Arrived at last!

Wednesday, 9 September

Well, so much for driving up to the airport: no bookable parking spaces available.  So it was back to Station Cars for the ride to the station (they had quoted for the ride all the way to LCY, but it was a bit more than I’d expected).  So having consolidated the packing to one carry-on bag per man, we decided to take the train, deciding at London Bridge whether to continue by rail or get a taxi.  We opted for the former, and it served us well enough - despite the almost painful noise of the Jubilee line train.  

We had time for tea and a sandwich before boarding, and were in time to see the incoming plane arrive, hence we knew which way to start walking.  Needless to say it stopped at the westernmost gate of the airport, so we were glad we’d slimmed down the luggage.  It was the first time we’d flown in an Embraer E2, so, although the take-off was impressive, the leg room was not, and the cabin was so noisy that we couldn’t hear the announcements - or indeed each other.  Still unlike our last three attempts, it got us to Zürich with minimal delay.  We were then treated to an interesting bus tour of the airport - shame it was dark by then.  We were next subjected to the new fingerprints and mugshot process at ZRH, and though it wasted a bit of time, it was less of a trial than we’d feared.  But so bloody unnecessary, had we had the sense to stay in the EU.

The ride on to Bern was quick and painless, though it was disappointing that there was no service in the restaurant.  We’d stocked up on a few essentials at Zürich airport - just as well, since nothing was open in Bern station by the time we got there.  It took us a while to find the tram stop we needed, but we found it eventually, and were deposited not far from our flat.  The flat is spacious, and it’s well furnished and equipped - just as well, given what we’ve paid for it, and the fact that we couldn’t use it on the first night of the rental.  

Thursday

The plan was to take a ride up the Niesenbahn to the summit, which offers fantastic views.  We were optimistic as we left Bern in perfect sunny weather.  The cloud built as we travelled south, and by the time we got to Spiez it was clear that the mountain tops were wreathed in cloud.  We opted to stay on the train and carry on over the Lötschberg to Brig.  Good decision: on the other side of the mountain the weather was perfect once again.  As we’d arranged to meet our friend Matthias mid-afternoon at Belp, we stopped in Brig only long enough to have a pizza in the rather good station buffet. 

Matthias had a short-notice opportunity to visit a historic amphibian plane at the airport: it was due to leave just as our train arrived in Belp, so we missed seeing it.  We certainly heard it though: the Grumman Albatross is powered by Wright radial engines, which you don’t hear often these days.

Matthias kindly invited us back to his flat for tea, and then even more kindly drove us back to our flat in Weissenbühl, and will then have had a rotten drive home in rush-hour traffic complicated by roadworks.

After a quick wash and brush-up, it was off to Pam’s for dinner.  Despite the fact that she was preparing for an epic journey to various -stans two days later, she had prepared a meal for seven: us, old friends Lesley and Carlo and a couple who had lived in Dundee before moving to Bern.  Splendid evening in good company, but after the efforts of the last few days, I wasn’t on top form, and we left fairly early.

Friday

Off to Bellinzona, with a brief stop in Luzern, where we each had a snack at the station and a stroll down to the lakeside and the somewhat phallic displays of busy lizzies.  The Lucerne Festival was just coming to an end, so I took a quick look at the programme.  To my surprise, there was to be an organ recital the following day, given by none other than Thomas Ospital, whom we heard playing in Lagrasse some years ago.  His recital was memorable: he’s the only organist we heard in Lagrasse who managed to get the registration right on the rather over-powered organ.  I was sorry we had to give it a miss: the return train from Bellinzona would have been a bit much - and the ticket price for the recital was distinctly Swiss…

We took the train through the old Gotthard tunnel, enjoying the amazing scenery on the way.  The photo shows the final view of the church at Wassen, which one sees from the train three times - below, level and above - as the line climbs through a series of spiral tunnels.

The flat is close to the railway and bus stations, overlooking the street from a full-width balcony.  Though this makes it a bit noisy in the daytime, it was quiet at night.  The place is well furnished and adequately equipped, but very spartan: there is one picture in the whole place, and there are no mirrors in the bedrooms.  None of the bathroom appliances had a working plug,  I guess we’d been spoiled by the very nice flat in Weissenbühl, so anything less had to be a bit of a disappointment.  It helped that the landlord had left a bottle of fizz, which we enjoyed out on the balcony as the sun went down.

Saturday

We took a stroll down through the market: lots of clothes, hats and bags, but the interesting part was the food: lots of cheeses and salami, plus two of those revolting churns of polenta!  We decided not to battle through the crowds back up the hill, ao carried on a little further through the handsome old town, where a bus promptly appeared, heading for the station, and stopping a stone’s throw from our front door after a route round bits of Bellinzona we wouldn’t otherwise have seen.

Next a train along to Locarno, and a boat ride to Ascona, and lunch at one of the restaurants on the waterfront.  Excellent, generously loaded pizzas. As usual we fiddled with the itinerary as the spirit moved us: next we took a boat to Bardasso, calling at the islands thereof, and watched a lot of sailing boats, including a flotilla of those tiny training dinghies.  We got a bus back from Bardasso to Locarno, where we quickly connected with a train back to Bellinzona.  The station co-op equipped us for a picnic supper: melon, bread, ham and cheese.

Sunday

Having enjoyed the Postauto ride to Bellinzona from Chur where we were staying last time, we thought we’d do the ride in reverse.  Unfortunately, it wasn’t the double-decker we had last time, but the views were wonderful nevertheless.  I’d hoped to have lunch in Chur at a café that we’ve used in the past, but it was closed, so lunch was Co-op sandwiches on the station platform, entertaining ourselves by feeding the sparrows.  Next train took us through the spectacular Rhine gorge and up to Disentis-Mustér, where we had to change to the Matterhorn-Gotthard Bahn to go to Andermatt.  If you ever get the chance, do it!  The scenery is unbelievably beautiful and dramatic.  The short ride from Andermatt to Göschenen follows the gorge of the Reuss, which was marginally less spectacular because of the hot, dry summer, but amazing nonetheless.

Then from Göschenen back ‘home’ to Bellinzona, and supper with Co-op lasagne, which will leave us with plenty for tomorrow.  We’re both getting a bit old for these full-day itineraries.  So we’ll maybe check out a castle or two here in town tomorrow, and maybe traipse down to Lugano for lunch.  We have a long day ahead of us on Tuesday, so I think we’ll make a rare attempt at moderation tomorrow - at least as regards travel plans!

An interesting aside: our bus this morning was driven by a young woman who needed a colleague to navigate, since she plainly hadn’t driven the route before.  I found myself wondering if she’d driven a bus before.  Or indeed whether she’d driven anything before.  By and large, OK, but she flung the bus into bends as if she was driving a Golf GTI.  Her already balding minder was close to hairless when we got to Chur.  But we live to tell the tale.  Incidentally, no-one attempted to check our travel passes during the bus trip.

Monday

Our last full day in CH, so I thought it was time we visited at least one of Bellinzona’s castles.  The bus schedules for two of them were pretty unhelpful, so we decided just to visit the Castelgrande, which is reached by a lift not too far from the flat.  Huge, impressive structure dating, if I remember right, from the fifteenth century.  It also houses a museum, but we were more interested in the huge sculpture exhibition laid out on the castle lawn, and of course the views of the city and the mountains.  We walked (or in my case, hobbled) down to the bus stop in the old town and rode back up to the station.

Next stop Lugano, where we walked a little and found a friendly, if expensive, restaurant for lunch.  I’d been having a look at the boat timetables, and found that we could do a brief round trip to the Italian exclave of Campione d’Italia, the main reason for the existence of which, these days at least, is a huge casino of rare ugliness.  We stopped for a drink at the café closest to the pier.  Its opening hours are 10:00-04:00, no doubt to enable the drowning of sorrows - or maybe celebration, of course - arising from a long night at the casino.

Quiet evening at the flat, using up leftovers and doing most of the packing.

Tuesday

Final packing and cleaning.  For the first time ever in a holiday flat, we were required to strip the beds and leave the linen in the bathroom.  We also had to schlepp the rubbish to the nearest municipal bins, for which Martyn heroically volunteered.  You aren’t allowed to put bottles in the municipal bag, so absent any other advice, we left them in a carrier bag for the cleaner to sort out.  Not sure quite what to make of the flat.  It was convenient for the bus/railway station, spacious and quite well furnished and equipped, but minimalist to the point of spartan, and the house rules were bünzlig in the extreme.  But it did the job well enough, and if we returned to Bellinzona, we’d probably use it again. [Later: maybe not: Martyn got lots of bites, possibly from bed bugs…]

Decent train ride to Zürich (and by golly, the Gotthard base tunnel is long!) with a quick and easy change at the Hauptbahnhof.  Airport ZRH has changed a lot since my days there, but a nice remaining touch is the observation terrace.  We’d brought sandwiches, using up leftover bread, ham, butter and cheese while we watched the air traffic.  Limited delay, so we were soon ensconced in the cabin of the BA Cityflyer E190.  Better leg room than in Helvetic’s E2, a bit less noise, and audible announcements.  A decent flight, with good views of the countryside, but again it parked at the far end of the airport.  With my current mobility issues, this was not welcome!  Nevertheless, we opted for the DLR and tube to London Bridge, and the consequent long walk from the tube to the railway station.  Despite the ‘standing room only’ warning on the indicator board, we got seats to Disgustedville.  The taxi took a long time to get through the congestion in town, but cost no more than usual.  Simple supper from the freezer, first load of washing programmed to run next morning and an early night.

Wednesday

A day of household admin, and a moment to reflect on the trip.  It began ill-starred because of the air traffic chaos.  I wasn’t in great shape for this type of trip because of arthritic knees and a painful achilles tendon.  It convinced me that I need (a) to lose a lot of weight, (b) get into a routine of leg strengthening exercises and (c) get out and walk a bit more.  Much as we love Switzerland, it is mighty expensive!  It’s hard to get a one-course meal and a glass of wine each for much under £100, so we had quite a few meals at home.   As always, it was a delight to connect again with old friends.  But we began to feel that we’re getting a bit old for this kind of trip, especially when the transport screws up.  We’ve had problems with trains and aeroplanes on too many occasions, and they make life really trying and stressful for us oldies. Maybe if I can summon up some kind of fitness…