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Switzerland's Heidi Year
 Switzerland
Tourism's "MyHeidi" map identified Heidi-related landmarks and
tourist attractions. |
by Durant Imboden, Europe
for Visitors, and
Cheryl Imboden, Switzerland for Visitors
In a country that takes pride in its cows,
goats, and business savvy, it shouldn't be surprising that Swiss tourist
authorities milked the 100th anniversary of Johanna Spyri's death for all that
it was worth. The author of Heidi--the novel about a spunky Alpine
maiden, her grandfather, and her goatherd friend Peter--was honored with events
that range from tour packages to a special train.Some of the "Heidi Year" events included:
- A "Heidi Express" train operated by the Rhaetian Railways between
Landquart and Tirano.
- A 6-day "Route My Heidi" tour package that started in Zürich
and wound through Canton Graubünden (including resorts of the Engadine) before
continuing to Lugano.
- A daily "Peter the Goatherd" parade in
Vilters, where a boy in traditional costume took a herd of 80 goats from the
village to the mountains and back every day.
- Trails where you could see locations from the
Heidi movies of 1952, 1978, and 2001.
- A touring exhibition at the University of
Zürich that offered a look at Heidi's career and how she is marketed as a
tourist attraction.
Although "Heidi Year" is now over, there's still
plenty of Heidi hype in Switzerland and Heidi material on the Web. For more on
Johanna Spyri's high-altitude heroine, see the Web links on page
2.
Next Page >
Free map, Web links > Page 1,
2
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Durant
& Cheryl
Imboden's