yikes, s, we posted the same minute!!<BR><BR>Grasshopper, yes, on the English version site it is the All-inclusive-week. And, according to the rate in Euro, 1850 Sfr. MUST be a typo!<BR><BR>Ursula, I guess the last-minute-package is only to book three weeks ahead, right?<BR><BR>Of course I don't mind a physical exercise. And yes, the fruit tart at the Hotel Fex is excellent as well. Blueberry is my favourite!<BR><BR>Tsch&ouml;&ouml;, Ingo

Ingo,<BR><BR>That's why I was asking! It seemed to me to have read something about late booking only. Mist!<BR>So, and what, if they have no availability for me three weeks prior to our GTG? <BR>I am going to call them these days. I suppose, I can always book just three nights, even if it should be a little more expensive.<BR><BR>s,<BR>My fun begins as I arrive at the Gare de l'Est in Paris, or better, when I step out of the Vavin metro stop.<BR><BR>Oh, they annouce some snow flakes, maybe, for tomorrow, and cold, after a most gorgeous March. <BR>It hasn't been as sunny and warm in March since 1953 - from what they say!! Can't remember that. ;o)<BR><BR>Bye for today.

OK, you Swiss sophisticates.... they've offered me a choice of rooms, the &quot;comfort&quot; room is $7 more. Do you know the difference? (other than the cited &quot;shower&quot; vs. &quot;bath w/shower&quot;) I want &quot;VIEW&quot;!

<BR>OK, folks, and especially Grasshopper,<BR><BR>The difference between the standard and the comfort rooms is, besides shower or shower/bath, ONLY the in the SIZE of the room! <BR>It has nothing to do with the view at all. BTW, this time, I spoke to a very charming German lady (Jana Zander).<BR><BR>If you intend to book, do it soon.<BR>They have only 4 standard and 5 comfort rooms (speaking about singles).<BR><BR>Personally, I will go with the standard room, as I am only staying three nights and then, I am pretty much used to small rooms anyway.<BR><BR>As from three nights onwards, you can book the dinner with it. It's only a couple of CHF/day more compared to the 'last-minute-package', which I would risk not to get, when I need to wait with the booking until three weeks prior the stay.<BR><BR>OK, it's your go now! ;o)<BR>And they got some snow today!

Thank you, Ursula. I booked it today.<BR><BR>JW, Judi and I are planning to stay for two days at Hotel Panorama in Guerra on our way to Zuoz. We will toast you from the balcony!<BR><BR>My &quot;radical sabbatical&quot; is really taking shape. This is going to be a wonderful trip. I think today *might* be my last day of work.

Grasshopper, s and others:<BR><BR>just to confirm the dates: June 13 to June 20 Okay?

<BR>Booked tonight (June 13-16) and got e-mail confirmation within half an hour! Great service so far.<BR>Tsch��, uw

Hey Folks,<BR><BR>O dear, o dear, o dear, now I'm in a panic. It seems I'm the last one to ask for reservations. What if the hotel has run out of rooms!!!<BR><BR>I just sent an e-mail request for reservation, and I hope to hear by tomorrow morning. <BR><BR>Ursula -- such quick response at this time of the evening? I'm very impressed!<BR><BR>Ingo, I asked for 13-19 June (six nights). I thought their &quot;7 days&quot; special offer translated to six nights, yes? I'm sure they'll tell me when they send the official offer. <BR><BR>I also asked for a very nice or superior room with mountain view and balcony if possible. Again, I guess they'll let me know how that translates to their &quot;comfort&quot; or &quot;standard&quot; classification. I've always had great luck in getting a great room when I ask for specifics (mountain view or lake view, etc) in my reservation requests.<BR><BR>Grasshopper, what did you end up booking? Did you use their terms or did you ask for a view?<BR><BR>I almost mentioned that I was part of this motley group of Fodors travellers, but I wasn't sure how to phrase it -- not sure how well irony translates. Ursula, did you mention the lot of us in your conversations??<BR><BR>Anyway, as Ingo says, it's great to see such a flurry of activity to focus my attention on the fine parts of life.<BR><BR>To life!!<BR><BR>Peace,<BR>s

s,<BR>I briefly mentioned, there was going to be a bunch of people, mainly Americans, enquiring these days about rooms for those dates, yes.<BR>Of course, the German lady was very pleased that we had decided to stay there. <BR>I also told her, I didn't insist on a room with a view and that she should give them to the ones staying longer, what they will do, anyway, I guess.<BR>I will keep my fingers crossed for you.

<BR>PS: The package is for 7 nights!<BR>

Ursula, you mean I may have to stay another night??? O well, I suppose I could FORCE myself!!<BR><BR>I'll wait until they e-mail me back and then extend a day to get the special rate.<BR><BR>I'm glad I haven't made airline reservations yet!<BR><BR>s

Oh no! I booked the 20 - 27th! just kidding. <BR><BR>I just said the comfort room. S, if you don't get one you can have some of my comfort. I hope I get a view but I didn't ask for one. I said I was with &quot;the group&quot;. Maybe we should request chestnut pasta and let them know to order more wine than usual? :-) This is definitely the bright spot in MY day!

Everybody got a room?

Grasshopper,<BR><BR>Got it -- same rate. After my confusion and the phone call, all is good to go.<BR><BR>s

Hi guys!<BR>With all the hullaballoo on our move, I absolutely can't book yet! :(<BR><BR>I am so jealous..this is going to be a great trip. We will know closer to June whether we will make it. never fear...if possible we will be there. We will have the car (and the kids and the dog!) so will have more flexibility with where we stay.<BR><BR>Grasshopper, are you heading down to Croatia after the Engadine? I saw your posting. WE are looking at staying there for 2-4 weeks as well!<BR><BR>Cheers to all,<BR>Jan

Hi Jan,<BR><BR>I am going to Croatia before Zuoz. I will be in Europe for a month: Croatia 2 weeks, No.Italy/So. Switzerland for 1 week and Zuoz 1 week. But first 6 weeks in the Rockies. I should be so relaxed by the time I get to you guys I'll be positively sliding around. :-)

Jan, I hope that you will be able to join us; it would be fun to have kids and a dog in the mix, and of course we want to meet you.<BR><BR>I have my room booked and was told that they would be happy to hold my box of &quot;Switzerland&quot; clothes that I am mailing ahead. (I am leaving the US on May 8).<BR><BR>Grasshopper, your &quot;new&quot; life sounds positively sybaritic.<BR><BR>jw, Grasshopper and I are staying at the Hotel Panorama as a tribute to you.:-) Do you have a suggestion as to the best rooms? <BR><BR>I am looking forward to meeting you all.

Hi you all, I was looking forward to some energetic posts at the GTG thead to go w/my Saturday morning coffee, and you did not disappoint me! I love this!<BR><BR>Grasshopper and Judi, you'll notice at the Panorama's website that there don't seem to be listings for superior/comfort classifications, and I'm not sure that there are any. This is not the Posthotel Engiadina -- It's a quiet little two-star in the even quieter village of Gerra-Gambarogno that has won my heart. Ask for seaside rooms with balcony (which, by the way measure about 2 feet by 4.) Eat as many of Axel's &quot;starters&quot; from the menu as you can. Creme soups, baked avocado, bresaola, cannelloni, be still my heart. You two are so nice to 'bring me along' vicariously, and if you'll tell me the exact dates, I'll be w/you in spirit and have almost as much fun imagining as if I were there.<BR><BR>By the way, Grasshopper, are you an heiress? What's this six weeks in the rockies followed by a month in Italy and Switzerland and Croatia? I get the feeling more and more that I am not only the oldest folk in this fan club -- I'm the poorest. <BR><BR>Love to you all (S, you do make me laugh -- I've often thought that &quot;irony&quot; might not translate well, but I get a kick out of it) (Ingo, it was that photograph of the pasta that enthralled us-- you could photograph for Gourmet Magazine) (Ursula, describe the neighborhood of the Vavin; I 'love Paris in the springtime. . ')Keep writing. J.

Heiress! JW, now it was you who made me laugh coffee out my nose. :-)<BR><BR>Quite the contrary (and probably not younger than you either). I am feeling very torn right now between my &quot;grasshopper&quot; and my &quot;ant&quot;. I walked away from my very good (albiet boring) job yesterday as the result of an acquisition which made me redundant. I've thought long and hard about my next steps and determined that I need a break and I need to choose carefully what the next path will be. Fortunately, I've had several months of visibility so I've been able to get my financial ducks in a row. I am selling the house I raised my daughters in for 25 years, bought a wonderful townhouse in the Rockies (for vacations and eventual retirement), moved to an apartment I love on the SF Bay, and am really downsizing my life with regard to posessions. <BR><BR>I'm sure that the Hotel Panorama is exactly the right kind of place for me. I am a total view junkie. As long as I have a comfortable bed and a clean bathroom a place with a view is my only requirement! I loved Albergo Navegna (same price range as the Panorama) in Minusio. But your descriptions of Guerra have won Judi and I over. We can't wait to indulge in Axel's starters! I hope they have plenty of wine in stock. :-)

Hi Grasshopper. All I can say to your post is WOW. Yesterday? I have friends who would shout &quot;You go, girl!&quot;, but I'm more soft-spoken and cowardly. I can tell that you will be a positive influence on me.<BR><BR>Re the Panorama -- I forgot to mention the Veal Tonnato (another starter). Yum. Bathrooms are small, but the view is memorable. It's in Gerra (not Guerra), so I hope you're reserving at the right place. Got to stop; way past my coffee time and running over into my &quot;entering progress report grades on computer disk time&quot;, alas. J.

Hello! Happy Easter. My little 5-year-old niece wore the Switzerland t-shirt today that I bought for her last June, and I almost couldn't stand the ache to be there. Talk to me, friends. J.

Hi everybody!

I am a little confused. I thought there was a new thread about our GTG, but I can't find it.

Anyway, just topping this one to catch the attention of some other folks (Myriam, Peep!!).

Just five more weeks to go. :o)

Hope the weather will be as gorgeous as what we had these past couple of days. Wow, it was splendid and definitely summerlike.

Have a nice weekend all!
I'll be going to Basel tomorrow and will visit the current special exhibit 'Expressiv' at the Beyeler Fondation. It's supposed to be great.

Sorry, Ursula, won't be able to attend.
Have decided to stay in the Berchtgesgaden (Bavaria) area.

I would be counting down the days to my departure (which is 12) were it not for my new commitment to enjoy the place where I am right now and stop yearning for the place where I am not!

Today it is my sunny patio, on my peaceful lagoon watching a new family of geese and reading a new book. (yesterday it was a blizzard in Colorado!)

Lucky Judi is in her apartment in Spain, likely sipping Sangria and munching tapas!

Hope you all have a good weekend.

Ohhh Grasshopper, be merciful! S' will spend her weekend grading papers, and I shall try to do some prep work on course syllabus/nat. standards alignment. Bet you wish you were us? J. Did you say 12 days?

Hi!
I just stumbled across this site by accident.
May I join you in Zuoz? I will be in the Engadin for approximately one month starting May 26.

Hello Vonny!

Sure, you can join us! As far as I know, most of us, if not all, will be staying at the Posthotel Engiadina in Zuoz.
Do you already have your accommodation somewhere?

First GTG will be Friday, June 13 (:eek) at 07.30 PM for dinner at the hotel. We'll then plan in detail our adventures (Soglio, Fex Valley, etc.), depending a bit on the weather forecast.
Please let us know, whether you'll be able to join us that day for dinner. Thanks.

Phil, will you join us as well?

And what about you, SloJan?

WOW, just realize one can preview/delete posts now.
However, I am sure I'll still make typos and grammatical errors.
Anyway, it's great. Just love it. :o)

Enjoy your day!

Hello Ursula,
I would love to join you on Friday the 13th! I will start looking for accomodations tomorrow. Are you still intending to rent bikes? I would really be up for some great rides.
Thank you!
Yvonne

Yvonne,
The bikes are included in the weekly package at the Posthotel Engiadina.
Not so, for shorter stays though.

PS: Where do you live? Just curious. ;o)

For accommodation in Zuoz itself, try www.zuoz. ch
It's a fabulous web site.

Hi Ursula,
I live in Lake Geneva, WI. Originally from Chicago. I have spent a lot of time in Switzerland lately. Although I will be staying in Scuol, I would take a room in Zuoz for a few days to join in on the festivities! I have biked the Engadin extensively and am looking foreward to doing so again. Sounds like this will be a really great time!

Yvonne,
Thanks for letting us know about your home place.
WI = Wisconsin, right? And you are still awake? :x

Check out the packages for 3 or more days at the Posthotel. Prices aren't too bad and it's with half-board (4 course dinner!!).
I'll be there from June 13-16, just for your information. Others will be there for a full week or even longer (maybe).

Good Morning,

I just wanted to echo Ursula's invitation to Yvonne and add my welcome! I can't wait to meet you all!


s

OK, here are my dumb questions - How exactly do you pronounce Engadin? And is there an &quot;e&quot; on the end? And how do you pronounce Engiadina? And what languages should we expect will be spoken?

I'm not packing hiking boots. Will tennis shoes be sufficient? Also, shall we expect some chilly weather? Since I'll be in Med. climates for 2 weeks earlier and want to pack light I'm hoping casual is what everyone else will be bringing.

Anxiety is starting to hit. :-)

hi friends,

i am having a great time in sunny spain and the time is passing quickly. we leave on saturday for italy.

i am looking forward to seeing you all in switzerland.

Judi,
Please, please, bring some sun along. Will you?
Enjoy the tapas in Spain and the pasta in Italy. Don't forget to eat a gelato a day.

Yvonne,
Anything new from your side?

Will you look at this! Judi is so relaxed that she's lost all her upper case letters. (and I know I didn't make that smiley face thing last post) Have a great trip to Venezia. I will see you in Milano!

Well friends, I'm leaving this morning! I nearly broke the zipper on my new suitcase trying to fit everything in. I'm excited and nervous. But very excited to meet you in Zuoz. Ciao!

Good morning from NY. I've just returned from 2 nights in Chamonix and 10 nights driving around Switzerland. However, I'm still on Swiss time or I'd still be sleeping. Being a retired teacher gives me that lovely option (sorry jmw). I wanted to thank all of you again for your great advice and help. Our car was crowded with many of you. We talked about you all the time: &quot;jmw said we have to have the soup at the Panorama.&quot; &quot;Ingo hikes at this lake.&quot; &quot;I have to write down this restaurant for Patrick when he comes to Poschiavo.&quot; You really made our trip unforgettable. Our only problem is that I couldn't get onto Ingo's photo site, so all along we thought Ingo was a woman. Now, I think Ingo is a man and Bill is so disappointed. He was picturing a tall, athletic blonde beauty, skiing and hiking all around Poschiavo. So, someone let me know about Ingo. I'll do a trip report with details when I'm un jet lagged. Again, thanks for your most wonderful, useful, charming, insightful, etc. etc. help. Joanw

Gruezi joanw!!

So happy you had a wonderful trip -- and am looking forward to a (very) detailed trip report!! Thanks so much for keeping everyone with you on your trip!

You can find Ingo's pages at VT by doing a member search for &quot;german_eagle.&quot; If you have more trouble, e-mail me, and I'll send you a link!

Thanks again for your happy, spirit-lifing post!

s

Hello joan,

I am glad you had a wonderful time in Switzerland. And I am happy that we were able to give you good advice. Can't wait to read your trip report - it should be a funny story (regarding your post here!).

Why does everybody think Ingo would be a name for a woman? It is definitely a traditional German name for men! What a disappointment for Bill. LOL!

A revair!