The day dawned grey and misty. I went to see the vet at 8:30 and collected a few more stamps and signatures on Lottie’s passport. Hopefully it should satisfy the border guards now, though I’ll have to go to an Italian ASL (health authority office) on my next trip to get a new blank one.
After that I had breakfast at the hotel and sauntered down to the train station via an upmarket pet shop where I’d been hoping to stock up on dog food. Unfortunately (for Lottie) it was closed on Mondays.
I was in time to catch an earlier train to Tirano, the town on the Swiss border where the Bernina Express departs. Once in Tirano, I hung around in the station car for a while before entering the hallowed halls of the customs office.
Once inside, my appetite was whetted by a first glimpse of the familiar dinky red Rhaetian Railway trains that glide up to 2300 m and back down the other side via an amazing selection of bridges, viaducts and tunnels.
This engineering feat has earned a UNESCO heritage site listing. Even more impressive is the fact that much of the work was done over a hundred years ago using methods that were very primitive by today’s standards.
The train set off on the dot at 14.24. This was third time I’d done the trip but the first from Italy to Switzerland. I ordered a Prosecco and sat back to enjoy the amazing scenery until the train arrived in Chur three and a half hours later.
The earlier mist and clouds had melted away to leave blue skies and sparkling snow.
We didn’t get off at the highest point (a glacier) as in the past, but the guard served tea and chocolates, which was nearly as good.
I’ve become a connoisseur of station design on this trip and Chur station is one of the very best I’ve been to. It has ramps as well as stairs, which are much easier to navigate and give the place a more open feeling with attractive angles.
At this point, I realised with a sinking feeling that in my haste to get Lottie’s passport sorted I’d left my Kindle under my pillow in Colico.
I arrived in Zurich at about 8 pm, just as the Migros supermarket near my hotel was closing, so had to eke out Lottie’s remaining food.
The Montana hotel near the station is the best hotel I’ve stayed in on this trip but by far from being the most expensive. This has been my third visit and I’ve always been reluctant to leave the beautiful bed linen and duvets for another early train.
2022 and all that 