August 30, 2011-the Swiss Alps! (Tuesday)

Tuesday morning we packed small bags for a 2 day adventure in the Alps.  Fred had booked one night for all of us at a resort hotel, the Cresta Palace, in Celerina.  The hotel was a spectacular building that first opened in 1906.  This was much larger and nicer than the hotels I remember from my trip to Europe as a teenager.

During the drive, we stopped in "Heidi Land".  This was a travel stop on the highway below the mountain where the story of Heidi supposedly took place, but is also applied to the entire region.  It was a bit touristy but I wish American rest stops had such wonderful food options!

The drive to the Engadine valley was beautiful ... the views of the mountains as they got taller and taller were spectacular.  The roads would have been full of twists and turns but for the many tunnels.  We got to experience a tunnel train.  We drove onto the train by a ramped flatbed car, pulled forward until we were behind another vehicle, and then sat in our car throughout the 25 minute train ride.  It saved about 2 1/2 hours of driving around and over the mountains.

 

 

The white cylinders are bales of hay

At the other end of the tunnel, we drove off the train and continued driving until we found a nice little village where we pulled off the road for a picnic.  We ate sandwiches we had picked up in Heidi Land and enjoyed "Basler Leckerli" a traditional hard spiced cookie originating in Basel.  As we ate, we watched a farmer raking hay and enjoyed the view of the mountains and the company.

We checked into the hotel, then drove through St. Moritz and passed one of the beautiful glacier lakes.  The water is a turquoise color, because of the sediments from the glaciers.  There are a series of these lakes in the Engadine valley.  The one we crossed had a place where you could rent para-sails and other toys, so we stopped to watch for a bit.  Then we drove to the cable car station at Corvatsch Station Surlej and caught the first cable car to Corvatsch Mittelstation Surlej, a place many hikers like to start from.  The trails looked pretty steep in places but we saw several people hiking.  Fred and Ruth told us of the Swiss cure for altitude problems ... eating chocolate.  The hotel had thoughtfully provided bars of chocolate in each room, so I eagerly tested this theory.

 

A second cable car at Corvatsch Mittelstation Surtej took us almost to the top of Piz Corvatsch to Corvatsch Bergstation.  We enjoyed the view of the surrounding mountains and glaciers. It was a beautiful sunny day with very few clouds so the views were spectacular.  It was a bit brisk though.

After enjoying the fresh air, we went inside to the Panorama-Restaurant Corvatsch, and sampled a local specialty, an "Engadiner Nusstorte".  This is made at the top of Piz Corvatsch during the summer and in the town below during the winter.  This itself was worth the trip.  It was that good.

 

We returned to the hotel and I joined Audrey at the Spa.  I particularly liked the aromatherapy saunas.  One had a citrus scent and another featured a salt crystal with eucalyptus .... supposed to be particularly good for breathing!  Very nice, especially after a day spent at such a high altitude!!!

After the spa we headed to St. Moritz for a multi course dinner at "Chesa Veglia", literally "old house".  An old farm house built in the 1600's has been converted into a cosy restaurant for gourmets.  The interior was traditional, and the food and service were wonderful. A delicious and relaxing evening with good company!

I'm impressed by the efficiency of the Swiss and amazed by the cleanliness of their country.  I could get used to the fresh, clean air.