Myths and Legends of Switzerland

Switzerland is a country known for its mountains and lakes. The magnificent Alpine range of mountains crosses thru this country and over 100 lakes are nestled in this land. The numerous mountains and lakes are replete with folklore on tails of the unseen and the mystery that these natural wonders hold.

Lake Dwellers

One of the famous lakes in Switzerland is Lake Zurich  situated in the city of Zurich itself.  The legend has that Zurich which is now considered one of the world's  most expensive, urban and high on happiness index cities was first home to people known as 'lake dwellers'. These people started  settling in Zurich around 4300 BC and built wooden houses which rested above the water level on wooden poles. Many artifacts confirming the existence of these people have been found from Lake Zurich and preserved in Meuseums. 

1. Witch Craft

In Europe,  right from the classical era  (8-5BC) to the Medieval era (5-BC to 15 AD ) it was widely believed that witches existed. Anyone believed to be practicing witchcraft was persecuted with punishment as severe as execution of not just the women considered to be a witch but also of her rest of the family.

Witch-phobia and prosecutions for the crime of witchcraft reached a highpoint from 1580 to 1620 when an estimated 50,000 persons were burned at the stake or hanged of which roughly 80% were women, and most often over the age of 40. 

One such women was Michée Chauderon. She died  in 1652  and Swas the last person to be executed for sorcery in the city of Geneva.

She worked as a washerwoman and was accused of theft by her employer leading to an argument. The employer then reported her for having summoned a demon into the body of their daughter. Chauderon was arrested and interrogated. The so-called devil's mark was found on her body, and she was tortured. While undergoing the torture tecnique of strappado wherein the victim's hands are tied behind his or her back and suspended by a rope attached to the wrists, typically resulting in dislocated shoulders the she admitted that one day, she had met  the devil n her garden in the shape of a black man with the feet of a cow and he had promised her wealth if she denounced God, which she had done. She was then judged guilty of sorcery and sentenced to be hanged and burned.

The last person to be executed for practicing witchcraft in Switzerland was to be  Anna Goldi in 1782. Anna was 31 when she gave birth but her baby died the first night it was born She was pilloried which is a form of torture in which  the head and hand of a person are secured in holes of a device made of a wooden or metal framework erected on a postand. Following this she was sentenced to six years of house arrest.She  subsequently escaped and started working as a maid.

Göldi began working as a maid for the Tschudi family in 1780. Her employer reported her for having put needles in the bread and milk of one of his daughters, apparently through supernatural means.  Göldi was arrested and, under Torture admitted to entering in a pact with the Devil who had appeared to her as a black dog. She withdrew her confession after the torture ended, but was sentenced to execution by decapitation . 

Dragons of the Alps

The people of the villages rounder the Alps widely believed that Dragons lived in the alps. These were either serpents with a cat face or huge lizards with multiple tails. The people believed that whenever a dragon was spotted in the Alps, a storm followed.

Creatures of the lakes

It is widely believed that beneath the great lakes lie mystical creatures . These powerful beings can create havoc if disturbed.

Spain Sojourn -Part 1 :Madrid

September may not be the perfect month to be in most of Europe as summers are near about ending but in southern Spain the weather in this month is just perfect. I planned a trip to the Spanish cities of Madrid, Toledo, Cordoba , Seville, Granada and Barcelona  in September of 2018. The plan was to land in Madrid and then drive by road first to Toledo, then Cordoba, Seville , Granada and Barcelona in the same sequence and cover all these places in 2 weeks.

Mesmerised by MADRID

I flew in the Emirates Airbus to Spain via Dubai from Delhi. With ample amount of time during the halt at Dubai, I could scan the huge Dubai airport and all the shopping options that it had offer at a leisurely pace. Of course the edge Dubai airport has over other airports is not only it's world class amenities but also the innumerable gold shops selling best quailty gold ornaments, coins at a reasonable price. Additionally,  you can pick up  high quality electronics , gadgets and dry fruits on the go from here!

On landing in Madrid, I drove straight to my hotel  Hotel Courtyard Madrid which is very centrally located in the city. The biggest indigenous store of Spain ‘Corte ingles’ was right next to the hotel. In addition the metro station was at a walking distance from the store. The whole city of Madrid is very well connected by metro and I chose this mode of travel to explore the city.

The first place I decided to explore in Madrid was its business epicentre , the ‘ Gran Via’ which basically means the Great Road. This road runs right thru the heart of the city and is lined by upscale stores on either side. All big brands stores and eating joints were available on this road. This is an excellent place to pick up leather items, trendy clothes and home decor items. I was lucky because a number of stores were offering big sales during the time I visited. One shop that you don’t want to miss is Alihop. This store sells quirky stationary and daily use items and is a great place to pick up gifts for friends and family back home.

Next I decided to explore the creative site of the city. To do that I took the metro from Gran Via  to Calle de Alcazar where the 2 of the most popular meuseums exist very close by. The one I visited first was Reina Sofia which displays the Spanish artwork of the 20th century and displays artwork of famous artists such as Picasso. This building had 3 floors full of artwork. A portion of the meuseum is for free viewing by the visitors while the other portion can only be seen  after buying a entry pass. It was indeed a treat to see the beautiful artwork although as photography was not allowed in some portions,  memories could only be kept in the mind and not be captured in the camera. Another  meuseum worth visiting is the Museo del Prado.

After visiting both these places in the day , I headed to the another famous square called Plaza de Espana .This vibrant market place has innumerable eating joints ,shops and night clubs. Even at mid night the place teeming with locals and tourists. After tasting nick knacks from various outlets, I headed to the famous night club called Joy Elsava in the Plaza. The club opens up at Midnight and party continues till wee hours in the morning. The whole experience of being at this club,one of the first clubs to open in madrid, was indeed worthwhile.  I danced to a number of Spanish numbers in a dance floor loaded with people enjoying every bit of the nightlife at the club.

The nightclub was inaugurated the night February 24, 1981, the day of the "Golpe de Espado" in Spain. Soon this became one of the venues referenced in the capital of Spain, incorporating a new concept unknown in the country: macro-disco.. 

The next day, I decided to take a tour of the city to see the major tourist attractions around the city. The tour started with a visit to Madrid Palace. The beautiful place is the largest palace in Europe and is located at a hilltop with a view of the rest of city down below. The plush interiors of the palace and tastefully doneup rooms were a pleasure to see. Various architecture forms ranging from Gothic to Rococo were included in the palace architecture.

After leulisurely spending the morning at the palace I then moved to see the famous Madrid Bull ring. This Bull Ring, called Plaza de toros de Las Ventas opened in June 1931. Bull fights are still actively held in the Bull ring although killing the bull is prohibited following protests by animal activists. In various parts around Spain Bull breeding is an active occupation as the sport is very actively followed and encouraged. The magnificent Bull ring has a seating capacity of more than 20,000 people , a circular arena.


Next stop was made to the Madrid Football Stadium. The stadium is the official stadium of  the world renouned Real Madrid Football club. It is the mecca of football fans.

Another beautiful place we visited in Madrid was the temple of Debod. It is a temple gifted by the Greek to Madrid. 

Any trip to Madrid is incomplete without seeing the museums which have centuries of  beautiful artwork in them. The world renouned museums I saw in Madrid was Reina Sofia and Prado Meuseum .

A quick video on the 5 of my favourite places to visit in Madrid! 

Toledo, Spain Sojourn: Part 2

Nestled a bit on the outskirts of the humongous Madrid city is the small town of Toledo. The town maybe small but historically it's significance is massive. It was at one point the capital of whole of Spain i.e. ,  between 542 to 725 AD ,Toledo was the capital of Spain when the Visigothic kingdom  was ruling. The small township has been declared a Unesco world heritage site since the 1980's. It is known as the city of 3 cultures as it has been influenced by Christians,  Jews and Muslims. Toledo is built on the Tagus river and even as of today the anchient buildings remain intact , standing tall as a reminder of the years of history that influenced this town.

 The Toledo township from a distance.

The main attractions of the Town are the Alcazar and the cathedral