Varenna to Zurich...the Bernina Express

Trains, trains, trains...Varenna to Tirano to Chur to Zurich.

We took the 10.30am train from Varenna to Tirano, which is still in Italy but close to the Swiss border.  It looks to be a cute town, but we really only had time for lunch and a quick walk, and then it was onto the Bernina Express for the four-hour trip to Chur in Switzerland.

We had a seat in first class, which is a carriage with panoramic windows to enjoy the trip through the alps.  The train made a few stops along the way, at towns with wonderful names like: Poschiavo, Alp Grüm, Ospizio Bernina, Pontresina, Filisur, Tiefencastel.  Ospizio Bernina is the highest point of the trip, 2253 metres above sea level.  By the time we reached that point, we could see snow on the alps and the people in the towns were cosy in puffy jackets.  A section of the carriage had a window that could be opened, so we could stick our heads out for a blast of fresh air.

Much of the trip was through lush green slopes, dotted with sleek, happy cows.  As we travelled higher, the landscape changed to rocky slopes and forests of fir trees, with lakes and rivers coloured an opaque aqua - a result of the glacial flows.  Here and there we'd spot hikers, or a pitched tent, chalet-style homes beside small mountains of cut wood for their fires, and travellers huts.  Places like Pontresina have big chalets and are popular, I guess, with skiers in winter.  Most spectacular were the stone viaducts, where we felt suspended in the shadows of the fir forest, with a perfect view of sun-topped alps through the valley.

As we neared Chur, we travelled alongside the Rhein River, the landscape dotted with small villages strategically placed to catch the last rays of the day.  The symmetry of the houses, with their cut-out windows and painted shutters gave them the appearance of model villages.  In some villages we travelled almost through their gardens, close enough to enjoy the gnomes and cuckoo-clock like adornments on the windows and doors.  We truly knew we were in Switzerland!

Once in Chur it was a quick platform change and an hour to Zurich.