Keeping up with the Reids: Swiss Mountains 28 September

Wednesday 28^th September

Up in the dark before the first bells of the day and we are at the station in good time for a coffee before our 6.54am train. Very full train and it is a 3 hour trip to Milan

. Very full train and it is a 3 hour trip to Milan. All goes to plan and we arrive just about on time which means we get our connection onward to Tirano easily, though no time to stop for food.

We are travelling on to catch the Bernina Express through the mountains to Chur but the train through to Tirano along the shores of Lake Como is so spectacular it is hard to imagine what will be better. We are on the edge of our seats most of the way through the mountain towns until we arrive 2.5 hours later at Tirano, again right on time.

Lake Como

Tirano

By now it is 1pm and we are starving, having managed on only a packet of biscuits so far, so we pull our suitcases across the square to Margy Bar where we enjoy a full though not particularly inspiring lunch. Fill up on excellent apfel strudel for dessert which tops us off nicely.

After filling up our water bottle from the excellent free natural water stand, it is time to make our way to the Rhaetische Bahn for the long awaited scenic journey.

The train is amazing with huge windows into the ceiling area. We are provided with an information booklet and our conductor Patrick comes through and makes sure we have everything we need, as well as selling a wide (and expensive) selection of treats.

Not much to say about the journey except Wow. There is commentary throughout the journey so you know what to look out for and what you are viewing and it certainly is spectacular. The carriage is not full so we have room to move to either side of the carriage to catch the best of what is on offer.

The journey is 3 ½ hours so it is already nearly 6.30 when we arrive in Chur. We only have to cross the platform to get the train that is waiting to carry on to Zurich. Train of course leaves right on time and it is another very scenic trip, especially with the sun setting beautifully.

On arriving in Zurich we have only about 6 minutes to make our connection to Lucerne but with everything well signposted and running carefully to time we make it easily.

Make the mistake of settling ourselves in the first class carriage but before we realise our mistake Holly is nearly asleep and we decide to remain unless asked to move. Of course not long into the journey the conductor comes along and so we have to move. A ridiculous number of stairs to negotiate for a train, but we make it to the next carriage which is frankly almost as nice and there is only another 15 minutes until we arrive.

By now it is after 8.30 and the kids are hungry again and flagging. Locate a kebab shop in the station and pay $15 each for 2 kebabs to fill the holes then we make our way outside to find the bus to the hotel. Luckily again all is well signposted and despite missing a bus that is just pulling away it is not long before another arrives.

After 10 when we finally make it to the hotel. The instructions for collecting the key work out and with a bit of luck and a bit of help we are able to make out way through the intense security, into the building and up to (and find!) our room.

The kids are very soon after in bed and we are all ready for a good nights sleep.

Thursday 29 September

I wake at about 8am but everyone else manages another 45 minutes or so. The sun is shining and the forecast up the mountains is for warm and clear so the plan is to go up Mt Titlis for the day.

Aaron and Aidan head off to find a supermarket and bring in some breakfast and Holly and I sort out the chaos left from the night before.

The boys come back with bread and butter and jam and cheese, so it is a few rounds of toast all round while we organise clothes and jackets for the mountain.

Once we are ready and prepared for anything we go downstairs and need a quick sprint for the bus which kindly waits for us.

Only a 10 minute bus ride to the station and there is 1/2 an hour until our train to Engelberg so we have a wander around the nearby streets and shops and eat buy some pretzels for morning tea.

Back at the station we find our train and make sure we get in a 2nd class carriage. Another great train with not quite the huge windows of the Bernina but good big ones non the less, including some sky viewing.

The train trip to Engelberg is no less spectacular than the others as the train takes us through picture postcard worthy villages and hillsides thick with chalets, cows and green, green grass.

At Engelberg we get our tickets and walk around to the cable car station. Up to the first stop at Trubsee we hop off to have a look around the lake. There are rowboats available so we take one for a little spin and everyone gets to try their hand at rowing.

Back to the Gondolas and up to the 2nd stage where we catch the Rotair - a cable car that rotates 360 degrees as it carries you to the top of the glacier.

Once there we explore the ice cave then walk out to the top of the mountain. Bad planning brings us to the far end of the suspended bridge so I foolishly agree to cross. Not for the faint hearted, though everyone else takes it in their stride.

mountain selfie

A happy couple of hours are spent having snowball fights and sliding down the slope on our bottoms before we have to get the last rotair car of the day down to Stand again.

The trip down is not nearly as scary as going up and we are back safely on solid ground.

A bit of time to look around Engelberg while waiting for the train back to Lucerne.

We find a meal at Jill's Burgers where we pa $107 for 4 (excellent) burgers before making our way back to the hotel and bed.

Friday 30th September

Up Mt Rigi

Take the bus into town which pulls up across the road from the boat landing. There is a boat about to leave and we are quickly ushered on board. It is one of the fancy William Tell express paddle boats and is crowded with people eating and drinking.

Very pleasant cruise across the lake in the sunshine to Vitznau where a whole crowd of people alight to get on the cog wheel trains that are waiting.

Steep and scenic journey to the last station on the top of the mountain. On the way there are many hikers enjoying the day.

Once at the top there is a steep 10 minute walk to the peak where we enjoy the view and eat our bread and cheese for lunch.

Spend some time walking around the mountain and down to the next station where we eventually catch the train back down, this time only as far as Rigi Kaltbad where the cable car leaves from.

Rigi Kaltbad is a small village with a playground where the kids play a while while we enjoy the view.

The cable car is quite packed on the way down and it is a very steep drop down to Weggis.

Quite a walk from the cable car station to the lake shore. Glad we went the other way as it would be a hard ½ uphill climb to go up this way.

Boat back to Lucerne.