Mountains and Snow in Switzerland!

Thursday, Feb. 14

Happy Valentine's Day! I had an early start this morning, 7:30 and I was out the door. The train station was only a few minutes away, thank god since my backpack weighed an absolute ton. I got my Eurail pass validated and then waited for my train. It was leaving at 8am and the platform wasn’t posted until only five minutes before which stressed me out. Luckily it was painless, just showed the guy my ticket and proceeded to the platform dead ahead. The ride to Milan was about an hour and forty-five minutes, painlessly spent reading and looking out the window to see sprawling fields and abandoned barns rolling by. I had time to change trains so I didn’t feel rushed but again the platform was announced with only minutes to spare. One seemless transition later and I’m on my way to Lucerne!

I arrived at 1:40pm and since check in wasn’t until 3, I dropped my backpack off at the hostel, withdrew some franks, and got a sandwich for lunch. Afterwards I checked in to Barabas Hostel Luzern. The hostel used to be an old prison, which they wouldn’t let you forget. The key cards boasted that you can Sleep Behind Bars! The signposts warned you to be quiet at night so you didn’t wake your prison inmates and to have a good stay in prison. The doorways all had open gates and some of the doors to the rooms were original to the prison—actual prison cells!

Back outside, I first meandered down to old town Lucerne. A lot of the buildings looked old and had cool murals and details on them. It seriously seemed like a fake town in Epcot except that it was real and I was in Switzerland (ah!). There were also a lot of papier mâché heads in the windows of many shops--often exaggerated and even grotesque masks worn during Carnival. I strolled a bit and made my way down to the river Reuss. I crossed Spreuerbrücke, an old covered bridge where I could see the Musegg Wall in the distance. I walked along the river for a bit soaking in the gorgeous day. Sunny and fifties in such an idyllic town? I couldn’t believe it. I eventually reached the Jesuit Church, which I wasn’t sure if I could go inside or not but I tried the door and it was open. Gosh what an amazing interior. The pastels and gildings extended through the massive arched ceiling. I wasn’t sure if photography was allowed and I didn’t want to seem insensitive so I tried to sneak a little video, we’ll see if it turned out.

Then I crossed the river again on the Kapellbrücke (chapel bridge), the symbol of Lucerne with its iconic water tower. It was then a short walk over to the Lion Monument, a stone relief depicting a lion mourning the Swiss soldiers who gave their lives during the French Revolution. The translation of the inscription above reads, "To the loyalty and bravery of the Swiss." Mark Twain described it as "the saddest and most moving piece of rock in the world." Despite the somber setting, it was so peaceful to just sit there with the birds chirping and take in the moment.

I was dying of thirst so I detoured back to the hostel to grab my water bottle. When I sat down, I realized I wasn't feeling too well--sore throat, headache, and that general "I'm sick" feeling. Great, the first day of my trip and I was getting sick! I wanted to see the town at night so I rested for a little then headed back out. I walked along the river to Bachman's, a legit Swiss chocolatier, to buy myself some truffles for Valentine's Day. Turns out that the box I got had four alcohol flavored ones which I took one bite of and tossed, but the ones I did eat were delicious! The traditional Swiss restaurant that I wanted to go to (complete with clogs and yodeling) didn't open till March, and I didn't really feel in the mood to try any new dishes anyway, so I had Japanese in the restaurant at my hostel.

Friday, Feb. 15

Let me tell you, getting ready in hostels early in the morning is so difficult if you want to be polite. I'm up at 5am to shower, change, do makeup, and pack all while trying not to disturb my sleeping roommates. But at least now I can say I've spent a night in prison?? I underestimated packing time so I had to speed walk to the train station, but I made it! I had a thirty minute train to Zurich, an hour train to Landquart, and finally a two hour train to St. Moritz! As the sun rose and the train journeyed higher into the Alps, the scenery outside kept getting more beautiful, eventually turning into a winter snowscape.

I arrived in St. Moritz at 11am ready to spend the day here! However, I got on the wrong bus, or rather the right bus, but I guess it was just going in the wrong direction. I even asked the driver if it went to the hostel and he said yes. But when I ended up in the neighboring town of Champfèr, I knew something was up. I got off and some nice people who spoke English directed me to the right bus. I still didn't know which stop to get off on to switch to the bus that'd take me to my hostel, so once I was back in St. Moritz I immediately got off and looked at the map by the stop. Turns out Bus #9 had a stop nearby so I tried to walk in the general direction and I got there! Not having cell service was killer, but at least I had a map that worked offline. When the bus came and I saw Hostel on it's display I had to breathe a sigh of relief.

I finally arrived to the hostel--Jugenderberge--at about 12:30pm, dropped off my bag, and then went out for lunch. Not wanting to risk more bus catastrophes, I walked to a nearby pizza place. Afterward, I headed over to St. Moritz Lake. The whole thing was frozen over and covered in a layer of snow. On it they had cross country skiing, ice skating, and even cricket! I walked across it to the best of my ability and I didn't even slip! I sat for a bit in the sun which was actually really warm, 50s or so again today. It was very calming and peaceful.

By now it was about 4pm and I wanted to make it up the mountain in time for sunset. I walked back to the bus stop (yikes), but luckily there was an English family there who was going to the same place as me so I felt so relieved. By the time we got to Pont Muragl, the sun had already gone behind the mountains, but it wouldn't get really dark for another hour. The Muottas Muragl funicular took us up the side of the mountain and to an outlook/hotel at the top. Immediately after stepping outside, I was blown away by the view--mountains at dusk towering over the valley where St. Moritz and the other nearby towns are nestled. It was a spectacular view and I spent a few moments taking it in. I wasn't going to get food up there, maybe just a small appetizer, but my mom wanted me to splurge a little so Mom this is all your fault. I ended up getting dinner at the restaurant, which was kind of fancy so it felt weird to eat alone. There was a rose on the table and they brought me the Valentine's Day menu as well, but no one asked any questions and I was on the phone for most of it so it was actually pretty nice. They brought out bread and a quail egg to start, then roasted chicken, potatoes, and peppers, then a little two-tier tray of desserts with cookies, truffles, etc. It was all really delicious! I paused for another look down into the valley full of city lights like stars and rode the funicular back down with a full belly.

At this point it was around 8pm which isn't really late but it felt like midnight. I waited for the bus (oof) with two other ladies, but it turned out that they took a different bus than me. So I figured that since I came from the north to get here I'd have to go back north on the same bus to get back. There were only two buses that stopped there so I didn't think it would be that difficult. First of all, it was absolutely freezing outside, it was dark, nobody was around, and the #2 bus came twice while I was still waiting for #1. I was starting to give up hope that it'd ever come. But soon enough the bright green #1 sign pulled up in front of me just before hypothermia. I felt safe and warm. That is until the bus veered right to Samedan instead of left to St. Moritz. I'd done it again. The announcer lady kindly informed us that the last stop was the Samedan train station which was absolutely not where I wanted to go. As we pulled up, I asked the driver "Sankt Moritz?" to which he shook his head and gestured to the bus behind us. Dubious due to previous bus issues, I cautiously made my way to the other bus, asked the driver the same question (to which he nodded vigorously) and took a hesitant seat. As the bus pulled away, I sat on edge, keeping an ever-present eye on the stops displayed on the tv. When the bus went past Punt Muragl into Pontresina my panic rose. However, when I started recognizing the names of the bus stops, my panic eased and I could finally take a deep breath. I got off at the Sonne stop which I knew was where the #9 bus stopped before heading to the hostel; however, I was unsure if that bus stopped running earlier or not so I decided not to wait and see and to just walk the 10 minutes up to the hostel. I was thoroughly cold but the walk up the gradual incline helped. I actually felt pretty safe surrounded by the quaint little houses and apartments draped in snow. During my walk up, I didn't see a bus once so I guess I made the right call there. I was so relieved to enter the hostel and head up to the room. I tried editing for a bit but tired out pretty quickly and decided to make it an early night in.

Saturday, Feb. 16

I got to sleep in a bit today! And by sleep in I mean I got up at 6:30am instead of 5. My train didn't leave until 9:15, but with all the bus fiascoes I'd been having, I didn't want to risk it, especially since this was the only train leaving today. Same drill as yesterday trying to pack up quietly. I went downstairs, checked out, and was informed that bus left every thirty minutes. It was a few minutes after 8 so I figured the next one would come at 8:30 so I sat inside. At about 8:15 I got up to use the bathroom, on my way back I noticed the bus outside and booked it! If I hadn't gotten up at that time I might've missed it! I am sooooo done with buses. It was also 3 degrees outside... I got to the train station at about 8:30, bought a sandwich to bring on the train with me for lunch, and did a little homework. Thank God there was somewhere warm for me to sit. Soon enough I was on the Glacier Express--"the slowest express train in the world"--heading to Zermatt!

The whole train ride was eight hours long. Yes, eight hours, from 9 to 5, on a train. It actually wasn't bad at all winding through the Swiss Alps. Who could complain? Topped with a thick coating of snow, the countryside rolled by--quaint towns, old castles, towering mountains. At certain points along the way, information and stories were told about the area we were in at the time. Early on in the journey we crossed a river on the Landwasser Viaduct, one of the symbols of the Glacier Express. We rode along the river of the Rhine Gorge, gradually increasing in altitude. The highest point of the journey was Oberalppass at 6700ft above sea level. The landscape was almost all untouched snowy white mountains, and we were allowed to get off for a few minutes. As we neared Zermatt, lunch was served, but I was glad I brought my own water and lunch since the train food was overpriced. The trees were bare of snow leading up to Zermatt, but before we passed into the station, it was piled up on the ground again. I'm in Zermatt!

Since Zermatt is a carless town, outside of the station were a bunch of really tiny, cute electric buses. Past those, the street looked like your typical Swiss ski town--Stöckli houses with slanted roofs, wooden balconies, and the occasional half-timber. It seemed like another fake Epcot town. The roads were littered with confetti and I could hear music, so I wondered what was going on. I eventually stumbled on a half-circle of people playing songs on trumpets, trombones, and drums. They all wore skirts of blue, black, and silver (even the guys) and a few wore gladiator-type armor with painted faces. I had no clue what was going on, but the energy was lively so I stayed for a few to enjoy the music. A little ways down there was another group dressed in matching outfits, and I could hear music even further away. Turns out they were all guggenmusik groups playing for Fasnacht, or Carnival. On the walk to my hostel I had to stop on a bridge to take in the sight of the Matterhorn. It's one of the most iconic peaks, and one of the tallest in Europe. With the quaint houses and evergreens bordering the icy river below, it was an amazing view.

I made it to my hostel, a really small, packed place on the river. There were eight beds all crammed into one room and I could hardly move around when others were inside. Next to the room was a little area with chairs and no people so a sat and edited the rest of the night. I had debated going out for food, but I really hadn't been feeling well so I decided against it. At about 9pm I climbed up to my bunk in the now-deserted room and tried not to freeze. Even the long underwear I was wearing under my pjs and the scarf draped over my blanket wasn't enough to keep me truly comfortable. I watched tv for about an hour before I completely passed out.

Sunday, Feb. 17

I woke up surprisingly warm. Though it was definitely disconcerting to roll over to encounter a guy in the bed pushed up right next to mine. Still not feeling 100% and up to human interactions, I waited for everyone to leave the room before I got, which turned out to be around 9am. Sleeping in felt really nice. I didn't shower due to a high volume of the hostel's reviews warning against it unless you enjoyed showering under Arctic-like temperatures. I didn't have to worry about disturbing anyone this morning and packed up rather quickly and easily. I was really glad to check out and get out of that hostel. It felt the most awkward of the ones I'd stayed in especially because everyone seemed to be friends already and I didn't speak a word of German, let alone Swiss-German.

I first made my way to the train station to store my bag in a locker until it was time to leave. I got a deliciously flaky croissant and thick hot chocolate at a cafe where I sat on the upper floor and wrote for a bit. Afterwards I walked over to the Sunnegga funicular so I could get a closer look at the Matterhorn. Unlike the Muottas Muragl in St. Moritz, this funicular went through a tunnel up the mountain so I didn't get any nice views on the way up. The cars were packed with skiers, making me really itch to go skiing. At the top, I exited the station and was blown away by the view. Even though this was the lowest viewpoint of the mountain (besides from the town below of course), it was still a spectacular panorama. The sky was cloudless and the sun was bright, making it warm enough that I could take off my jacket. I wondered what it was like skiing all the trails with a view like this.

I sat there for a good while, just taking it all in and reminiscing over my hectic but incredible little vacation. I met two girls from Korea who took my photo and a guy from India who brought his lunch up with him, making me jealous that I hadn't thought of doing that. Eventually I made my way back down, hoping that when I got to the bottom the crêperie I wanted to go to would be open. Google said it would open at 1pm, but the sign in the window said 2, so I quickly looked for an alternative since my train would be leaving in an hour. I settled on a restaurant right across from the station and made sure I'd have enough time to eat so i wouldn't miss my train. I order rösti, a traditional Swiss breakfast with a hash brown, cheese, and bacon base topped with two eggs. It was absolutely delicious.

Afterward, I made my way over to the station, got my bag and reorganized my stuff, and got on my 2:15pm train to Brig, Milan, and then back to Florence. What an incredible trip!!

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Here's a list of the only Swiss-German words I know:

Hello--Grüetzi

Goodbye--Uf Widr Luege

Thank you--Mersi

Cheese--Chäs

Chocolate--Schoggi

I had to learn only the most important ones!

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As always, here's the video from my trip! Enjoy!

If you want to see more photos, check out my facebook and instagram pages or the gallery on this website! They are linked at the top and bottom of the page. Thanks for reading!