IrishOboe

 

I only hinted about my one and only self organized solo trip in Switzerland.  Life came at me fast after I returned and I had a hard time simply keeping up with new stuff on the blog.  The trip was too amazing to leave to a quick write up, and as often happens, that perfectionism in my lead to procrastination and now it’s half a year since and doubtless I cannot tell the story as I would have at the time.  The experiences that made it incredible would have been just as impossible to relate then as they are now.  The shear majesty of natural beauty was overwhelming.  My pictures and videos cannot do it justice.  The time I had to think and pray and BE with God was equally precious and inspiring, but even if I remembered what particular struggles and revelations I had at the time I doubt I would or could have related them to you.

As it turns out I did start the write up, but didn’t finish it.  I’ve copied the text below with my current comments in brackets [].

Trip to Graubünden (Wednesday, Feburary 28^th – Saturday, March 3^rd)

This was a trip full of divine providence, or many small things that looked like nods and winks from heaven reminding me that God is still there and cares enough to have a little fun with me.  The significance of any one of these events can probably be understood by no one but myself, but I’ll relate a few of them anyway.

After struggling to determine which direction to head for the Fasnacht holidays, I finally made the decision to go to Garubünden and headed to the train station to book a ticket on the Glacier Express the night before I planned to leave.  I got my ticket from Basel to Brig and my Glacier Express ticket and reservation from Brig to St. Mortiz.  I arrived at 7:25pm and they closed at 7:30.  I had no idea they were even open during Fasnacht.

Since I’d spent my time sweating over where to go I had a lot of packing and preparing to do that night and so stayed up too late, but still managed to wake up rested and as I walked up to the tram station my tram pulled up.  Perfect timing.

I caught the train without trouble but as I rode I remember that the hotel I’d called up to see if they had room is in a rather remote location and I’d be arriving rather late.  I decided to call once in Brig, and sure enough, the last shuttle was at 5 and I wouldn’t get there until 7!  Oh well, time to board the Glacier Express.  No time to worry about it now, better just enjoy the view and worry about a place to stay once you get into town and can ask the information office.

The Glacier Express has nice, new panoramic cars with extra large windows and windows on part of the ceiling.  The seats are nice and have large tables and you receive a free pair of ear phones for listening to the information (in 8 different languages) about the places you pass.  It sounds lovely, but it’s merely okay.  There isn’t much in the way of information announcements, the food is very expensive, it’s very touristy (all eight people in my row spoke English!), and it’s very HOT!  The great big windows let the sun in all the time and with the heat on as well I stripped to my short sleeves and was miserable!  Those fancy big windows don’t open up for fresh air.  We were trapped in a bubble bobbing over some country called Switzerland.  If it’s Tuesday it must be Belgium.

The scenery was beautiful.  We crawled passed sleepy villages and up through mountain passes covered in snow, then down following the birth waters of the Rhine.  It was just like watching a documentary on a plasma screen TV when the a/c is broken.  We had a few welcomed breaks when we could go outside and taste the air of Switzerland.  Ah!  How refreshing!

Train Video

My company was English and one Japanese girl.  I saw her writing in a scrap book and I couldn’t read it, but it looked Japanese by the style.  I asked her if she was Japanese in Japanese and we started a halting conversation in Japanese.  German would not give way to Japanese and I reversed the problem I had at my first German lesson: instead of saying “hai ja” all the time I was saying “ja hai.”  I did manage to dig up a bit and I understood nearly everything she said.  I don’t know how people switch back and forth so easily!  Those few hours of speaking some Japanese have caused me to sprinkle Japanese into my German for days afterward!  “Ich bin Americajin” and “Tamino ist nicht da, sumimasen.”  Sheesh!

After five hours of the stifling heat I decided to stop being a typical tourist that never touches Swiss ground and hop off at Chur to find a local train to my destination (wherever that may be given I had no place to stay).  I went to the information office and the nice lady gave me a Hostelling International map and a backpacker’s place in Chur along with other information on Chur and the area.  I sat down to the best cup up hot chocolate I’d ever had (65% cacao with hazelnut flavor) and thought through my options.  Since there was an HI place in Pontresina, my original destination, I decided to try them.  A quick call secured the plans, and since I still had some time before the train stopped I did a few errands.  I’d just happened to come across the slip that allows me to pay for the next month’s tram pass.  I’d slipped it into my suitcase knowing that if I wanted to take the tram home after my trip I’d have to have a March pass or pay the fare!  There happened to be a post office nearby and I easily paid my bill and got my March pass stamped.  I then stopped over at a kiosk to ask about phone cards.  I felt awkward because there was a line behind me, but the lady was extremely nice and patient.  She’d not done with cards to America [I think I meant to say she didn’t know much about calling cards to America], but she found out then explained how it worked (even coming around the counter to point out the steps!) and gave me free cards for calling in Switzerland.

Energized by so many successes in a row, I rode the local train down the same beautiful part the Glacier Express takes and loved it.  I could hear the sound of the train, open the window to get pictures, listen to the local kids talk, and enjoy a little more space.  The windows were plenty big enough.  Dark fell before I arrived in Pontresina (it’s not that far, but it’s much higher so the train takes two hours) but as soon as I stepped off the train I saw the HI sign and walked straight up to my dinner.  Dinner was at 6:30 but they saved a place for my 7pm arrival.  I had the most delicious meal of stuffed pasta in a butter pesto sauce, thick hearty bread, salad, and cappuccino ice cream.  It felt like home!

After setting up my room I took a walk and could see the dark outline of the mountains all around.  After a good sleep I woke up to a beautiful morning and the most glorious view!  The whole time I couldn’t help but take pictures, which probably won’t do it justice and are far too many, but I just couldn’t help it . . .

I’d managed to find some hiking books in Germany two days before the trip.  I’d tried to break them in on Tuesday and they broke my feet – or rather my ankles.  I started out the day alright enjoying a nice breakfast of bread and jam, muesli and yogurt, and hot chocolate with whole milk.  I stopped by the information office and bought a Wandernweg map and discovered that the cross-country ski school was right under the hostel!  Wandern is a fancy word for easy hiking and it’s very popular in Europe.  They blaze trails and label them and people of all ages hike, stroll, or power walk with ski poles down the paths.

I was starting rather early so I had the trails to myself.  It was great because the paths were surrounded by wilderness, but they were clearly marked and had plenty of footprints so I felt safe hiking alone.  I went up about an hour enjoying the peace and quiet, then decided to head down so I could see some of the local school children marching for Chalandamarz, a march to scare all those devils away.  The children wear cow bells and wonder the streets making quite a loud racket.  As I came back to the start of the path I could hear them, then see them and realized I’d be hitting the main road at the exact same time they would!  That timing truly amazes me.  I don’t think the procession would have been worth waiting around for, but it was fun to see.

After a rest (my shoes were causing some pain) I took the train one stop to Muragl where I took the one-car slanted rail up the mountain [I’ve since learned it’s called a funicular].

It wasn’t so high, but from the top it felt like the top of the world.

Looking at the magnificent view of the Alps before me took my breath away.

I lost it and started taking lots of pictures I knew would never do it justice.  I just couldn’t comprehend the beauty, majesty, and sheer size.  The best part was that it wasn’t just a tourist trap on a snow covered mountain in the Alps with walkways safely protected with railings.  There are a few miles of leveled, but otherwise natural trails.

It’s called the Philosopher’s Trail because along the way there are posted quotes of various philosophers in different languages.  I found this less than inspiring in the context of the intense natural beauty around me.  Walking close to the base I met with many other hikers, but half an hour into my journey I was alone with the snow, the sun, and the mountains.  I cannot do justice to the experience of walking along a snow covered mountain ridge surrounded by majestically, snow-clad mountains.  It was an experience well worth the $20 train ride.

Video Mountains

Here are a few pictures.  You just use your imagination to get the effect!  Note the progression [most obvious from videos which I haven't figured out how to upload yet] from walking with my jacket unzipped to wearing hat, sunglasses, and scarf wrapped around my face to brace against the wind-swept snow.  [I must have gone off the trail or done something strange because the quote disappeared and so did the people.  This was lovely at first, but as the wind picked up and the snow started whipping at my face, making it hard to see and covering the trail, the desolation began to be a little terrifying!  I was happy to find my way back somehow and I had new admiration for mountain climbers.]

 

That blowing snow will soon cover the path and the footprints.

Storms brewing and the path leads to nowhere. 

  

Yeah, it's cold (video)

I had to build a refuge. j/k

 I made it!  Nice of them to have chairs to relax in.

[This is the end of my account at the time.  The rest will be from my notes and my memory.  I’m glad I managed to write at least some at the time.]

After descending the mountain I missed the train going back to Pontresina and since it was only one stop and trains only come once an hour I decided to walk back to town.  There was a nice wandern trail next to a cross country ski trail and I was still radiating some of the glory I’d beheld on the mountain top.  My only disappointment with Muragl is that because of lack of snow on the bottom half of the mountain the sled rout down was closed!  How fun it would have been to sled down after that glorious hike!

This is on that walk back.  Note the one track rail line, the crosscountry skier, and Pontresina in the background. 

The walk back was beautiful and I went into the main part of town (the hostel was on the other side of the river) and bought some omiyage and by this time my boots were absolutely killing me.  It felt so good to arrive at the hostel, take them off and be treated to a dinner, even if it wasn’t as good as the night before.

The next morning (Friday, March 2^nd) I called the hostel in Chur and reserved a bed.  I was quite proud of myself because I did it all in German and remember I’d only been in Switzerland for a month (and I hate the phone anyway).  I bought the train ticket to Chur and feeling great that my plans were set off to another wandern trail.  It was a completely different experience from the Philospher’s Trail.  It cut through the trees in a narrow valley and it was absolutely enchanting.

It had snowed the night before so the fresh snow was untouched and bore a great and beautiful silence.  As time went on I met more and more walkers and cross country skiers, but I had enough time alone for it to be thoroughly romantic.  The trail opened up into Roseg Valley, which had a stunning view and a comfy restaurant and hotel.  After 1 ½ hours of walking I was read for lunch and as I got my food I realized that this was the place I’d originally planned to stay!  I sure am glad I didn’t decide to walk there from the station in the dark with my luggage!  It would have been a lovely place to stay, but things worked out well anyway.

When I stepped out of the restaurant I was met by the noon sun that had banished the grey clouds while I was inside.  The blanketed valley reflected the brilliant light and the blue sky formed a stunning backdrop to the snow covered mountains.  If only my pictures could do it justice.

With the sun out the hike back was almost new.  I saw people looking intensely at the hills and I asked what they were looking at.  My dictionary didn’t have the word “Gämse” but I did recognize the word for deer and was told it was like that but was only seen high in the mountains.  It is rare to see them so close to the valley, and there were many of them!  Later I looked it up and I wouldn’t have known the English word anyway.  They were Chamois.

The train ride to Chur was very pretty as we made the winding descent through the mountains.  I wasn’t impressed with Chur as a city and after some difficulty I found the backpackers’ hostel.  I stayed in a mixed dorm room, but I was the only one there until I woke up the next morning to discover that two or three had come in during the night.  The hosts were nice and as I tried to find some local cuisine went out of their way to help.  I ended up being introduced to the barman across the way and after a nice dinner (but not very local because they were out of the dish I wanted to try!) I stopped by to buy a drink and thank him.  He unsuccessfully tried to introduce me to the joys of drinking, but I had a nonalcoholic cocktail and enjoyed his conversation.  I can’t remember now, but he was from someplace in Africa, had spent a few years in England learning English as he worked as a bartender and had just recently moved to Switzerland specifically for his barman skills!  He had plenty of interesting stories and it was interesting for me to watch the bar scene.  It wasn’t like American bars where mostly people drink beer and watch football, but was more high class than that even though it was located across from a strip club.  Yes Mom, aren’t you glad to hear that the place I slept was across from a strip club after I’d returned safely?  In fact, in trying to find the bar so I could speak to the bartender as suggested by the hostel guy I accidentally went into the strip club!  It was a first, and thankfully it was early in the evening and it was only the girls sitting around talking.  Hehe, from God’s glorious creation to strip clubs and bars.  I didn’t stay in Chur long, though I’m sure I could have seen its good side if I’d worked hard enough.  The next day I took the 9am train to Arosa, a place famous for its beauty and skiing.  By the time I arrived (an hour later) it was snowing relatively hard but even so I could tell it wasn’t nearly as nice as Pontresina.

Where Pontresina was a local village with some signs of tourism but surrounded by open, natural beauty, Arosa was a densely packed town in a small valley and was almost entirely centered around tourism.  There was a nice frozen lake and some hiking trails but it wasn’t much fun in the snow and cold and I decided to take the next train back.

After another of those delicious hot chocolates in Chur (where it was raining rather than snowing so I had even less motivation to explore the city) I decided to take the train back to Basel stopping at interesting villages on the way as I felt inclined to.  With my feet up on the upper story of the train and a picnic lunch in my tummy I decided the view was just fine from the train and went all the way back to Basel.  It was nice to have the evening to recover (but of course I should have used it to write up the story and label my pictures even though I had much to prepare for the week).

That’s the story of my one and only trip to the Swiss Alps (besides Lucerne, which is just at the skirts).  I hope you enjoy the pictures, and do come out to see them if you haven’t.  There’s nothing like actually being there.  It’s hard for me to imagine that any other place in the Alps are as beautiful as in Pontresina because the mountains just took my breath away, but I felt that way about the Canadian Rockies and they are pebbles compared to the Alps in Pontresina.