enjoying not its majestic Alps...but its fascinating cities.

Thanks for joining us.

Whether enjoying its traditional culture high in the mountains

or savoring the joys of modern life in its great cities,

the Swiss get it right. In this episode we focus on an often overlooked

side part of Switzerland - its urban charm.

We'll get some easy exercise - floating with locals...and ring one very big bell. We'll

enjoy a variety of art from stained glass by Marc Chagall, to bold works by artists

considered insane. We'll see how the Swiss use blue lights as part of a creative drug

policy and explore a secret underground fortress built as a defense against the Nazis. And,

we'll experience that incomparable Swiss natural beauty with a cruise on a romantic paddle

wheeler.

Nestled in the center of Europe is Switzerland. While much of the country is dominated by

the Alps, most of its population is in the northwest - a gentler land of lakes and cities.

From Zürich we travel to Luzern, Bern, and Lausanne.

Like many visits to Switzerland, ours starts in its biggest city - Zürich. While it's

a major transportation hub and many just pass through, it's a powerhouse city and well worth

a look.

The Swiss joke that Zürich is zu reich and zu ruhig - that's a play on German words for

"too rich" and "too quiet." Sure it's rich...and there are livelier places, but Zürich is

comfortable and it consistently ranks as one of the world's most livable cities.

Zürich's history goes back to Roman times. By the 19th century it was a leading European

financial and economic center. Its people are known for their wealth and for working

hard to earn it. Like most Swiss cities, it embraces its river or lake in a fun-loving

way. The lakefront is a springboard for romantic walks, bike rides, and cruises. A great way

to glide across town is to catch the riverboat, which functions like a city bus, and just

enjoy the view.

Its old town is lively day and night with cafés, galleries, and a colorful cobbled

ambience. Zürich's main drag, Bahnhofstrasse, is famous for its elegant shops. If you're

looking for a fancy watch, stunning jewelry, or a $1,000 sweater...this is the place.

For more affordable extravagance - these delightful mini-macarons - a local favorite - may be

expensive...but they won't break the bank.

The city's art treasure is in its Fraumünster (or "Church of Our Lady"): a set of five towering

stained glass windows by Marc Chagall. His inimitable painting style - deep colors, simple

figures, and shard-like Cubism - is perfectly suited for the medium of stained glass.

The windows depict Bible scenes - here Jacob dreams of his ladder - the traffic of angels

symbolizing the connection between God above and Jacob's descendants (the Children of Israel)

below. Old Testament images - King David with his harp, Moses with the Ten Commandments,

and the angel blowing the ram's horn to announce the creation of a new Jerusalem, all create

a cohesive message drawing you to the central window. Here, a jumble of events from Christ's

life leads to the central figure in God's plan of salvation - a crucified yet ascendant

Jesus Christ.

But nearby, the leading entertaining heavenly character in Zürich is its guardian angel.

Hovering above the main hall in the central train station, she protects all travelers

and adds to the energy of the station. Situated at the center of Western Europe, this major

European transportation hub handles 2,000 trains a day zipping people all over Europe.

Shortly after leaving Zürich, the train ride becomes a scenic joyride. And 30 minutes later

we pull into Luzern.

Since the Romantic era in the 19th century, Luzern has been a regular stop on the "Grand

Tour" route of Europe. Its inviting lakefront now includes a modern concert hall - which

incorporates the lake into its design. The old town, with a pair of picture-perfect wooden

bridges, straddles the Reuss River where it tumbles out of Lake Lucerne.

The bridge was built at an angle in the 14th century to connect the town's medieval fortifications.

Today it serves strollers rather than soldiers as a peaceful way to connect two sides of

town. Many are oblivious to the fascinating art just overhead.

Under the rafters hang about 100 colorful 17th-century paintings showing scenes from

Luzern and its history. This legendary giant dates to the Middle Ages, when locals discovered

mammoth bones which they mistakenly thought were the bones of a human giant. Here's Luzern

in about 1400 - the bridge, already part of the city fortifications. And Luzern looked

like this in 1630.

Luzern is responsible for controlling the lake level. By regulating the flow of water

out of its lake, the city prevents the flooding of lakeside villages when the snow melts.

In the mid-19th century, the city devised and built this extendable dam. By adding and

taking away these wooden slats, they could control the level of the lake.

Swans are a fixture on the river today. Locals say they arrived in the 17th century as a

gift from the French king Louis XIV in appreciation for the protection his Swiss Guards gave him.

Switzerland has a long history of providing strong and loyal warriors to foreign powers.

The city's famous Lion Monument recalls the heroism of more Swiss mercenaries. The mighty

lion rests his paws on a French shield. Tears stream down his cheeks. The broken-off end

of a spear is slowly killing the noble beast. The sad lion is a memorial to over 700 Swiss

mercenaries who were killed defending Marie-Antoinette and Louis XVI during the French Revolution.

The people of Luzern take full advantage of their delightful river with a variety of cafés

and restaurants along its banks. This evening, we're enjoying the setting as much as the

food. I'm having the local pork. My producer Simon is having eel fresh from the river.

With a picturesque setting like this, the dining experience makes for a wonderful memory.

Boats connect towns around Lake Lucerne. That's its English name, but the Swiss call it the

Vierwaldstättersee - literally, "Lake of the Four Forest Cantons." That's because it

lies at the intersection of four of Switzerland's cantons or states. Romantics will want to

ride one of the classic paddleboat steamers. A short ride drops you at any number of interesting

sights - one of which come with a surprise.

Imagine it's 1941. You're Swiss; your country is completely surrounded by Hitler and Mussolini.

The Nazis are on the move. What to do? [knock, knock] Turn your mountains into a hidden fortress.

The Swiss managed to make their rugged mountains an even more effective barrier. How? By lots

of strategic tunneling.

One example, the Fortress Fürigen has done its duty. Recently decommissioned, it now

welcomes visitors interested in Switzerland's secret defenses.

Guide: In central Switzerland we have now nine forts like this, bigger ones and smaller

ones. There are installed I think in total 44 canons.

The Swiss implemented a plan to retreat into the mountainous heart of the country and defend

themselves with a series of hidden fortresses dug into mountain sides like this one.

Guide: Here we enter into bunker #2. You see here the canon. You can turn it, the elevation...

Rick: I can sit here on the gun. Can I sit on this?

Guide: Yeah you can. Rick: Push this down? 62-

Guide: Fine, yeah. Rick: And then I go, I want to go to 21.

Guide: Fine, yes. Rick: Wow there it is, 62 21, the top of the

peak. Guide: Fire [laugh].

With the advent of the Cold War in the 1950s, the fortress was retooled for the threat of

the USSR. The Swiss have since found documents indicating that both the Nazis and the Soviets

actually had plans to invade Switzerland.

Guide: This is the bedroom for 100 soldiers; 50 beds, they have to share it because they

have to work in shifts. This is the dining room and over here the kitchen. And all these

rooms and other forts have been built for survival of Switzerland. Hitler took Belgium,

Netherlands and we had the feeling we are next.

Wandering through this hidden fortress you're reminded how perilous Switzerland's position

was in the 20th century and how committed the Swiss were to defending their freedom.

Switzerland is laced together by an efficient train system. Its trains are fast, frequent,

and easy to use - taking you effortlessly and scenically from downtown to downtown.

Our next stop: the capital city...Bern.

The city of Bern is built on a peninsula created by a hairpin turn of the Aare River.

Its pointy towers and arcaded streets make it one of Europe's finest surviving medieval

towns. Bern is stately but accessible, classy but fun.

The city, founded in 1191, has managed to avoid war damage and hasn't burned down since

1405. After that fire, wooden buildings were discouraged, and Bern gained its gray-green

sandstone complexion.

Colorful 16th-century fountains are Bern's trademark. They were commissioned to brighten

up the stony cityscape, to show off the town's wealth, and to remind citizens of local heroes

and events. The city is named for its mascot, a bear - and bears are a reoccurring theme

all over town.

This famous clock tower was part of the main gate of the original town wall. One side of

it has a playful mechanical show, appropriate in this country famous for its time pieces.

The clock, which dates back to 1530, still performs each hour. While you can see the

medieval clock mechanism from inside - fascinating in this land of clock and watch makers - most

people enjoy the show from outside. At the top of the hour the rooster crows... the bears

promenade as the happy jester comes to life. Father Time turns his hourglass and the rooster

crows once more...as he has for about 500 years. In its day, this was a high-tech marvel.

In this elegant city, you may brush elbows with some high-powered legislators, but you

wouldn't know it. Everything feels casual for a national capital. The Swiss are very

comfortable with their own style of democracy.

The Swiss government is a bicameral system actually inspired by the United States Constitution,

with one big difference: Executive power is shared by a committee of seven, with a rotating

ceremonial president and a passion for consensus. This is a mechanism to avoid a power grab

by a single individual...a safeguard that the Swiss believe strengthens and protects

their democracy.

Observant travelers will notice how the Swiss government deals with its social problems

with pragmatism and innovation. Too many cars and chronically unemployed people? Create

a program providing free loaner bikes...run by people who would otherwise be collecting

unemployment benefits.

Like the United States, Switzerland is dealing with a persistent drug abuse problem. The

Swiss believe the purpose of a nation's drug policy should be to reduce the harm drugs

cause their society. Like many Europeans, they treat substance abuse more as a health

problem than a criminal problem. Rather than fill their jails, the Swiss employ methods

they find are both more compassionate and more pragmatic.

For instance, to help fight the spread of AIDS and other diseases, street-side vending

machines dispense government-subsided needles - cheap and safe. There are needle-disposal

boxes. Many public toilets are lit by blue lights. If users can't find their veins, they'll

shoot up elsewhere - it's hoped at heroin maintenance centers, which provide addicts

with counseling, clean needles, and a safe alternative to the streets.

And casual use of marijuana is tolerated. Locals pass joints with no apparent worries

in the shadow of the cathedral ignored by others who simply enjoy life in a society

that believes tolerating alternative lifestyles makes more sense than building more prisons.

Bern's cathedral is capped with a 330-foot-tall tower, the highest in Switzerland. While it

was built as a Catholic church, later in the 16th century with the Reformation, it became

Protestant - that's why it is so sparsely decorated.

The Swiss Protestants were iconoclasts - they considered statues of saints and Catholic

art to be false idols - distractions from God - and destroyed them. This church was

originally adorned with 26 different little chapels and altars each dedicated to a different

saint or the Virgin Mary. When the Reformation came to town in 1528...all that was swept

away. The focus was shifted away from images and to the pulpit from where Protestant preachers

shared the Word of God not in Latin...but in the people's language.

Browsing through this barren place of worship, you can sense the effectiveness of one man

preaching from the pulpit to an undistracted congregation.

Climbing the spire, you'll see Protestants had absolutely no problem with great bells.

Guide: This is the biggest bell of Switzerland and it's over 10 tons. And we are also very

proud that we have the highest tower of Switzerland. It's over 100 meters, exactly 101 meters.

Art lovers enjoy Bern's Paul Klee Center. With its wavy building mirroring the wavy

landscape, Italian architect Renzo Piano's building celebrates the creative spirit of

the Swiss-born artist Paul Klee. While famous as a painter, Klee embraced all forms of creative

expression. The center - which fosters music and theater as well as the visual arts - has

a mission: to bring art to the people. A generous zone is devoted to a children's workshop.

Kids love Paul Klee...and kids always teach the art snobs a thing or two with their interpretations.

The shadow theater sparks young imaginations.

Artistically, you just can't put Klee in a box. His paintings - mostly from the 1920s

and '30s - are playful yet enigmatic. Audio guides let you enjoy Klee's favorite music

as you wander through his paintings. He experimented in pointillism - as you see in Ad Parnassum.

His art is full of symbolism...or maybe we just think so.

Insula Dulcamara - literally "bittersweet island" - is a good example of Klee's abstract

hieroglyph style. It's a puzzle - he pairs opposites...man, woman...air, water. It's

1938...is that a submarine on the horizon evoking the rise of Fascism? Perhaps the black

figures are death in a spring-like landscape, which is eternal.

And when the sun comes out, it seems everyone's heading for the banks of the Aare River. The

riverside park is a lively playground. The Bernese, proud of their very clean river and

their basic ruddiness, have a tradition - sort of a wet paseo. On summer days, they hike

upstream, then float back into town.

For something to write home about, join the locals and the trout in a float down the river.