"Too Much Cows"
Aug 2nd, 2017, 05:20 AM
#23
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Enjoyed reading this and your Iceland report.
This was just built in less than 2 weeks, for a future trip perhaps?
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel...dge-180964275/
This was just built in less than 2 weeks, for a future trip perhaps?
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel...dge-180964275/
Aug 4th, 2017, 04:59 AM
#26
Day 4 –
We took the bus to the village of Flims (getting off at Dorf Post, 4.20 CHF each with ½ fare card), which is dominated by the high sloping plateau of Flimserstein, and the landscape of which was formed by a natural disaster, the Flims Rockslide. Flims is part of the Alpenarena ski resort, which links it with the villages of Laax and Falera.
https://www.myswitzerland.com/en-us/flims.html
https://www.flims.com/
When we arrived, we realized there were no walks in the immediate vicinity, so we turned around and backtracked. We popped into the information office for details on a walk that Ingo had suggested, hoping to also incorporate the Restaurant Conn mentioned by the woman we met at Versam-Safien two days prior.
As it happened, we should have gotten off the bus at Flims-Waldhaus, and walked from there to Waldhaus-Caumasee, but our mistake gave us a nice little walking tour of the village and treated us to some gobsmacking views.
We began walking through the Flims forest on the Culinary Trail; within minutes we were gazing down upon the turquoise Caumasee, which looked bizarrely tropical and seriously out-of-place.
Oddly (well, to us anyway) there was a funicular (no charge) that led down to the lake, which was completely fenced in - access to the lake is 10 CHF per person, access to the restaurant is 4 CHF per person (refundable with purchase, I think). Pretty as it was, we were content to view it from above and ride the funicular down and back up. Leave it to the Swiss to build a funicular down to a lake (my knees were appreciative).
The day was lovely and cool – we continued walking the trail to Conn, enjoying the views and surprised by all the giant snails.
Restaurant Conn is situated in a lovely spot with tables on a patio under large shady trees. How could we possibly resist sampling the food on a Culinary Trail? It should come as no surprise that the Capuns beckoned, but they’re a bit heavy for lunch, so we shared...and good thing, because it was a massive serving (and very good, yet not as good as those we’d had in Ilanz – 40.50 CHF with a locally brewed wheat beer from Flims, a glass of wine and a 2 CHF pitcher of tap water).
http://www.conn.ch/restaurant-conn/
We continued walking to the Il Spir viewing platform; we climbed the 62 steps and dangled over the Ruinaulta, The Rhine Gorge, and soaked up the spectacular panoramic view, almost directly above the trail we walked the other day; fantastic!
https://www.myswitzerland.com/en-us/...-platform.html
We forged on to Crestasee (Trin), yet another vibrant turquoise lake surrounded by lush green. There was no fence here, but the swimmers looked like they were wearing wristbands, so I suspect it too has an admission charge. It’s here that we saw our first E-bike charging station.
https://www.myswitzerland.com/en-us/crestasee-lake.html
We settled in a table at Crestasee Restaurant overlooking that spectacular lake, and people-watched while relaxing over a cold drink...until I was seduced by the strategically placed ice cream/sorbet menu. Hello “Summertime” - a divine concoction consisting of one ball each of Citron, mango and blood orange sorbet, topped with fresh fruit and a rolled wafer – excellent - (23 CHF with drinks).
We then continued walking to Felsbach, where we caught a bus back to Ilanz via Laax (5.30 CHF each with ½ fare card).
It’d been a wonderful day – eight miles of gentle walking in pleasant weather with incredible views and good food.
Photos here:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/melnq8...h/35283551103/
To be continued...
We took the bus to the village of Flims (getting off at Dorf Post, 4.20 CHF each with ½ fare card), which is dominated by the high sloping plateau of Flimserstein, and the landscape of which was formed by a natural disaster, the Flims Rockslide. Flims is part of the Alpenarena ski resort, which links it with the villages of Laax and Falera.
https://www.myswitzerland.com/en-us/flims.html
https://www.flims.com/
When we arrived, we realized there were no walks in the immediate vicinity, so we turned around and backtracked. We popped into the information office for details on a walk that Ingo had suggested, hoping to also incorporate the Restaurant Conn mentioned by the woman we met at Versam-Safien two days prior.
As it happened, we should have gotten off the bus at Flims-Waldhaus, and walked from there to Waldhaus-Caumasee, but our mistake gave us a nice little walking tour of the village and treated us to some gobsmacking views.
We began walking through the Flims forest on the Culinary Trail; within minutes we were gazing down upon the turquoise Caumasee, which looked bizarrely tropical and seriously out-of-place.
Oddly (well, to us anyway) there was a funicular (no charge) that led down to the lake, which was completely fenced in - access to the lake is 10 CHF per person, access to the restaurant is 4 CHF per person (refundable with purchase, I think). Pretty as it was, we were content to view it from above and ride the funicular down and back up. Leave it to the Swiss to build a funicular down to a lake (my knees were appreciative).
The day was lovely and cool – we continued walking the trail to Conn, enjoying the views and surprised by all the giant snails.
Restaurant Conn is situated in a lovely spot with tables on a patio under large shady trees. How could we possibly resist sampling the food on a Culinary Trail? It should come as no surprise that the Capuns beckoned, but they’re a bit heavy for lunch, so we shared...and good thing, because it was a massive serving (and very good, yet not as good as those we’d had in Ilanz – 40.50 CHF with a locally brewed wheat beer from Flims, a glass of wine and a 2 CHF pitcher of tap water).
http://www.conn.ch/restaurant-conn/
We continued walking to the Il Spir viewing platform; we climbed the 62 steps and dangled over the Ruinaulta, The Rhine Gorge, and soaked up the spectacular panoramic view, almost directly above the trail we walked the other day; fantastic!
https://www.myswitzerland.com/en-us/...-platform.html
We forged on to Crestasee (Trin), yet another vibrant turquoise lake surrounded by lush green. There was no fence here, but the swimmers looked like they were wearing wristbands, so I suspect it too has an admission charge. It’s here that we saw our first E-bike charging station.
https://www.myswitzerland.com/en-us/crestasee-lake.html
We settled in a table at Crestasee Restaurant overlooking that spectacular lake, and people-watched while relaxing over a cold drink...until I was seduced by the strategically placed ice cream/sorbet menu. Hello “Summertime” - a divine concoction consisting of one ball each of Citron, mango and blood orange sorbet, topped with fresh fruit and a rolled wafer – excellent - (23 CHF with drinks).
We then continued walking to Felsbach, where we caught a bus back to Ilanz via Laax (5.30 CHF each with ½ fare card).
It’d been a wonderful day – eight miles of gentle walking in pleasant weather with incredible views and good food.
Photos here:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/melnq8...h/35283551103/
To be continued...
Aug 4th, 2017, 06:29 AM
#27
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How dare you posting pictures of ice cream? ;-) Must get some right away!
Seriously, excellent pictures again. Very beautiful lakes. Glad you finally had some pleasant weather, perfect for the walk!
Keep it coming!
I.
Seriously, excellent pictures again. Very beautiful lakes. Glad you finally had some pleasant weather, perfect for the walk!
Keep it coming!
I.
Aug 5th, 2017, 02:57 PM
#30
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I am enjoying your report and all the photos. We will be getting a very tiny taste of Switzerland soon, and I appreciate all of your related reports. We'll only be in Lucerne and Guarda but hope to return for more next year.
Aug 5th, 2017, 06:40 PM
#32
Looks so lovely, Mel.
...re: our Coober Pedy dugout, it was sold many years ago and my brother just did another motorbike road trip (those were his photos) from Perth back to our childhood homes in Andamooka and Coober Pedy. The Andamooka dugout was much worse, water from a well, long drop toilet up the hill, Coober Pedy was quite modern in comparison! Not sure how my mother coped with living in the outback, they both left East Germany as teenagers, migrating to Australia and meeting here in Adelaide, no family, no English (but lots of non English speaking Europeans in the outback in those days), no running water, no electricity, dirt roads. I will probably do a road trip next year, at least there is a lot more bitumen now and air conditioned cars.
...re: our Coober Pedy dugout, it was sold many years ago and my brother just did another motorbike road trip (those were his photos) from Perth back to our childhood homes in Andamooka and Coober Pedy. The Andamooka dugout was much worse, water from a well, long drop toilet up the hill, Coober Pedy was quite modern in comparison! Not sure how my mother coped with living in the outback, they both left East Germany as teenagers, migrating to Australia and meeting here in Adelaide, no family, no English (but lots of non English speaking Europeans in the outback in those days), no running water, no electricity, dirt roads. I will probably do a road trip next year, at least there is a lot more bitumen now and air conditioned cars.
Aug 6th, 2017, 12:09 AM
#33
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Really enjoying reading this Mel and your photos are amazing!
I too am interested in hearing how you managed in the warm weather as I know this is not your favourite weather for travel (or indeed for living in particularly in those Perth summers).
We had a week in Ortisei last month (and then five days near Innsbruck in the Tirol) and it was very warm, but punctuated most afternoons by great thunderstorms, and once or twice at 4am we were woken by loud storms too! We are not as skilled hikers as you are but we certainly love being in the mountains and hope to return again next year whilst we can still walk far enough!
And yes, the ice creams in these areas are truly delicious and simply too enticing to ignore.
Great Coober Pedy story Adelaidean: people were so resilient living in those situations.
I too am interested in hearing how you managed in the warm weather as I know this is not your favourite weather for travel (or indeed for living in particularly in those Perth summers).
We had a week in Ortisei last month (and then five days near Innsbruck in the Tirol) and it was very warm, but punctuated most afternoons by great thunderstorms, and once or twice at 4am we were woken by loud storms too! We are not as skilled hikers as you are but we certainly love being in the mountains and hope to return again next year whilst we can still walk far enough!
And yes, the ice creams in these areas are truly delicious and simply too enticing to ignore.
Great Coober Pedy story Adelaidean: people were so resilient living in those situations.
Aug 6th, 2017, 02:32 AM
#36
Thank you all for the kind comments. I hope my endless details help future travellers.
Adelaidean - That's quite a story. I can't imagine living in Coober Pedy or Andamooka let alone under those circumstances. We thoroughly enjoyed our short visit to Coober a few years ago. It remains at the top of my list of most unique Australian towns.
love_travel - yes, I'm still a hot weather wimp. Some things never change. There's a reason I live in the mountains - it rarely gets above 80 F here, and in recent days it's been about 48F in the mornings. My kind of weather!
Thank you Charnley - I do miss WA, the heat and flies, not-so-much.
Adelaidean - That's quite a story. I can't imagine living in Coober Pedy or Andamooka let alone under those circumstances. We thoroughly enjoyed our short visit to Coober a few years ago. It remains at the top of my list of most unique Australian towns.
love_travel - yes, I'm still a hot weather wimp. Some things never change. There's a reason I live in the mountains - it rarely gets above 80 F here, and in recent days it's been about 48F in the mornings. My kind of weather!
Thank you Charnley - I do miss WA, the heat and flies, not-so-much.
Aug 6th, 2017, 04:13 AM
#37
Day 5 –
Our day began at the Ilanz Saturday Farmer’s Market – I was hoping to find some Bündner Nusstorte, a traditional Graubünden nut-filled caramelized pastry - we’d thoroughly enjoyed it on a previous trip - but no such luck today.
In the few days that we’d been in Switzerland, I’d been repeatedly amazed at the incredibly green landscape, the abundance and variety of wildflowers and the prolific gardening skills of the Swiss. Virtually every home we saw displayed window boxes awash with blooms and well-tended, healthy gardens. Flowers and bedding plants dotted the sidewalks of many shops as well as booths at the Farmer’s Market; a kaleidoscope of color we’d seldom seen during our previous visits (which are usually in the winter months). If only my thumbs were so green.
We cashed up at the ATM and popped into the train station to buy bus tickets to Vals (13.20 CHF each return with ½ fare card) then we walked back up the hill to the bus stop near the apartment.
All we knew about Vals is what Ingo had mentioned, that it’s a spa town in a side valley of the Surselva with Walser houses roofed with stone tiles made of Vals quartzite, which frankly, didn’t mean much at the time. Mrs. Heiligensetzer had also asked if we’d been to Vals yet, piquing our interest even more.
About the time we began to wonder if the schedule was wrong, the yellow post bus came trundling up the hill, some 10 minutes late; very un-Swiss-like. We took seats on the right side of the near empty bus, which turned out to be a fortuitous choice.
Ten minutes into the 38 minute journey we were starring wide-eyed into the startlingly deep valley that fell into nothingness mere feet from our windows, vibrant green mountains rising directly across from it, waterfalls seemingly everywhere. We grinned every time the bus driver tooted the three tone horn when approaching narrow corners. Nothing reminds me I’m in Switzerland more than the song of the Alps.
https://www.postauto.ch/en/three-tone-horn
Even in a country of eye-popping scenery, the drive to Vals stood out.
When purchasing our bus ticket, we discovered that there’s a reservoir southwest of Vals, but not knowing the distance involved we’d opted to only go as far as the village. A wise decision - we learned later that the bus wasn’t yet running to Zervreilasee, a high mountain man-made lake at an elevation of 1,862 meters formed when the village of Zervereila was flooded in 1957. Evidently the road is narrow and steep with grades up to 13%, and only accessible from later in June through October.
The tiny village of Vals was deserted. We went into the tourist office and picked the brain of a helpful young woman, asking if there was a walk in the area that incorporated a Bergrestaurant.
Of course there was - this is Switzerland!
I needed food before setting out on a two hour uphill walk, so we ducked into the village bakery for some pre-hike energy; self-serve lattes, a tasty cream filled coronet for me and a slice of Nusstorte for Bill (14 CHF).
Then began the 4.4 mile climb up to Hängela-Hütte, which took us 2.5 hours - slowed by my incessant photo taking and a wrong turn neither of us could explain. As we worked our way up and above the lush green valley, the views got better and better – snow capped mountains, fields of colorful wildflowers and cows that practically posed for us.
One bend in the road turned into another, and another, and another...just when I thought I couldn’t possibly walk another step, we came upon a chalet that I desperately hoped was the Bergrestaurant, but it didn’t look quite right. Bill approached the men outside the building – who said “Keine” and pointed UP. Uh-oh. My knee screamed, my heart sank, but we forged on...and on...and on. A couple whizzed past us on electric bikes; we jealously scowled.
We finally arrived at the tiny, rustic and oh-so-inviting Hängela-Hütte, settling in for an excellent lunch on the sun terrace, the mountains directly in front of us; the views outstanding. As we tucked into a plate of local cheese and dried meats, a bowl of barely soup and a small bottle of Sylvaner Riesling, the exhaustion and exasperation magically slipped away (57 CHF).
https://www.haengela.ch/index.php
Thunderclouds moved in as we walked back to Vals, cutting through the woods on a Bergweg, my knee giving me serious grief (and still tormenting me some eight weeks later, I think Switzerland killed it).
Some 7.7 miles later we were back in Vals, with time to spare before the next bus. So we walked further into the village via a bridge, admired the buildings and quartzite roofs, and cooled our heels on the terrace of Hotel Alpina. Bill went for his usual Weizenbier. I opted for the Hausgemachter Valiser Gold – Melissen-Sirup mit Limette, Minze & Melon, which was wonderful, and rather pretty (12.40 CHF).
Vals was a big hit with both of us.
We sat on the left side of the bus for the return to Ilanz, soaking up more of those fabulous views, although a bit obscured in low cloud. Then it was back to our apartment for a rest, and then down to Hotel Obertor for a ‘light’ dinner. Ha! I went for the barley soup again and talked Bill into ordering a small plate of Bizzochels, thinking it was either a typo for *Pizzochels or a regional spelling.
The Bizzochels were indeed Pizzochels and they were fabulous - decadent little pillows of butter, cream and cheese covered joy. This version was served with applesauce, which was lost on us, but otherwise they were divine. My fork kept straying to Bill’s plate - he was kind enough not to stab me with his - 53 CHF including a small salad and three glasses of wine.
* Unless I’m mistaken, they’re also known as Pizokel, Pizzöcar or Pizzoccheri
Photos here:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/melnq8...57684322978144
To be continued...
Our day began at the Ilanz Saturday Farmer’s Market – I was hoping to find some Bündner Nusstorte, a traditional Graubünden nut-filled caramelized pastry - we’d thoroughly enjoyed it on a previous trip - but no such luck today.
In the few days that we’d been in Switzerland, I’d been repeatedly amazed at the incredibly green landscape, the abundance and variety of wildflowers and the prolific gardening skills of the Swiss. Virtually every home we saw displayed window boxes awash with blooms and well-tended, healthy gardens. Flowers and bedding plants dotted the sidewalks of many shops as well as booths at the Farmer’s Market; a kaleidoscope of color we’d seldom seen during our previous visits (which are usually in the winter months). If only my thumbs were so green.
We cashed up at the ATM and popped into the train station to buy bus tickets to Vals (13.20 CHF each return with ½ fare card) then we walked back up the hill to the bus stop near the apartment.
All we knew about Vals is what Ingo had mentioned, that it’s a spa town in a side valley of the Surselva with Walser houses roofed with stone tiles made of Vals quartzite, which frankly, didn’t mean much at the time. Mrs. Heiligensetzer had also asked if we’d been to Vals yet, piquing our interest even more.
About the time we began to wonder if the schedule was wrong, the yellow post bus came trundling up the hill, some 10 minutes late; very un-Swiss-like. We took seats on the right side of the near empty bus, which turned out to be a fortuitous choice.
Ten minutes into the 38 minute journey we were starring wide-eyed into the startlingly deep valley that fell into nothingness mere feet from our windows, vibrant green mountains rising directly across from it, waterfalls seemingly everywhere. We grinned every time the bus driver tooted the three tone horn when approaching narrow corners. Nothing reminds me I’m in Switzerland more than the song of the Alps.
https://www.postauto.ch/en/three-tone-horn
Even in a country of eye-popping scenery, the drive to Vals stood out.
When purchasing our bus ticket, we discovered that there’s a reservoir southwest of Vals, but not knowing the distance involved we’d opted to only go as far as the village. A wise decision - we learned later that the bus wasn’t yet running to Zervreilasee, a high mountain man-made lake at an elevation of 1,862 meters formed when the village of Zervereila was flooded in 1957. Evidently the road is narrow and steep with grades up to 13%, and only accessible from later in June through October.
The tiny village of Vals was deserted. We went into the tourist office and picked the brain of a helpful young woman, asking if there was a walk in the area that incorporated a Bergrestaurant.
Of course there was - this is Switzerland!
I needed food before setting out on a two hour uphill walk, so we ducked into the village bakery for some pre-hike energy; self-serve lattes, a tasty cream filled coronet for me and a slice of Nusstorte for Bill (14 CHF).
Then began the 4.4 mile climb up to Hängela-Hütte, which took us 2.5 hours - slowed by my incessant photo taking and a wrong turn neither of us could explain. As we worked our way up and above the lush green valley, the views got better and better – snow capped mountains, fields of colorful wildflowers and cows that practically posed for us.
One bend in the road turned into another, and another, and another...just when I thought I couldn’t possibly walk another step, we came upon a chalet that I desperately hoped was the Bergrestaurant, but it didn’t look quite right. Bill approached the men outside the building – who said “Keine” and pointed UP. Uh-oh. My knee screamed, my heart sank, but we forged on...and on...and on. A couple whizzed past us on electric bikes; we jealously scowled.
We finally arrived at the tiny, rustic and oh-so-inviting Hängela-Hütte, settling in for an excellent lunch on the sun terrace, the mountains directly in front of us; the views outstanding. As we tucked into a plate of local cheese and dried meats, a bowl of barely soup and a small bottle of Sylvaner Riesling, the exhaustion and exasperation magically slipped away (57 CHF).
https://www.haengela.ch/index.php
Thunderclouds moved in as we walked back to Vals, cutting through the woods on a Bergweg, my knee giving me serious grief (and still tormenting me some eight weeks later, I think Switzerland killed it).
Some 7.7 miles later we were back in Vals, with time to spare before the next bus. So we walked further into the village via a bridge, admired the buildings and quartzite roofs, and cooled our heels on the terrace of Hotel Alpina. Bill went for his usual Weizenbier. I opted for the Hausgemachter Valiser Gold – Melissen-Sirup mit Limette, Minze & Melon, which was wonderful, and rather pretty (12.40 CHF).
Vals was a big hit with both of us.
We sat on the left side of the bus for the return to Ilanz, soaking up more of those fabulous views, although a bit obscured in low cloud. Then it was back to our apartment for a rest, and then down to Hotel Obertor for a ‘light’ dinner. Ha! I went for the barley soup again and talked Bill into ordering a small plate of Bizzochels, thinking it was either a typo for *Pizzochels or a regional spelling.
The Bizzochels were indeed Pizzochels and they were fabulous - decadent little pillows of butter, cream and cheese covered joy. This version was served with applesauce, which was lost on us, but otherwise they were divine. My fork kept straying to Bill’s plate - he was kind enough not to stab me with his - 53 CHF including a small salad and three glasses of wine.
* Unless I’m mistaken, they’re also known as Pizokel, Pizzöcar or Pizzoccheri
Photos here:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/melnq8...57684322978144
To be continued...
Aug 6th, 2017, 07:03 AM
#40
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Finally a piece of Nusstorte! And barley soup (yum!) Hängelahütte is a gem. The plate of cheese and dried meat (I saw Salsiz, Speck and Bündner Fleisch - and a piece of goat cheese also, right?)
Fantastic scenery again. Looks like you were a bit too early for the typical Alpine wildflowers, though.
Fantastic scenery again. Looks like you were a bit too early for the typical Alpine wildflowers, though.
