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Published: April 17th 2024
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Bernina Express I
The engine of our train. My mum and I had booked a journey on panoramic trains in Switzerland. We had started our trip in Basel, travelled to Chur, from there to St. Moritz on Glacier Express, and had spent a (rainy) day in St. Moritz. On Monday (28
th of August), another rainy morning, the bus picked our travel group up before 9 and took us back to St. Moritz Station. From there, we caught Bernina Express, the train that runs from St. Moritz to Tirano in Italy. The train goes through Pontresina, where the electric current changes from alternating current to direct current (probably the only train in the world running on DC?), and then climbs up to Bernina Pass at an altitude of 2,253 metres ASL. Piz Bernina, the peak of the mountain, is 4,048 metres tall and the only mountain higher than 4,000 metres in the Eastern Alps. On the way to Bernina Pass, we could see Morteratsch Glacier, withdrawn far into the valley and grey and brown at its tongue. Due to the heavy rainfall, one of the waterfalls along our route was pouring down litres and litres of steaming waters, and the stream running down from Bernina Pass into the Engadin Valley
Bernina Express II
The train, again in its signature colour red. was flooded. Further up towards the pass, we passed two lakes, each of which has different colours. Lej Nair (Black Lake) has black water, and its waters flow to the north and ultimately into the river Inn. Lago Bianco (White Lake) has almost white water, and its waters flow to the south and ultimately into the river Po. Our travel guide was joking that the Swiss even dye the water to impress the tourists.
Just after Bernina Pass, the train stopped at Alp Grüm, from where one has a wonderful view into Puschlav Valley below and towards Lago di Poschiavo, the lake in the valley. Fortunately, it had stopped raining, and the clouds had withdrawn, so that we could enjoy the view. The train continued to descend into the valley, through fascinating tunnels, where again sometimes we would change direction while going through the tunnel, and across viaducts, and past Poschiavo and Cavaglia. One of the highlights was certainly the circular viaduct of Brusio, where the train first runs on a viaduct, then in a circle, and finally passes underneath the same viaduct to continue down into the valley.
We arrived in Tirano after two hours and 15
Alp Grüm I
View into the valley behind Alp Grüm, where the train had stopped for a few minutes. minutes, had lunch there, and then caught a coach to Lugano. It started raining again like crazy. Unfortunately, the coach lost one of its window wipers, and we had to stop at a workshop for it to be fixed, which took about an hour. We as passengers needed to stay inside the coach for safety reasons and were not allowed to walk around in the huge lorry workshop, but it was amazing to see it from the inside even if it was just through the windows of the vehicle. So, three hours on the coach turned into four hours on the coach, and when we finally arrived in Lugano, I was tired, but happy. After settling into our room at Hotel Continental, there was just enough time for a little walk, then we went for dinner and to bed.
On Tuesday, I went for a morning run along the lake. The city lies on a rather steep slope. Our hotel was not far from the main station that is located a bit higher up, so first I had to get down to the lake. There is a funicular railway connecting the main station with the lower parts of the
Alp Grüm II
View into Puschlav Valley below and towards Lago di Poschiavo. city, but I went down the stairs and steep roads. It was a splendid day, and I ran into Parco Ciani, a pretty park, turned round and ran towards Paradiso, turned round again, made my way back and up the hill again to our hotel.
After breakfast, our tour group had a guided tour around the city. We caught the funicular railway into the lower part of the city and walked the streets for a bit and via the shopping street Via Nassa to Chiesa Santa Maria degli Angioli. The church dates from the 16
th century and has beautiful frescoes. Amongst them is one depicting the Last Supper in which the artist painted himself as Judas. Another fresco shows the life and crucifixion of Christ. It was painted by Bernardino Luini, a student of Leonardi da Vinci’s. The church used to be part of a monastery, so we went through the adjacent cloister where the remains of old frescoes are still visible. We emerged at LAC, “Lugano Arte e Cultura”, the local museum where architects had done a fantastic job integrating modern and ancient architecture.
The guided tour ended there. My mum and I decided to catch the
Bernina Express III
View towards the front of the train in a turn. tourist train to get to see some more of the city, but the train was a bit of a disappointment because essentially it just drove along the shores of the lake without any further explanation or guidance. We got off the train at the foot of Monte San Salvatore, a 912 metres tall mountain on the southern end of Lugano. We caught the cogwheel railroad up and enjoyed splendid views. We could overlook the entire Lago di Lugano and the city of Lugano, and we could even see towards Lago Maggiore, which is west of Lago di Lugano, and all the way to Milan, south of Lago di Lugano. What a splendid view!!!
We caught the cogwheel railroad back down and wanted to find a place for lunch somewhere nearby, but there was no restaurant that looked inviting. After having walked along the lake for a bit, we caught the bus back to the city centre and found a nice place where we had truffle pasta and a glass of wine. We went for a little walk before taking the funicular railway back up to the train station and making our way back to the hotel. I had a
Zoom call in the early evening for an online course that I was currently taking, and my mum could lie down for a bit before we went downstairs to the restaurant for dinner. The next day, we would catch Gotthard Panorama Express to Vierwaldstätter See, which will be on the next post.
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