The Magic Mountain

Do you know a Thomas' Mann book of this title? For me it was one of most important books. I still look into it quite frequently. Book action takes place in Davos. Main character comes to Davos for 3 weeks to visit a cousin in a tuberculosis sanatorium. Here he discovers freedom which a sickness brings - loosened morality, less responsibilities. He discovers also a memory of anxiety of his youth, anxiety which materialized here into a Russian lady with green eyes, which causes in him a light fever, so typical for this place.

What is a reason and what an effect - important is, that he does not want to break this spell, eagerly he accepts an offer of staying here for 7 weeks. He does notice when it is extended to 7 months, then an object of his anxiety leaves, but dr Behrens mentions, that "our patients always eventually come back", and Hans Castorp waits - 7 years of course - Thomas' Mann enchantment with numbers extends this story beyond limits of patience of a 'normal' reader.

But not for me, 6 times 7 years after reading the book, I got my chance...

In 2003, I came to Switzerland for a ski race. Before arriving I studied carefully the book, specially the topography of the place. When the Engandin Marathon was over, I took train from Pontresina to Davos.

In the book, it's main character - Hans Castorp - comes to Davos from a coastal city of Hamburg. He travels up and the book is full of references to the place.."up there on the mountain".

I was travelling down, which amused me a lot. Already from the train I noticed Waldhotel Bellevue, which was pictured in the book as the Berghoff sanatorium.

I got off the train in Davos Dorf - like the main character in the book and looked in my notes - ."..followed the line of the railway; then, turning to the left, they crossed the narrow tracks and a watercourse..". It did not make sense, as then they would have landed on the northern slope, not exposed to the sun, just opposite to The Berghoff.

I booked into a Youth Hostel and walked to the Waldhotel. The receptionist was prepared for such visits. She sold me a book - Thomas Mann and Davos and showed the way to a corridor where they collected various memorabilia from 90 years ago. There was also fully reconstructed Hans' Castorp room: "White metal bed, washstand with nickel taps..".

Fine, only then I realized, that T. Mann never mentioned bathroom or shower, or toilet.

It was maybe not suitable in a book written at the beginning of XX century. The reality was.. there were none, but there was a night-pot next to the bed. Ooops!

There was one more thing left - I called in to the restaurant and asked about Kulmbacher beer.("thick, dark and foaming brownly").

- It sounds like German beer. Sorry Sir, we do not have it.

So I tried Dunkle Perle instead. It was thick, dark, foaming brownly. But it was not the same.

In the hostel, I opened the book and after reading few lines, burst in laughter. Thomas Mann deliberately changed topography of Davos to avoid gossip and unnecessary sensation. How wise!

Since then, I stopped to worry about any similarities between the book and my surrounding. I had one day of downhill skiing, but I did not bother to find place of Hans' snow dream, I visited cemetery - see left, Schatzalp - see right.