Suvretta House St. Moritz

... were long & straight, but still felt like a session on the dodgems (that's the english name for a fairground ride with uncontrollable little electric cars that you are supposed not to bump into each other, but everybody does.)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Bumper_car

Thedrive from Davos down to the Stelvio Pass was pretty good, and we stopped a few times to take it all in, and to let the engine cool down a bit, as it was working fairly hard.


We took a small road from Santa Maria, and that was really good, with some tight U bends, and magnificent views. This road took us across the Swiss/Italian border.


And then we joined the ...

... were treated with the magnificent sights of the mountains of the Italian Alps. Once out of the tunnels, we found our campsite quickly and none to soon again as a light rain started up once again. We managed to get our tent set up quickly and the rain didn’t last long so nothing got very wet. The rain clouds and thunder and lightning swirled around us for the next hour or so and finally cleared up revealing the mountains beyond.

The ski resort of Arosa lies at the head of its own little, but very steep gorged valley a very short distance from Chur. The river which cuts the gorge passes the west side of the old city and recent flood prevention was needed to prevent it entering the streets of Chur!
The little train which does a frequent journey up the gorge leaves the southern most section of Chur Station and travels along the streets of west Chur, sometimes in conflict with ...

... very symetrical and therefore looking friendly to each other. Unlike the over crammed Victoriana that befalls most big city burial places in the UK. Each headstone in this neat place designed and carved by the most impressive sculptors. Nothing shoddy! No stucco angels! Each design suiting the background of its interred owner/s. Each burial piece planted up with a beautiful blanket of 'annuals'. Not to be missed by the casual visitor.

On our return from Poschiavo to Chur the train took the alternative route via St Moritz. A very short stop, enough to allow us to stretch our legs beside the picturesque Lake Engadine. This lake is famous for its winter Polo and Horse Racing. Quite a spectacle for winter visitors ...

... shop and tourist facility seemed shut. Of course it may have been the Italian siesta time being near lunch!
From the Railway Staion one can see the gradient of the whole system clearly obvious when looking north, back towards the Albula Pass and Lake Blanco, so named because of its glacier run off water colour.

Wouldn't mind another holiday here!

... a look around the oldest city in Switzerland. Across the road another hotel was entertaining its guests with strains of a yodelling choir. After a short walk around the older part of town it started to rain and we quickly returned to the Hotel. Lucky we did as we then experienced one of the heaviest downpours we have ever known, not including Papua New Guinea !!!
The rain cleared what had been a very heavy atmosphere, and facilitated a very good night's sleep ...

8/31/99 Tuesday

Davos to St. MoritzWe woke up this morning to a beautiful, clear, cool morning. We didn't have any large clouds hovering over the mountains like we have had. (NOTE: Today we are off to the winter playground of the rich and famous…St. Moritz, via the Glacier Express. I am really looking forward to this trip.) We have been on the road for about 1/2 hour and the view is "to die for". We are not taking the motorway, instead the mountain roads that wind through ...

... I am still tired! I didn’t want to drag my butt out of bed or out of the shower, once I got in. This jet lag really has me whupped. Finally, we struggled down to breakfast around 7:30 am. Breakfast was pretty much the same here as we had in Austria...cold cuts, cheeses, rolls, jams, breads, yogurt, and cereal. After breakfast, we went back up to the room to get ready for our walk and while we were up there, we could hear the church bells ringing through the valley ...