Switzerland and Italy, July 1988
Friday 8th July 1988
Holmes Chapel to Basel
Holmes Chapel 09.09, Crewe 09.40. We arrived in London Euston early at 11.20. We crossed London in 35 minutes, no time wasted! We left London Victoria on the stopping train to Dover departing at 12.20 and arriving in Dover at 14.15. We checked the boat times on arrival at Dover Western Docks. The next departure from here was at 16.30 but also saw that there was an earlier one leaving from Dover Eastern Docks at 15.30 so we walked along the seafront to go for that. After getting our boarding cards we boarded the bus down to the boat. The ferry left on time and arrived in Calais at 18.00, French time. We had two hours here. We were confused at first because the bus had taken us to the main terminal building at passport control but then they didn’t even check us! We eventually found our way and wandered across the rails into the town and saw the sights along the Rue Royale and the old bell tower. We had a short stop in front of Rodin’s statue of the Burghers of Calais by the town hall and ate some food from our rucksacks. The gardens were very colourful, even better than our neighbour Reggie’s flowers, so much more advanced being further south. Our train was due to leave Calais Ville at 20.09 but didn’t leave until 20.30 because of other trains before it, all a bit confusing. We found our reserved seats and settled down next to a young French couple. We woke up next morning in Basel having slept most of the night.
Saturday 9th July 1988
Basel to Vaduz
We walked through the customs channel on Basel station and passed to the main Swiss station and under the subway for the platform for the train to Buchs leaving at 08.30. The half price rail fare was 19.50SF (Swiss francs) approx £7.80 for the 195 kilometres, 119 miles from Basel to Buchs. When we arrived we were pleasantly surprised by the free bus service provided to Vaduz. We arrived there at 09.15 and walked to Hotel Engels but we were too early. The receptionist requested we call back at 12.00 noon as the room we had booked was still occupied and guests are entitled to keep there rooms from the night before until 10.00 each day, of course that is normal practice at any hotel so we understood. We wandered around the small town and bought croissants and milk and ate in the park. It had been raining the previous night so we put our cagoules on the park bench. Later we wandered around the town to the church and saw the Princess Box above the altar. It was nearing 12.00 so we went back to the hotel and booked in. We had showers and slept until about 14.00 to be woken by a brass band. It was the small Liechtenstein army together with a Tyrolean band. We had a grandstand view from our hotel balcony. We didn’t mind being woken up to the colourful display and sound. At 15.15 they marched through the town and on to the town square opposite our room. They walked round and round the grass area playing good old Tyrolean oompah tunes. There were drinks on offer down below, K.J. noticed they were free. He wanted to go down and grab some but R.S. said “No, too cheeky” and K.J. obeyed! Eventually he dragged me out of bed and we walked around Vaduz until nearly teatime. We bought bratwurst at 3.50SF each and had a big ice cream each at our hotel that turned out to be the best price in the town. Ruth’s glass had a red and white checked handkerchief in the glass. We went to bed and had a good night’s sleep after all that travelling last night.
Sunday 10th July 1988
Vaduz to Malbun
We woke up and showered at 08.00 and down for a really filling breakfast of rolls, croissants, coffee, jams and cheese. Much of what we couldn’t eat would do for our lunch later so we took a couple of large doggy bags! We packed our small rucksack for a walk up the mountainside to Malbun to the east, to the mountain ridge bordering on to Austria. We set off along the side of the hotel to the castle and sung our song! We continued along the road through woods and eventually found a left turn off the road. It was a long, hot walk so we stopped at a bench halfway to the tunnel. Looking back there was a fantastic view of Vaduz and Balzars and also over the near part of Switzerland. We saw some hand gliders coming over the mountain and now above us. We had another stop at a wooden fountain with wood picnic benches and tables next to it. Here we drank and drank, as it was all-uphill we getting overheated. We were near to the tunnel now, through this at about ½ a mile in length and emerged the other side of the hill to different scenery. We came to an old church on the right hand side in a place called Steg. We stopped here for our lunch and ate what we had brought with us from breakfast. Just after the church we took a footpath off to the right signposted Malbun, however it was so overgrown we turned back and continued along the road for another 3 miles into Malbun. The road opened out to white mountains in front of us. These form the border between Liechtenstein and Austria. We walked off the road to the left across a field footpath into Malbun. We had a much-deserved Cornetto ice cream each here and sat by a fountain for a while. We had a look at the cable car price to the top of the ridge – 32 francs so we (i.e. K.J.) decided to walk to the top. The path was quite good and very interesting. There were good views of Austria and the valley below. We saw a family of marmots with their funny squeaking sounds. That made Kevin’s day and he was quick to point out that we would never have seen them if we had spent 32 francs on a cable car ride… These animals are quite rare and are peculiar to the Alps, well they are peculiar anyway! We walked past wooden snow breakers then up a steep walk to the restaurant at the top by the cable car top station. We thought we saw edelweiss but on close inspection it wasn’t. We took some photos and sat for a long while taking in the views. It was 18.00 so we decided we must go back down to Vaduz. The last post bus had already gone so we walked, well we intended to anyway. The way down was much quicker than the hot walk up. We saw more thing going down on the same route. We stopped at a water fountain after the tunnel. It took us 3 hours to get back to Vaduz at 21.00. We had some tea in our room and a big ice cream each at the hotel followed by a couple of beers. We retired for the night, tired but very satisfied.
Monday 11th July 1988
Vaduz to Zermatt
After another filling breakfast we took the free bus at 09.15 to Buchs. We paid our bill at the hotel. This came to 198SF, approx £85 for two nights bed and breakfast. From Buchs we boarded a direct train to Chur and then left on the 10.48 Glacier Express of the Furka-Oberalpbahn from Chur to Zermatt. It was expensive and we also had to pay a further 6SF each for seat reservations. We could pay half fare from Chur to Disentis but from Disentis to Zermatt it was full fare. K.J. noticed the lady at the desk had sold us return tickets so he dashed back to the ticket office and was refunded 88SF. The Glacier Express was full and an extra train was soon laid on for the extra passengers. If we travel again on this train it is better to reserve ahead. There wasn’t much to see for the first few miles heading west from Chur but after Ilanz the Rhine Gorge came into view and the train passed alongside it. Eventually the gorge became smaller and the scenery better as we could now see over the gorge to the country beyond. The highlight of this part of the trip was the gradual ascent on the rack and pinion up the Oberalp Pass then past the lake at the summit and the long twisty descent down to Andermatt. We had our lunch on the train as this was the middle of the journey. We passed through the Furka tunnel where in previous years we had followed the winding track up part of the pass to Grimsel. Now the journey is shorter and the opening of the tunnel allows the line from Andermatt to Zermatt to be open all year. The track now follows the Rhone Valley and a gradual descent to Brig. We didn’t see the Rhone Glacier, which was disappointing. With the diversion away from the glacier itself can this train really be called the Glacier Express? The scenery was less interesting from Brig to Visp but there was an interesting view of the Lotschberg line heading for Goppenstein and through the tunnel to Kandersteg. This line leaves the valley from Visp and follows a steep angle up the mountainside. Under the track alongside the wall is the huge BLS (Bern-Lotschberg-Simplon) insignia. We continued along the Rhone valley to Visp then entered the Mattertal valley heading south from the Rhone. We passed through Zermit (or was the Kermit?) as the train began its upward journey through some beautiful mountain scenery. The camera clicking Japanese were milling around the windows, chattering away and getting very excited the nearer we got to Zermatt. They were expecting to see the Matterhorn but it was only in the last mile of the train journey after the village of Tasch that the Matterhorn came into view. The train glided into Zermatt station at 16.45. The last mile of the track is covered by a series of avalanche shelters teasing the passengers from seeing the mountain ahead. There are no cars in Zermatt, none are allowed past the village of Tasch where a huge car park nets all the metal monsters and leaves Zermatt alone as a tranquil noise free zone. There are small electric cars for taking luggage to the hotels, also plenty of horse and carts lined up with them at the station area. The horsemen are dressed in smart outfits and hold whips but only for gently persuading the horses to take the luggage and a people to their hotels. A man offering us accommodation approached us but we had already booked in at the youth hostel. Unfortunately the SJA doesn’t provide transport to the hotel but expects that most of the visitors that stay there are of the backpacking variety and are well capable of walking the 1 ½ miles through the town to the hostel in Winkelmatten. We walked through the centre of the town to the church then turned left at the otter fountain, over a bridge then took the second on the right. The hostel (as always) is on the top of a hill. We booked in and paid our 13SF each plus another 4SF for breakfast each. We paid 77SF in all for 2 days stay including evening meals at 7SF each. We were given a family room of two sets of bunks but we had the room to ourselves. We had tea; soup, salad, meat, cold potato salad followed by marshmallows. Later we went for a walk in the town and saw the typically Swiss chalets with their geranium window boxes. There are also a great number of older chalets on wooden supports separated by disc shaped stones to keep the mice away! After exploring around the town we had a drink and went to bed at 22.00,
Tuesday 12th July 1988
Zermatt to the Matterhorn
We got up early and had breakfast. It was nothing special but for 4 francs each it was filling enough. We were given tiddlywinks counters yesterday when we booked in. These were to be handed in at the kitchen to obtain the breakfasts. We packed our rucksack for the days adventure and went down to the town to get the days walking supplies from the Migros supermarket. We ambled along to the end of the village and took the footpath for Furi. It was difficult on the uneven ground going uphill. When we reached Furi an hour later we decided not to go further as Ruth had developed a blister. We sat for about an hour at the cable car station and toyed with the idea of going up to Schwarzsee above by cable car. After a rest however we felt like doing a bit more so we walked along the road toward the dam. Just up the road Ruth said “no more!” but we heard the sound of an alpenhorn across the valley so that urged both of us to continue for another mile. We saw an old wooden house that turned out to be a café. We bought two glasses of milk at only one franc each and watched the owner of the house preparing and oiling his mousetraps and the woman scrubbing pots in the dark kitchen. The sight of the mousetraps urged Ruth to walk on further! We asked the man how far it was to the Schwarzsee and he gave the impression that it wasn’t so far and that we should keep to the wider path, so we did. We were rewarded a few hundred yards ahead with a fantastic view of the Matterhorn peak. We sat on the grass and ate our wurst, bread and cheese. The dam before the café was quite a sight, the road led to the dam wall through a tunnel. We sat for half an hour then walked on to the quarry and took a few photographs. We were overwhelmed by the sight of the full Matterhorn peak covered in snow, and also the nearness of it. It was now in full view (erm!) We were surprised at the quarry to see a couple of cars passing us, as we were about 2000 feet above Zermatt where cars were not allowed. Perhaps there is a road higher up and round the back of the town? We walked on the steep path to Schwarzsee. At first we thought this wouldn’t be far. One thing that spurred us on was a herd of bell jangling cows on the side of the hill so we took some photos of them. After that we saw a herd of Japanese camera clicking tourists in suits, running down the hill to the cows. When we saw them we knew we couldn’t be far from the top station of the cable car. They weren’t dressed for the part so must have stepped of the cable car a short distance away. We were wrong! They must have really got carried away walking down because we had a long way to go yet, we soon found out. We saw a nun in full walking gear complete with hiking gear, habit and shawl, nearer to God up here. We walked and walked and walked, up and up to a red seat where we collapsed for a while. Then we saw our mirage just as my feet were giving in. Just around the next corner we saw the cable car pylons but we still had to follow them up for a short distance. We were rewarded with a find of a large clump of edelweiss. We didn’t pick any but took a photo. After that we met a lady with two children who told us we were only ten minutes away from Schwarzsee and yes – there it was! We passed the lake to the top and had a beer at the hotel perched on the top and enjoyed sitting in the bright dazzling sunshine. We tried to decide whether to carry on up towards the mountain or take the cable car down to Zermatt. Eventually we decided on another alternative and walked back down all the way to Zermatt. The upper part of the path below the hotel was very open and we could see Zermatt and the cable car station at Furi. We walked to Furi in 1½ hours. The signpost up at Schwarzsee pointing down the mountain indicated that Zermatt was 1½ hour’s walk but it also indicated the same 1½ hours at Furi when we reached there 1½ hours later! When we reached Furi we followed the road down the lower slopes of the mountain to Zermatt rather than the footpath we walked up.
A tip. Don’t take this path from the cable car to the top, as it’s very steep. Go up by way of the dam as we did. It’s a further ¾ of an hour from Furi to Zermatt and the hostel is along this road. Turn left at the first houses at Winkelmatten and don’t be tempted to turn right past the church. By continuing to the left the road reaches the hostel. As soon as we got back we showered and collapsed! Later on we went down into Zermatt to the pub near the church for a pizza. Under the pub is a pizza parlour. Our pizzas were 10SF each, made in the traditional pizza oven by an Italian. After getting our stomachs full we lounged about for a while at the hostel and went to bed and slept very well after all the exercise.
Wednesday 13th July 1988
Zermatt to Lugano
Today we travelled by train from Zermatt to Lugano. First of all we had a last couple of hours around Zermatt taking photos and shopping for presents and souvineers. We later boarded the Glacier Express to Brig. We liked Brig, a pleasant place. We walked straight out from the station along the main street to the Merchant’s Castle. Merchants who stationed themselves in Brig and transported goods over the Simplon Pass to Italy built this. Now it’s a tourist attraction with its four large towers at each corner of the walls. We had a look around then went for coffees from a nearby café on the main street and shopped for food for the day. We bought some wurst for later. We had ten minutes before our train to Domodossola through the Simplon tunnel. We were then in Italy and took another train along the Centovalli line to Locarno. There was plenty to see along this line, ‘the hundred valleys’ on the way there are plenty of waterfalls and green hills lower than the Alps. In Locarno we noticed the difference in temperature! The Centovalli line (FART – and I’m not being rude, that’s what it’s called!) was crowded and the Italian customs officers boarded the train. We had to get off the train at the station before Locarno as the line was closed for a tunnel repair. We were transferred to a bus and probably saw more of the centre of Locarno than we would by train. We had a quick zip around Locarno in ten minutes, the American way! We saw the lake (Lago di Maggiore) from the station. We boarded a train to Bellinzona from Locarno station. This was only a short journey of twenty minutes then we changed for an earlier train than expected to Lugano. The train goes up an incline with great views back down to Maggiore. Half an hour later we arrived in Lugano. We walked along the track from the station and up to the hostel. It was quite painful laden with our heavy rucksacks in the heat and it was also a long way up. It doesn’t seem so bad knowing just where the hostel is but it was a sweaty trek in the heat. One useful tip: the PTT is near the hostel on the main road, come out of the hostel, cross the road and go left on the main road. The bus stop is in front of the Denner supermarket. The hostel and the hostess were excellent. We couldn’t fault it in any way. When we saw our room with two beds and plenty of room we decided to stop the full three days. We made ourselves at home, unpacked and showered and went to Peter van Dinter’s recommended restaurant and had spaghetti at 8.50SF and lasagne at 9.00SF followed by two beers at 4.80SF. Later we walked down to the town, had ice creams and watched a chess match being played with giant pieces in the town square. Ruth learnt a bit more! We started walking back uphill to the hostel, hopefully finding a bus from the town but then we felt a few spots of rain then the spots became drops and we had no coats. Then it really started as it has a habit of doing in southern European countries. It started lashing down with rain and we were drenched in a few minutes. We prayed for a bus quick and two minutes later we found a bus stop and the rain eased off enough for us to figure the ticket machine out. The bus was due in five minutes so we waited under a shelter. As the bus rounded the bend we ran full pelt across the road to stop it and clambered on. When we got to Crociffiso the rain had eased enough to walk to the hostel. We unlocked the gate after some difficulty and retired for the night.
Thursday 14th July 1988
Lugano to Gandria
After a good night’s sleep we walked to the Denner supermarket on the main road (best value) and bought drinks, meat and rolls for lunch and set off on an alternative route down to the lake by the funicular and walked down the steps alongside it. We were surprised to see such a ramshackled area near the centre of Lugano. The Grand Palace Hotel had seen better years, perhaps at the turn of the century because it looked old. On the way down to the lake we both changed into shorts. Ruth changed in a gateway under a small cloak of secrecy. I did it in full view of about 20 cats in a doorway of an old gatehouse half way down the steps. The cats were the sole occupants but somebody was looking after them well because each one had a box with a mat in it. When we reached the lake we walked along the front heading left for Gandria. Through the park and past the grand town hall building to the small river emptying out into the lake, over the bridge and back to the main road. A few hundred yards back to the lake where there were many private yachts moored. We sat for a while here, applied the insect repellents and sun cream and started walking slightly up past the Thyssen exhibition, a very large house and grounds above the lake that has many cypress trees. These grounds take over the next mile of coast along the lake so that path goes up behind it then returns to the lakeside off the road to Castalagna further along. We had our bread, pate and wurst before reaching the lido. We sat for about an hour taking in the view and enjoying the sunshine then continued along the path towards Gandria. We were disappointed to find that just past a restaurant the path was blocked off due to cliff erosion so we doubled back a little way and took the hill path up to the main road through the woods. In about ¼ of an hour we reached the road, walked through three short tunnels and noticed just before the last tunnel the path below where we were before we turned back. Rocks had covered it and there was no path at all, only a short way from Gandria village. After the third tunnel we found the path down the 400 or so steps back down to the lake along paths threading their way through the pink houses built steeply on the slope down to the lake. We had a look around a few shops, had ice creams and a couple of beers while sitting near the jetty looking down the lake to Porlezza in the distance and Lugano in the other direction. We listened to a few Americans with a terrible drawl at the end of the village and later queued up for the boat back to Lugano (5.80SF each). It was a great view looking back at Gandria from the lake. Back in Lugano we ambled around the town for a while and took the number 5 bus back to the hostel (0.85SF each). I had a swim in the outdoor pool while Ruth slept. We changed and walked across to the Trattoria outside the hostel on the opposite side of the road. I had a lasagne and Ruth had spaghetti Neapolitan. After a couple of beers to finish off our meal we wandered back to the hostel and settled down in the wooden recliners in the hostel grounds. The lights went out at 22.00 just as we were writing the diary and having a read! No sooner had we got back to our room than the heavens opened and there was no warning. It was very sudden and we were so glad the lights went out when they did! It was a real blitzen donnerung this time and never fails when we’re on a train holiday around the Alps – we must tell Petra. The storm lasted until about 01.00, so the warden told us the following morning. We showered and went to sleep at about 23.00. Despite the thunderstorm we both slept well.
Friday 15th July 1988
Morcote peninsula
Up early again, it’s a good thing we can rely on the alarm clock. After the usual bread, cheese and jam and loads of powdered m chocolate from those maroon containers and warm milk (but still good) we walked down to the town and direct to the station where we found out where the post bus went from. We failed to buy our bus tickets for the next day as we should have done, it was all of a rush at 08.00 and there were too many people in the queue at the station. We took the local train to Ponte Tresa from just across the road from the main station. It cost 4.80SF for about 12 miles, quite expensive. We passed Muzerezzo where I cycled down from Corona in May this year. We walked along the front to the Italian border. The customs officers were not interested in seeing our passports across here or the return walk back later. They were much more interested in the transport, especially the lorries. We walked along the front and sat for a while admiring the good job the lamppost cleaners were making washing the globes, there must be more than a 1000 along the front for them to have a go at. I suppose it keeps them off the streets. We took some photos and walked to the next village Laveno where we exchanged Swiss francs for 275,000 lire at the post office (approx £115). The man behind the counter was very careful to ensure all the details on Ruth’s postcheque were correct. He spotted the missing number but Giro numbers are different than regular bank account numbers. He exchanged the money with no other problems. Laveno is a typical Italian village, dusty streets, old weather beaten window shutters and houses in need of paint – but quaint (oh, abode an ode!) We had our midday lunch of the usual bread rolls and cheese at the lakeside staring at Figino on the opposite bank. We then walked back to Ponte Tresa. We noticed that a post bus connects on the Italian side to Luino on Lake Maggiore so that is always a possibility in the future. However the only boat from Ponte Tresa goes at 09.45 heading east and stopping along the lake at Lugano mainly but also on to Porlezza. We were at the landing stage at 10.30. Perhaps if we had caught the earlier train we could have made it. So the only way back to Lugano was on the same train, as buses have to go a long way around the Morcote peninsula. We got off at Lugano and explored the cathedral and admired the view from here halfway down to the town down the steep hill connecting le stazione with la citta. We had a look around the shops admiring the prices but only bought ice creams from a shop by the waterfront. We boarded the number 5 bus from Al Sole just outside the town, 1.20SF to S. Antonia. We were back at the hostel at 16.00. I had a swim and plenty of time to catch up on reading. Ruth had a sleep and a shower then we both changed to go out for a meal. We went along to the usual trattoria for the best meal. We both had lasagne and a couple of beers then went back to the hostel for a relaxing evening before retiring for the long post bus journey tomorrow. I paid Petra’s twin for the 3 nights and breakfast (108SF) We received our cards back and were told that we could have our breakfasts at 06.40 in the morning so that we could go for the post bus. And so to bed, and it didn’t rain tonight!
Saturday 16th July 1988
Lugano to Pontresina
We were up at the earliest time we hoped to be on this holiday. It was only 06.15 and we were glad we packed up our rucksacks last night. We were soon showered, dressed and off down to breakfast. We chatted to a German girl from Hannover who spoke very good English. She was travelling on the post bus too but was planning to stop at St Moritz hostel. When we were halfway there she decided she would also travel to Pontresina. Perhaps because she heard me telling Ruth of my past favourable impression of Pontresina hostel and perhaps it is better than what St Moritz had to offer. As we were boarding the bus we found out that a reservation didn’t mean you had a ticket also. I thought we could buy tickets on the bus but the driver instructed us to buy them from the station. That was my quickest five minutes of the holiday so far! We boarded a very comfortable air-conditioned bus. The route was from Lugano to St Moritz Dorf by way of Bellinzona, Splugen Pass, San Bernardino Pass, Thusis, Julier Pass, Silvaplana and St Moritz Bad. Most times the bus follows an alternative route from Lugano by way of Menaggio, Lake Como, Maloja Pass to St Moritz but we overheard an English tour operator saying to some people boarding that the route had to be changed because of landslides along the road from Lake Como towards St Moritz. Workmen were now working flat out to repair the roads affected. This route was definitely more interesting though as the bus passes over 3 major alpine passes. A motorway serves the St Bernard Pass and the top of this pass is left for the solitude of the more leisurely. We stopped at a point along this road at a restaurant for a ½ hour comfort break. We then continued up the very rugged and rocky Julier Pass. It is better to come up from St Moritz if cycling, as it’s only a few hairpins up from the valley floor but a long climb up from Thusis. We stopped at 10.30 for the comfort break then down to Silvaplana and the string of lakes connecting the River Inn. We arrived in St Moritz at 11.55It was cold in more ways than one. St Moritz Dorf was interesting. We walked up from the station up a grassy slope and deposited our rucksacks at the left luggage for 2 francs. We then made our way along a path with good views across to St Moritz Bad and the lake. The shops were closed until 14.00 so we sat and had our lunch by a wooden bridge and a waterfall then walked down to the Co-op and bought some Swiss cheese, wurst and yoghurts for later on and for the bus journey tomorrow. We had a look around the shops admiring the prices of designer clothes and jewellery. Later we walked back down to the station for the 10-minute journey on to Pontresina. The hostel is right by the station. The area looked a lot different since my last visit when I was covered with snow from my visit to Alp Grum when it was so thick I couldn’t leave the platform! Now the weather in complete contrast was warm, bright and sunny. We left our rucksacks in the drying room and made off for the town along a field path. We went up to the right, started having a look at postcards then found a church where we could be quiet for a while then along the street we bumped into a crowd along the road. We were curious so went to see what was happening. There had been a wedding and probably to custom the groom had to make a spectacle of himself. He was dressed in shorts and mountain equipment complete with ropes and ice hack, skis and ski boots. His bride was sitting on a chair borrowed from a local café. The chair was in a post office cart. The man pushed her, sliding on his skis up the hill to the post office where he changed while the guests took photos of the bride. He came out in his suit and they walked back to the café where the wedding party got into cars and noisily sounded their horns, slowly driving down the road towards St Moritz. All this was quite a sight. We walked down through the rest of the town, taking in the old Romansch building styles and the view at the end of the town of the valley and mountains in the background. We checked at the station for trains for tomorrow going further along the valley heading east. There was a bit of rain but it didn’t last long. We thought we had better check the times as we had originally planned to stop here for two nights but thought it better to stay longer in Italy later. It turned out to be no different even on a Sunday service the times were the same, unlike at home where there would be fewer services. Later we walked back to the hostel and booked in. This took us ¾ of an hour as the reception had a lot of people to deal with as soon as it opened. We had an excellent meal at the hostel, beef and vegetable soup followed by chicken leg, oiled lettuce and rice. We sat in the lounge area later and played a board game, wrote a few postcards, read and caught up with this diary. It was getting dark and we shared a room with four others – one couple, another man and his son. We thought the man would be a problem in the night but he was quiet, it was his son who snored loudly! It was a good thing we had earplugs.
Sunday 17th July 1988
Pontresina to Merano
After a good breakfast we made our way to the train station and set off again on the train further up the Inn valley to Samedan, a 9 minute trip, and on to Zernez a further 40 minutes. It was good scenery but definitely different along the valley of the Inn. It was bright, sunny weather. We had an hour at Zernez so we had a look around the small town and bought our bus tickets to the top of the Stelvio Pass / Stilferjoch. These were 18.90SF each one way. We boarded the post bus at Zernez and it soon entered the Swiss National Park and over the Ofen / Il Fourn Pass. This was an incredible trip and the park itself had plenty of sights worth seeing. We went past the customs point to the right on the road leading to Livigno. The bus stopped for 40 minutes for our comfort break at the top of the Ofen Pass, which is very clever as there is just one well stocked café and shop up here. There was ample time to look around, take a few photos and buy some chocolate. We enjoyed the sunshine for a while then boarded the bus again. Many people were in no rush to get back on as this was a very pleasant stop and I was pleased for Ruth as she was going to see two Alpine passes today, not just the Stelvio. I had already cycled to the top of this pass before in July 1979. The bus driver was very careful negotiating the twists in the road down the pass to Sta Maria, sounding his familiar four note warning on the horn. Along the valley in Sta Maria we passed some interesting painted buildings on the broad valley plain as we entered the small town. We noticed the youth hostel on the way in. Through the small town the bus driver carefully steered through the narrow picturesque streets. Wooden crafts seem to be the speciality here. On from here to Mustair where the bus did an about turn a few kilometres on from Sta Maria. We had something to eat at this border village and had a bit of a shock because the bus went back to Sta Maria again. We thought at first we should have got off at Mustair for an onward connection. I said to Ruth “ I hope he turns left here and goes up the Stelvio and doesn’t go back to Zernez” It did – phew! The road up from here negotiated the Umbrial Pass, the highest road in Switzerland and the best scenery so far on this bus trip. I’ve been down this on the bike and was planning to go up it in September this year. I know it will be gruelling and will have to stop a lot on the way up. There are about 30 hairpins mostly on a cinder track except near the top and the first couple of kilometres out of Sta Maria village. Looking back in the bus on the way up there were really good views looking back down to Sta Maria. The first half of the pass goes up in a series of hairpins but afterwards opens out into a broad area with fewer turns. There were plenty of people on the grass near the top of the pass, just before the border. There were no longer any customs formalities up here and there were only about 10 people now on the bus. We were in ‘no man’s land’ and then into Italy just before the junction with the Stelvio road coming up from Bormio, again no customs formalities. There was some snow either side of the road up here and people were sunbathing in sheltered places from the cool breeze. It was actually warm even at this altitude, but only away from the breeze. We had nearly 3 hours at the top of the Stelvio before the blue Italian bus came up fro the eastern side of the pass to take us down to Meran. Originally we were planning to stay on this bus to its terminus at Bozen / Bolzano but we decided en route that it would be too far. We enjoyed those few hours at the top of the Stelvio, especially Ruth as she had never been to the top of an alpine pass before and to be able to see glorious views all round. Many years ago we walked up the Gotthard Pass from Hospental but we couldn’t see anything because of heavy mist. At the top of the Stelvio we stared down the mountainside amazed at the road that twists among unbelievable contours on its descent to Trafoi. We could see 30 of the 48 hairpins that finally take the road down to Schlanders / Spondigna in the valley of the Adige to Meran. After taking in the view we walked up away from the top of the road to the aptly named Tibet restaurant. We took plenty of photos in the snow up here. It was thick enough to ski from the top of the mountain down to the pass behind the restaurant and there were plenty of people doing just that then taking the cable car back to the summit. It cost about £8 to ride the cable car. We had a couple of flat hot dogs (!) for about £1.00 each. We generally messed around, throwing snowballs below Tibet, taking in the views, seeing the stalls lining one side of the road at the top – all 12 of them sell the same souvineers and a short stroll up to Dreisprechenspitz to the north of the pass where the Swiss and Italian borders meet. Before the First World War the Austrian border also reached this point, hence the name. We had cappuccinos but wish we hadn’t as they were almost cold. We weren’t bored at the summit, there was plenty to see and do and the 2¾ hours passed quickly. The bus arrived coming up from Schlanders and we would be going down the mountain that way and experience the drive down the hairpins we were gazing at earlier. I have already cycled up from Schlanders on my July 1976 tour. This trip resulted in hair-raising hairpins as the Italian bus driver was not as good as the Swiss one but of course he was careful, he had to be! We just didn’t feel as safe as in the Swiss bus as the driver there was more gentle in negotiating the hairpins. Of course the Italian driver knows the road as must have taken the bus down the mountain many times so we hung on and hoped he didn’t sneeze at one of the 48 hairpins. He only missed two of them! That is, he had to manoeuvre back and to at the tight curves to get round, much to the consternation of the other road users. Half way down at Trafoi we were the only passengers as far as Schlanders then the bus filled up again. It was a bit boring after that point as the bus continued along the Adige valley but we diverted off the main road into at least 6 villages along the way which made it a bit more interesting. We arrived in Meran / Merano weary but pleased. It’s a pleasant town, not as big as Bolzano. We found a ‘zimmer frei’ or if you like ‘camero frei, within an hour of arriving from where the bus left us and it was the right choice too. We were still in German speaking area of Alto Adige /Sud Tirol and although the landlady was Italian she spoke both German and Italian so we could converse in German with her. The room at Hotel Flora on Via Roma was just great, it was clean and spacious. It cost us 36,000 lire (about £8.50 each) for the room and breakfast. We went out for cappuccinos nearby and walked to the station and back just to see how far it was! The hotel is 20 minutes walk from the centre of Meran straight down via Roma. We didn’t have a meal that evening but used up what we were carrying with us. We went to bed at about 22.30 to get ready for another full day tomorrow.
Monday 18th July 1988
Meran to Assisi
We walked our route march to the station after a very good breakfast. We had some thick granary rolls and plenty of meat, cheese and jams. We felt like we were in a mini fortress as there is a thick metal fence around the hotel with an electric gate then a double- locked front door and double locked door to our own room. Even the veranda door was well locked, the type that has to be levered up from the hinge before it can be opened. We had now changed our plans and instead of heading east to Cortina and the Dolomites we headed for Bolzano then a plunge south through Trento, Verona, Bologna, Florence and Arezzo, about 320 miles, roughly the same distance as Carlisle to Dover, the length of England. The weather seemed to be bad over the Dolomites and we had already seen enough mountains this holiday. We travelled to Bolzano on a very old bottle green coloured train with an equally dingy bull nose loco pulling. This is their equivalent of Provincial Railways. From Bolzano we boarded a more up to date and comfortable train down to Bologna along the same line we travelled from Dresden/ Garmisch/ Verona/ Venice two years ago. At Bologna we drank a couple of real cappuccinos near the station with a couple of small pizzas, standing up at the bar, the real Italian way. (We were standing up at the bar, not the pizzas!) From Bologna to Florence and it was noticeably warmer. We found a place opposite the station where we bought ice creams in tubs (coool) and 4 paninis. From Florence the train went direct to Assisi. In complete contrast to the Alps this area on the Appenines is among gentle green rolling hills. The track runs alongside a huge lake called Trasimeno. I was pleased we went to the left of it otherwise we would be on the wrong line and heading instead for Rome. At this point another voice assured us we were on the right line as he had enquired at Arezzo where he had been stranded for 4 hours looking unsuccessfully for digs. Steve Palmer came from near Gatwick and had a 23-hour delay flying out from there to Venice. He stuck with us for the next day or so. We got off the train at St Maria of the Angels (how more Catholic of a name place could you get?) and started the 5-kilometre trek along the road to the hill town in front that is Assisi. What a glorious sight along the road ahead of the town, there was the giant basilica of St Francis perched precariously on the cliff to the north of the town. (Precarious it really was because a few years after writing this diary there was an earth tremor here and the basilica suffered damage but has since been repaired). We meandered around the streets looking for digs and finally found a place just up some steps and on the right off the main square. Steve found himself a single room. Ruth and I went out later after a doze and a shower then changed for our evening meal. We found a good place behind the main square and later had an ice cream – this time we had big ones in glasses, sitting down outside in the warm evening on the main square. We thought they would be a reasonable price like the pizzas we ate but they weren’t. In fact they were just as expensive as the town square in Bern at about £5 each, more than our pizzas cost – but we enjoyed them. The lesson is never sit down at a café in the main areas of tourist spots. We slept well that night after a long journey south.
Thursday 19th July 1988
Assisi
We would have preferred the stand up bars for breakfast this morning but we had breakfast in the hotel as we had already paid for it. It was a really warm morning and we knew it was going to be hot later as we set off around the town to see the sights as soon as possible. We looked around the main square and then went towards the basilica. It’s a magnificent structure, two churches in one as one is above the other. We had a good walk around the town and up to the castle where there was a good view of the surrounding countryside. Later we walked down to the area where a Roman Forum and baths had been built around then back along the main street to our hotel and out this evening for a meal at the same pizzeria as last night. We decided we would have the most expensive pizza each on the menu, at approx £2.50 but when it came we had a shock – there was no meted cheese on it! This made the pizza base very dry. It was just ham on a dry pizza base. Ruth said, quite rightly, that she couldn’t eat that, not her idea of a pizza and I agreed so we asked the waiter to take them back and put mozzarella cheese on them. It was no problem and we admitted it was our misunderstanding. They gave us cheese at no extra cost but insisted on remaking other pizzas for us or the bases would be over-cooked if they were re-heated with the cheese. When the waiter brought them out they were excellent! We saw Steve around the main square and he joined us for breakfast the next day. He stayed in Assisi a while longer but we intended travelling on tomorrow.
Friday 20th July 1988
Assisi to Verona
After breakfast we walked to the south gate at the end of the town and boarded a bus from here to the station then the 09.52 train to Foligno then another change for the 11.32 train to Falconara, changing again shortly after for the 13.39 to Bologna and just managed to catch the 16.09 to Verona, arriving at 17.44 even though that train was due at Bologna 2 minutes before the arrival of our train into Bologna. At Verona we searched around for ages looking for a place to stay and humping our heavy rucksacks in the warm evening sun. We were becoming tired and desperate. After walking for a long way around the city for about 2 hours calling at many hotels in vain we walked into another hotel where we were told that there were no rooms but the proprietor turned to a ‘mama’ sitting nearby and asked her. She had rooms if we would like a room in her house – would we?! It cost us £50 for the three nights but it was well worthwhile. It was really good room with two verandas, one from our room and the other from the bathroom. I went out onto the bathroom balcony and Ruth on the bedroom balcony and she would say, “Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo!” because after all we were in fair Verona! The sights we would see tomorrow but for now we needed some kip, then a shower and change from our sweaty clothes after struggling with the rucksacks for a couple of hours. We consulted the ‘Rail by Europe’ book we carried with us to find the best pizzeria place in the city. This tour guide never lets us down. Sure enough we found a really good one in a cul de sac, it was so good that we came here all three nights we were in Verona. It was reasonably priced and good quality pizzas. We splashed out and had vino rossi with it. Now this is real Italian second only to Mama’s in Pisa. In Verona we were in a quiet cul de sac, sitting outside under parasols and the waiters were all jokers. They were loved by the locals who all seemed to come here. Later we went back to our room after having a quick diversion to admire the huge fountains, the water dazzling under the arc lights from the coliseum and the shouts from the crowd inside watching the open-air theatre. There are so many street cafés here along the Piazza Bra at exorbitant prices. We settled for an ice cream from around the corner, using our limited Italian we had no trouble and felt rather proud of ourselves. Our room was unusual in that it had a mural of a country scene painted on the wall behind the metal bed head. ‘Mama’ had painted it she said proudly when she introduced us to the room. She only spoke Italian and we tried our best to understand. Our grasp of Italian was hopeless but we could understand a little and she was very patient. The traffic was a bit loud outside but we later found out we were near the station having walked full circle around the town trying to find accommodation.
Thursday 21st July 1988
Verona
We had the whole day exploring fair Verona but we weren’t so quick getting up and walking down to the square for our bar breakfast. We had panini and coffee then walked along the street to the white gateway and into the main square, Piazza Bra. First on our agenda was to see the coliseum. We paid about £1 each to get in then wandered around inside before climbing the steps between the stone seating to the rim of the coliseum. The was a very good view from up there of Verona. Workers inside were moving the stage props from last night’s performance and erecting the props for tonight’s performance. They were also busy removing tons of rubbish, especially drink cans. They were working hard but we were way above them and were we were we couldn’t hear them or the traffic outside so it was very peaceful. We saw many of the props erected and were amazed at how fast they worked at it. Later down to terra firma and out to the market area where we bought some fruit then looked around the palace area. There are many old buildings here. We then walked along to the most famous balcony in the world in fair Verona. It really is an old balcony and we wondered whether there could be any others like it in the city. Is it a made up one, surely it’s not the original? Anyway, it’s quaint but certainly not quiet with hundreds of tourists crammed into one small courtyard. Everybody was ruining it for everybody else in the bustle to see the courtyard. We pushed our way towards Juliet’s bronze breast – on the statue that is. It had been so well fondled that the brass was a brighter colour than the rest of the statue. Men were having their photographs taken squeezing Juliet; imagine what they will say back home! We had another browse around then back to the balcony later when it was quieter. From there we walked back to our room, the usual shower and doze then back to our ‘local’ for pizzas and wine.
Friday 22nd July 1988
Verona to Sirmione
We had breakfast in the main square below then we found out how near the station we were. We were pleasantly surprised, as we had got up early to get there. As it was we could now catch an earlier train to Desenzano for Lake Garda. We left at 09.07 and arrived in Desenzano at 09.31 and took the ferry across to Sirmione at 10.20, arriving at 10.31. We had the morning and early afternoon around Sirmione, a very pleasant place. We looked around the castle at the entrance to the town then around the old streets; shops with plenty of interesting souvineers and even items to buy that could be useful. We bought to swords for our brick fireplace at home (hoped it’s pleased with them) and a brass tortoise stand for plants or plates that we have on the hearth. We had a good walk around the town and a sunbathe at the end of the small peninsula on which the town stands, jutting into the lake. We went for the 15.37 boat back to Desenzano, arriving at 15.45. We waited for a shop to open after siesta near where the ferry docks and bought some food for our journey home, knowing how difficult it would be to find a supermarket in Verona. The shop was where the locals had come so we knew prices would be OK. One item we bought was a bottle of red ginger pop that I only finished at home 8 months later, having never opened it! It tasted all right but Ruth turned her nose up at it. We boarded a train at 16.39 from Desenzano and arrived in Verona at 17.14. We went back to our room for showers then had a doze and later out to our favourite pizzeria. We didn’t know of any others but then this was perfect every evening. We were of the opinion that we wouldn’t find a better one as the guidebook recommends it above all others in Verona and our guide hasn’t been wrong yet!
Saturday 23rd July 1988
Verona to Basel
All good things must come to an end. We’re homeward bound! We boarded the 09.31 train from Verona to Milan, arriving at 10.07. Our connection from Milan was at 10.15, through Domodossola and Lake Locarno, our last lake and back into Switzerland again at Brig, arriving at 12.40. We had a wait here for an hour so wandered away from the station and up the main street to the merchant’s palace. We sat and ate some of the rolls and cheese that we bought yesterday in Desenzano. We could hear music coming from the school behind. It sounded like military music with a bit of Swiss culture thrown in. We heard bugle, drums and maybe an alpenhorn? We had coffees next to a café with a bronze stag on the street – this must mean something but we’ll find out from a guidebook when we get home. We had a dive into the Migros supermarket near the station where we bought some Swiss souvineers and food to take home. From there we walked back to the station and boarded the 15.01 for Bern on the BLS line. We enjoyed this trip because we had the fantastic view up from Visp when we left the Rhone valley. The track climbs steadily up to Goppenstein then passes through the Lotschberg tunnel to Kandersteg in the Bernese Oberland. I looked out the window longingly! The train passed on to Spiez then Thun and into Bern at 16.51 where we had a short stop. We walked along to the clock tower in the main street (Zeitenglockenturm). Now that it has had a clean up and the scaffolding removed it is quite an impressive sight. We had a wander around the city centre for a while, a last look around the shops in the covered walkways then back to the station for the 18.51 train from Bern to Basel where we had a walk down to the youth hostel by the river Rhine. We stopped in the central avenue leading from the station to the river among the trees and sat on a bench and ate some rolls from our rucksacks. After we ate and walked along some way we had a laugh at the doggie loo paper and bags hanging by the waste bins along the walkway. Are the dogs that well trained? We reached the river and then up the steps into the town for a quick visit. Students were holding an event at the university grounds, mechanical working models made of metal, weird and wonderful. They were floodlighted and reflected in the pool nearby. Hundreds of people were milling around with drinks and food. We hung around in the hope that we could gatecrash but it was obvious we weren’t locals as the rucksacks gave the game away! We walked back to the station and boarded the night train to Calais after passing through French customs on the station.
Sunday 24th July 1988
Basel to Holmes Chapel
We arrived in Dover on time and boarded the train to London Victoria arriving at 16.00. From Euston to Crewe and arrived in Holmes Chapel at 20.00 after a long wait at Crewe as usual. The local train didn’t connect with the Inter City train. The journey back was perfect all the way except for that last train connection. The end of a perfect holiday – except for B.R.!
I wrote up the last part of this diary on a journey between Lille and Metz on my way to Basel and Italy on the 9th September 1989. That was 14 months later but at least I did it! another job done. Now I can write up the next holiday.
Merano (depart) 09.06 Table 382 09.06
Bolzano (arrive) 09.40 09.40
Bolzano (depart) 09.45 Table 381
Verona (arrive) 11.35
Verona (depart) 12.30
Bologna (arrive) 13.20
Bologna (depart) 14.12
Florence (arrive) 15.20 15.25
Florence (depart) 16.15 Table 374
Terantola (arrive) 17.41
Terantola (depart) 17.45 Table 384
Assisi (arrive) 18.51
Assisi (depart) 08.51 Table 384
Terantola (arrive) 10.08
Terantola (depart) 10.24 11.26 Table 374
Florence (arrive) 11.50 12.20
Milan (arrive) 15.30
Assisi (depart) 08.51 11.03 12.12 Table 384
Terontola (arrive) 10.08 11.08 13.16
Terontola (depart) 10.24 11.26 12.24 Table 374
Florence (arrive) 11.50 12.11 13.50
Florence (depart) 12.20 13.19 14.09 14.35 14.43 Table 381
Bologna (arrive) 13.22 14.22 15.12 15.38 15.51
Bologna (depart) 14.40 16.09
Verona (arrive) 16.20 17.44
Assisi (depart) 09.52 Table 384
Foligno (arrive) 10.08
Foligno (depart) 11.32 Table 378
Folcinara (arrive) 13.16
Folcinara (depart) 13.39 Table 393
Rimini (arrive) 14.46
Bologna (arrive) 16.11
Bologna (depart) 16.09 16.40 Table 381
Verona (arrive) 17.44 18.20