Leaving Luzern this morning we caught a series of trains to St. Moritz; en route, we passed Lake Zurich and Lake Walen before climbing southeastward through the Alps. The rail stretch between Chur and St. Moritz, which crosses numerous bridges and passes through 55 tunnels, has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage railway. St. Moritz itself sits in the Inn River Valley, surrounded by high peaks, and stretches along the north and west shores of St. Moritz Lake; scenic Lake Silvaplauna is a few miles upstream.
Though my personal expectations were that St. Moritz, a playground for the rich and famous, would be a bustling resort town with numerous shops, cafes and clubs, it is relatively devoid of those amenities and proved to be a rather sedate destination in early June. While historic hotels dot the valley walls, many of the buildings are modern structures that are anything but quaint; we expected a Vail or Aspen like atmosphere and found neither. St. Moritz does have a casino but we do not plan to indulge.
On the other hand, numerous trails lead along the lakes and onto the mountain slopes and several cable cars whisk visitors to alpine vistas. Indeed, tomorrow we will travel to Bernina-Diavolezza, southeast of St. Moritz, and will take a tram to an elevation of almost 3000 meters. More on that adventure in my next post.
Though my personal expectations were that St. Moritz, a playground for the rich and famous, would be a bustling resort town with numerous shops, cafes and clubs, it is relatively devoid of those amenities and proved to be a rather sedate destination in early June. While historic hotels dot the valley walls, many of the buildings are modern structures that are anything but quaint; we expected a Vail or Aspen like atmosphere and found neither. St. Moritz does have a casino but we do not plan to indulge.
On the other hand, numerous trails lead along the lakes and onto the mountain slopes and several cable cars whisk visitors to alpine vistas. Indeed, tomorrow we will travel to Bernina-Diavolezza, southeast of St. Moritz, and will take a tram to an elevation of almost 3000 meters. More on that adventure in my next post.
