We found ourselves in a country of huge misty mountains and virgin snow and we went skiing on the very first day we arrived. Soon we learnt that skiing consists of getting from the top of a snowy slope to the bottom while wearing skis, but at the same time without breaking any important bones in one's body. It is very exhilarating. A tremendous sense of speed is obtained.
We discovered that skiing instruction consists of playing-the-game by learning how to halt in a short space, execute small turns and big turns, and other sporting things to lengthen the odds of not breaking any important bones in one's body. The instructors were at other times students or teachers. Although we all thought skiing a great pleasure, one of the instructors - Ivor by name - assured us that skiing was definitely not a pleasure but a sport, and actually one he didn't particularly like but then he said he didn't like dancing or girls either.
Two days before we left we abandoned the quiet slopes we had been practising on and went, via cable car, up to the Pirrol where our best skiers won bronze medals in a test; some of our party had already bronze medals from previous years. On the Pirrol we saw some wonderful skiing performed by people just like those in glossy brochures selling anoraks.
Always when we returned from a day's skiing the staff of the Hotel Waldheim served us a large meal. After this we would maybe play cards or go down to Mels or a nearby café. In cafés the staff were always friendly. Indeed, all the Swiss seemed to have a certain class about them. To give an example, one night a quite long-haired young local chap chased after us from a café, not to smash a bottle of local beer over our English heads, but to return ten centimes (twopence) we had left on a pin table.
Of course, the best night was New Year's Eve. A fast taxi skidded the sixth form to Mels; others walked. In the streets of the town we were greeted by occasional groups of "merry" locals wearing paper hats. We went into quite a few cafés. One of them was supplied with Swiss Weekly Picture Magazines by which it appeared the Swiss were interested in the Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Mary Quant, Jim Clark, Cathy McGowan and the Royal Family. It quite made us feel England - as such a Mecca - was a great place to come from.
The waitress in one cafe gave us a map of the local high spots. The highest and hottest she marked as the New Year's Dance. This we investigated. When we entered the band was not playing and we saw the men on one side of the hall and the ladies on the other. Just as we walked down the dance floor to get to a vacant table, however, the music started. En masse the men literally charged over to the ladies almost knocking us over. Having paired off, they then proceeded to do happy traditional dances to the gay music supplied by the local band.
A young Swiss from the Hotel Waldheim explained to us that it was a point of honour for males to ensure there were no wallflowers.
On our way back to the hotel we met Ivor - an instructor - at a café. He aired some general views which are recorded here as a typical Swiss view of the world (for different views and perspectives of things is one main reason for going abroad). He said all Americans were silly; the Russians had to be watched out for; the English sat at home drinking tea; the Swiss thought more of England than of France; it seemed that Wilson, P.M. did a lot of pipe-smoking; President Johnson was a fool; only a few Swiss women liked the English Royal Family, the rest of the country as stout republicans deplored them; and he added that Zurich was a silly city as the young men grew their hair ever so long.
Unfortunately, returning to our Hotel on the New Year's Eve at 11.45 p.m. for the merry seeing-in of the New Year, a slight misunderstanding was had with the sixth-form about going down to Mels without permission and coming back a shade late. Luckily, although sent up to their rooms, they were able to use their imagination so that it just seemed as though they went downstairs to the pub.
Here they were greeted with great friendliness by the local drinkers. Introductions were exchanged and the sixth were closely questioned on the industries of Harrow. While they chatted very pleasantly, Swiss folk music was played on a record player. At midnight, however, in honour of their guests, they turned their radio on to the B.B.C. short-wave and all heard the chimes of Big Ben.
The first toast given was in English to "Queen Elizabeth" which was followed with laughs and boos by the locals. Everyone then shook hands and the sixth drank to "The death of the year of the 0-levels".
As we had all had such a good time we were a little sad when our ten days of holiday were finished. Soon we had once again travelled by train right across France and sailed over "La Manche" to come back by British Rail to Victoria Station and England.
Gerald O'Hagan