Ingo -

We covered the village pretty well; if it was open, we missed it.

Great photos by the way...making me hungry.

> making me hungry.

Me too. LOL

Btw, I ran into the lunch problem in Ardez, too, once. That hotel-restaurant was the only one open. And that was in summer season ...

Of the St. Moritz/Samedan/Pontresina/Celerina clump, I like Celerina best. It just clicks with me in a way the others don't. Sure, I'd like a suite at the Kronenhof in Pontresina for a week, but back on planet Earth...

Anyway, if we do a week cross-country skiing in the area next winter, this is where we plan to stay...I like that the kitchens (with dishwashers!) are nice enough to do some home cooking if we feel like it, but we're still an easy walk to some good restaurants.

http://www.petit-chalet.ch/en/concept.html

Looks fantastic, Weisser Tee. Out of these - Celerina for me, too. Although I must admit that I loved the two apartments where I stayed in Samedan. One right in the town, quiet location overlooking a small square with fountain, another high up, just below St. Peter church, with gorgeous views from Bernina massif to Piz Corvatsch ...

But my favourite in the Upper Engadine is still Sils-Maria.

Petit Chalet looks very nice WeisserTee - did you spend much time in each of St. Moritz/Samedan/Pontresina/Celerina?

We came very close to staying in Sils, found a great apartment option there, but were a bit worried about the limited bus schedules. Samedan worked out well for us, but next time (yes, there will be a next time) I think we'll stay further away from St Mortiz.

December 13: Ich wünschte, ich sprach Deutsch

Another early morning, another artery clogging fry-up, and we were out the door and on the 8:30 am bus to Sent. The plan was to spend the morning exploring Sent and Scuol, and then catch the 1:30 pm bus to Tarasp for the 2 pm castle tour. At this time of year there’s only one tour a week (Friday) and it’s conducted in German. We didn’t care, we wanted to see the castle and this was the only way to do it.

We spent an hour exploring the laneways and sgraffito decorated buildings of Sent. It was early, the sun hadn’t yet reached the village, making the -8c day feel even colder. It took us about 1:10 (2.3 miles) to reach Scuol via the walking track from Sent; the path was dry, the views gorgeous.

Back in Scuol, we poked around for a bit and warmed up with some nice cappuccino at Café Erni (reminded of what a deal we’d gotten in Tirano, as these were 4.30 CHF each). This looked like the perfect place for apfelstrudel mit vanillesauce, but I was told it wouldn’t be available until later in the season, when the skiing got underway.

We picked up groceries and once again made that knee crunching climb back to our apartment, the sun reaching the valley now, promising yet another beautiful afternoon.

We’d considered walking to Tarasp, but in hindsight we’re glad we didn’t; it would have been quite a trek from Scuol, all uphill, and best as we could tell, right alongside the road. As it was, the climb from the Tarasp bus stop up to the castle was challenging enough for my poor knees. And slow...the surrounding snow covered mountains were beautiful, I couldn’t help but stop for photos every two minutes.

Once at Schloss Tarasp we bought tickets for the tour (12 CHF each). Our tour guide realized early on that we didn’t speak German, so he lent us a brochure written in English, which helped somewhat, but I’m sure we missed more than we absorbed. We enjoyed it anyway, especially the fabulous views of the mountains and countryside from inside the castle. Schloss Tarasp was built in the first half of the 11th century and was controlled by Austria until 1803; a fascinating place, well worth a visit.

We took the bus back to Scuol and immediately hopped another bus to Ftan; the sun had disappeared from the valley, but we could see sunshine above in Ftan, so we decided to chase it.

We thought we’d made a mistake when the bus headed back into Scuol, but it eventually wound its way up to Ftan, just in time for the sun to disappear. The bus parked; it was scheduled to return to Scuol in 25 minutes, another not due for an hour. It was cold, the sun now a distant memory, not enough light for photos, so we had a quick roam of Ftan and then re-boarded the same bus back to Scuol.

The bus went into town first so we took the opportunity to revisit Mund Art for more ambiance and alcohol (34 CHF, beer, white gluhwein, Irish coffee, oh my!). We really liked this place.

Our big breakfasts and late lunches had thus far made dinner unnecessary, but today's gummy bears had left plenty of room. We were in the mood for pizza, so we dined at La Collina Restaurant, which is located on the main street of Scuol, at the foot of the alp that led up to our apartment. I thought I’d ordered a glass of merlot, but our waitress brought a small carafe and two glasses, so it was a boozy night (Quattro Stagione for Bill, salami for me, too much food, we should have shared, very good – 48 CHF with wine).

We climbed the mountain to our apartment for the second time that day, collapsing after a bit of star gazing and admiring the town’s massive Christmas tree from above. It’d been another beautiful day. For us, the Lower Engadine was easily outshining the Upper.

To be continued...

"did you spend much time in each of St. Moritz/Samedan/Pontresina/Celerina?"

Not Saturday, that was just a day trip. But I've been to the region about eight times in the past 18 months. My trip over the week-end was primarily for checking out potential XC ski bases for a week next winter.

Lucky you WeisserTee, I'd imagine you're getting to know the area pretty well.

Did you notice the special gables in Sent? Totally unlike elsewhere in the Engadine, emigrants brought that back from Italy.

The trail from Scuol to castle Tarasp is indeed all uphill - but very beautiful. Have done it in winter and summer, quite slippery/icy in winter, of course. No, it's not along the roadside, goes from Vulpera through several hamlets and pastures or through the woods. However, bus was the better option in your case ...

I am partial to castle Tarasp. An entrepreneur from my city (K. A. Lingner, invented Odol) bought it shortly after 1900, commissioned a thorough restoration (it was totally run down), bought old interior, even completely furnished rooms panelled with swiss pine wood all over canton Grisons and neighbouring Valtellina/Italy and had them built into castle Tarasp. Lingner died in 1916, a few months later the works were finished.

Mund Art looks good, must check it out next time.

> For us, the Lower Engadine was easily outshining the Upper.

Understandable. What I miss in the Lower Engadine are the lakes (between St. Moritz and Maloja, Sils right inbetween), the glaciers - which you would notice in summer only, I guess, and the easy excursions to Italian speaking Poschiavo and Bregaglia valleys. But with regards to picturesque villages and no crowds, the Lower Engadine wins.

Ingo -

Like this?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/melnq8/...57639541710016

A bottle of Odol was on display at the castle - I'd seen it referenced during my research. What a project that must have been, restoring a place like that.

The Lower Engadine just spoke us somehow, but the pizza in the Upper Engadine sure was good. Don't tell the West Aussies, but their pizza is shite:)

Yep, like this.

I am sure the guide also played the organ (or a recording of it). It was built by Jehmlich from Dresden. Quite an effort also.

I must admit I never ate pizza in the Upper Engadine. I came close to it once, when I stayed at Engadinerhof in Pontresina and they had a pizzeria in the same building. But half-board included the four-course dinner in their dining room, so I skipped the pizzeria ...

Instead - pizza right at the train station in Tirano was yummy and inexpensive.

No, no organ playing, sounds like we missed out.

Missed out on gelato in Tirano too, but it was a wee bit cold for ice cream (even for me).

Unterengadin Rocks! The locals are pleasant, the villages picturesque and people feel life streaming in the villages. My least favorite village is Guarda, only because it feels more like a museum.

The organ at the Castle Tarasp was amazing! I walked - in June - from the Castle Tarasp to Scuol. I was glad I chose to go in that direction! :-)

"Did you notice the special gables in Sent? Totally unlike elsewhere in the Engadine, emigrants brought that back from Italy." -- I wondered about their origin -- thanks!

December 14: Baffled by butter

Ninety-six degrees in Perth today, 17 degrees in Scoul. I know where I’d rather be!

The Motta Naluns cable car was now officially open; once again our Swiss Passes were of no use offering no fare reduction, and it wasn’t clear to us if any walking tracks were accessible from the top, so we gave it a miss.

Ingo had suggested a visit to the duty free area of Samnaun; he said the bus ride alone was worth the trip. He hadn’t steered us wrong yet; we decided to give it a go.

It was still dark when we boarded the 7:30 am bus to Samnaun. Thirty minutes later we were in Martina for a bus change, surrounded by mountains and the Austrian border. We approached the waiting bus, but it didn’t look right, it wasn’t yellow like the others had been. We conferred with the driver, and sure enough, he was going to Austria. He told us where to wait and a few minutes later we were on another yellow bus pointed towards Samnaun.

We skirted the border crossing into Austria and noticed the price of petrol had dropped to 1.41 CHF a liter, which I assume is due to the area’s duty-free status. Prices were also posted in euro.

Within minutes we were winding through switchbacks enclosed by rugged mountains, jagged cliffs and some rather unsettling drop offs to the River Inn far below. Wow. The claustrophobically narrow, spiraling tunnels were so long that openings had been cut into their sides so drivers could see if there were any vehicles coming from the opposite direction. We held our breath and exchanged incredulous looks, expecting the bus to scrape the tunnel walls as the driver negotiated the impossibly tight corners. It felt as if we were suspended in air, perilously clinging to the mountainside.

Within an hour we were in Samnaun, unsure where to get off the bus. We disembarked at Samnaun Dorf, which was exactly where we needed to be; Bill has a knack for navigating, bless him. We wandered the streets for a bit in the toe-numbing cold. Although Sunday and not yet 9 am, the duty free shops were open for business, so we warmed up while perusing the goods. Bill was amazed at the incredible selection of single malt scotch; he said he hadn’t seen that many varieties outside of Scotland. If you want booze, perfume or cigarettes, Samnaun is the place for you; unbelievable selection, excellent prices. What threw me was the butter. Is butter highly taxed in Switzerland and/or Austria? Enquiring minds want to know.

Samnaun was the first town in Switzerland where we encountered pay toilets; 50 euro cents or one-half Swiss franc. The loos were scattered throughout town; free-standing automated compartments, which were power-washed from ceiling to floor between use.

We obtained an English printout of winter hiking paths from the tourist office and set out on the walk from Samnaun village to Val Motnaida. This trail leads through the woods and above the valley; the views are incredible, the view point above Val Motnaida just a bonus. I loved this walk (3.5 miles, 1:50 return), and we were blessed with blue sky and sunshine, perfect for photos. This track is also a toboggan run, but we had it to ourselves.

Back in town we explored some more, me loving Samnaun, which struck me as a smaller, gentler Zermatt with considerably more shopping.

We settled in for lunch on the terrace of Chasa Montana, but it was just too cold for alfresco dining once the sun dipped, so we moved indoors; excellent choice this, nice ambiance, massive menu, delicious food (51 CHF two pizzas and drinks, yes, pizza AGAIN).

We next walked the one mile Pargrond Fairytale Trail through the woods, alongside a meadow and then back to the village (via yet another ski piste).

Samnaun was quite busy now, lots of skiers zipping through the village, Christmas shoppers, and people just generally wandering about. The clouds moved in; we were glad we’d gotten an early start. We’d shown considerable restraint in the duty-free shops, buying only an assortment of liqueur-filled Lindt bars; Bill had been tempted by the scotch, but decided against it.

It began to snow as we left. I sat directly behind the bus driver, treated to some hair-raising views of the deep emptiness below, seemingly mere inches from the tires of the bus. Freaky. Ingo was right again, Samnaun was definitely worth the drive alone.

It’d been another great day, back to our digs in Scuol to chill.

To be continued...

Schuler - good to hear from you! Cheers!

Melnq8 - Glad you enjoyed the day in Samnaun. Now imagine driving that road up yourself :-) Every time I go to the Engadine I don't miss the detour to Samnaun, and if only for the cheap gas. I occasionally buy a bottle of whisky, cigars or perfume as gifts. Don't know about butter taxes, but did you noticed the price for butter in Switzerland? Made me gasp!

More pictures, please!

I didn't notice the price of butter while we were there Ingo, but I've since found some references online to 'a cartel making butter too expensive in Switzerland'.

I think I'll leave that drive to Samnaun to the professionals, especially as my winter-mountain-right-side driving skills are a bit rusty after living in AUS.

More photos coming shortly.

December 15: Navigating an Iceweg

Taking more Ingo advice, we’d set today aside for Hof Zuort. We didn’t know it at the time, but Hof Zuort is Switzerland’s most remote historic hotel; it’s located in the center of an alpine triangle consisting of Austria, Switzerland and Italy.

We caught the 8:30 am bus to Ramosch Fermada, where, thankfully, a small post bus was waiting at the foot of yet another steep hill to take us the remaining ~5 km to the tiny village perched above, Vna.

Vna lies in a remote side valley of the Lower Engadine and is home to some ~70 inhabitants, most of whom seemed to be hiding. It’s definitely not a place we’d have stumbled upon by accident.

We wandered through the village and located the track to Griosch and Hof Zuort, seeing only two people, a woman waiting for the sun to crest the mountains for photographs and a woman walking a horse through the village.

As we worked our way along the snow-free wanderweg we encountered the woman with the horse again, walking in the opposite direction. We reached the turnoff to Hof Zuort sooner than expected, so we continued walking straight ahead towards the settlement of Griosch, but turned back before we reached it. As we turned off the main track onto the trail that led to Hof Zuort we immediately encountered some serious ice, it was more than a bit treacherous, even with our Yak Trax. It was a very pretty walk though, leading through forest and alongside frozen waterfalls. We saw the woman and horse a third time; learning later that she’s an employee of the hotel; she walks their two horses up and down the track three days a week.

We settled in on the terrace of Hof Zuort, tucked into sheep skin chair warmers, bathed in sunshine and surrounded by incredible views. It was just the two of us and the hotel staff; our waitress a lovely young woman from Germany. We dallied over Irish coffees before moving on to salad and the best barley soup of the trip, followed by apfelstrudel mit vanillesauce (78 CHF, excellent). We enquired about the track to Val Sinestra, but were told it was closed.

The fickle winter sun disappeared behind a mountain, leaving us cold; it was time to move on. We were taken into the chapel for a brief look around and then led to the rear of the hotel, where our waitress showed us an alternate route back to Vna, via a snow-filled meadow and the settlement of Griosch. We picked our way uphill through the snow and rejoined the track, the mountains directly in front of us, me stopping for photos every other minute. Back on the track again we stepped up our pace, hoping to get to Vna in time for the 3 pm bus, but missing it by three minutes. We spent the next hour exploring what little there was to explore of this pungent little village (and I captured one of my favorite photos of the trip).

Back in Scuol, we visited Mund Art for drinks (30 CHF, incredible Irish coffee!) and made one final trudge up the hill to our apartment.

Some photos from our time in the Lower Engadine:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/melnq8/...7639541710016/

To be continued...

more fabulous pics, melnq8. it's surprising that more people don't go to this area in the winter, given how lovely it is, but i suppose that they are all skiing or trudging around the Wengen/Grindelwald/Muerren triangle.

keep it coming...

Shhhh...let's not tell anyone annhig.

My impression is that the Engadine is quite popular with European tourists and I'm sure things livened up once all the ski-cross country-snowshoe-sled-toboggan runs opened.

Just caught up with the last couple of entries as we were without power for nearly 20 hours yesterday - so missed my 'fix'.
Wild winds this time not heat - !
These are wonderful pics and your report is so full of great information - all being carefully kept, re read and digested for future adventures.
The sunshine is amazing and it all looks so refreshing and peaceful - and cool.
Thank you...

Thanks for posting additional pics - truly beautiful. Ah yes, they make me want to jump in the car and head to Scuol :-)

Yes, the Lower Engadine is quite popular with Germans, most visitors are Swiss, though.

Been to Zuort a couple of times - glad you enjoyed it. We met a guy with two donkeys on the way up there from Vna. Talked with the guy and fed the monkeys - fun!

In summer you can hike Zuort - Sent via the suspension bridges (-Val Sinestra). Quite scary for people with fear of heights, but also fun.

I.

December 16: Feeling claustrophobic

We’d thoroughly enjoyed our time in Scuol and were hesitant to leave, but leave we did, knowing we had a long day ahead. Verena was kind enough to haul us to the train station, where we boarded the 8:40 am train and began the trek to Lauterbrunnen via Landquart, Zurich, Bern and Interlaken Ost, four train changes, six hours. We went through the 19 km Vereina Tunnel, the longest tunnel on the Rhaetian Railway and the world’s longest narrow gauge railway tunnel. It was long alright, it felt as if we’d never come out of the dark.

The architecture slowly changed, the tall stone houses replaced with sprawling wood chalets. The green grass and meadow made it feel more like spring than mid-December.

We had 35 minutes between trains in Bern, so Bill stayed with the luggage while I sought out sustenance, ham baguettes from a kiosk (16 CHF) and lattes from Starbucks (12.60 CHF, you’d think I’d learn). There’d been plenty of low dreary fog as we came into Bern, but no snow whatsoever.

We arrived in Lauterbrunnen at 2:30 pm, located and got settled into our home for the next four nights, Chalet Horner. Like most accommodation in Lauterbrunnen, it’s conveniently located to the train station, the Coop, restaurants and a self-service laundry.

http://www.homeaway.co.uk/Switzerlan...unnen/p979.htm

This place gets good reviews, but frankly, we weren’t impressed. We were in the Jungfrau ‘apartment’ which is basically a bedroom on the upper level of the owner’s chalet. The unit consists of a bed for two, a closet, a table with two chairs, a small bathroom (sink is in the bedroom), a balcony, and the tiniest ‘kitchen’ I’ve ever seen; one look and I immediately gave up any hope of cooking breakfast.

There wasn’t an inch to spare, no room to maneuver, let alone prepare a meal. We had to orchestrate our movements so as not to run into each other; getting into our luggage was a considerable challenge. I was immediately claustrophobic. Lest I’ve not been clear, this unit is insanely compact. It’d probably work well enough as a single, but was a real squish for two.

On the upside, the room was clean and well equipped, the bed comfortable, the views fabulous, and as a bonus, there were a few English TV channels. It had everything we needed...but space.

We paid a total of 326.40 CHF for four nights, of which 26.40 was visitor’s tax and five was for internet, so a total of 81.50 CHF per night. We’d definitely been spoiled by Samedan and Scuol; Scuol in particular, as it was considerably better value, but my guess is that good value in the Berner Oberland is harder to come by.

We caught up on laundry at the nearby self-service laundry – 5 CHF to wash, 5 CHF to dry, machines blissfully uncomplicated, and then made a run to the Coop for simple breakfast provisions - rolls, cheese, ham and milk.

Dinner was at the Hotel Oberland directly across from our accommodation, an establishment we’ve frequented on past visits; had it not been for their five night minimum, we’d have booked one of their apartments. I’m a fan of raclette, and theirs is delicious. Bill opted for a bacon & onion pizza, but he couldn’t seem to keep his fork out of my cheese. He wanted to return for his own, so we booked in for the following night...and the night after that... and the night after that. Dinner solved (50 CHF with drinks, excellent food and service).

Then it was back to our tiny room to digest all that cheese.

To be continued...

Ouch. That apartment for sure was a shock after the one in Scuol in particular! Too bad you couldn't stay at Hotel Oberland. Have stayed there some years ago and loved it. Food was always good there.

That's what I get for not doing more research!

December 17 – Tight pants and too many people

We had a good sleep, although we could hear our English neighbor rummaging about. The jet lag was a distant memory; we were sleeping later and moving slower. Lauterbrunnen felt downright balmy after the Engadine and we were already missing the colder weather.

It wasn’t long before we were missing the quiet too, as there were hordes of people at the Lauterbrunnen station, awaiting their trains to the Jungfrau.

We took the train to Wengen, discussed walk options with a helpful employee at the tourist office and then embarked upon the track to Staubbachbankli. This 2.75 mile return walk begins near the Hotel Baren and leads to a gorgeous viewpoint overlooking the Lauterbrunnen Valley. The village of Murren can be seen perched up on a ledge on the opposite side.

The grandstand installation for the 2014 Lauberhorn Races was underway up here; we explored a bit, and then backtracked to the village, eventually edging our way up the hill to Ristorante Da Sina for lunch. We were curious if they still offered the fabulous garlic and white wine soup we remembered from previous trips – they do! Man, that stuff is good, seriously rich and decadent (37 CHF, soup, beer and wine). Speaking of wine, I hadn’t had much luck finding a Swiss wine that I liked (hence all that gluhwein) although I’ll admit that I’m probably spoiled by the fantastic drops available in Australia. We did get a kick out of the glass cork that sealed a bottle of wine we purchased at a food shop...we didn’t care for the wine, but the cork was interesting.

We next walked to Hunnenfluh, me wishing I’d left my thermals behind. We never tire of this walk, which offers lovely Jungfrau and Lauterbrunnen Valley views on the way up, plus some quite dramatic sweeping views to Zweilutschinen and Interlaken from the overlook.

After the viewpoint, we continued walking up to the Leiterhorn. My knees rebelled, so I admired the views from a bench and nibbled my 732th chocolate bar while Bill continued the climb, then we returned to Wengen (~three miles, two hours).

“Car-free” Wengen has had service vehicles, electric vehicles and farm vehicles for as long as we’ve been visiting, but we were genuinely surprised at the number of vehicles we encountered this time.

We took the train back to Lauterbrunnen and dodged the crowds at the station once again.

Dinner was at the Hotel Oberland, this time raclette for both (51 CHF with one beer and gluhwein, pants getting tighter, hmmmmm, I can’t imagine why).

To be continued...

December 18 – Grazing through Murren

It was time to visit Murren, the highest continually inhabited village in the canton of Bern and a personal favorite. It clings to a 1,650 meter terrace above the Lauterbrunnen Valley, which one truly appreciates after viewing it from the Staubbachbankli in Wengen.

We walked to the cable car station and rode up to Grutschalp, where we disembarked and followed the trail that leads alongside the railway. During our previous visits the restaurant at Winteregg had been closed, but not today, so we had the perfect excuse to pop in for a cup of hot chocolate about halfway through the walk. The overcast skies began to clear as we inched towards Murren, raising my hopes for nice photographs. The views of the Jungfrau, Monch and Eiger as spectacular as ever, the walk dead easy (~3 miles, 1:20).

Once in Murren we took the Allmendhubel funicular (4 CHF each with Swiss Pass discount, one way) to the top; where we settled in to watch the world go by from the sun terrace of the Panorama Allmendhubel Restaurant; panorama indeed, the views up here are staggering. Soup again, this time a beautiful curry and glass noodle concoction for Bill and potato for me (36 CHF with drinks, excellent).

We returned to Murren via the Panoramaweg, sections of it shared with skiers and sleds, me stopping every two minutes to take photographs. Restaurant Sonnenberg, usually closed during our visits, was wide open and hopping. The day had turned beautiful, the skies blue, the snow sparkling white, the surrounding Alps magnificent; a feast for the eyes (~2 miles).

Remembering some nice apfelstrudel mit vanillesauce from past visits, we made a beeline to the Hotel Alpenruh (24 CHF with drinks, at least we shared!). It was the witching hour, just past 2 pm, the sun rapidly disappearing. We took in the views, watched the paragliders and bemoaned the sinking sun before returning to Lauterbrunnen via the train and Grutschalp cable car.

Yep, dinner was at the Hotel Oberland again, raclette for Bill, Rosti with bacon and onions for me (55 CHF with drinks, delicioso). For some strange reason, all the employees seemed to know us.

To be continued...

"I hadn’t had much luck finding a Swiss wine that I liked" -- Now that's sad! I was very favorably impressed with many of the Swiss wines I tasted. Not that I don't appreciate Australian wines -- many are incredible! But IME, pairing a local wine with a local food can sometimes be unbeatable, and I found that to be the case many times in my journey through Switzerland. I guess I was lucky. :-)

Thanks for letting us sit in your pocket, Melnq8.

I was surprised too kja, can you recommend any good ones for next time?

Sorry - I always talked about it with, and then left it to, my servers. I figured that they knew their foods and they knew their wines and they would know how to pair them. And OMG, some of those combinations were delightful!

Here's to continued sampling! :-)

Mürren is one of my favourites, too. Snapping photos only every two minutes? LOL

As for wine, there are fantastic red ones (Pinot Noir) from the Rhine valley in Graubünden. Tscharner, I think, makes some of the best (Schloss Reichenau?). I remember having a wine tasting at Hotel Edelweiss in Sils some years ago, and they had all the good ones. Also, a (white) Dezaley from Lac Leman is always a good choice. I also liked the white wines from Aigle. Lutry is the only (I think) village that has red ones in the Lavaux region - also very good. And don't forget the Ticino - excellent Merlot e.g. You'll find them to be more expensive than comparable Australian wines, though.

Ingo: You are a very patient man and always a wealth of information. I hope to meet you someday in your beloved Engadin.

schuler: Good to hear from you. It's been a while, eh? Let's raise a glass of good Swiss wine to a future meeting in the Engadine! ;-)

As always, I appreciate your tips Ingo. I'll make wine notes for next time.

<You'll find them to be more expensive than comparable Australian wines, though.>

You might be surprised...wine is quite expensive here (as is just about everything).

Ingo: You got it.

I'm not on here too much anymore for the simple reason that it has become boring. Too much info, not enough wit.

Totally agree, schuler.

Melniq8: Really? Ugh. But I'm used to more expensive wine anyway. Saxon wines (my home region) are rare, grow on steep slopes with terraces and thus are also on the pricey side.

Ingo - from a british perspective, we would agree that australian and NZ wines [lots of Pinot noir there] are extremely expensive and sadly generally poor value at current exchange rates.

They actually make burgundy look well priced!

Am really enjoying your report. I was going to send you a private message, as I had a couple of questions I'm sure no one else is interested in, but apparently I can't do that so here goes: 1) Size of suitcase, 2) would Ugg-type boots work for hiking, plus yak tracks and 3) what type of coat/jacket did you wear for hiking, i e, Northface or comparable, fleece?

I'm hoping to go in Dec (your report really inspired me). I'll be alone, so I worry about luggage size and transporting it on trains. I don't like to rely on other people for assistance.
Thanks.

Hi baglady -

1) We each checked on a 26" Samsonite suitcase and carried on our day packs, which we also used for hiking.

2) Funny you ask about Uggs, because we saw some Asian tourists wearing bright pink Uggs in Murren - they could barely stay upright just walking through town (roads are often snow packed and icy).

You really need a proper shoe/boot with ankle and arch support and heavy sole with traction. There are lots of Yak Trax-type products on the market, some are quite stout. We have a more substantial pair and could have used them on a couple of tracks, but the Yak Trax did pretty well overall.

I doubled up on my regular mid-weight socks and never got cold feet, Bill was fine in his usual Thorlos. If you're prone to cold toes, you might look into a pair of boots lined with sheepskin or similar. Wet feet weren't a problem with our Keens, they're not waterproof, but you wouldn't know it.

3) We each took a fleece jacket and a waterproof/windproof layer that fits over the fleece - this is our usual attire for hiking in New Zealand. We also each took a more substantial coat - Bill's a bulky down, mine a lighter version, both LL Bean.

Bill used his fleece/windproof for most walks, but I got cold, so I started using my heavier coat. Once or twice I even wore the fleece under the jacket - it got pretty cold in the Engadine. Think layers.

We wore lightweight hiking pants with silk long underwear bottoms underneath - this worked great - warmth without bulk or binding. In fact, we wore the silk out, had to order new ones when we got home. If you're unaccustomed to the cold, you might want something more substantial, like Duofold, but I just can't deal with lower body bulk.

We also took fleece hats and gloves/mittens and I had a pashmina scarf I used a few times.

The only thing we didn't have that we wished we did was a neck gaiter - we have some, but I think they're in storage somewhere.

http://www.amazon.com/Best-Sellers-S...ods/2615136011

We also took hiking sticks. Bill didn't use his, but I did.

LL Bean is your friend!

About the luggage - it was a hassle, no doubt, but most train stations in Switzerland have ramps and/or elevators, so as long as your luggage has wheels you're good to go. Some stations (mostly in Germany as I recall) have conveyor ramps that you can put your suitcase on and drag alongside you as you walk up the stairs. Not all of them were in working order though.

We usually stored our luggage at the ends of trains - there's often open space that's out of the way of traffic, yet near the doors. There were also open triangular storage areas between seatbacks on some trains and overhead shelving (if you can lift okay, I can't).

We didn't have any train space issues until we got to Germany. That's another story altogether.

Glad to hear I helped inspire you - happy planning!