Hello All,<BR><BR>I though I would consolidate the Engadin gtg information and separate it from the 100+ posts of the SG III thread. So here’s where I believe we stand:<BR><BR>Phil cannot attend 28 June - 11 July<BR>Ursula cannot attend 4-7 July<BR>Jan will be available after mid-June<BR>Everyone else is flexible<BR>I’ve been in touch with another Fodorite who will be in Italy until 9 June and may be able to attend if we scootch the gtg closer to that day.<BR><BR>So I’m suggesting we meet the week of 16 June . . . how’s that sound?<BR><BR>We’ve decided to meet in Zuoz. <BR><BR>How do you feel about hotels? Same hotel? Separate arrangements? <BR><BR>Hope to hear from some new guys too!<BR><BR>Looking forward to putting some smiling faces to the names I’ve come to know here!<BR><BR>s<BR>

Hello Again,<BR><BR>I guess I ought to give more information if I really expect to draw new names/faces.<BR><BR>The Engadin is in Switzerland; it is the Inn/En River valley. Zuoz is a village of about 1,200 folks that sits about 17 km north of St. Moritz on the River En. <BR><BR>The SG III thread is the “Support Group for Those Who Love Switzerland,” of which there are Parts I, II, &amp; III. They’re all great reading, dependent on, of course, an infatuation with or curiosity about Switzerland! <BR><BR>So, hoping to hear from some of you!<BR><BR>s<BR><BR>ps -- &quot;thought&quot; not &quot;though&quot; above. My apologies.<BR>

Hello s:<BR><BR>That week (including the week-end before) seems fine to me.<BR><BR>Zuoz was the aministrative centre of the upper Engadine before the french revolution (and before Pontresina, St. Moritz and others were put on the map thanks to tourism)..<BR><BR>What about others of SGI-III?<BR><BR>Phil

Hi all!<BR><BR>The second part of the week of June 16 I am going to be in Lausanne for business. Would be a terribly long and inconvenient trip from there to Zuoz.<BR><BR>The weekend June 14/15 should work though.<BR>I opt for separate arrangements. <BR>Same hotel would be great. <BR>I haven't looked into the options yet.<BR><BR>And I will be in Paris July 5-12. At least, that's the plan.<BR>(Stones gig is on July 9).<BR><BR>Hey, it's snowing here and more or less all over Switzerland. Big troubles re. transportation this morning. <BR>If only the sun would come out now...

My husband and I would be interested in joining any of the above mentioned weekends. I noticed that June 19-22 is a 4-day weekend here. The trees are pretty thick with snow here in Stans

I plan on being in the area from June 11 until 15 and would be interested to attend.<BR>Pretty much snow and chaos in Belgium as well!

Hi everyone!<BR><BR>There is alot of interest! I like the date. With our move and all, I am not sure that we can attend, but we are going to try! We will be interested in easy hiking and we will be bringing the kinder and the Dog! Same hotel is OK, but separate arrangements is preferred. We will also be traveling by car, so are very flexible.<BR><BR>S, thanks for taking the lead on this.<BR><BR>Cheers!<BR>Jan (who used to be Switz but is now Slo (as in venia!)

Good to see you Jan!<BR><BR>As long as it is not SlowJan, it's fine. ;o)<BR><BR>Yes, and thanks to S. as well.

Hello Gang,<BR><BR>I have made a short search on Zuoz hotels on the place's website (hhtp://www.zuoz.ch).<BR><BR>The hotels Crush Alva and Klarer are located in old Engadine 500 years old and do look rather fetching. At 30 beds apiece they might accomodate the GTG.<BR><BR>what do you think?<BR>Phil

Oh oh oh, this is getting so good!<BR><BR>I think I’ll plan to arrive in Zuoz on 12 or 13 June and leave on 18 or 19 June, then. That way I’ll be able to see most of y’all.<BR><BR>Phil, I agree with your choice of the Klarer; it was my first choice for a three-star, all woodsy and cozy and warm! I may be in the mood for a splurge and am also considering the four-star Posthotel Engiandina. Their specials for Summer 2002 included free use of hotel bicycles, bike maps, walking maps, bus trips, and guided town walks . . . really a small banquet of tempting offers!! The Zuoz website has one of the best web-based maps I’ve seen anywhere, and if you click on the rubrik “hotels,” it’s easy to see how close they all are. If I’m the oddball-out and stay at the Posthotel, will you still wave at me?? Any of you inclined to join me there? Of course, I won’t feel AT ALL deprived with the Klarer or Crush Alva either, just wanted to raise the possibility . . . <BR><BR>jw, when you read this, let us know when we should call you. I’m guessing that most of us will be there on the weekend, so get ready to stay put to hear from us!<BR><BR>Folks, Ingo has set me to reading Thomas Mann’s “The Magic Mountain.” Anyone else? It’s set in Davos! Should we have a book club meeting while we’re at it? jw, do you have any arts assignments for us?<BR><BR>Great to see this taking off!<BR><BR>s

I'm pretty much flexible on all aspects of the trips. S, I certainly could have my arm twisted to stay at the Posthotel. As I told you and Ingo previously, my only requirements are a chance to do some fun bike rides, a couple of great meals with interesting people, and some long discussions over wine. I love the idea of the book club. I will certainly get a copy of &quot;The Magic Mountain&quot;.

s:<BR><BR>No problem at all with the Posthotel (I consider even their rates quite civil). we could meet at the Klarer's bakery for coffe and tuorta da nusch.<BR><BR>As to Thomas Mann: I was force-fed Mann in High school, so I'm still somewhat cool towards him. Especially towards the &quot;Zauberberg&quot;, as I spent one year of my training at Davos. I'm rather fed up with that place that styled itself &quot;city in the mountains&quot; during the early 20th century.

OK, Phil... you may recommend a second book. We do have a few months to get them read!

Hi folks!<BR><BR>Seems that there is a lot of interest for our GTG! Welcome also to Myriam!<BR><BR>About the date: Although I am not really happy with the weekend June 14/15 (tennis season in May/June) I will definitely be in Zuoz. I think I’ll arrive 13th (Friday? Oh my god!) and stay a week. This should make it possible to see all of you guys.<BR><BR>About acc.: I vote for Posthotel Engiadina! Looks like a jewel. And reasonable rates (even since we’ll be there in low season). Anyway, I see no problem if some of us would prefer the Klarer or Crusch Alva or … Like Phil suggested, we could meet at the Klarer’s bakery. Or at the restaurant Dorta for dinner. Or somewhere else.<BR><BR>I think we can easily arrange some bike rides, walks, hikes etc. Let’s hope the weather gods are with us! Grasshopper, you should hurry with reading the Magic Mountain – it is heavy stuff and a literally a “heavy” book (about 1000 pages, at least in German!). Would be great fun to discuss the book over a glass of red wine.<BR><BR>Chris, you live in Stans? I really like the town. Stayed there in the late 90s.<BR>BTW, there is also snow in Dresden. About 10 cm (in the city centre!) and it is more snow predicted for the next days. I think I am going to do some cross-country skiing on Saturday in the hills (Ore Mountains/Erzgebirge).<BR><BR>Cheers, Ingo<BR><BR>PS: Another book recommendation: J&uuml;rg Jenatsch by Conrad Ferdinand Meyer<BR>

Morning folks!<BR><BR>Well, I did some research as well.<BR><BR>I agree with S, that website which shows the location of the hotels is really cool.<BR><BR>Given the very reasonable low season prices at the Posthotel Engiadina, I'd favour that one as well. <BR>Besides, there seems to be a pool...<BR><BR>I don't think prices will go up much for this summer. <BR>Last night, I saw a TV report about the St. Moritz area and hotel occupation. Well, you won't believe it, there are still vacancies around, now that the Ski World Championship starts tomorrow.<BR><BR>Myriam, would be so much fun to see you up there.<BR><BR>Like lngo, I'd try to arrive Friday, 13th... and leave Sunday or Monday latest.<BR><BR>Here, the sun has come out and the view from my office is just gorgeous. Looks almost as if I was in a winter sport resort. But I must be dreaming!<BR><BR>Ingo, enjoy your cross-country skiing and I am sure, there are some tennis courts in Zuoz!<BR>Personally, I think mid-June is a good date. Snow and cold should have gone and high season won't start till July.

<BR>Just called the Posthotel Engiadina for some more information.<BR>I had a German guy on the other end who was very friendly and helpful.<BR>The prices aren't supposed to go up significantly for this summer. They will be on-line by end of March.<BR><BR>And, the pool is heated, just in case...

Hi all,<BR>Still snowing in Luzern and the streets are icey! This is about as much snow as I have seen here (in the last 3 years!). Absolutely beautiful and a vast improvement over just gray weather.<BR><BR>Anyway, I looked at the hotels for the GTG and they look fine. I am leaning toward the Klarer simply b/c they have apartments. I haven't checked the Posthotel yet to see if they have apartments though. The pool sounds nice...maybe we can visit you, poolside! ;-) With children, apartments are really the way to go. Anyone else bringing children--2 footed or 4 footed?

Good evening all,<BR><BR>Yeah, the website of Zuoz is great. Did you also enjoy the virtual panoramic views?<BR><BR>Ursula, if I recall correctly the Posthotel Engiadina itself has a tennis court. The problem is that my team plays in a league and we have matches almost every weekend in May/June. So I am not really happy with the weekend date of our GTG. I hope my team mates will be able to compensate my absence .<BR><BR>I read about the vacancies in the Engadine in the NZZ today. However, I would not like to be there right now – too crowded.<BR><BR>You could literally watch the snow melting in Dresden today. Now it is snowing like crazy again. Let’s hope it is not only a short intermezzo. Sun is predicted for tomorrow!!<BR><BR>As mentioned before I’d like to stay at the Posthotel Engiadina. Seems to be fine and affordable in low season. Heated pool sounds great! And that use of bikes is included in their packages is still better! I agree with Ursula that mid June is a good time. Still snow capped mountains, blooming flowers and no crowds.<BR><BR>Jan, I also had a look at the website of the Klarer. Yes, they have apartments, but don’t you think that other apartments might be considerably cheaper? Also, the hotel Steinbock is more appealing to me – at least from the pictures on their website. Just an idea … Don’t know if they have apartments, though. Looking forward to meet you, your husband and the kinder (not to forget the dog) poolside. Maybe we can discuss what you meant lately in the thread about food (don’t remember the correct title) in Suedtirol/Switzerland. You should know that although I am from Germany I do love Italian food!!!<BR><BR>Bye and have a nice weekend,<BR><BR>Ingo<BR>

Hello All,<BR><BR>Well, these responses have exceeded my best hopes! In addition to seeing lots of familiar and respected SG names, I’m thrilled to see Chris (have you changed your screen name?) and MyriamC from Belgium! This should be like a vast family reunion where you see cousins you’ve only heard of previously. I’m sorry, Ingo, that you’ll be missing part of the tennis season with your team, but the prospect of seeing so many of our Fodors folks is just too great an opportunity, eh? I hope your team understands!<BR><BR>I checked the wunderground site to see what the temps have been like in June (for Samedan), and they are about 10o (F) cooler than I expected, ranging from 30 - 50. It should be lovely, just perfect for walking &amp; riding (gently, gently!!).<BR><BR>Ursula, I hope you haven’t scared off the folks at the Posthotel Engiandina! Did you tell the guy that 10 strangers from around Europe &amp; the US were about to descend on them, requiring bikes and maps and guides??? And wine, lots of wine. And cakes! Your news sounds great; I can’t wait to see the rates &amp; specials for this year!<BR><BR>Jan, I just love your new screen name. It reminds me of sloe gin -- a drink I remember from the 70s. Have your heard of it? My mind never did get to “slow”! I’m sure you’ll find a great apartment for your two-footed and four-footed family members, but I don’t know how you’ll find the time to really enjoy and savor the process! I guess that the last thing you’ll want to do when you finally get settled in your new place will be to leave -- !! -- but also hoping that this opportunity is too good for you to miss as well.<BR><BR>Grasshopper, yes, the only missing piece is jw, who started the whole mess with the original SGFTWLS thread. We should take our revenge by planning a GTG next year in the Ticino, which can‘t be refused!<BR><BR>Now, about “The Magic Mountain,” it’s only about 700 pages long in the translation I have, but the type is about this small. It hurts my eyes! And heavy! I’ve been trying to put my finger on why and how this book is different from American Lit and English Lit, and this is my first impression. While American Lit tends to be fictionalized psychology, fictionalized sociology, fictionalized history, some fictionalized anthropology, and lots of fictionalized politics, this book is fictionalized philosophy. It seems to be examining the nature of time and place. But I’ve only read a little bit, so my impression may change. I think I’ll try to find a Masterplots or Cliffs Notes!!!<BR><BR>Phil, I now make my living force-feeding folks American &amp; English literature, so you get no mercy! And, of course, I’m still looking forward to picking your brain about your military service. I did take a look at that website you shared (the Independent Commission . .. Switzerland &amp; WWII monies), and it’ll take me some time to get through it all. I can say, though, that I’m not really surprised or shocked to learn of Switzerland‘s dirty little hands. I guess there are certain human traits that defy nationalities and borders. And yet, I’d rather make my home (or at least my vacations!!) among Swiss hypocrites than among other hypocrites around the world . . . Does that make sense?<BR><BR>Throwing the first stone and all that . . . No nation is without guilt, eh?<BR><BR>Well it’s a dreary gray day here, no sun, no snow. Hope you are all well!<BR><BR>jw, are you out there?? <BR><BR>s<BR><BR><BR>

S, I love to read your posts; you are so clever and entertaining.<BR><BR>I hope that I can join you. It sounds like way too much fun to pass up! My original plans were to leave Florence on June 9 after a month in Spain and Italy but what's another week? I think I would like to spend a couple of nights in Verona and arrive in Zuoz around the 11th. <BR><BR>Grasshopper, could you possibly arrive a bit early as well? <BR><BR>Ah, sloe gin! I had one too many slow gin fizzes many years ago and the thought still makes me queasy. <BR><BR>Take care, all.....