Sunday, April 13
I woke up this morning to a Lugano covered with wispy clouds and light drizzles. It took me a bit to repack and checkout but I was on track to check out the view from Monte San Salvatore, where I'd tried to ride il funicolore yesterday evening. I'd planned to wake up and ride the 9am one but I'd slept in and took the 10am instead. I don't regret sleeping in one bit 😂 but I elected to skip the museum stop the mountain and catch the next descent down so I could continue on with my day.
I'm in the Italiano part of Suiza, so I opted for a sfogliatella instead of a croissant for breakfast; I don't know if that's a more localized meal choice or not but I stand by it 😋
And up we go! I was the only person aboard on the ride up; it involved a switch of funiculars halfway up too.
And now I see why nobody else is up here right now 🤣
Kinda spooky with all the clouds out but also an interesting perspective on the clear lake I'd seen yesterday.
Now that's a different view. I think the border between Switzerland and Italy lies across the bridge and apparently Milano is visible from here on a clear day.
Swisscom's antenna, eh? I only took 20 minutes up at the top so that I could catch the next ride back down the mountain; not ideal but I'm still glad I had the chance to come up here.
I'm not sure what this is called but it was a very sweet brioche/pannetone from a local bakery; a perfect snack while waiting for the bus back to the train station.
Aw, what a cute little covered quad cycle.
The luggage lockers in Switzerland's train stations are pretty great. I hadn't really noticed these before until my friend introduced them to me during our brief visit to Neuchatel a few weeks ago. Now I seek them out as a useful service.
For ~6CHF, I don't have to worry about my luggage for up to 6 hours and
even the small locker was big enough for my roller carry-on suitcase and
a backpack.
I stopped in the town of Bellinzona, which serves as a sort of hub/gateway for Ticino. Like Sion, the town features multiple castles looming over the town, though in this case, Bellinzona had connected two of the castles via a large rampart and then continued a wall all the way to the river, effectively controlling access to the south of the valley. I took the lift up to one castle (that's how you know it was the fancy one 😆) and enjoyed the view before descending.
Apparently the restaurant inside the fortalezza is popular enough that people will use the underground parking in the plaza, and then take the elevator up to the fortress. I thought the elevator was a weird addition for such a historic building (especially with a locked stairwell) but once I made it up to the top, I realized there was a sloped walking path around the outside of the fortress I had missed 😅
I found the fortress to have done an interesting job of building atop the rock ridge: some towers seemingly grew out of a bulge in the floor or the wall seamlessly integrated with a rounded chunk of stone.
The town features three fortresses: one way atop a hill, a 2nd on a shorter hill and connected to the one I'm at with a city wall.
By taking full advantage of the existing terrain and adding a few walls, Bellinzona was able to create a walled city and then extend the wall to the river. The old town is no longer completely walled in and the area to the south has been opened up to where ye olde market used to occur.
It's an impressive wall, for sure. I thought it was interesting how the modern town built up around the wall whereas in ye olde days the wall must've been a truly imposing fortification to contend with.
There isn't a whole lot open on Sundays in Bellinzona, so I wandered around for a bit before grabbing some lunch to go, reclaiming my luggage from the SBB/CFF/FFS locker, and catching my first PostBus for my last destination of the day: Chur. It seems that a passenger line of buses has been integrated into the Swiss postal service, which I think is a neat idea. Can you imagine the US postal service sending ground mail between postal centers and dropping off a few passengers at select spots? It might spell the end for Grayhound but I don't think anyone would bemoan that.
Compared to many of the other Swiss towns I've visited, I will say that Ticino features more of an Italian flair in town design. I feel it in the street, the colors, and the facades.
I stumbled across the civic center, equipped with a fun courtyard and lots of arches. There didn't seem like a whole lot going on around the place, but that's to be expected of a town hall on a Sunday...
The civic center's walls were decorated with neat murals depicting the city over the course of the centuries; here it illustrates the town's impressive wall serving as a very effective gate for people and commerce.
Pretty sweet deal to get a 2nd floor apartment and have a patio in the form of a medieval tower
Board game store spotted in Bellenzona; not that my friends and I have played Catan in a long time (too much shouting involved).
In independence plaza, I guess we celebrate independence with a kiss.
Fire escape or window sill balcony?
I started to walk up towards the other castle but opted to stop early; it'd be kinda a pain to live in the houses along this pedestrian path if you ever wanted to bring in a large amount of groceries. As far as I can tell, many of these houses with their private entrances could only be accessed via this route.
All aboard the post bus! Plenty of space in the luggage hold.
Next stop, Coire/Chur via the mountains!
The ride in the bus provided a different view from that of the train, we followed the curves of the valley rather than cutting through mountains via tunnels. While Switzerland is very accessible via rail, I think traveling by car (outside of the major cities) is a very valid option, especially if you're a party of 2 or more.
A little snack for the road: unlike the tuna salad on the train, this little cheese was unaged and thus didn't have a strong smell aboard the public transport.
Proof of cows in the region; heading north from the town showed a lot of farmland in the valley as well as a surprising amount of work on the mountains.
I mean, a surprising amount... Perhaps they're focused on improving drainage and avoiding flooding/landslides in the future?
We eventually climbed into the mountains and quickly found partially frozen lakes near ski lifts that looked to be done for the season.
We took a bathroom break up in the mountains; the driver took a quick break and a quicker cigarette while I got to play toilet tourist. This free public bathroom was about as barebones as they get, but it was at least clean.
I don't think we were near any quatre-milles mountains but there was still plenty of snow up in the mountains near here. The area was different from the other mountains I'd seen in Vaud, Valais, and Berner Oberland; I suppose despite being part of the same mountain range, local conditions could contribute to this area looking distinct from the other Alps I've visited.
And these mountains appear to have been getting some good use by locals and visitors: as we passed the midway point of the journey, more and more people kited out with hiking poles, snow shoes, and hiking skis began to board. Also, this waiting room for the bus had a piano in it?
I bet the water is ...refreshing this time of year
Most of the sportsfolk who'd boarded the bus mid-way got off at this station, the last stop before Chur. It's fascinating that so many people will take the transit to smaller towns out in the wilderness to either stay for vacation or do a day of sporting. I suppose if you're a local, you know which spots are as good as the tourist traps without the tourist price tag.
In Chur, I found that the old town was filled with people for some sort of agricultural event for kids; a few farm animals were available for petting but mostly people were enjoying food, drink, and music while kids played in tent stalls with things related to farming. I made my way through the festivities to my hotel but could tell that the party was winding down and vendors were packing up.
This is the most hay bales I've seen in a while; it's a shame, it seems I missed the last performance of the day.
There was a good mix of food and drink booths interspersed with business/education booths. I was tempted to snag a sausage and a beer or wine but pressed on to find the hotel. The clickety-clackety of my roller bag's tiny wheels on the old town cobblestone made me just a little self-conscious.
Turns out that my hotel here is actually a renovated prison 😆 It makes for a neat aesthetic; I'll see how I sleep in the big house. I was glad to receive some advice regarding quoi faire from the reception, she gave me a map of the old town, marked a few worthwhile restaurants, mentioned a couple of local plates to try, and indicated that there's a hiking area not too far away. I did a quick sweep of the old town but could confirm that most festivity stalls were closing down, so I made my way towards the hiking in hopes of taking advantage of the remaining daylight.
To my surprise, I entered into a courtyard and suddenly found my hotel/hostel dead ahead. I guess the whole building was part of the prison complex but now only one wing remains as a cell block / tourist trap 😂
Yup, looks like a cell block alright. What's up with these doors; do you think they switched the locks around so that they lock from the inside? (Actually, no, but digital pad now and at least unlocks from the inside). Can I order room service and have the meal served through my door's window?
The original guests of this place? I feel there was a wide variety of characters that once passed some time in these walls...
The guard's room was turned into a coworking space; I suppose forced labor camps are a sort of coworking space, no? Also, it seems that I can get a free coffee tomorrow if I strip my linens and deposit them in the bags in the hallway at checkout tomorrow.
As as hostel, this place also comes with a kitchen equipped with cooking appliances and utensils. I feel like only a Swiss hostel would be carrying these two particular devices though...
My
affairs deposited, I took a minute to refresh myself and then turned
right back around into the old town. Without my suitcase, I made
significantly less noise while traversing the streets and could afford
to look up a bit more and admire the quirky details of the buildings
(like a sundial).
The festival was definitely over and the sheep were all loaded back up for heading back to the farm.
Now,
I'm not at all proficient in German or whatever the Swiss think they're
speaking but I'm going to guess that this is a book about stars; why
else would they have a five-pointed star and some lightning on the
cover? Does dark energy ( a force) come from acceleration of a
dark/black mass?
Nestled into the valley, the mountains to the north yet featured a bit more snow than I could make out to the south
But the mountain to the south has a téléphérique to service the slopes; I don't know if I'll get a chance to take it (using the reduction my Chur tourism card grants me) so for now I'll just enjoy the view.
I ended up going for an ambitious hike given only 4 hours of sunlight remained, but I'm glad I pushed myself. Near the summit of the hike, the slope got very intense such that even a mountain goat I spotted was taking it easy rather than running off from me.
The Swiss hikes are nicely marked with signposts like this, I encountered a few mountain bikers on the trails today but very few hikers
It's about time I found some pine to complement all the Alp.
I suppose this pile of wood is more substantial than simple sticks, so I'll avoid any poor puns of my own a cord.
The hike moved up the valley from Chur so I ended up getting some real changes in vistas. The trails were still hybrid bike/hike paths up to this point.
Looks like my elevation increased a fair amount, that explains all the sweat 😅
This is where the fun begins
You know what really gets my goat?
A last bit of scrambling brought me up to the plateau and it's narrow path to the view point. I was very appreciative of the strong breeze that was whipping the tree tops up here 🥵
The view point was equipped with a bench and an appropriate number of plaques 😆
Looking back at where I'd come from prior to soaking in the view of the valley. These slopes are very steep scree so it's neat to have had a trail up to this point.
And the cherry on the cake! Or at least the John on the Rot Platter.
The evening light is hard for the camera to capture; it's warm yet fleeting, bright yet subtle, [insert 3rd attempt at a poetic description here]
The climb worked up more than just a sweat, I was really looking forward to consuming all 200g of this aged gruyere.
After I sufficiently cooled, I realized that I'd be racing the sun back down the trail: me trying to reach Chur before the sun was completely hidden by these peaks.
Still, I took my time to rest up, I was going to need my wits about me for the steep climb down.
Did I mention it was steep?
I doubt this is what they're called, but I called these "THE CLIFFS OF INSANITY!" When the trail takes a sharp 90 degree turn to attack the final summit, it's because you're faced with a sheer slope and this view.
It's so cool that the provincial capital is so close to great outdoor areas. I suppose that's true of almost all Switzerland in comparison to NYC but it doesn't invalidate the point.
While racing the setting sun on a trail, don't forget to stop and smell the roses wildflowers
There also a large number of mushroom-like totems scattered among some of the cut tree stumps. I wonder if it was hikers or lumberjacks that put them there.
Occasionally I'd get a view of the rock face and just how warped the layers were. Seems like the Alps responded to all that pressure by reaching new heights.
I've only spent a few hours in Chur but I think this was the most fun I've had thus far on this goodbye tour. Maybe it was pushing myself on this hike and stealing a view of a valley just for me, but while it's still mountains, everything just seems so different from the other parts of Switzerland I've been to...
I had to jog a few of the flatter segments, but I made it back to town with the last of the light!
Once back from the hike, I stumbled around the old town at night until I found the restaurant. I was tired and knew I needed to eat but wasn't all that hungry, so only a small portion of capuns were required 😆 I'll be sleeping good tonight, hopefully they'll let me out tomorrow morning.
Hmm, based on the statues facing, this spout is either a potable water fountain or a very public bidet. ...Being dehydrated from my hike, I rolled the dice.
From what I recall, this canton (Graubunden) uses the Ibex as its symbol and Coire/Chur is the capital of the canton. I wouldn't have guessed this to be the capital but I suppose I've only scratched the surface of the old town of this place.
What's a pintxos place doing here? Don't get me wrong, I think pintxos should be more places, but of all the pintxos joints, in all the towns, in all the world...
The reception at the hotel had told me to try out the capuns, a local food. I'd say they're like stuffed grape leaves, but instead of spiced rice/meat in a grape leaf, it's meat wrapped in a chard leaf smothered in cheese sauce. 😋
As I was reflecting on where I'd seen a room like this, I recalled a section of the museum of art in Geneva with a bunch of wooden rooms and how those rooms were built to emulate a classic house from the Grissons (Baubunden canton). It's all coming together now! The ceramic heater was a dead give away!
These must be either coffee or pepper mills. I ended up being one of the last people to take my meal here; the staff came out and enjoyed a cake together for some occasion that I couldn't discern. It seemed to me that many were Italian speaking Swiss but I'm not certain at all.
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