Romance and Romansh

Today is a train day, much to David's enjoyment. Our eventual destination is St. Moritz (Sankt Moritz) the playground of the well-to-do and one of Europe's most romantic locations. No fewer than six different trains, and the associated baggage transfers all by hand, will take us through mountain passes, across glacier lakes, through tunnels and a series of anti-avalanche galleries (snow sheds with a view), over the world's greatest stone viaduct and plunging through the longest canyon in Switzerland.

The Duck leads us to the station at Locarno, thankfully "a little downhill" and a short 10-minute walk, to meet up with our luggage. Our first goal of the day is Andermatt using the regional train to Bellinzona, the Intercity train to Goschenen and finally, the Cog Railway to Andermatt which leads us through the Oberalp Pass. Cog railways along the Glacier Express route are not only necessary to help climb mountain heights but are most useful for braking on the downhill portion of the trip.

Wooden fences help keep falling snow off the railroad tracks.

A snow shed and tunnel down below

The scenery is spectacular to say the least. At the top of the pass is Oberalp lake and above it is Toma Lake, the source of the Rhine River. Intermittent fog, snow, sunshine, waterfalls and breathtaking drop-offs dot the anterior Rhine valley. 

We did spot a golf course on our way, however, but no time to stop and play a round!

Here the ancient language of Romansh (Roman/Latin based language) is spoken. Romansh is the least known of Switzerland's four official languages; if you've been following along so far, you know the others are German, French, and Italian. Romansh itself is actually a collection of several different dialects rather than a unified single language, but the written form has been standardized for use in the media and in newspapers. In St. Moritz we were able to watch a number of American television shows that had been dubbed into Romansh. Today, the number of Swiss who still speak Romansh is dwindling, but there are efforts to keep the language alive.

The video includes a recording of a Romansh folk song, but also some wonderful scenes of Switzerland in the wintertime, something we did not experience.

At Disentis (Muster in Romansh), the Rhaetian Railway begins as we pass the Benedictine Abbey founded in the 8th century. We're headed for Ilanz, the first town on the Rhine founded by Celts in 765. Peggy and I, having Celtic roots in our families, found this market town most interesting. If you have Celtic genes, traveling must be in your blood; we were being true to our heritage. Heading for Richenau and another train change, we descended through the wild gorges of the Rhine created in prehistoric times by immense rockslides.

Time for a romantic lunch! Boarding the Abula line, we were seated in a historic dining car with wood paneling, antique lighting providing ambiance through the tunnels, crisp linens and tableware. Seared steak, potatoes, green beans and a salad accompanied by beverages in spotless glassware was topped off by  - - chocolate! Our guides passed through and distributed small sticks of Branche L'originale from the Cailler Chocolatier. These were enjoyed with a small kaffe as the scenery of the Anterior and Posterior Rhine along the Albula River passed by.

There were lights for when we were in the tunnels
and holsters for our drinks if it got bumpy!

Our trip was a series of mind-boggling numbers and engineering feats including passing the highest aerodrome in Europe. Starting with the top of the Oberalp Pass at 6,670 feet, we crossed the stone Landwasser Viaduct (442 ft long and 213 ft high) with a curve radius of 328 ft and built in 1902. The Albula tunnel was the highest transalpine tunnel in Europe at 5,971 ft and 3.6 miles long after a climb of 2,296 ft over 8 miles. A literal "train ladder" of five helix tunnels, two standard tunnels, nine viaducts and two galleries made for some exciting photography. By the end of the day at St. Moritz, your digital camera chip was probably full.

The following video is long, but because it's filmed via helicopter, you really see the gorgeous scenery. Stick it out until the end (or fast forward); you don't want to miss the last 30 seconds or so.

After passing Samedan, the capital of U Engadine where the river Inn watershed flows northeast and joins the Danube at Passau to flow into the Black Sea, we arrived in St. Moritz. 

Luckily, the hotel transport took our baggage "a short distance, slightly uphill" as we walked, once again as part of our 5-mile per day regimen, to our accommodations. Slightly uphill at St. Moritz is a bit of a misnomer. Through the parking garage, you are greeted by a series of escalators steep enough so as not to see the top; thankfully, they were in operation. Once at the upper level the route continued uphill to the Hotel Soldanella with a breathtaking view of the lake and surrounding mountains.

But finally, we checked in to our charming hotel and got a glimpse of why St. Moritz has been such a popular stop for so long.

View from our window

Edelweiss

The balance of our afternoon was spent on a walking, self-guided tour of trendy shops in St. Moritz where money is no object to storekeepers catering to the rich and famous.  Jimmy Choo, Dolce et Gabbana, Gucci and Chanel are available along with $45,000 watches that vie with more moderately priced souvenirs. We did manage a souvenir or two.

Dinner and a restful evening led to a morning breathtaking view and  - - snow showers on the mountain!

Our route today:

View Locarno to St. Moritz in a larger map

Bern, Bears and Tubing

Following a breakfast including croissants, cheese and coffee, the morning lecture introduced us to the capital city of Bern resplendent in history, heraldry and hills surrounding a peninsula that is home to 130,000 people. Once voted as Europe's most floral city, its ranks swell with the influx of tourists and parliamentarians who visit and work in this World Heritage Site recognized by UNESCO.

Old Town Bern

Once again, we followed the duck to the train station at Interlaken West, this time, for the Intercity train trip at mid-morning. Large windows and comfortable seating allowed relaxed viewing of the countryside along Lake Thun. Bern is a shopping paradise. Alighting from the train and just across the way, the ambience of Old Town, where traffic is not permitted, greets you with a medieval street plan filled with shops of every kind.

Open Air Market

A pedestrian city 

First, however, is the guided tour of Bern's highlights. Not to be missed is the animated Clock Tower (Zytglogge) with its clockwork figures which have marked the hour since 1527--another testament to the Swiss love of precision and time. We joined the crowd around the tower at noon when the "show" is the longest.

The old part of Bern is filled with fantastic fountains, the most interesting of which (or creepy, depending on your viewpoint) is the "Child Eater" fountain. No one knows exactly what it represents, although the legend is that it marked the edge of the city and the Ogre at the top was to keep children from straying too far from home.

The Child Eater Fountain

We passed by the house Einstein lived in while he was (as we've all learned) a Swiss patent clerk.

Einstein Haus

the Bern Munster, a cathedral with the tallest spires in Switzerland,

And, because Bern is Switzerland's capital, the Parliament building or Bundeshaus, with its 26 fountains representing each of the Swiss cantons.

We grabbed lunch on our own at the Migros cafeteria with its free wifi, 

and then made the choice to skip the museums and go "Tubing." No swimsuit is required. Tubing is the Swiss term in Bern for shopping under the porticos lining the two main shopping streets in the western half of the city; Marktgasse and Spitalgasse. The porticos covering the walkways resemble long tubes as they stretch down the street and are filled with shoppers, vendors and outdoor cafes. There is no Walmart here, but if you can't find it, you probably don't need it anyway.

Bern is in the Swiss German part of the country, so brush up on your "Guten Morgan" and your "Danke" as we'll as English, French and even some sign language. There are bargains to be had; there are very expensive, haute couture brand name stores; there are very friendly people; and there are good times to be had tubing in Old Town, Bern. Attempting to speak the language brings you laughter, bargains and new found friendships on the spot. We had a delightful time covering lots of shops and lots of sights before returning to the Bahnhofplatz for our trip back to Interlaken.

Take a moment for the video tour and you'll see what we mean. A short rest and another wonderful dinner at the hotel left time to walk around Interlaken and do some holiday shopping for family and friends.