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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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