European winter on the 'fairy tale road'

Switzerland I used to think I would never travel to Europe in winter because it was gloomy and cold, but the route from Milan-Italy to Willisau-Switzerland made Vietnamese tourists change their minds.

Reader Kim Cuc, who has lived in Hungary for three years, shares her winter travel experience to Willisau, a town over 700 years old in Switzerland, in mid-December.

In winter, the days are short and the nights are long. It is only 8am but after 4pm the sun has set and the weather is freezing cold. The bitter cold forces even the locals to surrender and put on big, thick life jackets.

Our winter trip to Willisau - a 700-year-old town in Switzerland took place in such cold weather but it really changed my opinion. Starting from Milan, visitors can take a bus or train to Willisau - in the state of Lucerne, about 40 minutes by train from the center of Lucerne. This route in winter is as beautiful as a fairy tale with the scenery on both sides covered in white snow.

Although we have been to the "land of watches" twice in the summer, we still "aha" many times when experiencing this route in the winter. Leaving Milan for about an hour, the car passed by a vast lake with a peaceful scene. Suddenly a name popped into my head: "Is this the famous Lake Como?", then I took out my phone to look at the map. It was true! The car was passing by Como - a poetic lake in the Lombardy region, northern Italy. There were a few sections where the car ran quite close to the water, making passengers feel like they were sitting on a boat on the lake.

Lake Como as seen through the bus window. Photo: Duyen Tran

As the bus passed Dalpe in the Swiss canton of Ticino, passengers of all nationalities gasped a second time at the sight of the majestic snow-capped mountains on both sides. There was no snow that day, but the peaks were still a pure white. At the foot of the mountain, wooden houses dotted in the snow-covered ravines gave visitors the feeling of being small and lonely among the majestic mountains.

Snow-covered forest in Wassen village, Uri state. Photo: Duyen Tran

The third time the group could not hide their emotions was when they crossed the village of Wassen in the state of Uri and witnessed the pine forests covered in white snow. You can imagine that there are tens of thousands of Christmas trees spread across the mountainside, layer upon layer. The scene is not different from the classic Christmas movies. After trying to capture the beautiful scene, I had to accept that the most beautiful lens is the eyes. At that moment, I thought that if I had to describe Switzerland with one adjective, it would be "reputation". That is, how beautiful you see the pictures and clips online, the outside is the same, even many times more beautiful.

A corner of Willisau town. Photo: Duyen Tran

We arrived in Willisau at 5pm, which was also the last afternoon of the Christmas market here. After bringing our luggage back to our hotel room, we went to the market to enjoy some of the Christmas atmosphere. In the market, the fragrant grilled sausages, the mulled wine and the roasted walnuts kept us there for a few hours.

The people in Willisau all know each other, every few steps you meet someone you know, they don't greet each other quickly but stop to hug and kiss, and ask each other sincere questions. When our "Willisau native" friend introduced us to his acquaintances, they enthusiastically shook hands, chatted, invited us to eat cakes, and drink homemade strawberry wine, as familiar as meeting family.

Willisau may not be on the list of famous places that many people think of when talking about Swiss tourism. The town has about 9,000 residents (December 2023). When coming here, you should spend at least one session to visit the old town, which is over 700 years old, with full restaurants, cafes, flower shops, and souvenir shops. Sitting in a coffee shop here, visitors will feel the leisurely pace of life of the locals. They often read newspapers, chat and enjoy cakes and their favorite drinks.

Willisau’s old town is also home to many local community events, from farmers’ markets to Christmas markets. Willisau is also famous for its wrestlers. Wrestling is a popular sport among the Swiss. The matches are usually held at the town’s sports centre, a 10-minute walk from the old town, and thousands of locals come to watch and cheer.

Contrary to my own prejudices about Western Europeans who often value individuality and privacy, I was surprised by the warmth and friendliness of the people I met in Willisau. Questions like "What do you do for a living?", "Is the salary good?", "How much is the house price in your area?" made me feel like I was back home and being cared for and visited by my family.

On the day we returned to Milan, my friend from Willisau got up early to see us off at the train station. I love traveling to new places, but Willisau is the place that makes me want to return as soon as I leave.