWN ONE OF SWITZERLAND'S NOTORIOUSLY DANGEROUS BOBSLEIGH RUNS. THIS IS A BIT FASTER THAN THE SWISS TRAIN SYSTEM. NEARBY, THE FAMOUS REVOLVING RESTAURANT ENTERTAINS VISITORS WITH BOND-THEMED MENU OFFERINGS. THIS RESTAURANT, RELYING ON SOLAR-POWERED PLATFORMS, MAKES A 360-DEGREE ROTATION IN JUST UNDER AN HOUR. LEAVING INTERLAKEN, THE GOLDEN PASS DELIVERS ME TO MY NEXT DESTINATION, LAKE GENEVA AND THE CITY OF MONTREUX. HOME OF THE FAMED JAZZ FESTIVAL, MONTREUX CURVES GENTLY AROUND A RIPPLING WATERFRONT. HERE'S WHERE YOU GET A FEEL FOR FRENCH SWITZERLAND, IN THE ARCHITECTURE, THE STREET SIGNS, AND THE SIDEWALK CAFES. NEIGHBORHOOD BAKERIES SERVE UP A DECADENT ARRAY OF COOKIES, ROLLS, AND PASTRIES. BONJOUR. AH. THIS ALL LOOKS VERY GOOD. DO YOU SPEAK ENGLISH? >> YES, I DO. >> WHAT DO YOU RECOMMEND? >> I WOULD RECOMMEND CHOCOLATE CROISSANT. >> OOH, SOUNDS GOOD. OK. ONE OF THOSE, S'IL VOUS PLAIT. THE REGION'S MAIN RESORT AREA, MONTREUX MADE ITS MARK AS A HIP HIDEAWAY FOR ARTISTS, WRITERS, EXPATRIATES, AND MUSICIANS. IT BECAME A SECOND HOME TO FREDDIE MERCURY, WHO WROTE AND RECORDED HIS LAST SONGS HERE. THE CHATEAU CHILLON, MONTREUX'S MOST PROMINENT LANDMARK, WAS ONCE THE HEADQUARTERS OF FRENCH COUNTS, WHO CONTROLLED THE AREA IN THE MIDDLE AGES.

INDISTINCT VOICES

BELL TOLLING

RAIL ADVENTURES

LORD BYRON, MOVED BY THE LEGEND OF A YOUNG LOCAL IMPRISONED HERE, PENNED HIS FAMOUS POEM "THE PRISONER OF CHILLON." WHAT WOULD SWITZERLAND BE WITHOUT CHOCOLATE? AND WHAT'S BETTER THAN CHOCOLATE? A CHOCOLATE TRAIN. THE TRAIN THAT TRAVELS FROM MONTREUX TO THE TOWN OF GRUYERES ISN'T ACTUALLY MADE OF CHOCOLATE, BUT IT DOES TAKE YOU TO SOME PRETTY TASTY PLACES. THE ELEGANT FIRST-CLASS CARRIAGE, COMPLETE WITH FRESH CROISSANTS AND COFFEE, HARKENS BACK TO THE DAYS WHEN TRAVEL WAS A GRACIOUS, LEISURELY AFFAIR. THE VILLAGE OF GRUYERES SEEMS LIKE A PAGE TORN FROM THE MIDDLE AGES. COBBLED STREETS AND FLOWER BOXES FRAME A STORYBOOK SETTING. A POWERHOUSE OF A CASTLE PRESIDES OVER THE TOWN, BUILT 800 YEARS AGO BY A LOCAL COUNT OF GRUYERES, WHO HOPED TO DOMINATE THE VALLEY BELOW. BUT BENEATH THE SURFACE, GRUYERES IS ACTUALLY A COMPLEX, ECLECTIC MIX OF CULTURAL INFLUENCES.

CHANTING

RAIL ADVENTURES

THE CHRISTIAN CHAPEL OF SAINT JOSEPH HAS BEEN ADAPTED INTO THE TIBET MUSEUM, FEATURING A COLLECTION OF BUDDHIST ART FROM THE HIMALAYAS, A STUNNING BLEND OF EAST AND WEST.

CHANTING

RAIL ADVENTURES

THE TOWN'S ALSO GAINED AN INTERNATIONAL REPUTATION AS A MAGNET FOR CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS SUCH AS SURREALIST H.R. GIGER. BUT IT'S NO SURPRISE THAT THE REAL SPECIALTY HERE IS CHEESE. AT THE HOUSE OF GRUYERE, YOU CAN DELVE INTO THE INTRICACIES OF GOURMET CHEESE MAKING... AND WATCH AS ENORMOUS KETTLES HOLDING THOUSANDS OF GALLONS OF MILK ARE EVENTUALLY TRANSFORMED INTO ENDLESS RACKS OF CHEESE WHEELS. SO, GUILLAUME, WE'VE COME TO THE BIRTHPLACE, THE HOME OF TRUE GRUYERE CHEESE. TELL US WHAT MAKES GRUYERE SO SPECIAL. >> SO THE GRUYERE IS A VERY OLD TRADITION HERE IN THE REGION. THE CHEESE MAKING IS A VERY OLD TRADITION. WE MAKE IT SINCE... A VERY LONG TIME, SO MORE THAN 1,000 YEARS AGO. BUT THE NAME GRUYERE COME... WE HAVE THE GRUYERE NAME SINCE THE 17th CENTURY. >> GUILLAUME SAYS IT'S THE HEALTHY LIFESTYLE OF THEIR COWS FEASTING ON FRESH GRASS AND MOUNTAIN FLOWERS THAT'S THE SECRET TO THEIR TRADEMARK CHEESE. >> OUR COWS ARE REALLY, LIKE, CARED. THEY ARE ALL THE TIME OUTSIDE. AND MOST OF THE SUMMER, THEY ARE FEEDED IN THE MOUNTAINS SO THEY...THEY ALMOST ONLY EAT THE NATURAL GRASS. SO THEY'RE NOT FED WITH OTHER...OTHER INGREDIENTS. AND THAT MAKES SOMETHING VERY IMPORTANT, BECAUSE WE GET THE VERY GOOD MILK QUALITY WITH THIS PROCESS OF MILKING. >> SO GRUYERE IS AGED IN DIFFERENT WAYS. SO THERE'S A YOUNG CHEESE, LIKE A 6-MONTH HERE. THIS IS AN 8-MONTH CHEESE, AND THIS IS A 10-MONTH CHEESE. AND THE FLAVORS GET MORE COMPLEX AS THEY AGE. SO THE 6-MONTH CHEESE IS A BIT MILDER. MMM... YOU CAN TASTE ALL THAT GRASS AND THOSE FLOWERS. AND THEN THE 8-MONTH... HAS A SLIGHTLY DEEPER, CREAMIER TEXTURE. AND THE 10-MONTH GETS A LITTLE BIT... IT'S A LITTLE BIT DRIER. AND A VERY DEEP... MORE COMPLEX FLAVOR. EXCELLENT CHEESE. I'M GONNA KEEP THIS FOR MYSELF. THANK YOU. THE BEST WAY TO WARM UP ON A RAINY AFTERNOON IS WITH A LUNCH OF AUTHENTIC FONDUE. THIS SWISS TRADITION, WHICH INVOLVES DIPPING BREAD INTO A COMMUNAL POT OF SIMMERING CHEESE AND WINE, COMES FROM THE FRENCH WORD FOR "MELT" AND HAS BEEN A FAVORITE INDULGENCE HERE FOR AT LEAST 300 YEARS. MMM. IT'S ONE OF THE HAZARDS OF EATING FONDUE. EXCELLENT. NEXT STOP ON THE CULINARY TRAIN TRIP IS BROC, HOME TO THE CAILLER NESTLE CHOCOLATE FACTORY. ENTICING AROMAS DRIFT FROM THE DEPTHS OF THE FACTORY, A GREAT TEMPLE TO THE COCOA BEAN. HERE YOU LEARN HOW SIMPLE INGREDIENTS ARE REFINED BY EXPERT CHOCOLATIERS AND SHAPED INTO THE SWEET DELICACIES MOST OF US CAN'T RESIST. THE SWISS HAVE ALWAYS PRIDED THEMSELVES ON THE QUALITY OF THEIR CHOCOLATE, AND THE TASTING ROOM HERE IS LIKE A CHILDHOOD DREAM COME TRUE. BACK IN MONTREUX, A COG-WHEEL TRAIN DEPARTS FOR THE HOUR-LONG TRIP TO AN IMPOSING ROCKY OUTLOOK CALLED ROCHE-DES-NAYES. IT CHARGES UP THE STEEP SLOPES, CROSSING A GAUNTLET OF ALPINE WOODLAND AND JAGGED CLIFFS. WE'RE AFFORDED SWEEPING VIEWS OF LAKE GENEVA AND A SPLENDID PANORAMA OF THE ALPS. FOR THE FINAL LEG OF MY JOURNEY, I CHANGE TRAINS IN THE TOWN OF VISP TO REJOIN THE GLACIER EXPRESS. FROM HERE, I TRAVEL TO ZERMATT AND ON TO THE MATTERHORN. THE GLACIER EXPRESS STARTED OUT AS A SUMMER-ONLY TRAIN BUT GREW SO POPULAR IT BEGAN OPERATING YEAR-ROUND. IF YOU WERE TO TAKE THE ENTIRE TRIP FROM ST. MORITZ TO ZERMATT, IT WOULD TAKE ABOUT 7 1/2 HOURS, NAVIGATING DOZENS OF TUNNELS, HUNDREDS OF BRIDGES, AND SOME OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL LANDSCAPE IN EUROPE. >> YOUR GLACIER EXPRESS TEAM WISHES YOU AN UNFORGETTABLE AND EVENTFUL JOURNEY.

BELLS TOLLING

RAIL ADVENTURES

THE TOWN OF ZERMATT WENT FROM OBSCURE MOUNTAIN VILLAGE TO PRIME TOURIST BASE CAMP WHEN THE MATTERHORN WAS DISCOVERED BY SIGHTSEERS A CENTURY AND A HALF AGO. IT'S WELCOMING AND WALKER-FRIENDLY SINCE, LIKE A NUMBER OF SWISS TOWNS, IT'S CAR-FREE. LEAVING ZERMATT, THE GORNERGRAT RAILWAY IS AN ASCENT INTO THE STRATOSPHERE. AFTER THE JUNGFRAU, THIS IS THE SECOND-HIGHEST RAILWAY IN EUROPE AND THE HIGHEST THAT'S OPEN-AIR. WORK STARTED ON THIS COG-WHEEL RAIL BACK IN 1896 AND TOOK JUST TWO YEARS TO COMPLETE. AS THE CARS SCALE THE STONY INCLINE, CIVILIZATION SEEMS TO DROP AWAY, AND YOU GET CLOSER AND CLOSER TO THAT ICON OF THE ALPS, THE MATTERHORN. PINNACLE AMONG PINNACLES, THE MATTERHORN STANDS LIKE A SPECTER AGAINST THE SKY. A MILLION YEARS AGO, THIS WAS A ROUNDED MOUNTAIN, SCULPTED SLOWLY BY GLACIAL EROSION TO ITS DISTINCTIVE PYRAMID SHAPE. ONE OF THE DEADLIEST PEAKS IN THE RANGE, THIS WAS THE LAST MAJOR ALP TO BE SUMMITED BY CLIMBERS. THE FIRST ASCENT ENDED IN TRAGEDY, WHEN 4 MEMBERS OF THE PARTY FELL TO THEIR DEATHS COMING DOWN. TODAY, THE 4 SHEER FACES OF MOUNTAIN CONTINUE TO TAUNT AND TEMPT CLIMBERS AND BEDAZZLE ALL WHO STAND BELOW. IF TRAINS COULD TALK, WHAT STORIES WOULD THEY TELL? HERE IN SWITZERLAND, THEY'D HAVE NO SHORTAGE OF NARRATIVES. THEY'D SPIN TALES OF HISTORIC FIGURES BATTLING FOR DEMOCRACY AND CLEVER ENGINEERS CONSTRUCTING WORLD-CLASS RAIL SYSTEMS. THEY'D TELL OF GLACIERS THAT MOVE MOUNTAINS AND MOUNTAINS THAT MOVE SPECTATORS WITH EMOTION, OF LUMINOUS LAKES... AND HUSHED ALPINE FIELDS, AND THEY'D TELL STORIES OF FRIENDLY LOCALS WHO WELCOME STRANGERS INTO THEIR WAY OF LIFE. DIDN'T A WISE PERSON ONCE SAY THAT LIFE SHOULD BE ABOUT THE JOURNEY? WELL, MAYBE THAT'S WHAT MAKES TRAIN TRAVEL SO SATISFYING. THERE'S NOTHING LIKE A TRAIN TRIP THROUGH AN ASTONISHING COUNTRY LIKE SWITZERLAND TO IMMERSE YOU IN NEW EXPERIENCES, TO GIVE YOU TIME TO PONDER THE LARGER WORLD AROUND YOU, AND ULTIMATELY, TO SAVOR THE RIDE. I'M JEFF WILSON. THANKS FOR JOINING ME. >> ADDITIONAL "REAL RAIL ADVENTURES" INFORMATION, CLIPS, AND LINKS ARE ONLINE AT RealRailTV.com. "REAL SWITZERLAND" DVD's ARE $24.95 EACH PLUS SHIPPING. DVD's INCLUDE THE FULL PROGRAM PLUS EXTRAS AND BONUS CLIPS. TO ORDER "REAL SWITZERLAND" DVD's, PLEASE CALL 800-866-7425, OR YOU MAY PURCHASE ONLINE AT REALRAILTV.COM.