Swiss cheese for thought

Swiss cheese for thought, our amis were coming a-clinking back up to Edinburgh, so better set the cow bell alarm.

Particularly as they had invited us out to the movies at The Scotsman Picture House on North Bridge/Fleshmarket Close.

Very different from the sounds and smells of the old Scotsman newspaper building where I toiled in its dungeon.

All to bring the nation its best sport… and apologies that I was never able to get Scotland’s national teams over the line.

The Scotsman Picturehouse is the 48-seated cinema club of the greater now-repurposed Scotsman Hotel, one of Edinburgh’s jewels.

Where the full grandeur of the Alps was on show.

Brought to us through Edinburgh Fringe favourites Jamie MacDonald and Julia Sutherland’s travelogue.

A feast for the senses

Jamie’s take on the Alps is timely because as a blind man his senses of smells and tastes are heightened.

Much like Chris McCausland (another blind comedian) and his highly-anticipated Channel Four series The Wonders of the World I Can’t See.

Of course, as a sighted person, my challenges are as nothing compared to what blind people find.

But the good news is that Switzerland makes it easy for us all with its unmatched transport system and its Swiss Travel Pass.

Switzerland are rightly proud of their Grand Tour.

With the new GoldenPass Express from Interlaken to Montreaux seeing in its first summer season after its launch in December.

And the Gornergrat Railway in Zermatt celebrating its 125th year.

While other milestones for this year are the completion of the Matterhorn Alpine Crossing.

And the 150th anniversaries of the Burgenstock Resort on Lake Lucerne and the Lake Geneva steamboat company.

Direction of travel

And, of course, I’ve road-tested it and can therefore give it the Bandanaman gold standard.

• Unlimited travel on premium panorama trains.
• Unlimited use of public transport in more than 90 towns & cities
• Free admission to more than 500 museumsLink opens in new window.
• Mountain excursions included: Rigi, Stanserhorn and Stoos
• Up to 50% discount on many other mountain excursions
• Up to 30% discount on SBB RailAway offersLink opens in new window.. Available at all ticket counters within Switzerland

Wholly cow

Of course, before trains, planes and automobiles, the Swiss had simpler ways to get around their mountains and valleys.

And I know too first hand from following in the footsteps of septuagenarian superstar Brigitte that climbing every mountain is nothing to the Swiss.

Or their cows.

Now we could speak about Switzerland until the cows come home.

And so could the Swiss about the spectacle that is the cows coming home.

With the Lake Lucerne region the centre point for the spectacle that is the garlanded cows coming down the slopes in the autumn.

All Swiss cheese for thought for a visit back out to Switzerland.

And just for good measure I bade mes Suisse amis adieu and spilt some cream from my coffee on the floor.

It’s a Swiss thing to bring you good luck but you’d have to have visited Switzerland to know that… so what’s keeping tou?