14 Hairpins turns after lunch
Trip Start
Jun 27, 2009
1
7
17
Trip End
Jul 13, 2009
Where I stayed
St. Moritz, Switzerland
Friday, July 3, 2009
We stopped for lunch in Mennagio, a small town on the lake. It has a pretty waterfront walk and a few shops. Across the lake is Bellagio, which was the inspiration for the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas.
We crossed back into Switzerland and entered the largest and least populated of the Swiss Cantons. It has land on both sides of the Alps and is the setting for the book Heidi. We started our climb up to the Maloja Pass --6000' in elevation. The bus driver honked his horn before each of the 14 hairpin turns to tell other vehicles he was there --he had the right of way since he was going uphill. Our tour director has a sense of humor, as she put Bolero on the sound system and somehow it fit. We finally reached the summit (we gave our driver a round of applause) and stopped at the top. A short walk took us to an overlook and there we had the entire Bregala River Valley stretched before us. It was an awesome testimony of the awesomeness of God. THIS is the landscape I think most people associate with Switzerland --towering, majestic mountains, green hills and river valleys-- Breathtakingly beautiful.
We continued on for a few miles and came to a few mountain lakes. One is popular for windsurfing and once again, our tour director showed her sense of humor by playing Surfin' USA.
We arrived at St. Moritz about 4:30. This is the quintessential Swiss ski resort, where every February women walk out onto the frozen lake in high heels and fur coats, sipping champagne and watching Polo matches on the ice. There isn't really much of anything in St. Moritz except shops and hotels. One hotel, which is closed in the summer, was the home of Czar Nicholas II. He never got to use it, as he was assassinated before the family ever got to travel to St. Moritz to use it.
We took a bus to the town and walked back. It was a pretty walk along the lake. We had a late dinner with 2 other couples and now we are off to ride on the Glacier Express.
Comments
quite the trip
I can't believe all the places you are hitting! If I had to go around 14 hairpin turns, there would be no question of lunch, or no lunch left.
'One hotel, which is closed in the summer, was the home of Czar Nicholas II. He never got to use it, as he was assasinated before the family ever got to travel to St. Moritz to use it.'
I hate it when that happens.
Happy 4th of July!
Your trip sounds fantastic. That ride with the hairpin turns sounds like fun.
Miss you.
Hairpin turns - I know the feeling
Your description of the bus ride up the mountain vividly reminds me of our recent trip to Puerto Rico. Our group of 300+ OA Scouts toured the mountainous western region of the island with six commercial tour buses. We also cheered our driver after one particularly harrowing journey. I was 'lucky' enough to be in the lead bus for the whole trip.
I've just returned from St Moritz, and I must say the journey down that mountain was awful! The coach lost control at the top and skidded to a halt sideways across the road! The back of the coach was nearly over the edge, and the driver was still backing back! If you Ever get on a coach down in the snow, make sure the coach has snow chains on. Next time, might not be so lucky!
10 of us then walked down the mounatin to safty, which took over an hour. Very scary experience indeed.