April 28, 2007 we arrive at 01:07 in Schaffhausen (canton Schaffhausen, No.1) from Zurich. Carlo, Marie-Françoise, Davide and myself.
Schaffhausen. Here the world is still intact at night; before closed restaurants doors, seats are not in chains to protect them from theft and the police are concerned with little more than a missing wallet that possibly landed in a trash bin, as opposed to rape and murder. To our delight, we find the doors of the Cuba Club still open and almost two hours dissolve before we set off on our 24-hour adventure.
Our mission is to cross all 26 Swiss cantons in less than 24 hours and now the countdown begins…..
02:55 departure from canton Schaffhausen by train, direction Winterthur (canton Zürich, No.2) where we then change trains and make our way to St. Gallen (canton St. Gallen). Here, youths are heading home - some ornately pierced - and we loathe admitting a bit of jealously at the thought of them soon comfortably tucked up for the night ahead when for us the day has just begun!
So why did we embark on a 24-hour non-stop journey? For me it’s clear, “not only to test the feasibility of such a journey, but to experience something ludicrous to write about.” Marie-Françoise, “to celebrate my birthday in a unique way.” Davide and Carlo, “simply the challenge of accepting a crazy mission that probably nobody else has ever done before”.
Oops... I slept through canton Thurgau (No.3) - and orders were to take a snapshot of every canton as proof of having been there! St. Gallen approaches rapidly (canton St. Gallen, No.4) and a glance at the clock reveals the time of 04: 24. On this warm April morning, we are neither head nor tail of this railway population, some of whom are heading towards a day’s work, whilst others are heading for bed. We have an hour to kill here before the next leg of our journey, so decide to take a stroll to the cathedral of the St. Gallen Abbey.
The abbey is a landmark for St. Gallen and its famous medieval library is recorded on the UNESCO World-Heritage list. Naturally, at this time in the morning we found the doors closed.
Not even 500 metres away, we’re catapulted away from spiritual tranquillity and find ourselves in one of the very few open snack-bar types of restaurant, to discover people devouring pizzas, kebabs, hamburgers, beer and cola at this unearthly hour! Finally our waiting pays off and a PostBus is available to transport us to Stein (canton Appenzell Ausserrhoden, No. 5). Although practically empty, the cheerful yellow vehicle stoically makes its way through the dawn, as rays of fascinating light promise a bright day. A swift glance at the clock reveals 06:00.
Film cut in Stein AR
For the first time, our journey is unexpectedly interrupted in Stein and we stand there like clots wondering why no transport comes along. Only now the necessity of reading an SBB timetable properly is clear! RY is not an additional male chromosome when plastered on a timetable, but instead indicates the necessity to reserve a Publicar (comparable to a public taxi) in order to continue some journeys. Under normal circumstances, the next station on our journey is only eight kilometres and ten bus-minutes away from Appenzell, but we’re stranded here due to a lack of attentive reading!
Marie-Françoise comments – “we’re slightly nervous as there’s not a soul in sight who could possibly bring us to the next station. Even the loud ringing of bells didn’t wake anybody”.
The entire village lies dormant with the exception of Post employees already sorting the day’s post, who courteously take the time to seek the telephone number of a taxi in Herisau for us. The taxi arrives immediately and we’d love to know what the driver was thinking when she collected 1 German-speaking (mself) and 3 French-speaking bods around the crack of dawn to chauffeur them to Appenzell (Appenzell Innerrhoden, No. 6). No doubt that Saturday was her business-highlight of the month, but we gladly paid the 80 Swiss francs for our Publicar and even had time to visit the Appenzell village square and admire the staggering scenery. Our memories of the backdrop linger like a fairy tale in a book that one opens time and time again. Funnily enough, Swiss democracy is still visibly alive in Appenzell Innerrhoden, where inhabitants vote their future with the simple raise of a hand –a unique relict.
The Gais-Altstätten highlight
The trip from Appenzell via Gais to Altstätten marks a highlight in our journey. There’s no time to close even very tired eyes, as Appenzell and the pre-Alp scenery are simply too beautiful to let them just drift by. As Carlo commented at the time, “I feel almost as though I’m on a model railway passing through idyllic set-up landscapes”.
In Altstätten, canton St. Gallen, Saturday has already begun for many, and the station is alive with travellers purchasing picnics to accompany them on the way to Landquart (canton Graubünden, No.7) - much the same as us.
Lanquart, a name and place that most train passengers know only from changing trains – and a name that, even pronounced in a friendly way, is far from music to the ears of the Romandy folk (French speaking people of Switzerland)! We spent an hour there, also in seek of a pleasant coffee shop, and finally ended up in a Migros café. Just like the SBB, Migros is typically Swiss and an integral part of Switzerland. A nose ahead of Coop, Migros is with reason the number one retailer in Switzerland, and whoever spends 24 hours or more in the country is sure to land at some stage of the day in one of the many Migros stores, whether for bread, cheese or even a change of T-shirt.
Now we are also amongst those who know why Lanquart is known as not much more than a transfer station, and are pleased to be underway again at 09:26. With the Intercity over Sargans and along the Walensee Lake – Davide, “One of the most beautiful stretches in our entire journey” - this leg of our journey leads us via Ziegelbrücke (canton Glarus, No.8) to Pfäffikon (canton Schwyz, No.9), where we then make our second mistake by getting off the train. At least four people had a say in our schedule and nobody thought to double check …hence the mistake. Never mind, now we also know that tax payers living in Pfäffikon are advantaged, how many boroughs exist in canton Schwyz and that there is nothing really worth looking at around the station!
The crazy church of Wassen
According to original plans, we should have now made our way to Zurich, and once there, taken the train via Zug and Arth Goldau to Airolo. This way we could have easily ticked-off canton Zug as “been there” – Could have! Instead we now find ourselves on a train ride from Pfäffikon to Arth Goldau. We can’t grumble about the scenery, but the reorganisation of our route is priority now, and our gazes are fixed on the train schedules called up on our mobile phones. And the solution? We head for Airolo as planned and catch the train to canton Zug later. Romandy folks are familiar with the phenomenon of the unique Wassen church (canton Uri, No. 10) already as young school children. Viewed from the right, the small church of Wassen appears to climb down the hill, but a twist in the train tunnel is sufficient for the very same church to appear to your left - and it’s climbing the hill! - A bizarre sight to see that many children enjoy on their first school outing.
A Pause after Europe’s longest tunnel
After travelling through the Gotthard Tunnel - the longest tunnel in Europe - in Airolo (canton Tessin, No.11, time 13:02) Marie-Françoise is confronted with a big surprise.
Waiting in a restaurant, she’s greeted by my parents and a birthday cake – spontaneously accompanied by a bottle of “on the house” champagne…. I dare anybody to contradict Swiss hospitality! The party begins and any eavesdroppers couldn’t help but notice that ordering takes place in Italian, accompanied by French and German background chat –
Typical Switzerland!
Underway to the cradle of Switzerland
After salad and pizza, the six of us then proceed back to Central Switzerland. We miss the small church of Wassen - which from this angle would appear to be climbing the hill – as we are busy with the ticket collector. The poor dumbfounded man can’t understand why we don’t take a direct train to Lucerne as opposed to insisting on zigzagging back over Zug (canton Zug, No. 12)!!! -The detour is possible, but relies on SBB punctuality as we have precisely two minutes to change trains and climb aboard the train from Zurich. Well we have to hand it to them… SBB are sticklers for time and we made it! Only a costly TV ad could possibly portray the scene better…..and the deliberate detour cost us only an hour of our precious time.
From this point on, only a defect in the power line could possibly bring our journey to a halt. In Lucerne (canton Lucerne, No. 13) we change trains and head via Hergiswil (canton Obwalden, No. 14) to Alpnachstad (canton Nidwalden, No. 15). Then it’s back to Lucerne, a swift glance of the KKL, and onwards via Zofingen (canton Aargau, No. 16), Olten (canton Solothurn, No. 17), Liesthal (canton Baselland, No. 18) and Basel (Basel Stadt, No.19). According to Carlo this “flat and somewhat boring” leg of our journey is the least attractive of all – and in the meanwhile it’s almost 18:00.
Rolling hills and mountainous scenery accompany us between Basel and Delémont (canton Jura, No.20) and here, at approximately 19:30, for the first time, a ticket collector stumbles upon our crazy mission…. probably because we don’t look as though we’re ready to indulge in the night-life of Biel (canton Bern, No. 21)…and that’s where we are now heading.
We’ve now been awake for 35 hours and each and every party-goer looks fresher than we do! Departing from Biel, Kerzers (canton Fribourg No. 22) via Lyss is our next destination, and although we expected to find a PostBus in Lyss, we are greeted with a train. We had no idea a railway line existed here - and what a railway! We advance passing fields and water-landscapes and looking toward the heavens, a storm appears to be brewing in the evening dusk. It’s not without reason that Kerzers indisputably wins first-prize as the best railway station we came across….. Davide –“like a lighthouse in the middle of a storm, a railway can suddenly take on a different dimension.” Then the day slowly slips into night.
During the journey via Neuenburg (canton Neuenburg; No.23) and - due to construction work - Lausanne (Waadt, No. 24) to Geneva (canton Genf, No. 25) it’s dark behind the train windows. We got neither a glimpse of the world cultural heritage Lavaux wine-growing district, nor did we visit the UNO building or the IKRK in Geneva, instead continued on our way.
Mission complete!
The train ride between Geneva and Lausanne to St. Maurice (canton Wallis, No. 26) is routine for 3 Romandy citizens. In Geneva, shortly after 23:00, the train fills up again with night owls; a French-speaking flock this time, yet only 24 hours ago it was Zürideutsch that filled our ears. AND.... at 01:06 on the dot we arrive in St. Maurice. Mission complete!!
Davide feels like a hero, kisses the floor and thanks SBB for its all-round punctuality. For Marie-Françoise railway stations have now taken on a more significant meaning, packed with treasured memories. And Carlo …. “It’s almost like taking a trip back in time, or as though we have just spent 24-hours in an imaginative film script”.
Trailer
As Salvatore Di Spirito picks us up from the station in St. Maurice, the previously threatening storm comes alive, the heavens open and it buckets-down with rain… But at least Petrus had the decency to wait until the end of our adventure…..
Leading roles
- SBB
- Carlo Capozzi, 35, Founder and Department Head, Monthey
- Davide Di Spirito, 35, Music Teacher and Musician, Lausanne
- Marie-Françoise Di Spirito, 55, Academic Teacher, Sagne
- Gabriela Weiss, 31, Editor, Zurich
Input for the text
Carlo, Davide, Marie-Françoise
Text: Gabriela Weiss
| Schedule for the journey | Actual route |
| Schaffhausen dep: 02:55 St. Gallen (via Winterthur) arrival: 04:24 Cantons briefly visited: SH, ZH, TG, SG. | |
| St. Gallen dep. 05:43 Appenzell (via Stein) arrival: 06:20 Cantons briefly visited: AI, AR. | |
| Appenzell dep. 06:50 Landquart (via Gais, Altstätten Stadt and Altstätten Bahnhof) arrival. 08:26 Canton briefly visited: GR. | |
| Landquart dep. 09:26 Airolo (via Zürich, Arth Goldau) arrival 13:02 Cantons briefly visited: GL, SZ, ZG UR, TI. | (via Pfäffikon, Arth Goldau) arrival 13:02 (GL, SZ, UR TI) |
| Airolo arrival 13:54 Alpnachstad (via Flüelen, Beckenried, Stans, Hergiswil) arrival: 15:57 Cantons briefly visited: LU, NW, OW. | via Zug arrival 15:27, dep.15:29, Lucerne arrival: 16:27 |
| Alpnachstad dep. 16:00 Basel (via Luzern, Olten) arrival 17:51 Cantons briefly visited: AG, SO, BL, BS. | Dep.16:30 Basel arrival 18:32 |
| Basel dep.18:04 Kerzers arrival 19:53 Cantons briefly visited: JU, BE, FR. | Basel dep. 19:03 Kerzers arrival 20:53 |
| Kerzers dep. 20:00 Genf arrival 21:46 (via Neuenburg) Cantons briefly visited: NE, VD, GE. | Dep. 21:00 Genf arrival 23:04 |
| Genf dep. 22:36 St. Maurice arrival 00:02 Canton briefly visited: VS. | 23:21 01:06 |
| Total: 21 hours 7 minutes | Total: 22 hours 11 minutes |