Switzerland!

As I think about inspiration and what it means to live a creative life, I am aware that my soapbox preaching may have surpassed my own everyday existence. A notorious workaholic, I have often sacrificed personal time in the name of education, work or other obligations. One of the key places that this has been most evident is with personal travel. Although always eager to go, I just never seem to get there.

The location that I have been the most interested in visiting for the past few years is Switzerland. I read an article in early 2000 about the woodworking village of Brienz, right off Lake Lucerne. As a place of sculptures, cuckoo clocks, figurines and other amazing creations, I was instantly enraptured. Combine this with the the natural beauty of the landscape, the friendly culture and the small, dainty size of the country itself and Switzerland has piqued my interest since day one.

I am happy to report that in July of this year, I fulfilled this long, overdue dream. I finally did it - I traveled to Switzerland for two weeks - from Geneva to Lausanne to Bern to Brienz to Luzern to Zurich and back again. It was everything that I had hoped and dreamed and I am thrilled to share a few locations that inspired me the most.

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The Hotel Giessbach in Brienz, Switzerland

Brienz was, without a doubt, the most beautiful place I have ever been. A small village nestled on the shore of Lake Lucerne, the train ride alone was worth the trouble. Over hills, through valleys, and only a short trip away from Bern, Brienz has all the small town elements that one would imagine in a typical Swiss village. Beautiful vistas, small side streets with ornate homes, flower pots, rolling hills of green - there are just no words.

What really made this location special was the Grandhotel Giessbach. Although I was hesitant to book lodgings that were outside of the town center, it ended up being well worth the effort. Across Lake Lucerne by paddleboat and up the hill by funicular, the structure itself is a fairytale castle. The grounds are surrounded by hiking paths that move up around and behind the Giessbach Falls. Guests can also find a natural swimming pool, a garden and an all encompassing view of the lake. The lodgings have plush beds, waterfall or forest views and rich wood furniture with seating areas spread throughout the hotel. Combine this with three restaurants that offer a breakfast buffet, a prefix menu for both vegetarians and carnivores and a’la carte offerings and it is a dream come true.

Grandhotel Giessbach, Brienz, Switzerland.

The St. Gallen Monastery

One of the last stops on my trip was Zürich, and although I was eager to dig into that city, I decided to take a day trip to the town of St. Gallen. I head read about the bibliothéque located in the monastery there and decided it might be worth the effort. I am happy to confirm, this was one of the best days on the trip.

St. Gallen itself is a lovely town. Like other locations in Switzerland, it has this amazing blend of the old town sprinkled with contemporary accents. Cobblestone streets and ornate painted buildings make St. Gallen a sight to behold, but the sidewalk cafes and small shops add that metropolitan feel. What really makes St. Gallen stand though is the Abbey of Saint Gall. The monastery, founded in 719, is a compound full of ornate treasures and breathtaking spaces - two of which must be mentioned.

The first is the church located at the left corner of the Abbey. When entering the building, the world around you becomes instantly silent. The cavernous room, with ornate frescoes, handcrafted sculptures and detailed woodwork is an immense place that feels incredibly private. Like most churches of the time, there is a large pipe organ at the back, and at the front, a deep, vast chancel of marble and gold for services to be held. Although not religious by nature, the church at the Abbey of Saint Gall is one where I could not help but reflect, contemplate and appreciate what believing in something other than yourself can build.

Church of the Abbey of Saint Gall, St. Gallen, Switzerland.

The second stop in this excursion was the famous bibliothéque of Saint Gall. With a repository of over 170,000 works (including manuscripts, hand-printed ephemera, prints and books), this library makes up one of the greatest repositories of the written word that has been collected over time. Add to this the fact that the library itself is a riveting space of warm wood, wall-to-wall books, ceiling frescoes and ornate craftsmanship and it is a space that is unlike any other. For visitors, there are also rotating exhibits in vitrine cases where one can view books rarely accessible to anyone other than archivists, scholars and librarians. The bibliothéque, for me, was a place of wonder, learning and beauty. And the Abbey of Saint Gall was one of the locations that has remained with me long after leaving Switzerland.

Baroque Hall of the Bibliothéque of Saint Gall, St. Gallen, Switzerland. Source information here. Distributed under the Attribution Generic Disclosure Alike - 3.0 license.

Lausanne, Switzerland

Lausanne was a city that surprised me. When I originally planned the trip, I was contemplating only passing through (for more time in Bern), but I found this city to be one of my favorite stops while traveling. Located right off Lake Geneva, Lausanne is surrounded by rolling green hills and blue water. The city itself travels up a hill, through winding streets and beautiful homes, starting at the lake and moving upward into Old Town.

The city, being the home of the University of Lausanne, has a fresh, young feel. There are restaurants and bars spread throughout and amazing food to be had at establishments like the Bleu Lézard, and for vegetarians, Bad Hunter, located near the bars that hide under the bridges. There are small, quaint shops focused on design and the arts while the endless winding roads give plenty of space to explore and see all that Lausanne has to offer.

One of the best stops by far was MUDAC (the Museum of Contemporary Design and Applied Arts). Although visiting museums and galleries is always high on my list, I almost passed by this one. Chalk it up to limited time in the city, but since I was strolling by the museum on my way elsewhere, I decided to make the stop. The exhibition, Mirror, Mirror, was up and it was amazing. Divided into eight rooms, the artwork was laid out extremely well and covered such topics such as personal myths, the concept of individual fame, self-reflection and others. With this exhibit I learned, believe it or not, that I like Shia LaBeouf’s early visual work. I saw my first Richard Prince work that was appropriated from Instagram (which as a copyright nerd, sent me over the moon). And Wooden Mirror by Daniel Rozin with panels that reacted in real time to the light and shadow of the viewer’s movements was stunning. And that is just the tip of the iceberg.

I left this exhibition feeling inspired - wanting to create, wanting to comment on the world I live in and do so much more. If an exhibition can do that to a viewer, it is a success.

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Although there is so much more to say about Switzerland and I may revisit the memories on another day, these were really the best of the best. What is my goal now? Simple - decide where to go next...