For the weekend we headed to the Alps to tour, see St Moritz and spend the evening in Alvaneu.
We started on the train with amazing views the whole way. A part of the train ride is a Unesco World Heritage site itself and after going on it, I absolutely see why and would highly recommend everyone do the ride, it's a destination in itself. Below are all views from the train.
This stunning lake is not captured on camera anywhere as epically as in real life. The cliffs are nearly vertical, yet there are occasional villages on the banks.
We made a quick stop at Chur to meet up with my aunt and uncle before we continued along to Thusis for lunch. Got a kick that at the train station was a Tres Amigos Mexican restaurant.
More views from the train.
We arrived in Thusis for lunch, it was a cute town.
My family chose a great spot and sat on the patio with great views.
We started with a fresh salad.
And of course a schnitzel which I loved.
We checked out a local cheese monger with amazing products from the Alps.
Then back on the train and we headed to check out St Moritz and see what all the buzz is about.
On the route was the approach to the world famous bridge!
Then up and up we went, the ride was incredibly smooth.
Now we're starting to see snow as we get closer to St Moritz.
We arrived in St Moritz and headed along the lakefront to take a look before heading up the hill into town.
A pano of the lake, most of the lake was still frozen over.
We then headed up via the long escalators into town.
A few pretty buildings, but most were closed since this is an off season.
We stopped for a hot chocolate for MsFlamingo and beers for the guys.
And of course playing with the pups nearby.
With that, we headed back to the train to head to Alvaneu. To be honest we weren't impressed with St Moritz, compared to Zurich, Lucerne, Bern, etc - it felt cold and very Russian.
Some Rivella for the train ride, I wish we had this in the US.
We arrived in Alvaneu and had an awesome bus driver that took us up to the village, he flew up the hill and hit every apex perfectly.
What a beautiful and "magical" village as I'd describe it. To me this is WAY better than St Moritz.
We checked into Hotel Belfort, a cute bed and breakfast type place.
Our room was perfect for a bed and breakfast with a balcony that had amazing views. Huge thank you to my aunt and uncle for arranging this!
Views from the balcony.
We met the family down for dinner at the restaurant in the hotel. It was very cute and I imagine this being the potential start to a future Chef's Table episode as they grow over the next couple of years.
I had a great fresh asparagus soup with shrimp wrapped in puff.
For mains, MsFlamingo had a great chicken over risotto.
I had a fantastic lamb rack with a pesto style crust.
We shared desserts with a mille feuille and meringue dessert.
I went with a cheese sampler.
After that feast, we headed to bed and slept great. In the morning we enjoyed the breakfast at the hotel.
Fresh croissants.
The best fresh farm egg, and hello sheep in the background!
After breakfast it was time to head to the airport and toured the town on the way to the bus stop.
What a beautiful town, we absolutely loved it and would love to spend more time here hiking during the summer or skiing during the winter.
Then the bus to the train station.
Amazing views from the train station on our way back to Zurich.
And a deer farm! This was a huge joke/bet with Zuerichspotter and myself because I swore I saw one and he thought (and is right), that it's absurd to have a deer farm, but proof!
We had such a great time and our family did such a fantastic job of showing us around. We were sad to leave Switzerland for now, but we'll be back soon enough!
Trip links:
- Budapest
- Onyx
- Zurich
- Lucerne
- Bern
- Dux
- Escriba
- Xerta
- Lasarte
- A.O.C.
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