Switzerland's name evokes images of some of the most breathtaking scenery in the world--majestic snow-capped mountains, enchanting forests, sparkling lakes, hiking trails through valleys and alps, and idyllic countryside. 

Little wonder the ever-so-environmentally-aware Swiss have such a passion for the outdoors.

Epicurean delights range from the simplest of fare and local brews in a mountain hut to fine regional wines and haute cuisine prepared by star-ranked Michelin chefs in some of the world’s leading hotels and restaurants.

For a taste of two sides of Switzerland, we visited the rural Appenzell, in the eastern and German-speaking region.  Hill country at its best, it is best known for its colorfully painted wooden buildings, the musical sounds of yodelers, dulcimers, giant-sized cowbells,  alpenhorns, and dairy farmers. 

Then we headed southwest across Switzerland to the French speaking region, to Switzerland’s Alps and its largest body of water, the crescent-shaped Lake Geneva, known locally as Lac Léman. 

This is a region of sophisticated cities, castles, Roman and Celtic ruins, museums, spas, resorts, and charming villages with sun-drenched terraced vineyards.

First, we validated our Swiss Passes at the airport train station and were off with unlimited use of the Swiss public transport system of trains, postal buses, boats, and aerial tramways. 

Not surprisingly, it all runs with the precision timing for which the Swiss are renowned.

In 1991, the Swiss Supreme Court forced Appenzell Innerrhoden to grant women the right to vote locally, a process that takes place outdoors by the raising of hands in Landsgemeindeplatz, the historic town square.

Our hotel, The Hof Weissbad Appenzell und Gesundheit,  is a resort and spa for restoring and maintaining good health (gesundheit). 

 It is a short train ride just a stop from Appenzell--two if someone signals to stop in between.

The hotel also offers complimentary van service.

Guests visit for the therapies offered and amenities such as the indoor and outdoor pools, saunas and dining.

Each floor has a refreshment area with complimentary  fruit, herbal teas, and an Appenzell fruit and herbal flavored mineral water known as Flauder. 

Pathways run throught the herb garden, where visitors might encounter the chef collecting what he needs for dinner.

Four days a week, cheese is made in huts on the hotel grounds, using traditional techniques.  

Ordering is made easier for children, who can make selections from these suitcases of sample meals.

Appenzell's Tourism Office is on the main street, Hauptgasse. It offers guided tours, some of which include a taste of local foods.

They can also book a yodeling lesson with Thomas Sutter. 

 Lessons include the opportunity to learn Talerschwingen, the spinning of a 5 franc coin in one of the three different-size milk bowls to add an accompanying hum.

Both the Town Hall and Baroque parish church, Kirche St. Mauritius (Moritz), were built in the 16th century.

  including its colorful costumes collection.

The town is lined with shops featuring local arts and crafts like the traditional embroidery that is part of a cottage industry as well as fine jewelry.

Löwen Pharmacy and other buildings are colorfully painted to indicate the products inside or perhaps a significant cultural or historical event.

 A chocolate bar emblem at the Bazar Hershche reminds us that Milton Hershey’s family came from Appenzell.

Huge cowbells on elaborately decorated straps hang in the window of Hampi Fässler's shop. 

His other products include traditional leather suspenders adorned with metalwork, hand crafted by this family for  seven generations.

Hotel Adler’s Haus Bakerei is a popular stop for freshly baked treats like birnebrot or birnweggen (pear bread),  biberlis (gingerbread, often filled with marzipan) , or Appenzeller Chäsflade  (cheese bread).  Hotel Adler, in a house from 1562, has a restaurant and special fondue area, as well as accommodations.

Mösler’s is one of the best places to discover the unique flavors of the spicy Appenzeller  cheese.—classic, surchoix, or extra—made with a secret mixture of 42 herbs .

Appenzell is also known for its variety of sausages like alpenklubber, Südwooscht, Schüblig mit Speckwürful, and the ever-popular Mostbröckli , raw meat preserved in salt and seasoning, smoked and dried, all found at family-run Melzey Wetter’s.

Beermaking here dates to 1728. Names include  Vollmond (full moon), Hanfblüte (hempflower), and the popular pale lager, Quöllfrisch. 

Our guide, Maria Hamm, at the Hotel Löwen

Top off the day with some Appenzeller Alpenbitter, 29% alcohol, and made with—you guessed it-- 42 secret herbs.  Prost!

Travel tip: Be sure to look others in the eye when making a toast, or risk being considered rude.

A picturesque ride through the countryside takes you to Hotel Bären in nearby Schlatt for a typical Appenzell dinner.  Don’t be surprised if you have to stop for cows in the road.

In mid-May cows are adorned with flowers and ceremoniously taken to high alpine pastures. In September, they are led back down.  Herdsmen wear their traditional costume of yellow breeches, decorated leather suspenders, red embroidered vest, silver-buckled black shoes, black flower-bedecked hat, and a gold earring fashioned after a wooden cream spoon, worn on the right ear. Also in costume, a boy in leads and a girl tends a small herd of goats. Each of three prize cows wears a bell weighing 15 to 50 pounds and a brightly decorated collar. Pigs and a horse drawn wagon with utensils follow. Last of all is the Appenzell cattle dog. Contact the tourist bureau for a list of other occasions when regional costumes are worn.

Appenzellerland has nearly 750 miles of marked mountain and valley trails. Wear your hiking gear and take the cableway up from Wasserauen to the Ebenalp.  

Rocky paths along steep rock cliffs lead to a prehistoric cave, a hermit’s dwelling, and a cave chapel, Wildkirchli, inhabited, at different times, by giant cave bears and hermits. 

The mountain forms the back wall of the Ӓescher Inn, which seems suspended from the side of the mountain. The carved wood menu includes hearty meat and rōsti (shredded potatoes, often served with cheese) dishes.

Hikers can dine with a breathtaking view from the side the mountain, with the sense of being suspended from the cliff...

or enjoy the cozy ambience inside.

In the 11th century, Benedictine and Cistercian monks began planting vines and building retaining walls on the steep sun-drenched hillsides of the Lavaux region on the north shore of Lake Geneva. 

Today’s nearly 2000 acres of terraces in this French-speaking southwest is Switzerland’s major wine-producing region and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Some of today’s winegrowers are 17th generation descendants of the lay people to whom the work was delegated. 

This breathtaking landscape between Lausanne and Montreux is a gourmet's delight--a perennial magnet for poets, painters, and those who simply wish to enjoy the charming villages, the wine, and the spectacular view.

“The land of three suns” is sun-drenched from the sky, the reflecting lake, and the stone walls that release stored heat when temperatures drop. The steep slopes need a deep rooted grape like the Chassalas that comprises 90% of its foremost vintage, Dézaley.

Hiking and cycling trails with scenic picnic areas run right through the lush, green vineyards. The Lavaux-Express or yellow Train des Vignes let you sit back and enjoy the scenic ride. 

Lake Geneva boats connect towns in Switzerland and France, and the classic Belle Epoque paddlewheeler Savoie offers Michelin-starred cuisine with the view. 

We drank in the scenery as we sampled regional wines with local specialties like lake perch and char, papet vaudois,  (leek and cabbage sausage), gateau á la raisinée (fruity cake), and chocolate.

We stopped in villages like Onnens, where a lunch of hot cabbage, sausage and rosti at Au Bon Vin included the proprietor and waiter, Herr Kunst’s rendition of Ain’t She Sweet as he played his vintage recording.  We sampled wines like Cuvée Amandine, delicious with chocolate,in the cellar at Vignoble Cousin in Concise.

For the widest selection of area wines—over 300-- we stopped at Lavaux Vinorama, a contemporary cave-like structure where local winemakers rent cubicles. The proprietor selects eight wines for tastings, or you can try the Enomatic machine that dispenses samples.

That night was spent at the Hotel Prealpina in picturesque Chexbres. We overlooked the vineyards, villages, and lake from high atop the hill.

At sunset, as we prepared for dinner at the hotel, the sky was ablaze with color and the lake reflected the warm glow.

The  13th century Chateau d’Yverdon, a medieval castle built by the Peter II of
Savoy dominates the Old Town. Inside is the History Museum and Swiss Fashion Museum. A research center is dedicated to Heinrich Pestalozzi , who established a school here for poor and underprivileged children (1805-1825) using an innovative individualized curriculum.

Also of interest in the area are Maison d’Ailleurs (House from Elsewhere), the first
science fiction museum in Europe, and the Jules Verne Museum, connected by a bridge.

Our accommodations choice is The Grand Hotel des Bains, a magnificent blend of state-of-the-art architecture and  history that links to the Thermal Center and offers fine dining.

For lunch, La Grenette is a popular Old Town restaurant featuring local favorites like Filets de
Perches (small lake perch), 

and Tomme Dorée sur Craquante (fried cheese), served on salad. There is also a 20SF plate of the day.

Gerard Roy’s La Ferme offers the finest regional  foods and wines of the region --- great for a picnic or for gifts to bring home.

Free transportation cards are issued to hotel guests in this hilly city. Lausanne has Switzerland’s only metro, and stops are designated by sounds, such as bells for the Cathedral area.

Its shops are showcases of quality Swiss made products—watches and clocks, knives, carved wooden products, and music boxes, to name a few.

Switzerland’s largest cathedral, the Cathedrale Notre-Dame, is its finest example of early Gothic and the most visited monument in Lausanne. It dominates the medieval Vielle Ville( Old Town )shopping and restaurant district. Since 1405, a night watchman calls out the hours between 10pm and 3 am.

The Olympic Museum, the city’s major attraction, is in an impressive garden with fountains that overlooks the Ouchy area’s  tree-lined promenade, the lake, and France’s Alps. It is the second most visited museum in Switzerland.

Adjacent to the museum, set fashionably in ten acres of gardens, and with a spectacular lake view, is the sophisticated, elegant, and world-renowned 5 star Beau Rivage. Built in 1857, it is known for its impeccable service and exceptional cuisine and is one of the Leading Hotels of the World.  

The breakfast room is encircled in glass, and lunch is in the Rotunda Room. The Sandoz Ballroom, shown here, was the site of the signing of the Treaty of Lausanne in 1923. It was also chosen for the wedding receptions of both of Diana Ross and Phil Collins. Neither marriage survived, but the hotel continues, as always, to serve the rich, influential, and famous.

For a sweet ending to your visit to Lausanne, stop by at least one of its three fine and dedicated chocolate shops.  Chocolatier Durig learned his craft from his father. His specialty products range from squares of fine chocolate with wildflower petals (at left) to chocolate vinegar, used with olive oil as salad vinaigrette. His favorite? Spice chocolates.