juliosswisslitblog

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Reflections on a Year of Reading Swiss Literature

It is a dream of mine to travel to Switzerland, but I still have a long way to go until I reach such a dream. For now, I can content myself with traveling in Switzerland through books. In the book “Slow Train to Switzerland” by Diccon Bewes, we get to experience a little bit of the country through his writing. Geographically speaking, the book is very descriptive. He visited Mount Blanc, one of the highest mountains in Europe, and the Mer de Glace, a glacier that has been slowly defrosting over time, and he also visited the Alps, the most extensive chains of mountains in Europe.The country is also filled with lakes and beautiful scenery; you can enter Switzerland from any direction, and you are still going to be blessed with a spectacular view. I already had background knowledge about Switzerland's geography, as I planned on traveling there, but it was really interesting to see how much the country had changed from the time the book was written until now.

Switzerland has always been a country with a rich history; it is located at the heart of Europe after all, and Bewes did not disappoint when it came to teaching us of whatever part of the country he was traveling. For example, Kandersteg, a small village, had a population of only 455, but due to a new tunnel that was built, the population literally exploded to 3554 only ten years later (Swiss people also love celebrating newly built tunnels). Diccon also explains the birth of some holidays, like the one in St. Moritz, where some British guests were dared to see if they would enjoy St. Moritz in the winter all well, and if they didn't, they would get a refund of their whole travel. They did enjoy it, and in fact, they came back for more, which began the annual winter British Invasion of the Alps.

The different cultures between countries is what makes traveling so thrilling; it is like visiting a new small “planet” per se, and Switzerland is no different. Patients in the municipality of Leukerbad would sit up to 10 hours a day in Leukerbad’s hot baths to cure diseases and infirmities, and more surprisingly (or not), they did get better. Holidays in Switzerland are treated as Sundays, which are treasured as a day of rest—not really praying and going to church but more spending time with family and friends and resting. Shops are also all closed on Sundays, and most of them don’t open until 9 a.m. Swiss people really value their own time, and they have a great work-life balance compared to the rest of the countries in Europe.

Time is a weird concept; it was a way for humans to try and fit something unseen into something more manageable. It is undeniable that time is important; it uttermostly brings order, and order is the law of nature. The book Einstein's Dreams plays a lot with the concept of time and how it is important to life itself. Without time, human life would make no sense. Imagine having to live forever; there would be no reason to learn another language, to try hard at school, or to find someone you love because ultimately you would have infinity time, so it could always be done later. But since our time on this planet is counted, we always try to make the most that we can before we eventually die.

I had two major takeaways from reading Slow Train to Switzerland and Einstein’s Dreams. First, I really want to travel to Switzerland even more now. I am going to make whatever arrangements I can in the future to go there, even if I am on my deathbed. Secondly, it is to let it go; I do not have to keep it holding in my heart for longer than it needs. “Each person who gets stuck in time gets stuck alone (Einstein’s Dreams, Alan Lightman). This quote can be interpreted in various ways, but for me, it is to not let things hold you back longer than they need to, or you are going to end up stuck alone in past memories.

WC:698

Books: Slow Train to Switzerland by Diccon Bewes, Einstein's Dreams by Alan Lightman.

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”Einstein gives her his manuscript, his theory of time” pg. 209 Einstein’s Dreams

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“As he thinks, the first man feels the others.” Pg 199 Einstein’s Dreams.

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”There is an infinite number of melodies and thoughts.” Einstein’s Dreams pg. 182

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”You are a practical man, Michele” pg 177 Einstein’s Dreams

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”Right and wrong demand freedom of choice” pg. 166 Einstein’s Dreams

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“A clock tower strikes eight times in the distance.” Pg 154 Einstein’s Dreams

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”The abundance caused by isolating are stifled by the same isolation.” Einstein’s Dreams pg- 143

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”In this world, time is a local phenomenon.” Pg-131 Einstein’s Dreams

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” Einstein’s laughs ,and the clouds rock back and forth with the laughter “ pg 125, Einstein’s Dreams

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”They are turned to stone.” Pg,110 Einstein’s Dreams

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“Yet the time-deaf are unable to speak what they know.” Pg.100 Einstein’s Dreams

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”Did that embrace from his mother really exist?” Pg 96 Einstein’s Dreams

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”Imagine a world in which people live just one day.” Pg-83, Einstein’s Dreams

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“This reciprocity is maddening” Pg 72, Einstein’s Dreams

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”Such people have learned how to live in a world without memory.” Pg-64, Einstein’s Dreams

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Quote of The Day

“No thing is out of place.” Pg.50 , Einstein’s Dreams