Retired Nomads Part 4: Zürich to Chur, Switzerland

Wednesday, July 16

We were up early to put out our luggage and after breakfast we boarded the bus from Zürich to Chur.

from the bus leaving Zürich

It was cloudy with a spritz of rain here and there in Chur. We were given a time to meet in the train station and left to have lunch and explore the town on our own. Chur is the oldest town in Switzerland.

wall art in Chur

We had a yummy lunch of sausages and Rosti. We were going to split the sausages to try both but I preferred the venison so we each kept what we ordered, though the onion sauce with Greg’s was very good.

Rätushof Restaurant

Smoked Venison Sausage with Rosti

Olma-Bratwurst with fine onion sauce & Rosti

We walked around the charming town basking in the views of the Alps. (nothing compared to what was to come) Before meeting for the train we went in search of gelato. It started to rain, and we took shelter in the train station where we were to meet the group.

The Glacier Express is affectionately called the slowest express train in the world. It’s a six-to-8-hour journey which spans dramatic aqueducts that cross plunging gorges, remarkable tunnels that bore through hillsides and some of the most beautiful alpine landscapes. This elaborate engineering project took decades to construct, and its glorious completion in 1930 made the remote reaches of the Alps accessible to everyday travelers. The Oberalp Pass is 6,670 ft above sea level and going through the impressive Rhine Gorge was a highlight.

Our group took up an entire car with only a few empty seats. We had 1 free seat at our table for 4 and the single was the guide who spent most of the time interacting with the group and not at the table most of the time.

The configuration of the car is 4 seats on one side and 2 seats on the other. Half sit forward and half sit backwards. Of course, EVERYONE claimed they couldn’t sit backwards without getting sick but somehow, they managed since everyone couldn’t sit facing forward. In terms of view, both sides offer spectacular views as the Rhine Gorge is all around. Of course, one side at a particular time may have the better view.

There was commentary of the sites as we went along. It was mostly just cloudy but towards the end there was a bit of rain. We could only imagine how glorious the scenery would have been in the sunlight. (or covered in snow in the winter) It was fabulous none-the-less.

They provided water and for those that didn’t drink they were told they could substitute sodas, but the train said no. They did eventually give in. We took the wine and ordered sodas with dinner which they chose not to charge us for. There were a few people next to us that didn’t want their wine, so they gave it to us. We shared with the couple at the table next to us. We ate with that couple often on the cruise and we found it interesting that their names were Karen & Steve (names of a couple we met on a world cruise and still stay in touch with) however, their personalities were more like our friends Rick & Jane whom we also met on a world cruise and stay in touch with.

Pictures just can't do the scenery justice especially in a moving train through glass on a cloudy day, but it was breathtaking in person. One poor lady was so sick I don't think she looked out the window once, and there were people towards the back that were more interested in talking than taking in the view, but most were captivated and snapping photos galore.

Glacier Express

Steve & Karen

cute yurt

Disentis - largest Romansh speaking community in Switzerland

display in the train car showing where you were

layers of snow drift fence up the mountain

we got out for a rest and to take in the view

the train cars in 1st class

several weren't drinking and they shared their extra bottles of wine with us

there are several stops to pick up drop off others on the train

salad course

serving the dinner

pork "stew" with green beans & something like spaetzle

caramel tart

cute cola bottle

a cookie treat before we left

We had a 3-course dinner in our first-class car. I walked through one of the other cars on the way to the gift shop and their food didn’t look nearly as tasty as ours, so was pleasantly surprised when ours was quite tasty.

Our journey ended in Zermatt, home of the Matterhorn, where our hotel was a short walk away from the station. It was a lovely hotel in the charming ski town of Zermatt. We were told that the hotels in Zermatt didn’t have A/C, but it was hot and stuffy in the room. Since we were right on the main street it was too noisy to leave the windows open, so sleeping was tough. (we had the evening sun on the balcony)