I really liked Poschiavo - we stopped there a few years back on the return from Tirano - another December trip. Saw a lot of cats, not many people!

We toyed with stopping there again this time to see the ossuary, but hadn't done our homework and weren't sure where it was.

The photos of the Roseg valley look romantic with all that fresh snow :-) Frankly, I find the part between train station Pontresina and Hotel Roseggletscher quite boring. Beyond the hotel it is gorgeous, though. I always hiked (in summer) from Corvatsch cable car station Murtel via Fuorcla Surlej to this valley, then took the horse-drawn carriage or rented a bike to get to Pontresina. In winter it's a different story with cross-country skis.

The excursion to Tirano sounds good! For sure scenic. And with sunshine! Lunch in Poschiavo is an excellent idea - there is a restaurant close to the railway station where the locals have lunch and where lunch specials are offered for sensational prices (for Switzerland.) Very good food, too.

Ingo - I didn't realize there was hiking beyond the hotel.

Curious about the horse drawn carriages - must one book in advance or just rock up?

Zuoz – Day 11 –

Snowing!

We’d noticed a potential walk and a hotel/restaurant at Morteratsch on our return from Tirano the previous day, so we did some research and found this:

https://www.schweizmobil.ch/en/hikin...oute-0806.html

And this:

https://www.morteratsch.ch/

The hotel’s website indicated they’d open for the season this very day; I’d sent an e-mail asking if that meant they’d also be open for lunch; the response:

Thank you for your request. We are open at 14.00.

From then we are open every day with warm kitsch all day long (11.30-21.30).

Hmmm. Given that every kitchen we’d encountered thus far had closed at 2 pm, this seemed odd. So I sent a second email for clarification. The response:

The Restaurant opens at 14.00 and the food is available until 21.30 in the evening.

Okay then.

We took the 10:27 am train from Zuoz to Morteratsch (7.80 CHF each, one way, half fare) with plans to walk to the glacier and back, followed by a celebratory birthday lunch at the hotel’s restaurant.

Upon arrival and still dubious that the restaurant would actually be open, we walked up to it before we set out on the trail - and found a sign stating it would open today…at 16.00! Bugger!

Best as we could tell, Morteratsch is just a railway stop; we saw nothing other than the hotel, a few small buildings and the track to the glacier.

Evidently, at one time the railway station was situated directly at the glacier terminus, which has receded some ~2,800 meters since 2016 and can thus no longer be seen from the station.

As usual I needed a loo, and was disappointed to find there wasn’t one. Upon further investigation I discovered that the side doors to the hotel/restaurant were unlocked and provided access to their WC. Lucky for me.

After a frustrating start, we set out on the trail to the glacier (the third largest in the eastern Alps). The day was cold and grey, visibility poor, the walk slow-going through ungroomed snow.

We saw only two other people (and one lost mitten). We walked until a sign warned us that going any further could put our lives in mortal danger, which seemed a good time to turn around (four miles, two hours return).

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With no prospects for lunch, we hurried back to the station hoping (and succeeding) to make the 1:40 train, saving us an hour long wait in the cold.

The 2 pm witching hour was fast approaching; we figured our chances of finding sustenance would be increased if we detoured to the big smoke of St Mortiz instead of stopping in Pontresina on our return to Zuoz (4.20 CHF each, one way, half fare).

Once in sunny St Moritz we worked our way from the train station to the underground parking area and then up the long, steep escalator to town.

En route we passed a few small groups of Asian tourists photographing themselves and each other in predictably weird poses, the beautiful landscape taking a backseat.

Although the streets were pretty much empty, many St Mortiz hoteliers and retailers were frenetically decorating Christmas trees, stringing lights and setting up holiday displays. The season was upon us.

Remembering windows brimming with tempting confections, I had my sights set on Conditorei Hanselmann, another Ingo recommendation. We’d never ventured inside, so it was time to change that, and lucky for us, they serve lunch until 3 pm. Score!

Hanselmann Conditorei und Cafehaus in St.Moritz Engadiner Nusstorte

We settled into a table upstairs, Bill choosing his new favorite Pizzoccheri again (a bit dear at 26 CHF). Determined to leave room for one final attempt at Nusstorte, I opted for the Gerstensuppe (10.50 CHF), this version creamy and rich, and presented with a flourish, poured from a pitcher into my bowl at the table.

The Nusstorte with cream didn’t disappoint – finally! Our slightly confused waitress must have felt that we needed more whipped cream, she mistakenly delivered a second serving. No complaints from our end (60.50 CHF with shared Nusstorte and two glasses of wine each).

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I never need an excuse to visit Läderach, but today I actually had a legitimate one. For a chocoholic, this place is heaven on earth. A 225 CHF wooden crate of drool-worthy chocolate artistry tried to seduce me, but I’m nothing if not pragmatic, sanity prevailed (dang it). Instead I gifted myself with an entirely too small box of champagne truffles, fresh, velvety and delicious.

Home - Läderach

I’ve just this minute learned that Läderach has a factory in Bilten and they offer tours. Not sure where that is exactly, but I certainly plan to find out.

We poked through town for a bit, soaking up the last of the day’s rays and window shopping; there’s nothing quite like St Mortiz to make one feel like a pauper!

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Then it was back to Zuoz to do laundry (7.80 CHF each, half fare).

To be continued…

Bilten is a bit east of Lake Zürich, along the route to Grisons. You probably saw it on your way to/from the airport. They have "choco ateliers" in Zürich, Vevey, Hamburg, ... too. Yummy!

Hanselmann's never disappoints! Even more exciting during the (winter) season with people watching ;-)

Hotel Morteratsch. Hm. That is a shame! Did you complain by email later? I would love to know what they said ...

Hi Ingo -

No, I didn't complain - to them anyway - I did grumble a bit to Bill:).

If we went right through Bilten that means I've missed it half a dozen times by now! Sheesh! I can usually smell chocolate from miles away - I must be losing my touch.

Poor Bill ;-)

The Swiss trains are too fast, so you probably couldn't smell the chocolate. And the whole country sort of smells like chocolate, so it was probably sensory overload ;-)

Ingo - so much chocolate, so little time!

Adelaidean are you referring to Morteratsch Hotel? Did you take the glacier walk?

And you can see it!

Wow, looks like we need another summer visit!

Loving every new post, Mel, and your amazing photos! I love photos with "emotional" skies! So happy your knees are holding up!

s

The hike to Boval hut runs mostly on that glacier moraine. With the glacier receding more and more the landscape looks like on the moon, sad to see. It is quite a long hike with more than 500 m (1700 ft) elevation gain, can get somewhat boring, especially as you must return on the same trail. My suggestion for this area is a walk from train stop Bernina suot to Morteratsch (passing nice pine woods and cataracts of the Bernina creek) and a short excursion to viewpoint Chünetta (and back) from there.

Really a shame about the restaurant Morteratsch, I had three (I think) excellent meals there.

swandav - Thank you! The knee is an ongoing issue, but lots of physical therapy, exercise and cycling has helped. I've just had to accept that I'm no longer a mountain goat and that steep rocky terrain is my nemesis.

Thank you for the walk suggestions Ingo. Just last night Bill and I were discussing a possible summer visit.

"...past the witching hour of 2 pm"

Oh, this is what we live with practically every weekend we leave Vienna for the provinces. We have timed so many outings, hiking or otherwise to ensure that we will finish at a Gasthof or Wirthauskultur spot or any place that is open! Once we found ourselves at a train station restaurant that served amazing (in the relative sense) Thai cuisine. It's all part of the experience! :)

Yes indeed Fourfortravel. Our best laid plans seem to backfire more often than not, but that's what snacks are for!

Zuoz – Day 12 –

My pre-trip research had uncovered an Advent Concert at Hotel Laudinella today in St Moritz Bad (5 pm), and a Christmas Market in St Moritz Dorf (3-8) pm, so we sorted out the logistics and planned our day accordingly.

Under grey skies, we boarded a train to Pontresina (6 CHF each, half fare) and set about walking from there to St Moritz. We’ve walked this trail previously, but in the opposite direction, and I’d overlooked the fact that we’d need to walk up from the train station to access the trail – a slippery proposition - but eventually we found ourselves on the gentle undulating track through the forest.

After walking for awhile, we came upon a small lake in a clearing, and were surprised to find the open Hotel Restorant Lej da Staz.

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...e16ae8a7d9.jpg

https://www.lejdastaz.ch/

Unable to pass up an open restaurant on a wanderweg, we curled up in a blanket at a table on the sun (less) terrace, ordered a glass of grape and a beer and watched the world go by. With ski season fast approaching, there was more than usual to watch; frolicking bootie and vest wearing dogs, their fur clad owners, and folks arriving at the restaurant for lunch, some on foot, others via horse-drawn carriage.

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Thirst quenched, we continued on, soon skirting Lake St Mortiz, shimmering against a backdrop of snow covered Alps and blue sky.

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Once again we worked our way up to town via that incredibly long escalator, surprised to see so many more people out than on the previous day (4.35 miles, 1:45).

With St Moritz Dorf at our feet and Nusstorte on my mind, we made an encore visit to Hanselmann, finding both the bakery and restaurant heaving. We found a table, just. When we advised our waitress that we just wanted cake, she told us to go downstairs, order at the counter, then bring the goods back up to the restaurant. I obliged, momentarily overwhelmed by all the tempting choices, but ultimately choosing the Nusstorte, which had to be sent back upstairs via dumb waiter for whipped cream (two slices, 8 CHF, and oh-so-delicious).

We poked through the Christmas Market for a bit, watched the food vendors set up, had a sample or two, and just generally soaked up our surroundings under the vibrant blue sky.

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...9deb0a23e1.jpg

We eventually tore ourselves away and meandered from St Moritz Dorf to St Moritz Bad. This side of town was buzzing; a bandstand was being set up, music was blasting, horse drawn carriages clomped through the streets, St Moritz had woken up.

We located Hotel Laudinella, discovering that the 5 pm concert would be held in their sister property, Hotel Reine Victoria, and that Pizzeria Caruso (in Hotel Laudinella) was open.

After sharing a very good pizza we walked over to Hotel Reine Victoria. We were early, so we settled in at the bar and soaked up our posh surroundings (the hotel was built in 1875 and is decorated in neo-baroque style – it’s beautiful).

Mere feet away a film crew was interviewing participants of the Audi Fis Ski World Cup, which made for some interesting people watching (unbeknownst to us at the time the women's events were scheduled to begin the next day).

And the concert? A chamber orchestra of seniors, led by a beaming white haired gent who seemed to be having the time of his life. We were easily the youngest in the room, and that's saying something. It was enjoyable enough, but the room it was held in was the star of the show - cushy leather chairs, high ornate ceilings, intimate and cozy.

After the concert we retraced our steps, skirting the rambunctious World Cup street party, now throbbing with techno music and shouting DJs.

We walked back to St Moritz Dorf via the lake, the amplified voices and booming bass slowly fading.

Then it was back to the peace and quiet of Zuoz (7.80 CHF each, half fare).

To be continued...