Swiss Holiday - Part 3 - St Moritz and Appenzell

Hopp Schwiiz! This is what you hear when Federer gets on the court - Go Switzerland!

One of the many very expensive hotels in St Moritz.

Crack crack! It's safe, but it was still scary.

Switzerland is great, I was having a wonderful time, and so far I hadn't even visited any of the major cities - but that would come later. While in the East of the country, it was all mountains and beautiful towns, so jumping back in the car, we headed South, towards the luxury alpine resort town of St. Moritz. Situated in the canton of Graubünden, the most southeastern part of Switzerland. The town sits at 1800m above sea level, and has a population of about 5000 people, but during the Winter months it is packed with the Upper-Class skiers and Jet-setters (mainly from Russia!). Not my kind of place really, people walking around in sun glasses that cost more than my whole ensemble (and then some), fur ringing their necks and pure-bred dogs, looking just as fluffy and posh as their owners, walking around on blinged-out leashes. I have no problem with what I wear (clothes are for warmth and comfort), I'm fine with having very little money, and can only laugh at some of these people who pay so much for a hotel here and wear such terrible clothes - money may bring security but it won't give you style. Just to give you an idea of the place, this town has some of the most expensive resorts in the World - a night's stay in a 5-star suite, queen sized bed, mountain views and a 'modest' 55m2 (a normal 2 bedroom flat in Spain), for only CHF1,500 ($2,000). This is more than most Spanish people earn in a month, and I could live on that for 2 months in South America - yet is just the tip of the iceberg as far as hotels go. The town, apart from being super-posh, has hosted the Winter Olympics twice, in 1928 and 1948.

The drive to St Moritz - I never get tired of seeing mountains!

Ice skating in St Moritz.

The lift to Diazolezza.

I didn't spend any time in the town, as it's all just expensive shops and hotels, milling Russians in brand-everything spending their cash, but we did stop just outside for a look at the frozen lake. I'd never actually seen a frozen lake for real, let alone walk on one, which is what I did. It was scary yet exciting - not that slippery either, but on occasion there were a few cracking sounds from under my feet which made my heart jump, fearing a fall into ice-cold water and a watery death within seconds. In reality, the ice was at least half a metre thick in most places and there were loads of people on it, skating and sledding - I wasn't the largest on the ice so there was no danger of falling through. I tried telling my heart that, but when does it ever listen to your head? Around the edge of the lake in front of the town, a snow-track had been laid down, allowing people to Nordic ski, while others skated around in the middle. We drove through rich kid's ski town and headed towards the Dizvolezza ski slopes - taking another expensive chair lift ride to the top. At 3000m above sea level the Berghaus Diavolezza offer splendid 360 degree views of snowy-white mountains. The mountains form a kind of ring, jutting up around the Bernina Glacier, and make the natural border between Switzerland and Italy. The highest peak is Piz Bernina, an impressive 4049m, but we were hiking towards Munt Pers, which at 3,207m, is now slouch either. 

The view from Diavolezza.

The ski resort and our 'peak' behind it.

Sunset from the chairlift going down.

We walked past all the skiiers heading for the slopes and also the tempting smells of hot food and the promise of cold beer being served at the refuge - we needed to make a move or we'd miss the last lift down. I'm not making excuses - although I'm not the fittest hiker or climber, I do ok - but I hadn't been feeling very well for the last week. Since finishing up work just before Christmas, I'd had a bit of a cold, fever, runny nose and sore throat, which was still persisting a little just before New Years. Maybe it was my cold, the deep snow and hard to follow path, but maybe it was the altitude a little too (3,200m), as I struggled a little and found myself out of breath most of the way. I laboured on, Alicia way ahead of me as usual, and finally made it to the top. Of course the view was completely worth it - the World always looks better from the top of a mountain. Time to rest and relax, take in the feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction, wishing that life could be like this every day, and of course some photos. Knowing our time for the last lift was running out, we thought it was 4:30, we hurried down as fast as it was possible with the deep snow and my frozen body. We got to the station and found out that we had missed the last lift, the 4:15, by 5 minutes - I couldn't believe it! We were lucky enough, however, to be offered a ride down with the staff - if we didn't get this option, it would have been to pay a ridiculously high price for a room for the night, or spend the next 3 hours walking down at sunset, hoping not to be run over by a snowplough. In the end, this can be chalked up as another great experience with a smile on my face at the end of the day!

Frosty trees on the drive to Appenzel.

Small church in Appenzel.

Inside the St. Mauritius church.

Driving through small towns and villages is always a treat - off the tourist trail, buildings that rarely get photographed, the quiet countryside, you also get to see how local people go about their daily lives and even talk to people (and not be asking for directions or prices!). While this is lovely, it's not always possible, and sometimes you need to be on that tourist trail - there is a reason why lots of people visit certain places after all! I was lucky though - although there are always tourists, it wasn't the season for it - so prices were probably lower, less people, but on the other hand not everything was open. One of these places was the town of Appenzel. The drive itself was worth it - cruising along small, windy roads, single file traffic, but not in a hurry because it's so beautiful out the window.

Greener and softer - the Appenzel region.

The buildings of Appenzel.

Lichtenstein is across the river and Austria only 19kms!

On our way, we drove right past Liechtenstein and it's capital Verduz - to me this is so strange still, even after years of living in Europe, but to be able to just drive through, or past, another country in a day is exciting. It's not hard sometimes here, Switzerland itself is small, but it's also bordered by 5 countries - Liechtenstein is only 25kms long as well. Just after my child-like excitement had passed, we came to a T-intersection - we turned left, but if we'd turned right, we would have crossed the border into Austria! The landscape changes here - from the sharp, tall peaks of the South, to the more rolling hills of the Appenzel region in the North. This area is famous for being the most Swiss of the Switzerland - it retains the rural customs and traditions such as the ceremonial descent of the cattle in autumn and cultural events such as folk music and rustic dances. I was hoping to see a yoldelling concert while I was here but no such luck. Something special I learnt later was that Appenzell is also known for it's institution of Landsgemeinden - democratic assemblies held in the open air. Every male and female citizen over twenty years of age must (under a financial penalty) appear personally and vote on local issues every year. Swiss people not from this area also say that the locals eat dog - something I'm not too sure is true (I saw none on the menu, but maybe it's a home-cooked dish...), just another way of making fun of your neighbours I guess!

A very elaborately designed and painted hardware store sign.

Appenzel earrings - worn in the right ear by men only.

Got a spare 1000f ($1400)? You need this then!

Walking around this car-free town, I felt a little like I was in a time-warp, going back hundreds of years. The traditional wood-panelled buildings, signs on store doorways and just everything seemed to be from a quieter, simpler time. Stores displayed their good in shop windows, and some were open to tourists as well - some offering traditionally made, Appenzel belts from real cow hide (fur still on) as well as traditional clothes - metal suspenders, leather shoes, embroidered vests, and single earrings (for men) - that every good Swiss person should own. Something else very from traditional here are the local pastries, called a Beiber. Yes, just like Justin, they are flowery and doughy. Made with layers of marzipan and gingerbread with honey dough, they are tasty and much better than the silly boy who sings pop songs. It felt much colder there than anywhere else I'd been so far, but I kept forgetting that it was December and Winter - the sun was shining and grass was green, it was deceptive! We ducked inside the church for a bit of quiet and to warm up a little - I love the churches in this country, and yes, there was an organist playing. We also had a very traditional Swiss meal at a restaurant in the main square - Älplermagronen with churizo and Rösti. The first is basically a Swiss version of Mac and Cheese topped off with a sausage, the Rösti is similar to a potato fritter, and was originally a breakfast dish eaten by farmers. Both were very filling and cheesy, and nearly put me into a very contented food coma!

Traditional belts from Appenzel.

Lichtensteig not Liechtenstein!

The church in Glarus.

On the way home, going back a different way, we went though Glarus as well as Lichtensteig. This is not to be mistaken for the country of Liechtenstein! The place was quiet, as Swiss people are always working hard, but we walked around and enjoyed the peace and quiet if the streets and the beautiful buildings. There was a big Christmas tree still up and decorated, shop windows full of seasonal gifts and I also learnt a new word, schnäppchen, which quickly has become my favourite German word! My favourite street name is in Chur, Süsswinkelgasse, but my new word means "bargains," so when used with the word Jäger (yes, as in Jägermeister, which means "Hunt Master" or "Master Hunter"), it means "Bargain Hunter," which is great! I would love to learn German - I think it's a very interesting language, and supposedly fairly easy for English speakers to pick up. So far my holiday was a week down, and with New Years Eve dawning, it was time to head into the city - first stop Zurich then continuing on to Bern.

Goodbye mountains... it's time to hit the cities!