Switzerland 🇨🇭


What a good thing it is that you get a different result when a whole bunch of people rush to one side of a train carriage than when the same thing happens on a boat.  We and our travelmates severely tested the stability of railcar #13 of the Bernina Express as we enjoyed our much anticipated scenic journey from northern Italy into the Swiss Alps.  The anticipation was more than justified, we found, and it was constant race from one side of the carriage to the other for everyone on board to catch the best views. We’ve attached pictures but they don’t really do justice to the sights that we saw.  It was jaw dropping.

   The train meandered from Tirano on the Swiss-Italian border to the Swiss city of Chur, a distance of 144 kilometers which took 4 and a half hours to cover.  This train is not called an express because of its speed.  

   The train reached a maximum altitude of 7392 feet on the journey, and at one point we were treated to a twenty minute stop where we could leave the train and take pictures of the Piz Palu glacier.  The views throughout the experience were fantastic.  If you ever find yourself in this part of the world, we highly recommend you ride the Bernina Express.

   After we reached Chur, we caught another train which we rode nearly to Zurich, then connected to another which delivered us to the city of Lucerne.  Though not promoted as such, these trains were also very scenic.

   We arrived in Lucerne early enough that we could have a good wander through its old town and check out its historic bridges.  Lucerne and its lake are beautiful, but we get just one night here as we move on to our Alpine retreat in Wengen tomorrow.  The train ride there should be another memorable one!



Starting our climb at the Brusio Circular Viaduct.
The photo above is taken by us while the photo below 
is what a drone sees from high above

A long way up!



Palu glacier and Palu lake at our Alp Grum stop

Ozpisio Bernina - the Bernina summit
Lago Bianco (white lake)
2253 metres above sea level
We have more photos of the Bernina Express than any other day of our vacation so we will stop here and not drag this on too long. Suffice it to say, the word GRANDEUR is insufficient to describe this journey 

Lucerne (Lucerne)
The magnificent Chapel Bridge



Mt Pilatis

Lake Lucerne

The Dying Lion of Lucerne was carved out of stone on site and commemorates the fallen Swiss guardsmen who died in 1792 while serving the French king Louis XVI during the French Revolution. The Lion Monument was inaugurated in 1821. 

The Latin inscription HELVETIORUM FIDEI AC VIRTUTI means "To the loyalty and bravery of the Swiss".



           Spreuer Bridge - built in 15th century and rebuilt in late 16th century. The construction is amazing!




❤️ Lucerne 🇨🇭







 

Comments

  1. RuthJune 18, 2025 at 4:36 PM

    I haven’t had such a good laugh in a while. Thanks for the smiles Chris.

    ReplyDelete

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