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or to the lesser-traveled Arabian peninsula. Time and resources will be our guide.
forfourtravel - if you get the chance you must go to Oman. One of my favorite nearby destinations when we lived in the Middle East. Marg and Ingo - thanks for the fruit ID - I like quince, just haven't seen it growing before. The tree was one of many on the grounds of the Stockalper Palace. Ingo - ah, but I'm just getting started on the Nusstorte... |
Yes -quinces - my favourite. Need long, slow cooking.
I'm loving your trip report, Mel |
October 10 –
The skies didn’t look terribly promising, but today was our last full day in Grengiols and we had the second day of our hiking pass to use, so off we went to Fiesch on the 9:43 train. Lucky for us, the weather forecast was correct and the sun came out before we even reached Fiesch. And here our inefficient day began – upon arrival in Fiesch we got on the waiting bus to Fieschertal…and thinking we’d made a mistake, we then got off. We walked the 10 minutes up to the Fiesheralp gondola station, soon realizing that we had indeed been on the correct bus and by not taking it we’d missed the connecting gondola to Fiescheralp…so we had to wait 25 minutes for the next one. Argghhh. After all that, our visit to Fiescheralp was rather anti-climactic. It was sleepy, cold and windy, the views weren’t quite what we’d hoped for and the station was a full on construction zone (the Eggishorn gondola is currently closed and my understanding is that it’s being replaced). There were a few hotels and restaurants, but not much of interest. On the way back down, the gondola stopped mid-air twice, once completely enveloped in cloud – and we dangled there, worried that we’d miss the next train. As soon as we got back to the station, we, and a few others, made a mad dash to the Bahnhof to catch the 11:29 train to Mörel (no connecting bus this time). We made it with two minutes to spare. Once in Mörel, we took the gondola to Riederalp Mitte (there are two gondolas, the other goes to Riederalp West) and walked through very quiet Riederalp to the Moosfluh gondola station, and then went up to the top (2,333 m). Moosfluh was cold and windy; the overlooks were slippery with deep mud, but the views were incredible. We’d hoped to have lunch up here, but there wasn’t a restaurant, just a snack shed…well, technically, a retired cable car turned into a snack shed. NOTE: There is a restaurant between Riederalp and Moosfluh, but it didn’t look easy to reach. We eventually returned to sleepy Riederalp hoping to find a place for lunch; skeptical as prospects didn’t look good on our first pass through. Luckily, we found the Walliser Spycher Hotel Restaurant open for business. The waitress told us the cook spoke English, and sent him out to take our order. We both ordered from the Tagesteller menu – a meat sauce on noodles for Bill, house made Spätzle with vegetables for me, both very good (56 CHF each with one beer and one glass of wine). When we left, the cook came out and told us it was nice to hear English ‘up here’, which we took as a reference to the large Asian tour groups we’d seen here and on the Bettmerhorn (either that or he was just chuffed that we’d both cleaned our plates). After lunch we walked towards Riederalp West and climbed up to Riederfurka - a steep rocky walk – and then up to Villa Cassel, which is under renovation until 2020. There’s a one hour loop trail that we would have liked to walk, but our inefficient start was catching up to us – the day was disappearing and our energy was fading. So instead, we soaked up the wonderful views and had a drink on the sun terrace of the self-service drinks kiosk. Note: We could see part of the trail that runs from Riederalp to Belalp via the Aletschji - Grünsee suspension bridge from up here - as tempting as it is, I sincerely doubt I could handle that one, even if I had the five hours needed to do it. We returned to Riederalp via that steep rocky path and took the Riederalp West gondola (two stages, you can also get off at Ried-Mörel) but we stayed on it for the entire journey back to Mörel. We turned in our hiking passes – got our 5 CHF each refund and waited 30 minutes for the train back to Grengiols. Then it was back up the steep hill to our Grengiols apartment one last time. To be continued… |
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Grengiols Bahnhof - stop on request https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...0ac1d3eb0f.jpg Gondola to Fiescheralp https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...1b74590e01.jpg Gondola to Moosfluh https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...a93796be63.jpg Moosfluh https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...69fc8950a5.jpg Moosfluh https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...0efacbb6e3.jpg Spätzle with vegetables |
Thank you! For continuing to feed us wonderful nuggets of Switzerland...
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Thanks for tagging along mokka4!
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Love the name ‘Moosfluh’ and your photos are divine, adding that to my bucket list :) |
Thanks for report and pictures.
I was just in the area yesterday (train and gondola Bern dp 8.06 - Riederalp WEST ar 9.56), had a coffee in the always open restaurant a few steps from the gondola station and went then first to Riederfurka (where I saw that the restaurant offers even sunbeds with Matterhorn view), continued then through the Aletsch Forest to Moosfluh (too much people IMO), then all along/above Aletsch Glacier to Lake Marjelen and finally through the tunnel to Fiescheralp, by gondola to Fiesch (arriving just 5 minutes before the train's departure!) and back by train to Bern ar 19.54). As to your adventure: I suppose it might have been easier to walk from Fiescheralp to Wurzenbord (not more than 1 hr), to go down by gondola and to continue on foot along Bettmersee and Goppisbergeralp to Blausee (not more than 1 hr) and finally to Moosfluh (another 30 min). But at which place are you now, Melnq? |
neckervd -
You've just proven what we've been thinking the whole time - that the Swiss know how to time things much better than we inefficient tourists do! We're always the ones sitting at the station long before the locals turn up, or arriving just after the gondola has left. We do our research, but tend to get distracted or waylaid en route. But, we're on holiday, so schedules sort of go by the wayside. We're in Flims right now - here until Wednesday morning. We had a wonderfully inefficient day today, watching a cow beauty contest in Laax, eating at our favorite Ilanz establishment and taking the trip up to Vals, just because we wanted to see it again in a different season. Tomorrow, Bargas. And FWIW, Bill wanted to do the walk from Wurzenbord to Fiescheralp the first day, but I didn't listen... |
neckervd -
Do you happen to know if there are walks at Zervreila - above Vals? Or how far a walk from the bus stop to the reservoir? |
The Zervreila bus stop is less than half a mile (on a road) from the dam. All buses leaving Ilanz between 8.35 and 15.35 go up to the dam. They leave the Zervreila stop fo Ilanz at 10.05, 12.05, 15.05, 16.05, 17.05.
There is a small about 4 miles long road (closed to vehicles) from the bus stop up to the end of the lake. There are also rather strenuous paths from the bus stop to Lake Guraletsch (2000 ft higher) and from the end of the lake to Lenta Hut and Zapport Hut, both belonging to the Swiss Alpine Club. Hikes above Flims (from the gondola stations Naraus, Grauberg and Saint John's Rock are more panoramic and much easier, however. Have a look at lake Cauma and the Ruinaulta Gorge viewpoint Con https://www.myswitzerland.com/en-ch/...e-gorge-route/ or visit the menhirs of Falera if you are interested in. https://www.graubuenden.ch/en/explor.../parc-la-mutta |
Thanks again neckervd.
We've walked to Conn a few times on previous trips and have also walked through the gorge from Ilanz to Versam Safien - during a heat wave no less. It was memorable to say the least. Bill wants to walk from Conn down to Versam Safien, but I'm a bit worried about how steep it might be. Have you walked this? How is the terrain? |
October 11 –
Sunshine! We tidied the apartment, dropped off the last of our recycling and headed down the long Grengiols hill one final time; much easier going down with luggage than coming up (I was tempted to let my suitcase roll down ahead of me and meet it at the bottom, but I resisted). We’d purchased a Super Saver Ticket online before we left home – 24.50 CHF each with Half Fare Card, train specific – 10:43 am departure from Grengiols via Andermatt, Disentis and Reichenau-Tamins with bus from Tamins Post to Flims Dorf (more on that bit later). The train going towards Andermatt and the train going towards Brig arrived at the same time – again – so a train was between us and the train we needed – we knew from the past few days that this has a way of working out – we just waited for the train to Brig to leave, and hoped our train would wait for us - it did. We’d been riding the Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn throughout our stay in Grengiols. Today our journey took us through the 15.4 km Furkatunnel, which links Oberwald with Realp – that’s one long tunnel – we were in the dark for a long time. All went to plan until we arrived at Reichenau-Tamins…a station we were unfamiliar with - we walked it from end to end looking for the bus stop – we walked up the street - no bus stop, no signs, no nothing. Bill finally did the unheard of and went inside the Bahnhof restaurant and…wait for it…asked for assistance. The SBB app indicated the bus stop was a four minute walk from the Bahnhof…ah…no. We were told to climb the hill (of course) cross the river and turn right, then left then right again, and we’d find the Tamins Post in 10 Swiss minutes. By now, we’d spent a good 15 minutes of our 27 minute connection time trying to find the bus stop - so we hightailed it up the hill dragging luggage – searching – and hoping we’d find the Tamins Post in time for our bus, which according to our watches we’d already missed…meaning we’d have to wait an hour for the next one, turning our six hour travel day into a seven hour travel day. Hot, bothered and unhappy, we finally found the bus stop…and as luck would have it, the bus was running late! We made it! Some 20 minutes later, we arrived at Flims Dorf. We’d spent a week in Flims in late November last year so we're familiar with it; we’d booked the same Air BnB (five nights, USD $549.46). Flims is much busier than the last time we were here – businesses are actually open, pedestrians are out and about enjoying the brilliant sunshine…and we're surprised at how warm it is. We got settled and then walked back up the hill (a recurring theme) and over to the COOP to pick up provisions. The evening was spent catching up on laundry. Exciting stuff. To be continued… |
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Train food https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...c14ec527f6.jpg Oberalp (which was very busy by the way - lots of hikers) https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...2464aa9b57.jpg View from Reichenau-Tamins https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...61fe10111b.jpg View from Reichenau-Tamins https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...1601414f83.jpg Flims https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...3273f1a568.jpg Flims |
October 12 –
As I mentioned previously, we usually visit Switzerland in the winter. There are definitely some advantages to visiting in October though – longer days, most gondolas still operational, flowers galore, fall color, no need to plan meals based on what restaurant might be open, considerably less clothing to deal with…and best of all – no need for traction cleats! But there are a few disadvantages too, at least from our perspective – higher accommodation rates, more people, busier trains and buses, more kids (school holidays), busy restaurant sun terraces, more bugs – lots more – and of course almost too warm weather – for us anyway - we much prefer hiking when it’s cool – and I think we’d burn up in some of these apartments. That said today was absolutely beautiful. Perfect weather for a cow beauty pageant; how could we resist? After breakfast we walked up to the Visitor’s Center for some maps and info, and then walked to Laax to witness this: https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...7893d8b792.jpg The walk took about an hour - just under three miles – a paved path runs alongside the road and then cuts through a small section of forest and countryside - it’s not a particularly scenic walk. There’s a shuttle, free with guest card, but we chose to walk. The Miss Arena Alva event began at 10 - and it was a hoot. Cows were led (many unwillingly) into an arena accompanied by polka music. They were judged…on what I have no idea. Udders? Grooming? I assume the event was similar to an American 4-H competition. https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...20ed8171ad.jpg Cow contest, Laax https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...1babf12136.jpg Cow contest, Laax Vendors were selling handicrafts, food, wine, clothing, sports gear, etc. Kids were jumping on trampolines, riding scooters, playing in hay and just having a grand old time. And there were alphorns! https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...ca2d0331a7.jpg Laax We then caught the free shuttle from the Laax Talistation to Lax GR Posta and connected with the 411 bus to Ilanz via Sagogn (I rather like the drive through Sagogn; it’s a bit of a thrill ride along a very narrow winding road and through tight corners, inches from buildings - 2.60 CHF each, half fare.) The whole point of this exercise was to reach Restaurant Obertor in Ilanz in time for lunch – home to some of the best Bizochels we’ve ever tucked a fork into - we discovered this little gem when staying in Ilanz a few years ago. We weren’t disappointed – we both had the Bizochels Sursilvans – heaven on a plate - 62 CHF with one glass of wine each - worth every franc and calorie. https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...4ebb082a35.jpg Bizochels Sursilvans After lunch we walked to the nearest bus stop and caught the bus to Vals - where the 4.4 mile hike to Hängela-Hütte in June 2017 damn near killed my knee - 6.50 CHF each, half fare. I love the drive to Vals – it’s beautiful – there’s quite a bit of road and bridge construction going on at the moment so it was slow going. We considered going to Zervreila, which we’d missed last time as the road was closed, but we didn’t know enough about it to make an informed decision, so we took a pass. Upon arrival in Vals, we followed the path along the river and up to the Vals Talistation - beautifully green – flowers in bloom everywhere – and a heck of a lot busier than last time we were here – lots of people were out and about, walking, biking and many on scooters coming down from a hotel above town. And the Vals Therme appeared to be hopping. We visited the church and cemetery and then sat on the sun terrace of Hotel Alpina where I tried my first Aperol Spritz – Aperol, prosecco, Valser (Swiss mineral water from the mineral springs in Vals, 8.50 CHF) – with a copper straw! (neckervd – please enlighten us about all the copper in Switzerland – copper is very expensive where we come from, but we see it everywhere in Switzerland). The terrace was a bit pungent - cigarette smoke on one side, streaks of cow poo on the other. We didn’t linger. https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...c335f26951.jpg Vals https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...c758a11c80.jpg Vals https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...e7a6048ed2.jpg Vals https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...610e6812aa.jpg Vals https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...01ed52c0c2.jpg Vals https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...038fab08dd.jpg Vals https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...97560cd5a2.jpg Vals https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...e6973f325b.jpg Vals https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...bfca587b7c.jpg Vals Then it was back on the bus to Flims, with a change in Ilanz and a change in Laax – booked via SBB app – 10.10 CHF each, half fare. A beauty of a day. To be continued… |
Fantastic day! That cow contest is indeed a hoot! And what about Capuns??
Why didn't you take the chair lift from Vals up, walked (flat) to Zervreila reservoir bus stop and took the bus back? |
Hi Ingo -
The chairlift wasn't moving, we thought it was closed. Does it go to Zervreila? The days are just too short to fit everything in - so much time is lost getting to and from places - public transport is wonderful, but somewhat limiting as we're at the mercy of the schedules, so time consuming. Never fear, Capuns are on our list. |
Mel - it's gondola, not chair lift, sorry. Yes, it is still in operation, always ten minutes after the bus arrives. The gondola goes up to Gadastatt, from where it is a quite short walk to Zervreila. See the panoramic summer map here.
Cannot wait to read about Capuns ;-) |
Mel, tracking your route on a map, you keep introducing new regions to me... On copper, I kept photographing the copper roofing for my husband, can’t believe it (at a house build here even the copper piping is at great risk of being stolen) |
So loving your report...so many small villages and corners that you take us to, so very wonderful!
Also really like the comparison of Fall vs. Winter travel. I used to travel in winter only to ski (though I did hike around Zermatt when I found the skiing too mind-numbingly cold), so it's interesting to see the comparison of two seasons of hiking. Germany doesn't clear as many hiking trails in winter, so the options in my neighborhood are fewer than in Switzerland. I do love the photos of your winter hikes though. Oh...I attended a sheep judging contest here in Garmisch.... https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...b87d0e3b00.jpg The guy in the long black coat is the judge https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...82449d9857.jpg I was also interested to see lots of mugs of beer all over, including the judge's table... and yes it was about 9 a.m. Anyway, love events like this! s |
Gondola, chair lift, cable car...apparatus that takes one up the mountain without having to walk:)
We didn't know where it went Ingo - it was a spontaneous visit, so we didn't plan. That's a riot swandav - I didn't see any beer mugs at the Laax contest but the polka music as the cows paraded around the arena was pretty entertaining. |
Adelaidean -
I know, the whole copper thing baffles me. It's so expensive in the US. My SIL's home in CO (while vacant) was broken into and the thieves cut the copper pipe out of the house. |
October 13 –
We walked up to Flims-Dorf and caught the shuttle to Bargas (free with guest card as far as Fidaz Dorf and then 3.80 CHF each beyond that, half fare). Bargas is at the doorstop of the Tectonic Arena Sardona, A UNESCO World Heritage Site. Last year we’d walked to Bargas from Fidaz), as the shuttle wasn’t running (off season). We wanted to explore some of the walks in the area, so re-visiting Bargas was high on our to-do list. https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...88d469daf0.jpg Bargas https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...8b783d79ec.jpg Bargas Several walks originate from here; we started walking the trail to Alp Mora, but switched gears and decided to walk the Rundweg instead. When it came time to circle back, we decided to continue walking the unmarked path. We had no idea where it led, but after looking at our map and seeing the symbol for a waterfall and an overlook, we figured it was worth finding out. Evidently, we were on the path to High Valley Bargas; and it was gorgeous. https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...f3ec6f891f.jpg High Valley Bargas https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...61af6afbf2.jpg High Valley Bargas The path got steeper and steeper, the views got better and better, egging us on. There were very few people up here, save an occasional cluster on electric bikes. We finally turned back when we reached the sign for the rugged looking Fela Raschaglius Bergweg. As we backtracked we encountered more and more people. It seemed all of Flims had come up to Bargas on this beautiful sunny Sunday. Some four hours and 7.5 miles later we found ourselves back at the absolutely heaving Berghaus Bargas - the sun terrace was packed, so we took a seat inside the restaurant where we had to wait quite a while for service; the staff were running full tilt. We were tired and in no hurry; content to just sit down. We eventually ordered drinks and a dried meat and alpine cheese platter, accompanied with some wonderful dark bread (59 CHF, two beers, one wine, one bottle of Swizly - Swiss cider). https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...91232c50fa.jpg Berghaus Bargas https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...4d0571f531.jpg Swiss cider Fed and watered, we joined the group of people waiting for the return bus to Flims. Here things got a little strange; the elderly bus driver seemed confused; it took a good 20 minutes for some ~30 passengers to pay their fares and board the bus. The line didn’t move at all for about 10 minutes. It was weird. Finally, the bus left, very late and very full, and we were on our way down the steep and impossibly narrow road to Fidaz and then on to Flims. En route, our driver came so close to another passing bus that passengers audibly gasped. At one of the stops, an elderly woman sitting across from me slowly got up to get off, and the driver started driving; she fell towards me and there was a chorus of Nein, Nein, Nein! The driver stopped and she got off, but when she exited she fell to the pavement. The driver got out, people jumped off to help (and several of them stayed with her while the bus continued on). Big sigh of relief when we got back to Flims unscathed (7.60 CHF for both, Bargas to Fidaz, half fare, Fidaz to Flims free with guest card). A chaotic ending to a beautiful day. To be continued… |
I feel so great while reading your trip reports! Almost like I’m there with you! |
Why thank you martharap!
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Thanks for sharing your holiday with us, melnq8. Very envious!
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October 14 –
Sunshine in the forecast for today, rain expected tomorrow; Bill had come up with a plan. We walked up to the visitor’s center and purchased Kombitickets which included the bus to Nagens (#23) from Laax, and the chairlifts from Naraus to Foppa and back to Flims (26 CHF each with guest card – a six CHF per person discount, Half Fare Card of no use, we’d hike between. We missed the free shuttle, so we dashed to the closest Flims Post Bus stop and caught the regular bus to Laax (2.20 CHF each, half fare). The bus ride to Nagens was incredibly steep, considerably more so than the ride to Bargas; the bus seemed to struggle getting up the hill. We were deposited at a lonely bus stop well above tree line; the other passengers went on their way, leaving us to study the map and figure out which of several options to take. https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...1b22dc751e.jpg Our bus as it left us at Nagens We finally decided to walk to Grauberg and then join the Trutg Dil Flem (water trail). The views from up here were gorgeous. The track to Grauberg and then down to Segneshütte (one of the oldest mountain huts in the region at an altitude of 2,100 m) was rocky and steep, but nothing compared to what lay ahead. https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...53b5db3135.jpg Climb to Grauberg https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...0bd3eaa238.jpg https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...e791e949ed.jpg Headwaters of the Flims River https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...6ddf7fd682.jpg Descent to Segnes https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...10b38e4bec.jpg Grauberg gondola https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...7efa7e35a1.jpg Grauberg gondola We took a short break on the sun terrace of the Segneshütte, sharing a pastry and a cider (10.50 CHF – the pastry with almond filling was really good); the views towards Flims hazy. Then came the knee-crunching descent, a series of switchbacks that led down the rock face following the river; the section we’d been told by the woman in the Flims visitor’s center was “a little steep”. Right. To be fair, the brochure for the walk describes it as “a narrow, challenging mountain hiking trail with traverses and bridges over flowing water. Sure footing is a prerequisite for the red and white marked trail”. Shame I hadn’t read it before setting out. The views were incredible, looming snow covered mountains, river, red and yellow autumn leaves; the terrain rocky and challenging. https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...317871c904.jpg Trutg Dil Flem https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...2b90662b24.jpg Trutg Dil Flem https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...335857082d.jpg Trutg Dil Flem https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...08d666865b.jpg Trutg Dil Flem https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...401f6e4f68.jpg Trutg Dil Flem https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...d913dcfffb.jpg Trutg DIl Flem When we got to what we thought was the bottom, we were faced with yet another climb up to Berghaus Naraus (1,842 m), where the chairlift to Foppa was located; our ticket back to Flims. It had taken us three hours to hike this four mile section of track, which pretty much says it all. (Note: the main trail to Naraus was closed due to rock slides, so we had to take the alternate trail, forcing us to go down just to go back up). Thoroughly exhausted, we finally reached Ustria Naraus, which is located right at the mountain station of the Foppa-Naraus chairlift in the ski and hiking area below the Flimserstein. https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...b721217d3b.jpg Me, after the hike It was well after 2 pm, so we thought we’d been caught out again and had missed lunch, but they serve meals throughout the day. We shared a plate of Pizokels covered in a marinara and vegetable sauce, Mohl (cider) and a beer (34 CHF). While perfectly adequate, we both missed the cream, cheese and decadent butter sauce that we’ve come to associate with Pizokels. We eventually took the chairlift down to Foppa (1,420 m), where we got off to see how long a walk it’d be to the closest of the lower bridges, but found no information. So we did the next best thing, and rested a bit more on the sun terrace of the Berghaus Foppa, and rewarded our hiking efforts with a decadent ice cream concoction – Grap da Flem, scoops of chocolate, caramel and mocha ice cream topped with whipped cream, caramel and chocolate sauce and a few gratuitous blueberries (9.50 CHF). https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...ec83f0fd75.jpg https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...61643c1804.jpg This restaurant looked like a better option than Ustria Naraus with a large varied menu (and more customers). And unfortunately more smokers – which begs the question – how do smokers hike? Do they have an extra lung? We eventually took the chairlift down to Flims – the views were spectacular - we could see all of Flims and the surrounding countryside – accompanied by pungent fumes of cow poop – we passed right over a few buildings where the stuff had been gathered and stored for future dispersal. Whew! Then it was back to the apartment where we discovered we didn’t have any hot water. Uh-Oh. No showers for us. To be continued… |
Oh, Mel, “challenging” hike, crikey, if the Swiss say that, we’d be out of there, LOL. But, wow, gorgeous landscape. What a day. Has Bill forgiven you yet? At least you got lunch, and your knee survived, bravo. |
Wow, what a hike! Glad your knee hasn't given you problems so far...do hope it recovers quickly!
And Mel....yikes!.... I don't see hiking poles in your photos! That terrain is so rough I'd hate to try it without poles, especially downhill. My gosh, huge respect for doing that! (But hope I'm wrong and you had them!). As always, fantastic photos!! Thanks so much! s |
I had a pole - just one, as I can't seem to use two simultaneously - Bill was pole free, but was wishing he had one.
Currently in Soglio - listening to the church bells go crazy. Beautiful up here - I hope this weather holds. |
" All went to plan until we arrived at Reichenau-Tamins …a station we were unfamiliar with - we walked it from end to end looking for the bus stop – we walked up the street - no bus stop, no signs, no nothing."
There is a good reason for that: People coming from Grengiols - Andermatt - Disentis and wanting to go to Fllims usually change at Ilanz where the bus waits a few steps from the train platform: Grengiols dp 10.43 - Ilanz ar 14.22. dp 14.35 - Flims Dorf ar 15.18. It's also possible to change from train to bus in the Reichenaus area, at Domat/Ems (20 m walk). That gives: Grengiols dp 10.43 - Domat/Ems ar 14.53. dp 15.11 - Flims Dorf ar 15.36.. |
Hi neckervd -
When we booked the Super Saver ticket from home, we chose the routing that had the fewest number of stops, not knowing the situation at Reichenau-Tamins. You'll love this though - we did it again today, thinking we knew what we were doing, but still managing to screw things up. We live, we learn:) |
Indeed, there is misleading information under
https://www.sbb.ch The accurate one is gibven by the Austrian timetable https://fahrplan.oebb.at/bin/query.e...20493&OK#focus |
October 15 –
The weather forecast called for a humid, but dry morning with 100% chance of rain in the afternoon. We’d recovered somewhat (hot shower notwithstanding) and we both thought we were up for a gentle walk on our last day in Flims. I’d found one online that was classified ‘easy’ – 10.7 km, three hours, ascent and descent 276 m each. Piece of cake right? Hmmm…. So, gluttons for punishment that we are, we set out to walk from Staderas-Val Gronda-Salums-Laax with our sights on lunch at Restaurant Straussennest in Salums. We caught the free shuttle from Flims Dorf to Laax Staderas and examined the various walks listed on the directional signs. No reference to Val Gronda anywhere, but, best as we could tell we needed to walk towards Conn via the wide, gentle path. We’ve walked to Conn a few times on previous trips, but never from this direction; or from this high above the Caumasee. https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...1c1aaa65f4.jpg Caumasee https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...4be637175e.jpg We eventually reached the Ruinaulta -Rhine Gorge - viewpoint referenced in the walk description, and found the Bergweg that led to Salums. Uh-oh. Naturally, we took the bait, and soon found ourselves on a narrow path cut into the side of the cliff; we gingerly stepped over exposed roots and tried not to stumble into the Ruinaulta directly below us (graceful I’m not). Nice views from up here. https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...c855844525.jpg Ruinaulta https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...d2b8c21949.jpg Ruinaulta The Bergweg eventually ended and joined the well graded path/road to Salums…which seemed to go on forever. We finally arrived in Salums, and unexpectedly found ourselves in a….? Hamlet? Suburb? Housing area? We walked through it and found the Straussennest, which we’d wrongly assumed was a Bergrestaurant. Nope. And as is our luck, it was closed on Mondays and Tuesdays in October. And today was Tuesday. But of course. https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...0b2a14d43d.jpg Tight parking, Salums https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...d0c05a2c2a.jpg Salums So, we continued walking down the road and directly into an industrial part of Laax on the main thoroughfare. The walk description indicated we should walk downhill towards Laax (check) toward Laax Cons then on to the Laaxersee. Evidently we’d lost the track, and it had begun to rain. So, we walked to the nearest bus stop, got our bearings, checked the bus schedule and decided to continue walking up to Laax Bergbahnen to find some lunch (passing two more closed restaurants en route). We ended up at the Rocks Resort in Laax. We’d walked seven miles in just over three hours; it felt as if we’d walked that 276 m ascent and descent a least four times. The Rocks Resort was deserted – quite the contrast from Saturday during the cow contest. The first hotel restaurant we wandered into was empty, and of course it was past 2 pm. A young waiter from Afghanistan checked with the kitchen and offered us a light meals menu. Bill had the steak tartare, I had the bruschetta – 42 CHF with one drink each. The resort closes for the season on October 24 – we asked the waiter what he’d be doing during the closure; he’d said he’d returning to school in Bern. https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...4953c100a6.jpg Laax underpass https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...94a19b05c8.jpg Lax underpass https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...9e77cf1ba3.jpg Laax underpass https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...93d6bb84ab.jpg 19 CHF lunch After our late lunch, we caught the shuttle back to Flims, and made a bakery stop for my daily dose of sugar - in the form of a nice slice of Ananas cake – 5.50 CHF. https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...1fddb709f3.jpg Let there be cake! The hot water was back! Note: I mentioned it being buggy up thread; Bill fussed about the mosquitoes the entire time we were in Flims – they didn’t bother me, but there sure were a lot of gnats and something seriously dealt on my ankles – I suspect it was the stinky pink washing detergent provided in the apartment laundry – or not – it’s a mystery. To be continued… |
Ha, another ‘easy’ walk. But, a dramatic landscape, for sure. Have to say, I was a little suspicious of ‘easy’ but when we were in South Tirol, it turned out to be exactly that and perfect for my mother. Usually a relatively flat walk between villages or something, probably called a wanderweg in Switzerland, where a stroller could even be used. Mel, that is surprisingly ordinary white bread with the steak tartare, so used to excellent breads in Switzerland. |
That is quite a trip :) I have just visited Adelboden and don't regret it all. Do not forget to hike to Schtiegelscwand (it is maybe 3km from Adelboden center) - it's a very nice valley:)
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Mel, that is surprisingly ordinary white bread with the steak tartare, so used to excellent breads in Switzerland.
I know, right? In Germany the bread used for steak tartare is much better, but it's been hit and miss here in Switzerland. We make cannibals (steak tartare) at home once in awhile - I'm not a fan of meat in general, let alone raw, but my husband's family was raised on the stuff. The issue has always been finding the right bread - the bread his German grandmother used to make. We now have a source near our home in CO - a little German bakery about 30 minutes from our house. Cannibals just wouldn't be the same without 'grandma's bread' (or so I'm told). aurimas - thanks for the suggestion. We left Adelboden in early October - we're now in Soglio and we leave for Scuol tomorrow. |
Fantastic trip, we've been in Valais a few days ago and we've really enjoyed it!
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October 16 –
The morning was cool and beautiful, low wispy clouds clinging to the mountains. https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...e09c17f53b.jpg Flims https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...45098ac277.jpg Flims https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...8ee6f6321a.jpg Flims We left Flims on the 10:21 bus to Tamins Post, feeling pretty confident about making the change to Reichenau-Tamins, and having 28 minutes to do it (booked online via SBB app – 35.10 CHF each, half fare). https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...8589b81277.jpg Views from bus - Flims to Tamins As we got off the bus at Tamins Post, the bus driver asked if we knew that we needed to go down the hill to the Bahnhof. We told him yes, and thanked him. We rolled our luggage (rolled being relative here) across cobblestones, crossed the river and headed down towards the train station. Or, so we thought. This didn’t look familiar. Uh-oh. https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...5aa6936939.jpg Tamins A man had just walked by, so I hailed him, pointed up ahead and asked, “Bahnhof? Zug?” Nein. Evidently, we’d managed to sail right past the turn and walk ½ mile and cross the wrong bridge over the Rhine. Panic set in; we turned tail and hoofed it back from whence we came, located the correct street and raced uphill to the station, arriving several minutes before our train. We could have gone through Chur, but we thought we had this figured out. Soon we were headed towards St Moritz on the UNESCO World Heritage Albula Line (Rhaetian Railway), which climbs the Albula Valley and passes through tunnels and over viaducts. We’ve been on many trains in Switzerland, but never on this route (we’ve been as far as Samaden on this line, but coming from the opposite direction). It was beautiful. The train had an entire car dedicated to kids and even a Dyson Airblade in the loo! We were asked to show our passports for the first time since we’d been in Switzerland. And we think we’ve found the perfect spot for our next visit -Tiefencastel. In St Mortiz we changed to the bus to Promontogno and eventually crossed the very winding Maloja Pass. When we reached Maloja, everyone was asked to get off the bus and switch to another one, which surprised us as the SBB app (and the on board display) indicated we’d stay on the same bus. No matter, there was no wait. Upon arrival in Promontogno, we switched to the small bus to Soglio and were whisked up the hill. Our home for the next three nights: https://www.stuagranda.ch/DE/home.html A simple and comfortable room with balcony, breakfast included, 160 CHF per night. Best as we can tell, the hotel only has seven rooms. We checked in and immediately went out to explore. The day was beautiful, the snow covered mountains spectacular. We visited the church, walked through the cemetery, located the Information Office and picked up a surprisingly good, completely random bottle of Italian red wine at the tiny shop next door to the hotel. We settled in on the balcony to enjoy that stunning view. https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...fcbc05de65.jpg Soglio https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...4c780ca273.jpg Soglio https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...632e181b9f.jpg Soglio https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...d893b3256c.jpg Soglio It’s chestnut season here in Soglio and the tail end of the Chestnut Festival – from the Bregaglia website: Colors, smells and tastes will be important characteristics of the Chestnut Festival. Bregaglia, a southern valley in Graubunden, bursts with autumn colors and offers a ambiance, which inspired famous artists such as Segantini, Giacometti and Varlin. The chestnut trees are privately owned and it is forbidden to collect chestnuts. We appreciate your understanding. Many of the trees are afflicted with the chestnut gall wasp, so it is not allowed to export leaves, buds or branches from Bregaglia. Fortunately, the chestnuts are not affected and can be eaten without a problem. We had dinner in the hotel's restaurant- Bundner barley soup for Bill (10.50 CHF), chestnut gnocchi with herb butter and smoked bacon for me (23.50 CHF) - both were very good. Yet another beautiful day in Switzerland.To be continued… |
"Soglio e la soglia dal paradiso" ;-) One of my favourite spots. Had a piece of chestnut cake once on the terrace of Stüa Granda - excellent (both the cake and the views :-) ) Anxiously waiting for your next posts.
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