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I am green of envy, Mel!!! ;-)
Glad you will be in Sils next time for sure. The golden larch trees are soooo spectacular with the blue of the lake and sky plus the white of the fresh snow. What a beautiful apartment! And so spacious ... I have also come to prefer rental apartments over hotel rooms. Many advantages. |
October 20 –
Partly cloudy skies with scattered showers predicted – a crisp 40 F. We took the 8:35 am bus (# 913) to S-Charl; this secluded car-free hamlet has been on Bill’s wish list for quite some time, but our previous visits to Scuol have all been in winter, when S-Charl can only be reached by snow shoes, touring skis or horse-drawn sleigh. The 40 minute ride took us up a narrow steep winding road on par with the journey to Bargas and Nagens, through forest, rocky ravines and massive slide areas. This road must be a maintenance nightmare even at the best of times (28.40 CHF for both return, half fare). What a beautiful spot – all the more so as the sun made an appearance, albeit fleeting. https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...6fc3b66813.jpg S-Charl https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...c01301d7cd.jpg S-Charl https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...90af9bdae5.jpg S-Charl We walked up to Alp Sesvenna; a trail shared with horses and cattle (one of the horses was chasing a cow, competitive grazing, cracked me up). The trail led us gently uphill through forest and alongside a creek and then up through scree fields. Twenty-minutes from the top, the hill became downright steep. https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...5c37831e41.jpg S-Charl to Alp Sesvenna https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...e373d57000.jpg S-Charl to Alp Sesvenna https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...72b455aef9.jpg S-Charl to Alp Sesvenna https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...69ecf99d4a.jpg S-Charl to Alp Sesvenna We walked a short distance past a small hut and the Alp Sesvenna sign; here the trail became an Alpine Route (blue and white trail marker). Thanks, but no (3.75 miles, just over two hours, return). There are two restaurants in S-Charl – one had already closed for the season. We popped into the other, Gasthaus Mayor, and were told by a brusque waitress that they were fully booked. We asked if we could sit outside, and were told an emphatic no. We wandered a bit and then decided to give it another go, see if maybe we could wait until a table cleared – we had almost two hours until the next bus and there was just nowhere else to go…and it had started to rain. This time I spoke to another waitress and she led us into a side room partly filled with other diners, and offered us a table (perhaps a Stube being used as overflow seating?). Bill had the Capuns, I had the quark and spinach Pizokels – both were disappointing – mine bland and floury, his just okay (58 CHF with drinks). Then it was back to Scuol on the bus – Bill and the bus driver having a long chat about the virtues of various motorcycles - the bus driver nibbling on a dark chocolate bar and telling us it was better than any anti-depressant. Nice guy. After a bit of cloud watching from our apartment balcony, we walked back up the hill to Hotel Bellaval for a round of their creamy Gerstensuppe (it’s still good!) and a bit of wine – only one other customer, so we had a nice chat with our Italian waiter – 40 CHF. https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...192e8bb1b9.jpg Chilling on Scuol apartment balcony https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...4056648901.jpg View from Scuol apartment balcony To be continued... |
Brilliant pictures again, Mel! These golden larch trees in the sunshine with the dark sky are stunning. I absolutely L*O*V*E S-charl ... A shame you had such a bad culinary experience there :( I must say I always dined at the other place, Hotel Crusch Alba. Yummy!
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Thank you Ingo! We had spectacular weather today and I went a little nuts with the photos. As far as the food in S-Charl - The Obertor and the Hotel Belleval are hard acts to follow!
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Best photos yet! Just stunning...
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Melnq8, so appreciate your entertaining, detailed TR! Who could not love Switzerland? And your photos are beautiful! Thanks so much!
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Oh, those colours! We were both logging on at breakfast, glued to iPads, checking for your update, LOL ...you are so nice and cool, we are 36C today. :sun: yikes |
Beautiful colors and photos.
Bring me with you when you go next! |
Such beautiful photos and updates!
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Thank you all for joining me!
Adelaidean - I forgot to mention earlier that I'd run across the link you posed on Bregaglia when I was searching for the proper word for husk, which as it happens is burr. I wish I liked chestnuts more than I do - I like them as ingredients, but not just to eat. Too meaty and mealy for me. Although there's just something about the smell of roasting chestnuts that conjures up holiday images. |
October 21 –
We woke to a dismal morning, heavy rain, still dark at 8:30 am. Figuring it was a good time to restock the larder; we walked down the various hills to the Coop, ducking into the Information Office next door hoping for some new walk ideas. We spent quite a while there, picking the brains of an incredibly helpful and engaging young man, who supplied us with enough options to fill an entire week. By the time we got back to the apartment with our groceries, the weather had improved somewhat, so we donned our waterproof gear and made a mad dash to the train station – managing to buy a ticket to Ardez and board the train seconds before it set off at 10:41 (2.20 each, half fare). Once there, we briefly stuck our heads into the church in Ardez (the lower one by the train station) and then set out on the walk from Ardez to Tarasp Fontana. https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...b3ef4515a0.jpg Ardez to Tarasp Fontana We experienced a little bit of everything on this track – first pasture and cow pies, and then a more challenging section through the river gorge as we crossed from the Ardez side to the Tarasp side; rocky, with wet, slippery exposed roots, slowing us down significantly and taking close to an hour to cover one mile (Soglio déjà vu). We then crossed a wooden suspension bridge, narrow and swingy, taking care as the wood was slippery underfoot after the morning’s rain. The river below us looked rather menacing, swollen and running fast, the surrounding trees a gorgeous autumn yellow. The trail then led us through more pasture and eventually joined an undulating well-graded road alongside another section of river which looked like cascading waves of mocha, due to all the runoff. https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...f8284fee40.jpg Ardez to Tarasp Fontana https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...384d4f4c01.jpg Ardez to Tarasp Fontana https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...320b2d9c42.jpg Ardez to Tarasp Fontana https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...bda33f41f4.jpg Ardez to Tarasp Fontana https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...80a574b1fd.jpg Ardez to Tarasp Fontana https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...7d4909dd37.jpg Ardez to Tarasp Fontana As we approached Tarasp Fontana, a woman approached us and offered us a ride to the bus stop; evidently the bus was due in three minutes and we were still 10 (Swiss) minutes away. We thanked her, but told her we hoped to have lunch in Tarasp Fontana so weren’t in a hurry. Some ~4.5 miles and 2.5 hours since we left Ardez, we arrived in Tarasp Fontana and discovered that the restaurant we remembered from a previous visit was under renovation; and a nearby café - Montag Ruhetag. And of course it was Monday. So we did what we do; reached for the gummy bears and cooled our heels at the bus stop for 45 minutes (I can see neckervd shaking his head from here). Then a glimmer of hope, the bus turned up at 1:45; had we misread the schedule? Nope. The driver locked the doors and retired to the rear of the bus to read a book. Thirty minutes later the doors opened, and we were on our way back to Scuol (2.20 CHF, half fare). It was well past the witching hour, so we walked from the bus stop down to the bakery near the Coop for caffeine and cake to tide us over until dinner (14.60 CHF and very good). https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...cdc21b6929.jpg Scuol bakery Then it was back to the apartment to chill on the balcony and watch the wispy clouds. Come dinner time, we walked back down the hill to La Collina Hotel and Restaurant - another favorite from past visits - for a shared salami pizza and 5 dl of Italian wine (34 CHF, very good and good value). We were the only customers - it was a bit strange to sit in a restaurant in Switzerland and listen to a US radio station – complete with commercials for Lowe’s, Home Depot and Geico! I asked the waitress (and owner) about it – she said Swiss folk music just didn’t work – customers preferred American music from the 60’s. Huh. We tried to take a short cut back to the apartment, but it backfired – it was very much the long way, but we found some unfamiliar bits of Scuol and some nice viewpoints To be continued… |
This is one hike I haven't done yet. Looks good! Fantastic photos again. The larches start turning colour here in Germany, but it is going to take two weeks (at least) until they reach that golden colour.
I am pleased you looked into that church (the other one in Ardez is more beautiful, of course ;-) ) |
Ingo - of course it is!
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The "river" you crossed on the suspension bridge has a name: En in Rumantsch resp. Inn in German.
It's source is above Lake Lunghin. It runs then down to Maloja and Lake Segl, crosses the political border between Bregaglia and Engiadina Ota which becomes Engiadina Bassa below Cinuos-chel, Oberinntal below Martina, Unterinntal from Zirl up to Brannenburg and Innviertel from Haiming up to Passau where the Inn flows into the Danube, a river which has it's source in the midlands of Donaueschingen, some 10 miles north of the Swiss Canton of Schaffhausen. |
October 22 –
This morning we were treated to a really pretty sunrise; the skies were clear; it looked like a good day for Samnaun. https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...887f533856.jpg Scuol apartment balcony We caught the 9:30 bus – 21.80 CHF each, half fare, return. A ticket inspector was on the bus; the first we’d encountered this trip. Note: Many buses and trains in Switzerland are ‘self-check’, no need to show your ticket when boarding, but plainclothes ticket inspectors are occasionally on board making random checks. We were asked to produce our tickets and Half Fare Cards. I love the drive to Samnaun; we intentionally chose the route via the Swiss side of the Inn River instead of via the Austrian side (we struggle to remember which is which as both originate from Scuol and both stop in Martina, but I think we finally figured out that the route via Alca da Fans is the one we like). We’ve taken both routes before, and much prefer the Swiss side with its scary drop offs and impossibly narrow gorge clinging tunnels; it’s a bit of a thrill ride. When we last took this bus journey they were doing a lot of work on the road – they still are, but they’ve now replaced some of the most thrilling tunnels – probably making it safer, but it’s not as much fun. The bus to Samnaun takes about 1:20 with a change to another bus in Martina. Road difference aside, the views are spectacular. https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...86dc94c579.jpg View from bus to Samnaun Some info on Samnaun that I’ve borrowed from the internet: Samnaun is the lowest side valley in the Engadine and borders on Tyrol. It was not directly accessible from Switzerland until the year 1912. In Vinadi the road turns off from the Inn valley motorway and meanders steeply upward through a craggy ravine and numerous narrow tunnels. The postbuses had to be adapted to navigate this extraordinary route and the drivers are specially trained. As a Swiss customs enclave, Samnaun is an attractive shopping destination for many visitors. Upon arrival in Samnaun we stuck our heads into the Information Office for a walking map. A helpful young man suggested a walk we’d not taken before – this one leading up to Mot Grond along the sunny side of the valley. He even printed us a detailed map with ascent and descent numbers (which set off my alarm bells). We followed the path through beautiful larch forest and up to the turn off to Mot Grond, but my legs weren’t in the mood for the climb ahead, so we veered off the upward trail and took the lower route to Samnaun Compatsch. Much of the trail ran alongside pastures that stunk to high heaven; evidently they’d just been sprayed with what I can only describe as ultra-pungent, liquefied excrement – which smells much worse than when it comes out of the animal, but if the pastures and green fingers of the Swiss are any indication, it works like a charm (any help with this neckervd?) https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...5d52636cff.jpg Walk from Samnaun to Samnaun Compatsch https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...b706125ca6.jpg Walk from Samnaun to Samnaun Compatsch https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...3fd4793113.jpg Walk from Samnaun to Samnaun Compatsch https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...aeb1992d28.jpg Walk from Samnaun to Samnaun Compatsch It took us just under two hours to reach Samnaun Compatsch, with plentiful photo stops. A gentle and pretty walk, albeit it painfully pungent. We then caught the bus back to Samnaun (per the young man at the Information Office, the shuttles in Samnaun are free as far as Spissermulhe for any visitor, you need not be staying there). We wished we’d known this when we bought our return tickets on the SBB app, it might have saved us a few francs. Many places had closed for the season a few days prior, so the village was much as we’d seen it on our previous visits, quiet, although most of the duty free shops were open. We had lunch at Silvretta Hotel and Restaurant (Bundner Stube), both of us opting for the Capuns, which came topped with a big pile of bacon. They were excellent; I’m now officially capuned out - 59.80 CHF with one beer and one Prosecco. https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...e898a7ccac.jpg Capuns, Samnaun After lunch we poked through the duty free shops – Bill ogled the single malt scotch as he always does, but talked himself out of buying a bottle to take home. I however, did not pass on my favorite Finnish chocolates, quite the opposite! Then it was back to Scuol on the bus; a customs official came on board near Martina and asked to see everyone’s alcohol and tobacco; he wasn’t interested in my pile of chocolate. Back at the apartment we did laundry, and tucked into that lovely Nusstorte Verena had left for us, heated and served with doppel-rahm (but of course!)…and I finally got around to trying out that Rivella I’d purchased at the COOP – I’d been curious about Rivella but don’t remember ever trying one. An acquired taste I think – I was surprised to learn it’s made from milk whey. A good day all around. To be continued… |
October 23 –
We woke to more promising clear skies. We caught the 8:34 am train to Guarda and then changed to the small bus that took us up to Guarda Cumin – (5.30 CHF each half fare). We poked through the gem that is Guarda; we’d never seen it outside of the winter months, so naturally I had to photograph the autumn version of those beautiful Sgraffito houses, this time adorned with flowers. https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...5d061b4480.jpg Guarda https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...c27f1a34e9.jpg Guarda https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...85214d3956.jpg Guarda https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...81ed8c8aff.jpg Guarda https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...91d7c685d1.jpg Guarda We then followed the paved path to Bos-cha where we joined the Bergweg to Ftan. Although we’ve walked many paths from Scuol on previous visits, this one was new for us. https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...b5e8a59037.jpg Guarda to Bos-cha https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...d2923dcc96.jpg Guarda to Bos-cha The day was stunning; the walk beautiful and varied; a mix of narrow track leading through forest and wide well-graded sections offering fabulous views in all directions. https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...ad65ba6303.jpg Guarda to Ftan https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...e83b99e79f.jpg Guarda to Ftan https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...1d6fe64609.jpg Guarda to Ftan The trail led us high above Ardez and alongside the Chanova ruins; so many photo ops on this beautiful autumn day. https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...fdff12d3a3.jpg Chanova ruins above Ardez https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...b844950e81.jpg Chanova ruins above Ardez https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...ab4d29f905.jpg Moo... The path eventually split; we turned to the right and approached Ftan from the bottom, via Mühle Ftan. We both really enjoyed this undulating 6.5 mile, 3:30 hour walk (and yes, it was pungent with that liquefied cow doo). https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...a67762ae71.jpg Ftan https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...ccffe6fe90.jpg Ftan Our arrival in Ftan was well timed for a change – we considered lunch there, but found the coffee shop closed between 11:30-2 and the pizzeria closed, presumably until dinner, so our choice was easy. But we’d arrived 10 minutes before the return bus to Scuol (2.20 CHF each half fare). Back in Scuol we walked from the bus stop down to La Collina for lunch and discovered they served meals – yea! So we tucked into a leisurely late lunch; a shared salami pizza and 5 dl Italian wine, followed by coffee and a shared slice of Nusstorte with cream, lovely - (50 CHF + 25 CHF for a large Nusstorte to take home for Thanksgiving). https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...a2be57a589.jpg Nusstorte! La Collina, Scuol A fantastic day, and sadly, our last in Scuol. To be continued… |
Correction (afraid to edit as I tend to lose photos when I do):
Back in Scuol we walked from the bus stop down to La Collina for lunch and discovered they served meals continuously – yea! |
October 24 –
We tidied up and said Ciao to Scuol under gloomy skies. It’d been yet another wonderful stay and we’d thoroughly enjoyed this autumn visit. We’d booked Super Saver tickets for today’s journey to Erlenbach via the SBB app before we left home (45 CHF for both with Half Fare card, normally 70 CHF for both, half fare). We boarded the 10:41 train towards Disentis, which took us through the 19 km Vereina Tunnel, the longest on the Swiss Rhaetian Railway (RhB), eventually changing trains in Landquart. Although we’ve passed it several times on previous trips, I don’t think I’ve ever appreciated how long Lake Zurich is (18 miles) until today. It seemed to go on forever. It was gloomy here too, with low clouds hoovering over the lake. I caught a glimpse of Läderach “Schoggi Erlebnis” in Bilten as we passed through and was surprised at how far it is from Zurich (more on that later). You could have heard a pin drop in our carriage. And as in the past, the grapevines of Malans caught my eye, and I wondered, not for the first time, if Malans would be a nice place to visit (thoughts?) Some three hours later we arrived at the Zurich HB, where we changed to a train to Erlenbach, needing every minute of our short layover to get from our arriving platform to our departing platform (arrived on 7 and departed on 43 if memory serves). We barely made it to our train, so jumped on the first carriage we came to, not realizing we’d boarded a 1st class carriage (with 2nd class tickets, oops). The journey was only 15 minutes; we had luggage and there were a lot of stairs between us and 2nd class, so we just stood at the end of the car and hoped for the best. Two security guys got on, walked through the carriage and then hung out with us at end of the car. I thought maybe they were waiting for us to step off the train and then were going to ask to see our tickets…funny what a guilty conscience will do…but they weren’t the least bit interested in us. Upon arrival in Erlenbach we popped into a bakery at the railway station for sustenance and a chance to locate our accommodation using our cell phones (Note: This is the first time we’ve traveled with cell phones, we’re still ‘learner users’). We caffeinated and shared a slice of very unusual red velvet cake (14.60 CHF and just okay). Sorted, we set out to climb a series of steep hills to our Air BnB (I seem incapable of booking anything easy), a challenge with luggage. We finally found it – a lovely little apartment situated on the edge of the forest and near a waterfall which provided soothing background noise (USD $239 for two nights). After getting settled, we headed out to explore Erlenbach, which as it turns out is a rather nondescript, somewhat industrial suburb of Zurich. We must have looked confused; a passing woman stopped and asked if we needed help and then gave us directions to the lake - it never ceases to amaze me how willing the Swiss are to help. We walked down to the lake, and looked for the few restaurant options we’d found online. Nothing really appealed. So why Erlenbach? We basically threw a dart at the map; looking for a spot near Zurich that would provide relatively easy access for both a day trip to Rapperswil and Bilten (for a much anticipated guided tour of the aforementioned *Läderach “Schoggi Erlebnis), as well as a direct trip to the Zurich airport for our day of departure. Did it work? Yes. Would I choose somewhere else if I had it to do over? Yes. While the apartment was very nice, Erlenbach felt soulless. *Booked six months in advance (Friday English tour, 15 CHF each which included a 5 CHF voucher for a purchase in their shop). We decided to self-cater instead, picked up dinner provisions at the Coop, and then retreated to the apartment to do something we’d not done in almost a month….turn on the TV. Winding down… |
I'm happy to see that you got finally fine weather (after all the rain at Adelboden, Grengiols and Val Bregaglia).
The photo that you call " View from bus to Samnaun" shows the Inn river between Vinadi/Weinberg and Pfunds/Fonts (the sunny village in the middle of the picture) with the road Scuol - Pfunds on the left side of the river and the road Meran - Mals - Nauders - Pfunds in the rocks on the right side. But what about the other gems of the area, like the hikes from Motta Naluns cableway station via Planter Terms - Plattaurgia - Murtaröl - Clünas - Pruj back to Motta Naluns; from Tschlin bus stop via Chant da Rosnas - Chilcheras - Buorcha to Vna bus stop; or from Val Sinestra bus stop via Plan da Porchs - Battaglia - Sent - Sot Sass to Scuol? |
neckervd -
There's just not enough time in the day or enough holiday time ever. But FWIW, we've done several of those hikes (or portions of them) on previous trips. I've referenced a few of them in previous trip reports. This was our 5th stay in Scuol. 'View from bus to Samnaun', refers to a photo taken from the bus on the way to Samnaun. |
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