Switzerland: On the Train, Up a Mountain

We set out from Zurich to Chur by bus then hopped on the Rhätische Bahn to ride the rails over to St Moritz.

To gain altitude heading toward the Easter Swiss Alps, the train twists and turns its way through tunnels and over bridges, gradually making a climb. This series of spirals and arched bridges earned the line UNESCO World Heritage status.

We rode in the very last car which was decked out in carved pine, which is a trait of the region, and dined on meats, cheeses, and wine.

I fell in love with train travel when I took the Rocky Mountaineer a few months ago and I have to say rolling through the Swiss countryside cranked my adoration for this mode of travel up to 11.

At one point we simply had to head into the 1st class car, drop the windows, and snap every photo and video that we could to capture even the slightest essence of the area’s beauty.

Hopping off the train just shy of St Moritz we were whisked away to the base of the Alps to ride a gondola up to the top of Diavolezza. I live in a city surrounded by mountains (and I’ve even hiked my fair share) but there is simply no comparison anywhere else in the world to these majestic towers of ice and snow.

At the top, we had the chance to have a drink with Christian Meili, a Swiss bobsleigh champion (competed in Lillehammer and Albertville), who is active in the St Moritz bobsleigh club. We’ll be visiting the Olympia Bob Run tomorrow so I’ll fill in some of Meili’s insights on that post.

I started to feel light-headed and a bit woozy at the peak when we were walking around in the snow and the group came to realize just how high up we were. In comparison, at the bottom of the gondola we were already at three times the height of Whistler’s peak. 15 minutes later atop Diavolezza and it was a whole other world.

I’m going to let many of these photos speak for themselves although my camera could not even capture the millions of shades of blue that were glistening off every peak, rock face, and snow cap looking down on our group.

Tonight we’re staying in St Moritz before heading back to Zurich for our final night in Switzerland. I have at least 5 other posts up my sleeve but those will have to wait until morning. As Vancouver gets through their Friday workday, the sun has already tucked itself behind the mountains as I write this by moonlight. All I can say is, what a day.

You can view the rest of my photos from my media trip to Switzerland in this photo set, and read all posts here.