Glacier Express from St. Moritz to Zermatt

Posted on August 30, 2022 by Travel Spirit

On June 13, 2022 I boarded the Glacier Express panoramic train from St. Moritz at 8:50am and arrived in Zermatt, Switzerland at 5:10pm. The train ride was dramatic! Big cliffs..deep valleys..rushing streams.. quaint hillside villages! The Glacier Express is a direct train and is also referred to as the ‘slowest express train in the world’. It navigates through narrow valleys, tight curves, 91 tunnels, and across 291 bridges.

Scenery from the train

I sat next to a lady from Germany who works for the train company, traveling with her son and husband (they’re pictured below) and we chatted off and on throughout the trip. She gave me her contact information and invited me to come and visit. I pre-purchased the lunch which was average and not worth the 40 Francs.

p.s. If you’ve just began reading…I planned an 11 week, 5 European country, 21 accommodations solo trip from April – June of 2022. Photos were taken with my LG Velvet Android phone.

Muottas Muragl Panorama Trail to Alp Languard

Posted on August 29, 2022 by Travel Spirit

On my second and final day in Saint Moritz, I took a 10 minute bus ride to Punt Muragl and purchased a ticket for 39 francs for the funicular, which dates back to 1907, rises to an elevation of 8057 feet (2456 meters) above sea level and covers a distance of 7221 feet (2201 meters) at a gradient of 56% to Muottas Muragl. I then hiked 7 km on the Panorama Trail to Alp Languard. The views were incredible! There were only a handful of people on it and one lady I briefly spoke to said it was the perfect day for it weather wise and also that the crowds hadn’t arrived yet. I had an egg sandwich for breakfast and took a sandwich with me.

At one point in the trail you walk thru a short metal structure, pictured below. There was a hole in it which made a perfect picture frame.

The funicular ride to Muottas Muragi…

Down in the valley the five Engadin lakes were sparkling. The Bernina Massif mountain peaks and glaciers are beautiful!

The trail was mostly flat and well maintained. I had the trail to myself for two of the three hours it took to hike.

There were a few benches on the trail to take a break.

This man was calling for his dog, down on the left, but he came running towards me and then ran to him.

Here’s the chair lift to go back down.

I’ve been on plenty of chair lifts snow skiing, but it’s entirely different hopping on a fast moving one at the top to ride down! Yes, those are La Sportiva hiking boots…love them!

The chair lift ends in Pontresina. I then took the train back to Saint Moritz.

p.s. If you’ve just began reading…I planned an 11 week, 5 European country, 21 accommodations solo trip from April – June of 2022. Photos were taken with my LG Velvet Android phone.

Washington/British Columbia Trip – Day 4

Posted on August 8, 2011 by Travel Spirit

Although we hadn’t planned on going to Olympic National Park, it turned out to be the highlight of the entire trip for me. It was another 13 hour day. We drove 40 minutes from Seattle to catch the Edmonds/Kingston ferry, where we drove our car on. The ferry ride over took about 20 minutes. After driving a couple of hours, our first stop was the beautiful Crescent Lake, where we had lunch at the Lodge. The blues are so brilliant!

From there we made our way to the Hurricane Ridge Road entrance to Olympic National Park. It was a windy road with scary cliff drop offs, but so worth it! We hiked the 3 mile round trip, Hurricane Hill trail. I have hiked at some amazing places, but this is my favorite hike.