1936 On the Continent

Berne, where can be found examples of the finest modern architecture as well as buildings of great antiquity. But one can go on enumerating the charms of Switzerland for ever without exhausting their variety.
All the Year Round
    The great advantage Switzerland has over most other countries is that her appeal is equally great all the year round. In spring the alpine meadows are masses of flowers, and for those who adventure higher there is laid open a wonderland of alpine flora unique to Switzerland. In summer the weather is ideal, and in most of the resorts there is fine bathing and facilities for most modern sports and excursions, both on foot and on the exceedingly fine mountain railways. Autumn is the time of the grape harvest, and in some parts of Switzerland there are vintage festivals which are very interesting. Finally, in the winter, the whole aspect of the country is changed and the incredible colours of the summer scene are toned down by a mantle of snow which yet, in itself, contains all those colours, and the sun catching the minute crystals can draw forth a magnificent blaze of colour. Small mountainvillages which in summer are deserted, even the local villagers going into the mountains with the cattle, become busy winter sports centres, full of a jostling crowd of merry holiday-makers.
    This, then, is the reason for Switzerland’s popularity as a tourist centre: that it does not matter at which time of the year one goes: that one can choose high or low altitudes according to one’s preference: that one can stay in a fashionable, cosmopolitan resort which offers every luxury, or in quieter towns and villages more truly representative of the country. The choice of the venue of his holiday must depend on the individual taste of each holiday-maker, but sufficient information is given in this article to enable him to arrive at a decision.
    The mass of the Jura mountains runs from the north to the west of Switzerland, roughly parallel with the range of the Alps, in which are the highest mountains in Europe. Between these two ranges lies a green plain in which are all the important towns of the country and which is fringed by the great lakes. On the south side of the Alps is the Canton Ticino which borders on the Lombard plain and is distinctly Italian in character.
Languages
    The principal languages spoken in Switzerland are French in the cantons of Vaud, Neuchâtel, Geneva, Fribourg and Valais; Italian, which is spoken only in the Ticino; and German, which is spoken in all the other cantons and is the principal language of the country. Besides these three principal tongues there is the dialect of Ladin, spoken by the peasants in the Engadine and which is said to go back to Ligurian. In the Grisons, the local dialect is Romansch, which is derived from early Latin, whilst the dialect spoken in German Switzerland is derived from the original roots of German with an admixture of Latin, and is far removed from modern high German. The English traveller need not be deterred from visiting Switzerland, even if he knows no language other than his own, as in every hotel of any standing the staff speak English. For the traveller wishing to get off the beaten track, a knowledge of either French or German is desirable, according to the district visited.
Cost
    The question of expense is a vital one when planning a holiday, and Switzerland has, unfortunately, gained the reputation of being an expensive country to visit. When, however, the tourist traffic, which is one of the principal industries of the country, fell off as a result of the high prices, it was realised that something must be done to recapture this very valuable “import.” The result is that it is now possible to visit Switzerland at a cost ranging from less than £1 per day (including rail fare), and some tourist companies are offering most attractive “individual tours,” which include season tickets on the lake steamers and mountain railways and, in fact, allow you to pay for the whole cost of your holiday, including such things as visits to lidos and kursaals, before leaving England. For the novice who does not know his way about, this method of travel is by far the most economical and most practical, whilst the experienced traveller can travel far afield by a judicious combination of the trips on the mountain railways and excursions from the various terminal points. Those fortunate people who have several weeks at their disposal can, by combining