Traintravels part 2: Switzerland & Italy!
Aug. 25th, 2018 06:44 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
beelikejTravelschedule Sunday August 12, 2018
10:15 Rigi Kaltbad ---> R train to Vitznau
11:10 Vitznau ---> boat to Fluëlen (across Vierwaldstättersee)
13:16 Fluëlen ---> IR train to Erstfeld
13:37 Erstfeld ---> RE trein to Bellinzona
15:32 Bellinzona ---> S train to Mendrisio
16:32 Mendrisio ----> S train Como San Giovanni (crossing Italian border at Chiasso)
19:20 Como ---> Fast boat to Colico (across lake Como)
Arrival 20:47---> Total travel time: 10 hours 32 minutes
While waiting for the train at Rigi Kaltbad station, I heard alphorns! A fitting soundtrack to leaving the mountains:)
Day 3 - Sunday August 12, 2018: Traveling from Switzerland to Italy
After breakfast I walked to the trainstation for a final look at the mountains. *happy sigh*
View of the Vierwaldstättersee from the train down and a close up while waiting for the boat.
Or is this called a ship? I love being on the water. Bye, Rigi mountain!
Below deck there was an awesome Jules Verne's Nautilus Room, where you could look at the waves.
Seriously cool; I couldn't stop grinning.
Glorious views all over the place. *chinhands*
More artistic shots ;-)
A quick photo of this impressive horn in Fluëlen before I walk on to the station. I have time for a lunch break here, but with a long journey to go, I decide to catch an earlier train down South.
Such green mountains here!
Because I took another train than the one on my schedule, I have to make an extra change in Bellinzona (which sounds like Italy already, but is still Switzerland;)
In the tunnel under the tracks I discover a COOP supermarket and I snatch this tasty combo of yoghurt, cruesli and (fresh!) strawberries, a great late lunch:)
And one train later (that crosses the border at Chiasso), I'm in Italy!
In Como I have to exchange a coupon to a ticket for the boat across the lake, so my first mission is to walk from the station to the harbour. Along the way I take some photos of this sculpture of hands (by Massimo Clerici, design by Doriam Battaglia, 2000) and the Chiesa di Santa Maria di Loreto (Church).
Statue of Alessandro Volta (the square has his name, that's how I know;)
Yay, a cool manhole cover: it's full of impressions of bird's feet!
I was worried I'd have to try my Italian to get my boat ticket, but there was no need for that:) I have about two hours before departure of the Servizio Rapido (Fast boat/service:), so I have time for dinner and a bit of exploring.
Of course I have to have an real Italian Pizza! I sit down at Alessandro Volta square and order a Pizze Valtellina with salted and dried beef. See, there it is: underneath all that weird green stuff! *grins*
Obviously I have to have Italian icecream for desert: Ricotta Limone e Miele + Melone + Limone, mmmmmm. I eat it with a view of Lake Como, viva Italia!
After that I stroll back into town to find the must-see Duomo. I see lots of cool decorations on houses along the way.
There it is: the Cattedrale di Como (il Duomo), construction started in 1369 (architect Lorenzo degli Spazzi), with the dome (by Filippo Juvarra) being completed in 1770!
Sadly I didn't have time to go in, but I did walk all the way around to take a good look from all sides:)
Time to get in line for the Servizio Rapido to Colico on the north side of lake Como. I take a seat on the upper deck with a great view of the lake, although the boat goes so fast, the waves do hit the windows, wahey!
Gosh, what a great ride (or whatever it's called by ship;). That was an excellent crossing.
I walk from the harbour to my hotel, which is conveniently right across the train station, where I already leave again tomorrow. Goodnight!
Day 4 - Monday August 13, 2018: Traveling from Italy to Switzerland: Bernina Express
Travelschedule:
13:48 Colico, Italy ---> R train to Tirano
15:15 Tirano, Italy ---> Bernina Express to Bergün, Switzerland*
Arrival 18:03---> Total travel time: 4 hours 15 minutes
*a traintrack that's on the Unesco World Heritage List for glorious early 20th century engineering! (155 kilometres of track, passing through 55 tunnels and over 196 bridges and viaducts)
Beautiful tiles in my hotel bathroom and freshly baked sweet pies for breakfast. I feel very fancy:)
Also a great selection of bread (and cake, hahahahaha!) When I sit down with my choices, a waitress comes by to ask if I want eggs and after my order I get a hot steaming plate of scrambled eggs!
(And if you don't think I had room for pieces of the aforementioned pies, you must be new here;) *rubs belly*
Since my train doesn't leave until the afternoon, I have some time to walk around Colico and I find this pretty pink church with golden façade.
*chinhands*
I walk to the marina/harbour for yet another awesome view of the mountains. *chinhands some more*
I love the design of this waiting area (for the ferries across lake Como). I stroll along the lovely tiny boulevard.
I have another icecream (hey, I'm still in Italy;) - Pistacchio de Sicilia + Crema Gran Soirée + Raspberry, mmmmm.
Milan, that way:) Oooh, upon closer inspection, check out this awesome statue! (It made me think of Dumbledore and Fawkes:)
After going back to the hotel to pick up my backpack I go to the station for the R train to the North-East.
At Tirano I change trains. Bye Italy!
Back on the Rhätische Bahn. This is the Bernina Express, the track is on the Unesco Heritage List and starts in the streets of town! We get really close past the Santuario della Madonna di Tirano (church, 1505)
See? An interesting route:) The train is long enough to capture in photos during all its turns!
This is the famous Circular Viaduct of Brusio (Kreisviadukt), so so cool. *hearteyes*
I've gone to the back of the train for a view from the open air car at the back.
View of Lago di Poschiavo (with the reflection of a fellow passenger in the window - due to the dark clouds it was hard to get clear photos, but that didn't take away from the amazing view:)
This is a really great trainjourney, well recommended. Unfortunately it started raining and the clouds covered the view of the glaciers, but I could still see them (better than in the photo;)
There are regular trains on this line as well, but the Bernina Express has these huge high windows for a full view.
It was still raining when I arrived in Bergün, but it had a great time. I couldn't stop smiling, even when I found I had a tiny single bed in my hotelroom :-D
(I snuggled right in there with my e-reader and a good dose of fanfic. Goodnight!)
To be continued (with a bit of actual climbing and traveling home:)
J.
Part 1 - To and through Switzerland! with Day 1: Train and Boat to Rigi Kaltbad and Day 2: Climbing Rigi Mountain
10:15 Rigi Kaltbad ---> R train to Vitznau
11:10 Vitznau ---> boat to Fluëlen (across Vierwaldstättersee)
13:16 Fluëlen ---> IR train to Erstfeld
13:37 Erstfeld ---> RE trein to Bellinzona
15:32 Bellinzona ---> S train to Mendrisio
16:32 Mendrisio ----> S train Como San Giovanni (crossing Italian border at Chiasso)
19:20 Como ---> Fast boat to Colico (across lake Como)
Arrival 20:47---> Total travel time: 10 hours 32 minutes
While waiting for the train at Rigi Kaltbad station, I heard alphorns! A fitting soundtrack to leaving the mountains:)
Day 3 - Sunday August 12, 2018: Traveling from Switzerland to Italy
After breakfast I walked to the trainstation for a final look at the mountains. *happy sigh*
View of the Vierwaldstättersee from the train down and a close up while waiting for the boat.
Or is this called a ship? I love being on the water. Bye, Rigi mountain!
Below deck there was an awesome Jules Verne's Nautilus Room, where you could look at the waves.
Seriously cool; I couldn't stop grinning.
Glorious views all over the place. *chinhands*
More artistic shots ;-)
A quick photo of this impressive horn in Fluëlen before I walk on to the station. I have time for a lunch break here, but with a long journey to go, I decide to catch an earlier train down South.
Such green mountains here!
Because I took another train than the one on my schedule, I have to make an extra change in Bellinzona (which sounds like Italy already, but is still Switzerland;)
In the tunnel under the tracks I discover a COOP supermarket and I snatch this tasty combo of yoghurt, cruesli and (fresh!) strawberries, a great late lunch:)
And one train later (that crosses the border at Chiasso), I'm in Italy!
In Como I have to exchange a coupon to a ticket for the boat across the lake, so my first mission is to walk from the station to the harbour. Along the way I take some photos of this sculpture of hands (by Massimo Clerici, design by Doriam Battaglia, 2000) and the Chiesa di Santa Maria di Loreto (Church).
Statue of Alessandro Volta (the square has his name, that's how I know;)
Yay, a cool manhole cover: it's full of impressions of bird's feet!
I was worried I'd have to try my Italian to get my boat ticket, but there was no need for that:) I have about two hours before departure of the Servizio Rapido (Fast boat/service:), so I have time for dinner and a bit of exploring.
Of course I have to have an real Italian Pizza! I sit down at Alessandro Volta square and order a Pizze Valtellina with salted and dried beef. See, there it is: underneath all that weird green stuff! *grins*
Obviously I have to have Italian icecream for desert: Ricotta Limone e Miele + Melone + Limone, mmmmmm. I eat it with a view of Lake Como, viva Italia!
After that I stroll back into town to find the must-see Duomo. I see lots of cool decorations on houses along the way.
There it is: the Cattedrale di Como (il Duomo), construction started in 1369 (architect Lorenzo degli Spazzi), with the dome (by Filippo Juvarra) being completed in 1770!
Sadly I didn't have time to go in, but I did walk all the way around to take a good look from all sides:)
Time to get in line for the Servizio Rapido to Colico on the north side of lake Como. I take a seat on the upper deck with a great view of the lake, although the boat goes so fast, the waves do hit the windows, wahey!
Gosh, what a great ride (or whatever it's called by ship;). That was an excellent crossing.
I walk from the harbour to my hotel, which is conveniently right across the train station, where I already leave again tomorrow. Goodnight!
Day 4 - Monday August 13, 2018: Traveling from Italy to Switzerland: Bernina Express
Travelschedule:
13:48 Colico, Italy ---> R train to Tirano
15:15 Tirano, Italy ---> Bernina Express to Bergün, Switzerland*
Arrival 18:03---> Total travel time: 4 hours 15 minutes
*a traintrack that's on the Unesco World Heritage List for glorious early 20th century engineering! (155 kilometres of track, passing through 55 tunnels and over 196 bridges and viaducts)
Beautiful tiles in my hotel bathroom and freshly baked sweet pies for breakfast. I feel very fancy:)
Also a great selection of bread (and cake, hahahahaha!) When I sit down with my choices, a waitress comes by to ask if I want eggs and after my order I get a hot steaming plate of scrambled eggs!
(And if you don't think I had room for pieces of the aforementioned pies, you must be new here;) *rubs belly*
Since my train doesn't leave until the afternoon, I have some time to walk around Colico and I find this pretty pink church with golden façade.
*chinhands*
I walk to the marina/harbour for yet another awesome view of the mountains. *chinhands some more*
I love the design of this waiting area (for the ferries across lake Como). I stroll along the lovely tiny boulevard.
I have another icecream (hey, I'm still in Italy;) - Pistacchio de Sicilia + Crema Gran Soirée + Raspberry, mmmmm.
Milan, that way:) Oooh, upon closer inspection, check out this awesome statue! (It made me think of Dumbledore and Fawkes:)
After going back to the hotel to pick up my backpack I go to the station for the R train to the North-East.
At Tirano I change trains. Bye Italy!
Back on the Rhätische Bahn. This is the Bernina Express, the track is on the Unesco Heritage List and starts in the streets of town! We get really close past the Santuario della Madonna di Tirano (church, 1505)
See? An interesting route:) The train is long enough to capture in photos during all its turns!
This is the famous Circular Viaduct of Brusio (Kreisviadukt), so so cool. *hearteyes*
I've gone to the back of the train for a view from the open air car at the back.
View of Lago di Poschiavo (with the reflection of a fellow passenger in the window - due to the dark clouds it was hard to get clear photos, but that didn't take away from the amazing view:)
This is a really great trainjourney, well recommended. Unfortunately it started raining and the clouds covered the view of the glaciers, but I could still see them (better than in the photo;)
There are regular trains on this line as well, but the Bernina Express has these huge high windows for a full view.
It was still raining when I arrived in Bergün, but it had a great time. I couldn't stop smiling, even when I found I had a tiny single bed in my hotelroom :-D
(I snuggled right in there with my e-reader and a good dose of fanfic. Goodnight!)
To be continued (with a bit of actual climbing and traveling home:)
J.
Part 1 - To and through Switzerland! with Day 1: Train and Boat to Rigi Kaltbad and Day 2: Climbing Rigi Mountain