Schilthorn Mountain

On our first visit, about the most exciting thing that happened in Switzerland, was our four cable-car ride to the revolving restaurant at Piz Gloria, on top of 10,000 feet Schilthorn Mountain. The view from the patio is reported to be one of the most impressive anywhere, but with the cloud level that day, from the patio we could almost see the building.

At the top of the mountain there is a round building originally used to film the James Bond movie “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.” They then finished the building on top of Schilthorn Mountain as a revolving restaurant.

While descending the mountain in cable car after cable car, we met a gentleman who played with the Chicago Symphony orchestra. He told us he had just invested in a new citrus fruit orchard in Texas, where they would grow pink-grapefruit — the first time we had heard of such a thing.

Of more immediate interest, he and his wife told us about the Swiss food specialty called Raclette, and gave us the name of a restaurant in Bern where we could have our first taste. We found a parking place in downtown Bern and meandered around in the rain. Our daughter had written, in her best schoolgirl German, “Where is Restaurant Le Dezaley?” and showed the note to a well dressed couple we met on the street.

The man took Emmy’s arm, and the woman took mine, each had umbrellas, and the Lindas followed in the drizzley rain. They took us through arcades and malls, and up and down the streets of Bern and to the Restaurant Le Dezaley, except now no one had the slightest idea where we had parked the camper. Anyway, Raclette was ordered and enjoyed, they charged for a drink of ice water (about 10 cents), we wandered here and there, and were finally able to spot the camper.

Raclette is prepared by toasting a slice of Valais cheese, and when the cheese melts, it is scraped to the plate, then is eaten with bread, potatoes, or most any other kind of vegetable. One year a local department store had a Raclette appliance for sale, so we bought two. Now our daughter and her husband have annual Raclette parties.

None of their friends had heard of Raclette before, but they all enjoy both the food and the self-preparation, using the individually heated “pans” at the dining table.