ECO-FRIENDLY TRAVEL, PART 5
We’d arrived in Zurich by train, from Milan, & that’s how we got around Switzerland for the next week. That & ferries, cable cars, cog railways & bus. Switzerland is really a public transport lover’s paradise. The country’s system is fast & reliable - & expensive. It also can take you to many of the places that you want to go. It took us from Zurich, to Lucerne & Mt Pilatus, a magical journey. From there we went to Geneva, via Berne. The density of these cities & the fact that the main railway station is in the center of it help.
Every Swiss hotel gives its guests a free city transport pass. Unfortunately I didn’t realize until half way through the trip that Aiyana, as an 8 year old, gets free annual transport with a Junior Travelcard for 30CHF (which would have easily saved me $100). Still, I’m not bitter...
I believe in travel as a vital way to meet people from other cultures & experience those cultures. I think it’s amazing when we see stuff that we’ve never seen before - like the beauty of Switzerland. However the costs of our lifestyle as human beings was obvious. It’s a cost that our planet is paying & you could see it from Mt Pilatus. From the roof of the world I could see the pollution - a fine greyish/black haze - hanging above the beautiful valleys. & the heat. It was over 100F in parts of Switzerland, when it’s never been that hot before.
Many people are disappointed with the US stance on the Climate Crisis, with extremely good reason. But Germany’s dirty little secret is that over 40% of its electricity comes from coal. Brown coal - the worst kind. I’m sure this pollution finds its way to Switzerland. This is a problem without borders.
However - getting back to the travel part - I was able to achieve an important ambition when visiting Charles Chaplin’s house. The last one he lived in, for twenty years. It’s now a fantastic museum, with a few surprises worthy of the great master.
By Damien Blackshaw
Damien is the owner of The Real Los Angeles Tours and is on twitter: @damienblackshaw
