Photos from Saturday

Make your own muesli at breakfast - starting with grinding your own blend of oats, rye and wheat!
Glacier Express train from Chur to Visp via Andermatt
Near the Olberalp Pass 6,670 ft.

The route of the Golden Pass train from Montreaux to Gstaad

The Golden Pass refers to a valley running along the northern side of the alps from Montreux in the West to Lucern in the East. It is remarkable because of its narrow track and how it snakes along hanging to the side of the mountains. It doesn't reach nearly the altitude of the other trains I've taken - maybe 3,000 feet. There was plenty of snow though, and we passed by a few ski resorts. Most notably Gstaad.

The train runs on one set of tracks that it shares with trains coming from the other direction. Every so often it pauses at a turn out spot for the oncoming train to pass by. It amazes me that the trains are so well scheduled that you barely have to wait for the train to pass. This line is also noted for some of the historical cars that they run. Although my train didn't have such a car, we passed several. One formal dining car was set for dinner. For a moment I considered hoping off the train and returning in the dining car but didn't want to retrace the distance I'd already traveled. Another car was wood-paneled and had nice period lighting and upolstery. And they have plenty of panorama cars with large windows.

In places the train seems to stop in the front yard of a home as it passes through small villages. It felt almost like we were walking by. You could make eye contact with people working in their yards, pruning their grape vines or walking the dog.

This would be a particularly nice trip in the summer. But for today it was nice to see a different scale than the majestic alps and glaciers in the higher elevations of the other train trips.

The weather has been really mild. I barely need the heavy ski jacket. I think it was close to 55 in Visp and Montreux this afternoon. Though tonight it is now in the low 40s.