I was kind of nervous about going to Samedan again this time as this time last year was when we did a tonne of hiking and I really just wasn’t able to keep up. It was hard for me to be so high up in the mountains and I didn’t see what all the fuss was about walking for hours to reach the top of some huge mountain. Alos this time last year was when my tooth basically went "kaput" and I had to get it taken out.... 4000 francs later and me with a gap in my head for over 6 months.
This time around though I was more fit and had a greater appreciation of what the mountains offer: A chance to see a once in a lifetime view, the sense of completion and satisfaction in being able to see where you were and then where you stand now and
knowing that I am in the Swiss alps - I am so lucky.
I actually only did one big walk whilst away anyway and it was a mountain that we can see from our house. We did this walk last year and last time I thought I was going to die. This time around I felt great after walking up there and we were even an hour faster as the kids are much more able now.
What made my trip extra special was that Lacey was able to come down and join me for four days. She arrived on Thursday afternoon and was here for Camilles birthday. She turned one and I even got to see her take her first proper little steps on the Wednesday.
Lacey then spent the day with my family on Friday and then on the weekend we went on the Bernina Express which is a train journey that takes you through the Bernina Pass into Tirano, Italy. A two hour ride we got to see some beautiful mountains, a glacier and little villages along the way. Once in Tirano we had pasta (of course) for lunch, gelato, walked around and really got to see the difference between Italy and Switzerland. Wow. Even though we were right on the border you can really notice how different the two countries are. I prefer the cleanliness and beauty of Switzerland while Lacey loves Italy. Each to their own we had a nice day which included great weather, good food and perfect company.
We got back into Switzerland at dinner time so we decided to eat out in the next town called Pontresina. It was an effort finding somewhere affordable but in the end it was such a nice evening that we didnt mind. Off to bed early Saturday night we then went with my family on Sunday for a walk to a glacier called Monterasch (spelling!!!) It was unreal as you can see the glacier when you begin the walk. One problem though. Where you begin the walk is where the glacier USED to be, but due to global warming and the way we are thrashing our environment the glacier is melting at a rapid pace. See the photo below to see what I mean:
Once at the glacier after a leisurely stroll we got to climb on to it a bit. It is actually quite dangerous to walk on to it too far as there is a chance that the ice may be too melted and you can fall through but we were right on the edge and got to see some of the caves, and also touch the ice. It was so great to be in a real life glacier just depressing at the same time to see how much it has melted in 100 years.
Then on Sunday afternoon I sadly farewelled Lacey as she had to go back to her own family to begin work. So I spent the following four days with my family, mainly just at home as they did alot of bikeriding.
It was nice to get away for two weeks but even nicer to come back home to all of my own stuff. So on Thursday after my family and I went to Schuol and swam around in the thermal spas for half the day I jumped in the car and drove home. It was the longest drive I have done since being here ( a bit under three hours) but I was lucky as I had the chance to take the car on a train for some of the way. It was 27 francs for a 20 minute ride but it takes you through a tunnel through the mountain as oppose to driving over the whole thing. I was especially glad to do this the other day as it started to snow just as I begun my journey.
I actually left earlier than my family so I could go to french class on Thursday night so I braved the cold and headed back out to Stadlehofen at 6pm. I love my french class. Dont get me wrong it is really hard and I am not very good at it but the teacher is so nice and I feel like I understand it alot more than German.
Friday I was lucky to have the day off so I cleared up my things and did a bit of shopping in town.
Lacey invited me to her house for a traditional swiss dinner called raclette. This is a machine that grills cheese and then you pour it over potatoes, meat, vegetables, etc. We even had it with prawns - it is so good. I now just need to figure out if I can buy one in Australia. Laceys bosses friends were also over so it was a great evening made even better by dessert which were the famous "luxembourgli's"
yummo!!!
Saturday was a freezing cold day but we were tough and headed out to explore St Gallen, about 1 hour from Zurich we had a nice day shopping, walking through a famous street painted red and seeing a famous church and library. Lacey was especially thrilled as she got to see a mummified person. Blehhhh! Heheheh
Saturday night we were invited to a friends birthday party in Baden (bath town) so we trakked out there and had a great time. We met heaps of new people and then we went into the city to the regular night spot called Lady Hamiltons. It was a bit of a big night and way too much vodka was consumed but we had a tonne of fun as usual and were nursing a sweet hangover all day Sunday... so what do you do? Hahaha eat a tonne of Chinese - yum grease!!
Weekend over and a new week is here, back into my usual schedule and looking forward to the weekend ahead where we are doing ZIP!
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