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Thanks, Ingo, yes, we will do that train ride on our way back, that’s why I didn’t choose the 10:30 train - so was looking for a Postbus pass trip. You’re right, the connection is tight, but doesn’t really matter, we can catch next one if we need to. |
Yes, but my German not good enough for the tour details really. Most of it I had to read up on. But a great castle to visit! |
Wasn't the castle previously owned by a mouthwash company?
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The owner of the castle owned that mouthwash company. He owned the castle privately.
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Gotcha, thanks Ingo.
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Still following and enjoying a lot! Thanks. For my August trip I’ll be doing some moderately difficult hiking, but after seeing your beautiful photos I have to wonder: why bother?! :) |
Mel, Lingner (of the Odol mouthwash company) did the major renovation and died in 1916, the current owner (Not Vital, the artist) purchased it in 2016. There is a bottle of Odol mouthwash sitting in one of the bathrooms in the castle, nice touch. Nelson, there are a huge range of walks here, don’t be misled when you see elderly hikers take off down one path - it’s still likely to be long and hard, LOL. I used this website https://map.schweizmobil.ch/?lang=en...8651&N=1187242 with its interactive map and the TI brochures, there’s always a wanderweg with families on bikes and prams, so lots of choices. |
Thanks much Adelaidean, that's a great site. Bit of a learning curve but looks to be well worth it. Appreciate it.
I'll confess I had to look up wanderweg, a nice word. Safe travels! |
Adelaidean - I think the best route Thusis/Chiavenna is via St Moritz and Bus 4. TCS gives Splügen as closed till 7 July too. I realise on bus 4 you are "re-visiting" places you know but they are lovely places... And I am curious should you take bus 4 to know if the road work around the post office in Sils Maria is finished or not. Bus stop was temporarily moved to near one of the sports shops at the entrance to the village...I am not sure what the traffic situation is there now and our hotel is close to the Post Office!
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Day 18: Scuol Another hot day, so opted to have a bus excursion day. Hubby chose to stay in Scuol and explore lower town and do a forest walk. I had the good fortune to be on the bus with a lively group of 22 elderly people from Zug heading out for their Swiss National Park walk. So we chatted on the bus to Susch, then I trained to Zernez and took bus on to St John‘s monastery in Müstair, while the hikers alighted somewhere in between. The average age mid 70’s, the oldest in the group is 83! They were off for a 4 hour hike “only 2 hours uphill”... Wonderful bus ride, a nice way to see some towns and countryside. https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...5b0c5be8c.jpeg Big bus, narrow streets https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...3d5b139a0.jpeg Beautiful scenery https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...68d99a702.jpeg Lovely Müstair is a lovely town and the church has incredible frescoes. It is a UNESCO world heritage site. https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...764a7cf56.jpeg Frescoes in abbey church https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...391c540ae.jpeg Ceiling in abbey church https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...a2a97aca6.jpeg Chapel and cemetery A short wander through town https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...e9e9338b8.jpeg Nice town https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...352ae009e.jpeg Main street And then the bus on to Glurns / Glorenza (Italy). A tiny walled town. 35C here, so sheltered under those cool, thick arches. https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...9b48a3cbc.jpeg Cool portico https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...89d9ee924.jpeg Main street https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...acd8f2452.jpeg Main street https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...56171871c.jpeg Walled town There may have been a bit of dog stalking (missing ours) https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...83dfc04f3.jpeg Hitching a ride https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...242b1680a.jpeg Yes, I’m pretty Then bus on to Mals / Malles, for onward bus to Martina. I didn’t have an onward ticket and forgot I’d be in Italy with no Euros, the driver spoke no English or German and I held up my ticket thus far with some Swiss francs and he just pointed me to a seat (sorry, Italy, I didn’t pay my way). We passed the large dam with flooded church, and then those hairpin curves from Nauders (Austria) to Martina, lots of gesturing by our Italian driver, quite entertaining. https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...ed91c36db.jpeg Near Mals https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...dd8d25b37.jpeg The flooded church https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...22659eb72.jpeg Looking back towards Mals from the bus https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...d80c541be.jpeg Near Scuol And then an easy 25 minute bus ride back to Scuol. Great way to pass a hot day. |
What a great day! I had been looking into exploring that area but didn't realise you could do that sort of circuit in a single day. What would it be like in winter do you think?
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Dreamon, Mel has based in Scuol in winter, and uses public transport, if you read her reports you will find lots of ideas for winter. |
You did a great loop, Adelaidean! I have wanted to do that for several years now, but never managed. Always something else that came up ;-) Did you visit the museum in the Benedictine nunnery? Btw, the building on that zoom picture is abbey St. Marienberg. You can visit this, too. Amazing crypt there.
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I know that cocker!! We’ve seen that lovely dog on an English Cocker FB group we belong to. ❤️ |
Day 19: Scuol Still hot. We did a morning wander along the river near Scuol, a lot of trails are closed, as is the gorge. We saw a deer and a squirrel :) https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...42f0e7736.jpeg River Inn https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...05da11ecd.jpeg Vulpera https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...1c8c920ac.jpeg Forest path Returned to town and visited the Scuol church on the hill (the ‘Reformierte Kirche’) and walked through another old part of Scuol (Bügl Grond), enjoying the Engadin architecture. https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...abe39ba39.jpeg Reformierte kirche https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...eaca4c15a.jpeg Reformierte kirche https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...8b6866adc.jpeg Sweet plazas https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...23a7b3629.jpeg Old town https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...4a2e5b887.jpeg Favourite house Cooling gelato afterwards. Then took bus to S-charl, a 40 minute ride, only 13 km from Scuol, but feels quite remote. Only reachable by road in summer, not winter. It is quite a steep road. Lots of hairpin curves and deep gorge very near edge of road. A recent landslide, so clearance work happening. https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...d25663ede.jpeg I got the front seat in the bus- recent landslide https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...23f7c1cd0.jpeg Landslide clearance The bus doesn’t run often, every 2 or 3 hours, so plan accordingly. I think going up in morning for a walk, have lunch there, would be lovely. Maybe a dozen houses and a little church, some farms, and 2 places to have a meal or drink. Lots of hikers and bikers there. Beautiful river and forest, and trails heading off. https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...f43fa9c5b.jpeg Farming community https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...56c751b77.jpeg Tiny hamlet, still has a church https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...a3eea27d3.jpeg Beautiful landscape The bus ride alone was worth it, and the little hamlet is nestled in a high valley with great views, really pretty. I thought it would be cooler, given it sits at 1800 m elevation, but it was still hot. There is a lead and silver mine museum which I didn’t visit. Tonight we ate at Astras Restaurant, just a few doors up from our apartment. Finally had capuns! Really light, so comfortable for a very warm evening. Delicious. Thanks to everyone that put them on my “to try” list. Reflections on leaving Scuol...recommend it for transportation hub with great day excursion possibilities, many accommodation and restaurant options, good grocery stores, quiet despite being a hub, a hikers paradise but also good for us who stroll, rather than hike. No selfie sticks here, but lots of walking poles! Mostly Swiss tourists, rather than international. Ingo, I did not get to that museum. And Weissertee, that is funny, recognising that dog! |
Lovely photos -- when you go to Chiavenna on the 4 bus take a look at the remains of the landslide on your left at Bondo - in the Bregaglia, at the bottom of the Maloja pass. It knocked out almost the whole village.
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Yes, we were there just after it happened in 2017, Hambagahle. |
[QUOTE=Adelaidean;16944097]
Yes, we were there just after it happened in 2017, Hambagahle. I had forgotten that, Adelaidean -- we saw it a bit later than you but what a terrible and huge thing. |
Day 20: Scuol to Thusis Still hot. Our journey to Thusis was about 3 hours (bus to Susch, train to Samedan, train to Thusis via Preda and Tiefencastel). As it’s not the fastest route, SBB will route via Chur, but I knew I wanted the scenic route so added a “via” Samedan and Preda to get the routing I wanted. It’s just beautiful, and the time goes so quickly. Clear blue skies this time, compared to a week ago on the GEX where we saw very little (just before the Europe heatwave began). Packed our leftovers for a train picnic lunch. Typical Engadin bus driver with a cheery “Allegra” as we took off. Sorry to say goodbye to the Lower Engadin. It’s been lovely. Some photos en route to show the scenery… https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...da93fd6a0.jpeg Beautiful train ride https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...83f59ad69.jpeg Sweet villages https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...7a142fdfa.jpeg Villages https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...4950df225.jpeg Bergün https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...9419de4a8.jpeg Stunning https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...d14a78dc1.jpeg Tiefencastel We are staying at the Weiss Kreuz hotel in Thusis. Nice hotel on the main street. Very helpful manager, who gave us maps and bus guidance. Still really hot so we went for a short stroll through the old part of town, and along the river. Houses tightly packed with no front garden, step right on to street. Walking behind them was interesting, steep drop at the rear, as river quite close. Wooden balconies and some terraced gardens, then some forest and the river. Just beautiful. https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...d8e17fa17.jpeg Big bus, narrow street https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...c2867338a.jpeg Soaring cliffs https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...855f2f90c.jpeg Rear of houses, hugging hillside https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...96a26c085.jpeg Cliffs and gorges Needing a beer, at the witching hour after 2 pm, hubby spotted what looked like a closed terrace, but a wander inside a nearby empty restaurant found us an owner happy to sell us a beer, walking us through his kitchen to the terrace. He is from Naples and came to Switzerland to ensure the future for his family. Loves Naples, however. We told him our plans for the bus ride through the Splügen pass were affected by the closure of the pass and he said it was a catastrophe for businesses like him, relying on through traffic on sunny weekends. Had dinner at our hotel, I had an ok gesternsuppe (too creamy) and Rösti (nothing compares to Maloja’s Schweizerhaus Rösti). But the outdoor terrace very pleasant. Poor night's sleep, too hot. |
Day 21: Thusis 36C today, so changed plans. Bus schedule is every 2 hours so opted to skip Zillis and the church, and just bus to Viamala gorge and hike back (shade in morning, plus much forested). Only 10 minutes to gorge by bus, which was full this sunny hot Sunday (families, hikers). 6 CHF entry to the amazing gorge, impossible to get scale in photos, but so spectacular. https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...f668d7c36.jpeg Viamala gorge https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...c18eb2ab4.jpeg Viamala gorge https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...83e46bf94.jpeg Viamala gorge We then took hike A back to Thusis see options on this map… https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...a97fa503e.jpeg Hiking options Swiss time for hike is 3 hours 10 mins, we took 4 hours ...lots of uphill/ downhill and sections where I couldn’t look down, my stomach was flip flopping…...amazing scenery, but deep gorge and very steep. https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...5582dbdc0.jpeg Uphill track https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...5894eba8b.jpeg Mushroom spotting... and track https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...d4b0e8188.jpeg Huge cliffs So hot in the sun. Lucky much of walk in forest and shaded side of gorge this time of day. https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...29732b7b0.jpeg Suspension bridge https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...eea4cd46b.jpeg Deep gorges https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...23d696e06.jpeg Distant views https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...c40b0cc62.jpeg Mountains in distance https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...dffc1ff18.jpeg Thusis below https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...1fa6bcffb.jpeg Distant town on hillside https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...3c50ef6fe.jpeg Ruins (Hohenratien) https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...3034acb84.jpeg Cliffs above us - hot in the sun https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...18dd496cb.jpeg Signage en route Best beer ever at our Napoli guy’s terrace …. |
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