The most beautiful train ride in the world to Italy

Tuesday - 21 April 2009 - Round Trip Chur, Switzerland to Tirano, Italy

The Bernina Express route across Albula and Bernina Passes is said to be the most beautiful train trip in the world. I can't say that's not true, but the round trip ride from Chur to Tirano, Italy is a lot better than Amtrak from Wilmington to New York City. The 7000+ foot MSL high point at the headwaters of the Rhine to the North Sea and the Po to the Adriatic Sea involves spiral tunnels, the Land Vasser Viaduct (unfortunately being worked on and unusually not picture worthy) and the famous spiral viaduct entry to Tirano are not to be missed. I had taken the Albula route 15 years ago to St. Moritz; the Bernina Pass second half of the route was new to me as was the Italian terminus at Tirano. I stopped by an Italian pastry shop (called a pastry shop in Italy) and had a pig meringue and an espresso. Thoroughly a fantastic day.

Country #127 has banks

Monday - 20 April 2009 - Vaduz, Arosa, Chur

The exploration of the canton owned narrow gauge train lines out of Appenzell ended with the branch line into the Rhine Valley. Many examples of the ubiquitous indigenous wildlife of Switzerland were noted, perhaps proving why people say Switzerland is "artificial". Not that it matters, as four of us broke out of the group and left the mainline valley train at the quite industrial (well, for Switzerland) town of Buch for Postal Bus #12 to Lichtenstein. We crossed the flood contained channel of the Rhine Valley and entered tiny Liechtenstein in its far north extent. After documenting my arrival in country 127 (but who's counting) or 126 depending on the dubious "visit" to Easter Island last December, we explored all the major sights in capital city Vaduz which mostly consist of banks offering numbered accounts, we caught the continuation of bus #12 forty-five minutes later to explore virtually the entire south of the country before arriving back in Switzerland 20 minutes later. We caught the IC fast train to Chur, the oldest city in Europe and junction point of every damn mountain railway of this country that is worth a spit (says my guidebook which I picked up from a high school kid). Checking into the same hotel that I stayed at 15 years ago which has a pretty view out of my room's window, our valiant group of four were joined by some other adventurers from our larger tour group for the one hour ride up from 2000 ft MSL to over mile high Arosa, a major ski resort. A very nice day including country number three of the very mostly Swiss trail tour. Tomorrow starts with a 5:30 am breakfast for the spectacular Albula Pass and Bernina Pass route to Tirano, Italy for a 3 1/2 hour visit.

Internet is not free at this hotel. The 5 Swiss franc access card will allow for upload of a few journal entries later on this week.

Germany Is the North End of the Platform

Sunday - 19 April 2009 - Constance (Konstanz) and Mainau Island, Germany


A very early start this morning to take the narrow gauge Appenzell train system to connect to two different mainline trains took us to the German city of Constance (Konstanz). The journeyl didn't take very long as the Swiss train connection times can be as short as 2 or 3 minutes. (You just have to read the CRT track numbers very quickly and be prepared to move even more quickly). The border formalities between Switzerland and Germany consisted of walking by a very bored looking German guy in a uniform, essentially by going in one door and out the next of the train station as the station straddles the border. The north end of the platform in Germany, and the south end is in Switzerland.

A one hour boat ride on the huge lake Konstanz--it's really a wide place in the Rhine River--took us to nearby Mainau Island, a botanic garden, castle, petting zoo, and someone said a miniature railway sort of place. There were a very large number of tulips, a really huge number of tulips. I spent the day on the train and at lunch and while walking with either a theater professor and dance teacher spouse, Ed and Helene, from Rhode Island and another guest, Barbara, who is originally from Connecticut but now lives in Tennessee. A good time was had by all. A large number of show tunes and other theater issues were discussed going and coming on the trains, three more on the way back via a different route.

Before returning on the trains from Konstanz, an hour or so was spent exploring this pretty city in Germany. A rotating stone lady and a strange looking lighthouse grace the entrance of the harbor, and everyone speaks German without a Swiss accent. The difference between the two countries was large as Germany looked like Germany. The holocaust memorial on a side street was a good reminder of the return train's departure time. The town has lots of medieval streets and a statues, including one of a 5 legged horse. This topped the advertisement on a train station on the Swiss side that seemed to have a terrorist group eating fondue.


Tomorrow we transfer via three trains and a 6 minute bus to Chur, the rail junction town for a number of trips into the main part of the Alps. Most of us will journal up to the mountain town of Arosa via what is said to be one of the most spectacular rail lines in Switzerland, and some of us will attempt to walk across the Rhine to Liechtenstein. Country #127 is possible, but who's counting.

The First Official Day of the Train Tour

Saturday - 18 April 2009 - Mt. Santis and St. Gallens

Mt Santis is the high point of the Proto-Alps, or "those other mountains near Appenzell that the public relations folks in Appenzell want foreigners to come to and ski and spend money in Appenzell, please". Nevertheless, the 8000+ foot high peak dominates the sky line of Appenzell--well you can see it from Appenzell if you know where to look--and is a short narrow gauge train ride and short Postal Bus ride away. The ride on the train through the local Swiss countryside is lovely, and the bus ascent to the 4000+ base station of the cable car is very, uh, alpine, uh, alpine (like).

As the first organized tour was this afternoon, a fellow tour guest and I made the train/bus trip to the cable car station this morning and observed that the summit was in the clouds. I breathed easier at the high elevation since I was able to gracefully not take the cable car and then descended via bus and narrow gauge train back to Appenzell. After a lavish lunch of the hotel room's fruit bowl and the very hard to find Swiss potato chips--they prefer baked goods, or at least prefer to sell baked goods since there is a pastry and bread shop every 20 meters BY LAW--the full group of 45 assembled for our first organized adventure. This included trying to find rail passes. One participant asked how difficult it would be if he were to lose his pass. Carl, our tour leader, answered that it would merely cost him over $500 but that wasn't very hard to do. We then proceeded over a different narrow gauge train line to the 4th largest (or so) city in Switzerland, St. Gallens. This medieval town is noted for being, uh, medieval. It has a large 12th Century cathedral and a pastry shop that sells the largest chocolate truffles in the world. See attached picture of me with my three big truffles. After missing the group of more intrepid tour participants (meaning those under 80 years old) who walked down from a high ridge at the end of a lovely (there are many lovely means of transportation) tram to a cog railway and the mainline train back to the narrow gauge to Appenzell, I instead joined the less intrepid (meaning over 80 crowd) for the shorter ride back to Appenzell but had a nice discussion with Carl of every bad event in American passenger railroads in the last 40 years. He did conclude there is some hope for the future, certainly a good conclusion for a guy who runs a passenger rail tour company. I then had the local draft beer and dinner with the retired theater professor and writer wife, reciting the lyrics to EVERY show and telling and learning new bad but old jokes.

Tomorrow is a full day--starting at 6 am breakfast--for a number of trains to connect to a boat ride on Lake Constance to Germany to go to "the best Swedish garden in Germany." Will report.

Arrived Switzerland This Day. It Still Looks Like a Model Train Set

OK. I'm doing it again. Two weeks in a group exploration of every train (well, almost every one) in Switzerland. Met some of the group already. They seem nice. United Airlines lost my seat assignment and lactose free meal on Swiss International Airlines, but Swiss came through with a very discounted upgrade to Business Class. Short ride to Appenzell (at the foot of Mount Santis, but all Swiss towns appear to be at the foot of some mountain or other), checked in a lovely/quaint/picturesque hotel, walked at bit and met the locals (obviously who travel using Travelocity), and am about to use my "Welcome Drink Coupon". Just approached by retired theater professor to have a drink. Bye for now.

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