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beelikejI know, I know, I took a while to post this final vacation picspam, but after I went back to work I had two weekends filled with other fun and family stuff, so I didn't have time to go through the last batch of 300 photos. But now I have my first weekend with no obligations (except to work on some fandom challenges....) so here I am!
Have a preview of my last day in Switzerland before I tell you all about how I walked and climbed to see the Landwasserviadukt at Filisur:
Day 5 - Tuesday August 14, 2018: Hiking to the Landwasserviadukt
No traveling today, but I do take the train from Bergün to the next town over, Filisur, to walk the trail to two viewpoints of the Landwasserviadukt. On tomorrow's journey I will be crossing this high viaduct (65m) and I want to see it up close. The trail to the North is the longest and I decide to do that first and see if I have time for the trail to the South side on my way back... But let's start with breakfast:)
This hotel offers home made jams, nom! In addition to a full breakfast, I also sneak two croissants with Nutella in my bag;) Then it's a short walk to the station to get on the hourly train to Filisur (12 minutes). A couple of the best tunnels on this track are between these two towns, weeeeeh!
See that town in the valley? That's Filisur, there's a round about tunnel through the mountain to get down there, very cool.
The mountain in the background is where I just came from on the train. I don't go into Filisur though, the trail is the other way. I post my cards while a historic jubilee train leaves the station, nice.
No cows on the trail here, but I do meet some goats (they have much tinier bells:). The path leads me mostly through the forest.
See the traintrack just below? That will circle around to get to the bridge in the distance. These mountains are all about traaaaaaaains. Hiking down the forest, I go through a tunnel under the tracks and walk down to this meadow.
It starts raining, but I don't mind, this place is gorgeous no matter the weather. Look: a pretty flower!
After a rather slippery walk I cross this river to find out I have some steep climbing to do.
While I catch my breath halfway, I hear a train approaching, yay! A few minutes later I get to this beauty of a bridge; not the viaduct yet! The rain has stopped for a bit and the trail leads me underneath this track and then up again on the other side...
What a glorious view! I turn to continue my climb to the Northern viewpoint and as I reach the top it starts pouring. But I've never been happier: I made it to this marvelous place and I sit down on the wet bench to enjoy my two mushed up croissants and the view.
AND THEN A TRAIN COMES TROUGH THE TUNNEL AND CROSSES THE LANDWASSERVIADUKT. Awesome :-) I take my time up there, but eventually I have to walk down again. *sighs* This path may not look too intimidating, but it was to me. I really had to go slow and foot by foot. Still enjoying myself though!
In between the trails to the North and the South, you can stare up at the Landwasserviadukt from below. Wow.
Also: I get excited about every train, so here's another picture of one going by in the distance *grins*
And a zoom in on the train. *still grinning*. The rain has made the trail back up even more slippery, eep.
And then, when I come out of the forest out of nowhere three HUGE horses come running out on the meadow! When they notice me, they stop and keep an eye on me from a distance. The two that are in front of me don't have a halter, but the third horse on my right has some sort of frilly decoration, so I'm guessing at least they're not wild horses. I'm kind of blocking the way to their drinkingspot but going back is not an option as I have to follow the trail beside them.
After a moment, I decide to slowly walk towards these two, murmering softly that everything is okay...
Then the fuckers CHARGE RIGHT AT ME and for a couple of very scary seconds I fear I'm gonna be trampled. THEN they come to a screeching halt ON EITHER SIDE OF ME and I think I'm gonna be squashed between them before I realize they were merely testing me.
They don't move, so I take a deep breath, pat one of them on the shoulder and say 'good horsey' before I slowly move between their butts to get back on track. Fuckers.
I get back through that tunnel under the track to take the trail to the South end viewingpoint, which is ridiculously easy to get to. I'm still glad I went through the trouble of climbing to the North end. The view here is also good, but not as good as the other side :-p
From here you can see where I climbed to: there's that lower bridge on the left and right above the tunnel is the platform of the Northside viewpoint. Cool, right?
Yay, I see a train on my way down :-D Back at the station I sit down for a drink (and a bag of crisps) Pfff, what an adventure.
I say goodbye to Filisur and take the train back to Bergün.
After I find some dry clothes at my hotel, I decide to do a bit of exploring.
I thought the mysterious tower was the only feature in Bergün, but as it turns out they have another sight worth checking out: all the houses are decorated with intricate painted patterns.
This is one of my favorite decorations as it was very elaborate and naughty:)
See?
Another house has a sea theme, also fascinating.
I love walking around and discovering all the different designs.
This was an excellent stroll:)
I have dinner in a restaurant near the station. Upon showing my Gästekarte, I get a free starter; I'm glad there's meat hidden underneath that green stuff;)
I have local speciality Pizokel for dinner: a pasta dish with bacon, fried onions, cheese and a sprinkle of vegetables (I'm guessing red cabbage). DELICIOUS and so much I couldn't finish my plate *hangs head in shame*
I did have room left for desert though: lemon&lime with passion fruit&mango icecream before I walk back to the hotel across the bridge with this wonderful view. What a day.
Day 6 - Wednesday August 15, 2018: Traveling home
TRAVELSCHEDULE:
09:47 Bergün ---> R train to Chur
11:09 Chur ---> R train to Basel SBB (Switzerland)
14:34 Basel SBB ---> S train from to Basel Bad Bf (Germany)
15:23 Basel Bad Bf ---> ICE train to Arnhem (Netherlands)
21:11 Arnhem ---> IC train to hometown Z.
Arival 22:11 ---> Total traveltime: 12 hours and 24 minutes
Some extra berries and cornflakes in my yoghurt for my last breakfast in Switzerland before I pack all my bags to walk to the station. Besides my backpack and shoulderbag I have an extra bag with souvenirs and food for the journey home.
Bye Bergün!
As I take the train towards Filisur, I pass the meadow from yesterday's adventure. *nostalgic sigh*
AND I CROSS THE LANDWASSERVIADUKT, WOOHOO!
Gosh, these mountains. *stares and stares*
Such beautiful views.
I'm glad I'm all relaxed from this wonderful trainride, because when I arrive in Basel, it's time to stress. But I don't know that yet, as I have almost three hours to change trains, I chill at the station...
I pay to pee, although I object to the charges that are higher for people who need a sit down toilet, grrrr. After freshening up I find myself some food; mmmm, meatlovers paradise!
As I'm sitting down with my Frikadelle I notice the train from Amsterdam is cancelled and it makes me wonder if maybe the train to the Netherlands may not be available. Departure times are not on the screens yet, so I ask at the information desk (after standing in queue for quite a couple of minutes) and they tell me the train is going, but it's leaving from Basel Bad Bahnhof, which is the station on the other side of town. I manage to grab an S-train right before it leaves and ten minutes later I'm at the right station, pfew.
Fun thing about Basel Bad Bahnhof: the station is still Switzerland, but the platform is Germany.
I spend my last Swiss francs on icecream:)
The ICE is the most advanced train I traveled on on this trip and it caused me the most problems (remember how only half the train arrived on the way to Switzerland?)
This time the airconditioning system is broken and it's 30 °C /o\ Fortunately I find an unreserved seat in the next car, so I don't melt on this near 6 hour ride, djeebus.
And that view is the last picture I took as I spend the rest of the journey reading fanfic:)
The end.
J.
Part 1 - To and through Switzerland! with Day 1: Train and Boat to Rigi Kaltbad and Day 2: Climbing Rigi Mountain
Part 2 - Switzerland & Italy with Traveling from Switzerland to Italy (lake Como!) and Traveling from Italy to Switzerland (Bernina Express!)
Have a preview of my last day in Switzerland before I tell you all about how I walked and climbed to see the Landwasserviadukt at Filisur:
Day 5 - Tuesday August 14, 2018: Hiking to the Landwasserviadukt
No traveling today, but I do take the train from Bergün to the next town over, Filisur, to walk the trail to two viewpoints of the Landwasserviadukt. On tomorrow's journey I will be crossing this high viaduct (65m) and I want to see it up close. The trail to the North is the longest and I decide to do that first and see if I have time for the trail to the South side on my way back... But let's start with breakfast:)
This hotel offers home made jams, nom! In addition to a full breakfast, I also sneak two croissants with Nutella in my bag;) Then it's a short walk to the station to get on the hourly train to Filisur (12 minutes). A couple of the best tunnels on this track are between these two towns, weeeeeh!
See that town in the valley? That's Filisur, there's a round about tunnel through the mountain to get down there, very cool.
The mountain in the background is where I just came from on the train. I don't go into Filisur though, the trail is the other way. I post my cards while a historic jubilee train leaves the station, nice.
No cows on the trail here, but I do meet some goats (they have much tinier bells:). The path leads me mostly through the forest.
See the traintrack just below? That will circle around to get to the bridge in the distance. These mountains are all about traaaaaaaains. Hiking down the forest, I go through a tunnel under the tracks and walk down to this meadow.
It starts raining, but I don't mind, this place is gorgeous no matter the weather. Look: a pretty flower!
After a rather slippery walk I cross this river to find out I have some steep climbing to do.
While I catch my breath halfway, I hear a train approaching, yay! A few minutes later I get to this beauty of a bridge; not the viaduct yet! The rain has stopped for a bit and the trail leads me underneath this track and then up again on the other side...
What a glorious view! I turn to continue my climb to the Northern viewpoint and as I reach the top it starts pouring. But I've never been happier: I made it to this marvelous place and I sit down on the wet bench to enjoy my two mushed up croissants and the view.
AND THEN A TRAIN COMES TROUGH THE TUNNEL AND CROSSES THE LANDWASSERVIADUKT. Awesome :-) I take my time up there, but eventually I have to walk down again. *sighs* This path may not look too intimidating, but it was to me. I really had to go slow and foot by foot. Still enjoying myself though!
In between the trails to the North and the South, you can stare up at the Landwasserviadukt from below. Wow.
Also: I get excited about every train, so here's another picture of one going by in the distance *grins*
And a zoom in on the train. *still grinning*. The rain has made the trail back up even more slippery, eep.
And then, when I come out of the forest out of nowhere three HUGE horses come running out on the meadow! When they notice me, they stop and keep an eye on me from a distance. The two that are in front of me don't have a halter, but the third horse on my right has some sort of frilly decoration, so I'm guessing at least they're not wild horses. I'm kind of blocking the way to their drinkingspot but going back is not an option as I have to follow the trail beside them.
After a moment, I decide to slowly walk towards these two, murmering softly that everything is okay...
Then the fuckers CHARGE RIGHT AT ME and for a couple of very scary seconds I fear I'm gonna be trampled. THEN they come to a screeching halt ON EITHER SIDE OF ME and I think I'm gonna be squashed between them before I realize they were merely testing me.
They don't move, so I take a deep breath, pat one of them on the shoulder and say 'good horsey' before I slowly move between their butts to get back on track. Fuckers.
I get back through that tunnel under the track to take the trail to the South end viewingpoint, which is ridiculously easy to get to. I'm still glad I went through the trouble of climbing to the North end. The view here is also good, but not as good as the other side :-p
From here you can see where I climbed to: there's that lower bridge on the left and right above the tunnel is the platform of the Northside viewpoint. Cool, right?
Yay, I see a train on my way down :-D Back at the station I sit down for a drink (and a bag of crisps) Pfff, what an adventure.
I say goodbye to Filisur and take the train back to Bergün.
After I find some dry clothes at my hotel, I decide to do a bit of exploring.
I thought the mysterious tower was the only feature in Bergün, but as it turns out they have another sight worth checking out: all the houses are decorated with intricate painted patterns.
This is one of my favorite decorations as it was very elaborate and naughty:)
See?
Another house has a sea theme, also fascinating.
I love walking around and discovering all the different designs.
This was an excellent stroll:)
I have dinner in a restaurant near the station. Upon showing my Gästekarte, I get a free starter; I'm glad there's meat hidden underneath that green stuff;)
I have local speciality Pizokel for dinner: a pasta dish with bacon, fried onions, cheese and a sprinkle of vegetables (I'm guessing red cabbage). DELICIOUS and so much I couldn't finish my plate *hangs head in shame*
I did have room left for desert though: lemon&lime with passion fruit&mango icecream before I walk back to the hotel across the bridge with this wonderful view. What a day.
Day 6 - Wednesday August 15, 2018: Traveling home
TRAVELSCHEDULE:
09:47 Bergün ---> R train to Chur
11:09 Chur ---> R train to Basel SBB (Switzerland)
14:34 Basel SBB ---> S train from to Basel Bad Bf (Germany)
15:23 Basel Bad Bf ---> ICE train to Arnhem (Netherlands)
21:11 Arnhem ---> IC train to hometown Z.
Arival 22:11 ---> Total traveltime: 12 hours and 24 minutes
Some extra berries and cornflakes in my yoghurt for my last breakfast in Switzerland before I pack all my bags to walk to the station. Besides my backpack and shoulderbag I have an extra bag with souvenirs and food for the journey home.
Bye Bergün!
As I take the train towards Filisur, I pass the meadow from yesterday's adventure. *nostalgic sigh*
AND I CROSS THE LANDWASSERVIADUKT, WOOHOO!
Gosh, these mountains. *stares and stares*
Such beautiful views.
I'm glad I'm all relaxed from this wonderful trainride, because when I arrive in Basel, it's time to stress. But I don't know that yet, as I have almost three hours to change trains, I chill at the station...
I pay to pee, although I object to the charges that are higher for people who need a sit down toilet, grrrr. After freshening up I find myself some food; mmmm, meatlovers paradise!
As I'm sitting down with my Frikadelle I notice the train from Amsterdam is cancelled and it makes me wonder if maybe the train to the Netherlands may not be available. Departure times are not on the screens yet, so I ask at the information desk (after standing in queue for quite a couple of minutes) and they tell me the train is going, but it's leaving from Basel Bad Bahnhof, which is the station on the other side of town. I manage to grab an S-train right before it leaves and ten minutes later I'm at the right station, pfew.
Fun thing about Basel Bad Bahnhof: the station is still Switzerland, but the platform is Germany.
I spend my last Swiss francs on icecream:)
The ICE is the most advanced train I traveled on on this trip and it caused me the most problems (remember how only half the train arrived on the way to Switzerland?)
This time the airconditioning system is broken and it's 30 °C /o\ Fortunately I find an unreserved seat in the next car, so I don't melt on this near 6 hour ride, djeebus.
And that view is the last picture I took as I spend the rest of the journey reading fanfic:)
The end.
J.
Part 1 - To and through Switzerland! with Day 1: Train and Boat to Rigi Kaltbad and Day 2: Climbing Rigi Mountain
Part 2 - Switzerland & Italy with Traveling from Switzerland to Italy (lake Como!) and Traveling from Italy to Switzerland (Bernina Express!)
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