Advertisement
Published: March 13th 2007
Edit Blog Post
Day 5 & 6 Fussen - Luzern 19th - 20th Sept
We backtracked on the train to Buchloe, and changed for our trip through the Bavarian region into Switzerland. Train travel in this part of the world is a very enjoyable way to travel and to see the beautiful scenery passing by. We changed again at Zurich and caught the Intercity service to Luzern. Our accommodation was in the old town which is gorgeous. Liani and I had visited Switzerland last year and had fallen in love with Luzern, but in the winter, so it was nice to see it in the summer. We did have plans to take a cruise on Lake Luzern and then ride the rack and pillon railway up to Mount Pilatus to view the surrounding mountains which are in snow year round. But sionce the start of our journey we really hadn’t had a day to just do nothing, so we decided to walk around Luzern and discover the city at our own pace. So after dropping our laundry off for a wash! We headed up to the old town wall with amazing views over the town as well as into the mountains. I finally
got to see the Lion Monument which is a memorial to the fallen Suisse soldiers ewed out of a stone wall. It is the saddest looking lion but so moving. We spent the rest of the day enjoying the warm summer sunshine and taking many photos. Next day - off to Vals Therme Baths!!
Day 7 Luzern - Vals Therme Baths 21st Sept
Liani and I had taken a similar route to Vals last year and had missed a connection at Chur making us late for our massage at Vals Therme Baths, so I was very aware of being on my toes and not missing any connections this time with mum! We made our way without any problems to Ilanz where we picked up the bus to Vals. On our way up into the mountains it was a completely different landscape this time for me without snow - yet just as beautiful.
On arrival at the Baths we checked in and set off for a wander through the small township of Vals. It is a very small village with a church, pub and a few places to eat. Most of the township
is made up of traditional residential alpine houses. The material the baths is constructed from - Valser Quartzite is everywhere and I managed to souvenir myself a piece!
Fully robed in our complimentary gowns and slippers, we made our way into the baths for a swim. It was a different experience in the outside pool minus the steam and the snow, but I was able to gain an appreciation of the village and how its people live. After our quick swim we were off for a full body massage, my masseuse Roman was very good and eased a few of the aches and pains I had acquired over the last week lugging around a pack!
After a relaxing cup of tea we were then off to dinner in the Red restaurant. Famous for its quality fresh food and creative menu we were treated to a seven course meal. It was a pure delight.
Night swimming is held twice weekly for hotel guests only and we happened to be booked in for one of those nights, so off we went with a full belly of gorgeous food to swim in silence, both in the outdoor and indoor pools. I again submerged
in the 14 deg ice bath just to feel alive and made my way through all of them until finding the eucalypt steam slabs - two large slabs of slate in a black room piped full of steam and eucalypt, an amazing experience. There were a few too many nude Europeans running around in the communal showers so I quickly took a lovely shower and headed back to the room for a well deserved sleep! Anyway for all the amazing photos of Vals Therme Baths check out
http://www.therme-vals.ch it is well worth a visit!
Day 8 Vals Therme Baths - Zermatt
Glacier Express
We made our bus connection for the Glacier Express connection at Ilanz mid morning and were more than happy with our choice of first class seats. Second class was full of chatty Europeans eating all sorts of weird food. We were relaxed and had space to jump from side to side to view the spectacular scenery of the Swiss Alps. The entire journey is dotted with small villages, churches set up high overlooking the towns and plenty of dairy cows, sheep and the odd mountain goat and reindeer are easily spotted.
On entry to
the Zermatt valley the imposing Matterhorn appears - it is a truly impressive sight.
We checked into Hotel Butterfly which was a beautiful little chalet right in the centre of Zermatt - a charming little car free alpine village. Instead of going out again for a meal we decided on some chicken and salad from the supermarket and a bottle of red on our balcony overlooking some beautiful snow capped peaks in the nearby valleys.
Day 9 Matterhorn - Zermatt
I had been busting to ride in a cable car high up into the mountains, but after chatting to one of the staff at the train station, Mum and I decided to take the Gronagrat rack and pillon rail up to Gronagrat station for one of the most spectacular views I will ever experience. As soon as we hopped off the train there was a local photographer with his two saint Bernard dogs - a traditional swiss sight in the mountains. So we were lined up with Benny and Minny for a photo in front of the Matterhorn!!
The Matterhorn boasts year round skiing, there is plenty of snow on the upper runs so we had
a view of the surrounding peaks all blanketed in a winter wonderland. It is easy to see when you are up this high how mountaineering is a dangerous sport. Within a couple of hours of being upin the mountains large fluffy clouds began rolling over the peaks affecting our views and photo opportunities.
After wandering around for a while taking in the scenery, we were on our way back down the mountain and out for an early dinner before heading off to Cinque Terre in Italy the next day!
Advertisement
Tot: 0.163s; Tpl: 0.015s; cc: 21; qc: 103; dbt: 0.1239s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.3mb