Page 3: St. Moritz

The unique Stockalper Castle in Brig, in the Rhône Valley not far from Martigny. The castle was built in 1678 by Kaspar Stockalper, a prosperous silk merchant. This was the only hot day on our trip - more than 90 degrees.

 

The oldest original interior in the castle. The light flooding in from windows at right can really be appreciated in the HDR version.

 

A trip on the Glacier Express train, a special excursion train that runs from Brig to Chur. It's an expensive ride, and with transit through the new Furka base tunnel, it's frankly not as scenic as the Rhaetian railway from Chur to St. Moritz, pictured later.

 

The Benedictine Abbey in Disentis (or Mustér in Romansh). This language, spoken only in a few valleys in Switzerland, sounds vaguely Italian, but I speak Italian, and I can't understand a word of it.

 

As I mentioned, the section from Chur to St. Moritz is arguably more spectacular than the Glacier Express, and has been designed a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This is the famed Landwasser Viaduct, which the train crosses, then disappears immediately into a tunnel.

 

Hiking above the Silvaplanersee, in the St. Moritz Valley. It's hard to take a picture in the Swiss Alps that doesn't include cows.

 

An exuberant display of flowers at a trailside cafe. HDR rendering and display is useful not only for bright objects, but also for highly saturated colors, which are not forcibly desaturated by the limitations of the SDR gamut (as the pink flowers are here).

 

Tatsch, a traditional Swiss dish from Graubunden. It tastes sort of like ground-up pancakes, plus powdered sugar and fruit preserves.

 

Laurie had the notion that we should continue our dayhike all the way to Piz Nair, a climb of over 4000'. It was exhausting, and we made it barely in time to catch the last cable car down from the top. That said, the view from there across the valley to Piz Bernina was breathtaking.

 

Part of the descent involves a funicular railway. I of course need to be in the front, where I can keep an eye on the control panel.

 

The next day we rented e-bikes for a ride through the Engadin Valley above St. Moritz.

 

A villa on the Silvaplanasee.

 

Swiss Rösti (pan-fried shredded potatoes) with cheese and bacon. Not particularly healthy, but very rewarding during a long bike ride.

 

The Fex Valley, whose narrow winding road beckons one to explore further.

 

No they don't still use horse-drawn carriages for transport in Switzerland. This rig is for the tourists.

 

Laurie bikes through a tiny village of traditional stone houses.

 

The end of the Fex valley, where a barn has been converted into a cafe. Note the blue umbrella.

 

Parasailing on Silvaplanasee.