Switzerland's Berner Alps 雪域之行-瑞士-1

Guten Tag,Gruess Gott,Greetzar, these are just a few of the cheery greetings you'll encounter up here in the Swiss Alps. I'm Rick Steves, back once more to share with you some tips on travelling in Europe. I always try to introduce you to some out-of-the-way spots to give you some practical tips to make your trip more hassle-free and to share with you some cultural and historical insights so you can better understand your sightseeing.

We are on a grand circle tour of Europe, from the Netherlands through Germany, Austria, Italy and now into Switzerland. Right now we are in the heart of the Alps under the staggering Jungfrau in Interlaken, the original Alpine¹ resort. It goes back to the 19th century when those idealistic dreamers of the Romantic Movement discovered that mountains were a lot more than troublesome obstacles. In fact, from that time onward², tourists have flocked to the Alps because they are there. I've communed with nature here annually³ since 1973. Interlaken is the tourist headquarters for the Berner Oberland. But before we dig deeper into the scalps of these Alps, let's orient ourselves to Swiss culture. Let's go to Brienz ,one of the best preserved old fashion summer resorts around here and home of the Swiss Open-Air Museum at Ballenbergh. You'll find these clever open-air folk museums all over Europe. The Swiss one is a rich collection of traditional historic farm houses from every corner of the country, this 50-acre park is a natural preserve, an idyllic⁴ setting for what I'd like to call a culture-on-a-lazy-Susan look at Switzerland.

It's a walk into the past. This place is like a miniature of the Swiss nation. And speaking of nation, Switzerland is an unlikely success story, it's got four national languages, it's fairly equally divided between Protestants and Catholics, and it's basically a confederation of 26 proud little states, rather than one strong centralized government.

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hassle:quarrel
orient oneself to (towords) :make familiar with or adjusted to facts, principles, or a situation
idyllicf or having the nature of an idyll ; simple and carefree
miniature: copy or model that represents or reproduces something in a greatly reduced size
confederation :a union of political organizations

1 alpine   

adj.高山的；n.高山植物

参考例句：

• Alpine flowers are abundant there.那里有很多高山地带的花。
• Its main attractions are alpine lakes and waterfalls .它以高山湖泊和瀑布群为主要特色。

2 onward   

adj.向前的，前进的；adv.向前，前进，在先

参考例句：

• The Yellow River surges onward like ten thousand horses galloping.黄河以万马奔腾之势滚滚向前。
• He followed in the steps of forerunners and marched onward.他跟随着先辈的足迹前进。

3 annually   

adv.一年一次，每年

参考例句：

• Many migratory birds visit this lake annually.许多候鸟每年到这个湖上作短期逗留。
• They celebrate their wedding anniversary annually.他们每年庆祝一番结婚纪念日。

4 idyllic   

adj.质朴宜人的，田园风光的

参考例句：

• These scenes had an idyllic air.这种情景多少有点田园气氛。
• Many people living in big cities yearn for an idyllic country life.现在的很多都市人向往那种田园化的生活。