Your hosts:
Aline and Stephan Blatter
Lehnweg 6
CH-3800 Unterseen - Interlaken
Tel: +41-33 822 87 16
Fax: +41-33 823 19 20
email: info@lazyrancho.ch

Region Bernese Oberland 6.04, Member VSC
Stars ****
Open April to October
Site 90 tourist pitches
45 residential pitches
24 comfort pitches
5 motorhome pitches
Location
Beautiful, quiet family camping with a spectacular view of Eiger, M÷nch and Jungfrau.
Installations

New first-class sanitary buildings (2007)
Family- + handicapped room
Babyroom
Shop
Swimming-pool
Playground
Laundry room
Kitchen
Recreation room with TV
Internet Corner
Camperstation
Pitches with fresh and waste water connection "Comfortpitches"
Public barbeque
Activities Hiking, excursions to the surrounding mountains and valleys, golf, paragliding, biking, horseback-riding, watersports, adventure sports, inline-skating and of course relaxing

Landlocked and encompassed by jagged mountain ranges, Switzerland has since Roman times been the commercial as well as geographical centre of Europe. Ever since the 19th-century Romantics such as Byron, Shelley, and Goethe discovered its snow-capped peaks and the misty shores of its lakes, this small country has welcomed far more visitors than its size would suggest. From the undulating ridges of the Jura in the west to the jagged glaciers of the Engadine in the east, the mountains of Switzerland, more than any other feature of the country, have shaped its national identity. The slopes of the Swiss Alps are a major centre for skiing, and Switzerland still has the most spectacular and best organised (and most expensive) ski resorts in Europe. When the snows melt, the crisp, clear air, gushing waterfalls, wild flowers, and the tinkling of cowbells are a magical setting for hiking and mountaineering. But fresh air and dairy farming are only part of the Swiss way of life.

Switzerland has some of the wealthiest, most cosmopolitan cities in the world. Zurich is the epicentre of that other great Swiss industry, banking. Geneva, with its long tradition of internationalism and philanthropy, houses the European headquarters of the United Nations. Bern, with its medieval buildings of mellow golden stone, is the unspoiled epitome of a central European city. A confederation of cantons, each with a fair degree of autonomy, modern Switzerland makes a virtue of its insularity, having managed so far to hold out against the trend towards greater European unity. But the country's self-sufficient neutrality is of relatively recent origin; its boundaries were forged in the heat of the great dynastic struggles of the Burgundians, Savoyards, and the Habsburgs from the 14th century onwards.

For a country with four languages (French, German, Italian, and Romansh), a tangle of ethnic origins, and more than a million foreign residents, it is perhaps odd that the concept of Swissness is of such all-pervading importance. Yet for all the superficial differences between the chic piazza-dwellers of Locarno, the farmers of Appenzell, and the bankers of Zurich, the country still has a cohesive identity that continues to attract visitors.

Zurich
Zurich (Zürich) is not only Switzerland's business centre, it is also the world centre for gold trading and the fourth most important stock exchange in the world. Although it is Switzerland's largest metropolis (with a population of 400,000), it is compact and offers plenty of diversions to the foreign visitor. The old town straddles the River Limmat which runs through the city from Lake Zurich. Handsome guildhouses and monumental churches punctuate the warren of cobbled streets. Its heart after dark is Niederdorfstraße with its lively beer-halls and jazz pubs. Zurich is home to some of the best museums in the country. The Museum of Fine Arts is world-class, the Swiss National Museum houses a fine display of Swiss history, and the Asian collection of the Museum Rietberg is outstanding.

Geneva
With its history of acting as international referee, it is not surprising that Geneva (Genève) is Switzerland's most cosmopolitan city (a third of its inhabitants are foreigners). North of the River Rhône is the international zone where the United Nations European Headquarters (Palais des Nations), and many other august organisations are located. A visit to the acclaimed International Red Cross Museum can be a harrowing experience. South of the river is the flower-lined lakeside promenade, featuring the world-famous Jet d'Eau fountain, which shoots water more than 140 metres (460 feet) into the air. Alongside is the old town and the Cathédrale de St Pierre, which was the scene of much of Calvin's work in the Swiss Reformation. He and fellow reformers are honoured by the massive Reformation Monument in the leafy Bastion Park. In and around the old town are many fine museums including the Maison Tavel (city history), the Petit Palais (modern art) and the Museum of Art and History.

Locarno
Basking on the shore of Lake Maggiore, Locarno has long been an important resort town with its mellow Mediterranean climate and lakeside flora. Sightseeing attractions include the Madonna del Sasso sanctuary, a funicular ride offering splendid views of the town, and the 15th-century Castle Visconti housing the Town and Archaeological Museum. A maze of narrow streets leads to the Piazza Grande, the hub of the old town. Here can be found the Pinacoteca Casa Rusca, a museum displaying contemporary works of art.