The long journey to the snow..

Whiteout and snowflakes…

Whether you landed here from Trip Advisor or directly, I am pleased to share our experiences at the Engadine Alps, where we spent some fabulous five days (four nights).

Day 1

The long journey to the snow..

Arrived Zurich Airport at 12.45 pm, baggage collection and exit was fast. Went straight to Swiss Pass counter (little further away round the corner from the SBB ticket counters). Though I had a tentative itinerary, the lady at the counter was kind enough to provide us more details, fares, connections, etc. Bought an 8-day Swiss Pass @CHF 363 each, had a light lunch from a nearby café, took the lift down to the train station and off we went to Zurich Main station. Boarded the waiting train bound for Chur. After ca 1.5 hours we reached Chur and changed to Rhaetian Railways, a small gauge train, for a beautiful 2 hours ride to St. Moritz. The journey not only gave us much needed relaxation but also refreshed us with the stunning scenery as the train passed through several bridges and tunnels including the famous Albula tunnel.

Took the Postbus No.1 waiting outside St.Moritz train station and got off at Silvaplana Post bus stop; our apartment Chesa Munteratsch was just across the road. (My review of the apartment posted separately.) It was already 6.30 pm and dark. Dropped our luggage and went quickly to Volg supermarket, 100 metres away, and bought milk, bread, butter etc. The chillness was getting into our bones and so walked back to our apartment and retired early. End of day 1

Day 2

Whiteout and snowflakes…

Enjoyed the panoramic view of the lake (which was frozen) from the balcony of our apartment over cup of coffee. The weather looked bright though not sunny. Visited the local Gothic church beside the lake and then took the free local bus to the cable station in Surlej to go to the Corvatsch mountain. Got 50% off on the cable car ticket as we had Swiss Pass and then took the cable ride to Murtèl. Spent some time at this mid-point and changed to another cable car to reach Corvatsch top station. It was a beautiful ride but the weather was around minus 8 degrees C at the top! Unfortunately by the time we reached Corvatsch peak, the cloud started gathering over the top and soon it was all whiteout; we could see nothing except the blinding, white hazy cloud! Had some hot coffee and croissant at the restaurant and returned to St. Moritz.

White out

White out

Corvatcsh

Went up to St. Moritz Dorf – the town area – and had a wonderful lunch at Hauser Restaurant. Seems to be a very popular place among the locals, as we had to wait for over 10 mins to get seated. We had a nice window side table and it was a delight to see streams of snowflakes falling outside the glass while we enjoyed our hot Asparagus soup, Rosti Ortolana and Fish & Chips. Came out, walked through the streets enjoying the snowflakes falling like soft petals and did some window-shopping of the high-end boutiques. Without doubt, as several websites mention, St. Moritz is a playground for the glamorous and wealthy.

Picked up chicken meat, eggs and vegetables from the nearby Coop supermarket and walked around the lake watching the hectic preparations for the forthcoming white turf event to be held in the middle of the frozen lake! Back to station and took Postbus 4 to our apartment. We made full use of the nice kitchen at the apartment and made a chicken dish, salad and had dinner with a glass of wine watching the flickering lights over the Corvatsch peak and the Nira Alpina hotel below, from our dining room.

End of Day 2