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Don't know why that's so BIG.
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" As we got off the bus at Tamins Post"
You really like adventure. As I told you in a previous post, your bus stopped at Domat/Ems railway station 3 minutes after having left Tamins. There you could have caught the St. Moritz bound train a few metres from the bus stop. |
Understood neckervd. We'd bought the ticket before you posted as I mentioned up thread. And FWIW SBB didn't give us any such option - any idea why that might be?
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What brilliant weather, Mel, so gorgeous. Looking forward to this, and to Scuol. |
Adelaidean - this morning we woke to rain and fog. Can't even tell there are mountains out there.
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Mel your photos around Soglio are stunning, as have been the ones around Flems and elsewhere. Great shot of you after the hike, I know that feeling.
You have had some wild bus adventures! Now wondering how you'll spend your rain and fog day. |
Thank you all for the comments! I'm running a few days behind, but will try to catch up.
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October 17 –
We had a lovely serene night. All the worn out hikers must have been fast asleep. We first popped into the Information Office for a map. A walk through the chestnut groves was at the top of my list, so we set out to walk from Soglio-Castasegna. Wow. Neither of us knew much about chestnuts or had ever seen a chestnut tree. So it came as a surprise that those soft looking puffs we saw scattered all over the ground are actually spiky and sharp! Chestnuts were literally falling from the trees as we walked under them – we almost got bonked a few times. The nuts and husks (burrs) were seemingly everywhere, on the ground, in the road, in the gutters – some whole, some smashed, some still in their burrs. https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...88994b8ebd.jpg Chestnuts https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...9e698bb1f6.jpg Chestnuts Chestnut collection was in full swing – some people were picking up the chestnuts by hand, others were using rakes and forming piles; one guy was using a leaf blower. No matter the method it looked like chestnut collection is very labor intensive. The walk led us by a huge thundering waterfall and through a tunnel behind it. We passed an honesty kiosk selling an assortment of jams. I bought some to take home, and would have liked more, but I didn’t have the correct change and the collection container was empty. https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...ec27b20d2a.jpg I absolutely loved this walk; the chestnut groves were fascinating. About two miles into the walk we took a short coffee break in the lovely village of Castasegna (6.40 CHF). We continued walking, and found the signs to Bondo; there were two trail options – one was level and seemed to run right next to the road, the other was sign-posted Val Bregaglia and went up a hill. After faffing around a bit, we decided to go up…but of course. The trail kept climbing, and we wondered if maybe we’d made a mistake, but the promise of views egged us on. We finally began the descent into Bondo. We popped into the church to see the frescos (Ingo will be pleased). I remembered Ingo mentioning that Bondo had suffered a massive landslide two years ago – I’ve since looked it up and found some disturbing video online. We didn’t see any obvious damage to homes, but the evidence of the landslide is impossible to miss. We didn’t see any more trail signs so we continued walking through the village and across a large suspension bridge (hoping it would lead us to Promontogno, which it did). Note: Does anyone know if the suspension bridge was built after the rockslide or before? I’m curious as it just looked out of place. https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...b7a9eb3cba.jpg Promontogno was much closer than I’d anticipated – maybe ten minutes past Bondo. It was also deserted – we missed the bus by 10 minutes. We’d hoped to have lunch here or in Bondo, but couldn’t find anywhere to eat. Even the small food store was closed. So, out came the gummy bears and we settled in for a 50 minute wait. It was cold here in the valley, the sun hidden by the mountains. I remember reading somewhere that Promontogno doesn’t even see the sun for several months in the winter. We thought we’d be taking a two hour walk, but the Bergweg diversion to Bondo put the kibosh on that. It took over four Bill and Mel hours to walk almost seven miles. A lot of it was uphill, not difficult, but definitely uphill. As the arrival of the buses approached, people seemed to come out of the woodwork. We took the bus to Chiavenna, Italy (free with guestcard) a journey of about 30 minutes. Our first priority was getting Euros from an ATM, our second was food. We hadn’t planned to eat dessert first, but the ATM was right next to a gelato shop, so…good stuff that gelato – and a bargain after Switzerland, two scoops each for 5 Euro. Then it was off to a promising establishment directly across from the bus stop, Mastai, for a very late lunch and several rounds of drinks – we spent quite a bit of time here. Bill really enjoyed the Birra Amoretti La Rossa Double Bock. We ordered pizza and with every drink came more nibbles of food – we were well stuffed – 40 Euro and quite the deal. https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...a3cf1e5b4d.jpg Chiavenna, Italy We spent about three hours in Chiavenna, eating, drinking and generally poking around. Then it was back on the 6:09 bus to Promontogno and the connecting bus to Soglio. A brilliant day. To be continued… |
Yes, Mel, I am VERY pleased you saw the frescoes in the church in Bondo ;-)
I have done that hike through the chestnut groves down to Castasegna, too. Loved it! They were roasting the chestnuts between the little huts (cascine) at that time, so probably a bit later than your visit. https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...956ffbd8c1.jpg roasting chestnuts in the chestnut grove https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...ecf067eec6.jpg view from the chestnut grove The suspension bridge was built two months after the landslide (mostly from donations) and replaced the former massive stone bridge. It is thought as a temporary solution for pedestrians to get to the bus stop in Promontogno - at some time later they will rebuild the stone bridge (for driving, too.) |
Mel, this was a blog I read last trip https://milenabregaglia.wordpress.co...estnut-season/ We came across horse chestnuts apparently, in Bavaria, not the edible ones. I had no idea. |
Forgot to add....my hubby is now reading your posts and then saying “when we go back....” LOL, so, yay, keep those photos and comments going. (We have actually booked a stay in Locarno for June, for something different next year, but maybe the following year.....:) ) |
October 18 –
The weather forecast was unpromising – cloudy with possible rain in the afternoon. We visited our new friend in the Information office to ask for her blessing on today’s walk. She seemed surprised to hear what we’d walked yesterday, so didn’t look too alarmed when we told her we were considering walking from Soglio to Stampa via the Val Bregaglia and then on to Viscosoprano. She did mention that the descent from Soglio to Stampa was a little steep, which turned out to be more Swiss understatement. It was very steep; essentially a rock staircase of seemingly endless switchbacks that clung to the side of the mountain. It took us an hour to go one mile; I took my sweet time gingerly walking down those steps; did I mention I’m clumsy? https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...7f4d55a9ad.jpg View of Soglio from trail https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...c305f38c8d.jpg Soglio to Stampa https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...3f99300846.jpg Soglio to Stampa https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...31bdead52a.jpg Soglio to Stampa Along this stretch we saw some of the biggest toadstools we’ve ever seen; it was green, marshy and wet and felt a bit like hiking in a New Zealand rainforest. We mistakenly thought we’d reached Stampa, but no, it was the pretty little settlement of Coltura. https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...1e9a19ddeb.jpg Coltura https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...7aa0545391.jpg Coltura Some 2:45 miles and 1:45 hours later we finally reached Stampa. We then continued walking to Viscosoporano; the trail easier, save about 20 minutes of rugged Bergweg. Our total walk time was 3:15, just over five miles. It was enjoyable for the most part, stone steps and all. Once in Viscosporano we decided to have lunch at Albergo Corona. Bill tried the Wild Ravioli (Hirsch - red deer) with red currants - 19 CHF for a massive serving. I had the Piccola Ravioli - quark and spinach in a cheese and butter sauce. Both were very good – what’s not to love about fresh pasta? Add a beer and two glasses of Prosecco and we were set (49 CHF). We briefly considered taking the bus to Maloja (free with guest card) but I just wanted to chill in Soglio for a while, so we caught the next bus to Promotongno and the connecting bus to Soglio. Back in Soglio we sat on the balcony, ate ice cream bars purchased from the little shop next door, and watched the world go by, smiling every time we heard the Post Bus horn blare as it came up from Promotongno. Smoke rose from the valley below; several small fires were burning piles of chestnut burrs. Soglio was quiet, the views obscured by cloud, the sun terrace of the hotel’s restaurant near vacant, entirely different from the day we arrived. To be continued… |
Continuing to (gratefully) follow along..
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Mel, we walked from Soglio to Stampa, stopping for lunch in Coltura and then back up the hill to Soglio (was it called the 'panoramic trail' or something like that?). It was gorgeous and the wildflowers in early June were stunning - slept well that night! Your photos are doing a fantastic job at making me wish I were able to return.
Some things have obviously changed in Soglio since we were there: no information office other than the grocery store and no guest cards. Oh and the church was covered in scaffolding. Other than that it looks as beautiful as I remember. |
Loving the photos, the autumnal colour is so beautiful (and yet I love the wildflowers in June too), it just is so peaceful and dramatic, isn’t it. We will just have to revisit, haven’t walked the trails nor pottered around Vicosoprano yet. |
More beauty! Just lovely. I did that walk to Stampa years ago, but I passed on it for my last visit in June from my base in Sils. Should have done it; it is so beautiful. I had my lunch at your hotel though. Good food!
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I also did that walk the opposite direction. (Historic Trail, the panoramic trail is on higher elevation.) Going up was certainly more pleasant than going down. Btw, you missed a nice little work of art in the church before Coltura - a window by one of the Giacomettis. :-) And did you notice the palazzo Castelmur in Coltura? Nice interior and the museum has a fascinating exhibit on the pastry bakers from Bregaglia/Engiadina who emigrated to other European countries and made a fortune there.
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dreamon - I think we were on the Val Bregaglia from Soglio to Stampa, then the track veered across the river over to Stampa, and we stayed on the left of the river and continued walking to Viscosoporano.
The information office in Soglio was tiny - right next to the back side of our hotel, which is where we walked up to our rooms. When did you visit? We saw the Panoramico Trail above us. We didn't choose it because we were told the views were obscured by the forest. And the whole up thing discouraged me a bit. We did see the palazzo Castelmur in Coltura Ingo. Doors locked, museum closed. |
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BTW: Palazzo Castelmur is open every afternoon, except Monday
https://www.bregaglia.ch/en/exhibiti...azzo-castelmur There was a big event last saturday, the Swiss national television was there too. Attachment 3139 |
October 19 –
We woke to a wall of fog outside our window. Good time to leave. We’d enjoyed our stay, but we really missed the breathing room of an apartment. Note: I forgot to mention up thread that the 160 CHF per night did not include the daily 2.50 CHF per person visitor’s tax. https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...57e45daec9.jpg Soglio - view from our balcony We caught the 10:11 bus to Promotongno, where we had a bit of a wait for the connecting bus to St Moritz. The skies had opened in earnest, umbrellas were thick. Soon we were on our way over the squiggly and narrow Maloja Pass – this time in the rain. https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...413e8dbbba.jpg Maloja Pass The drive along Lake Sils was spectacular – even under stormy skies. The golden-yellow of the larch forests a sight to behold. To those of us from the Rocky Mountains, it seems odd for a conifer to turn yellow and lose its needles. Sils has been on our short list for a while; next time for sure! After a short wait in St Mortiz, we boarded a train to Samadan, and then some six minutes later, connected to another train to Scuol; entire journey 3.5 hours, 35.30 CHF each, half fare, booked via SBB app. We’d overlooked the fact that our guest card would have covered the journey as far as Maloja, thereby saving 5.60 CHF each, but that’s what we tourists do, make mistakes:). We were met in Scuol by Verena, the owner of the apartment we’ve rented here for several years. She’s a gem. The apartment we usually rent was occupied, but she manages several, so we’d booked an alternate, and she drove us there. Nice place, larger than the one we usually book, one less hill to climb to/from the station and the COOP, and one less meadow to navigate. Yes, this will do nicely; balcony with lovely views, well equipped kitchen, we’re set. https://verenaerni.jimdo.com/staiger/ - five nights, 530 CHF paid in cash upon arrival. A Tuorta Da Nusch from Daniel Risch-Erni in Sent was waiting for us on the table; the very Nusstorte that got us hooked several years ago. Always a treat. We walked down the series of hills to the Coop to pick up provisions, and then settled in on the balcony with a glass of grape to soak up those incredible views, serenaded by the occasional Swiss Post horn as a bus climbed the mountain on the other side of the river headed to S-Charl. That sound always makes me smile. https://www.postauto.ch/en/three-tone-horn https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...508fc5db46.jpg View from our balcony in Scuol Note: The Coop in Scuol is now open on Sundays – or perhaps that’s always been the case? Dinner found us at one of our Scuol favorites - Hotel Bellaval for (here you go Ingo) - Capuns! Rich and excellent as usual. Bill went for the beef tartare, this one served with baguette (63.50 CHF with two Mohl Apfelmost). Lovely. https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...26c92e48d4.jpg Capuns! To be continued... |
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