[CR Switzerland] Day 10-1

September 26, 2006
St. Moritz - Glacier Express - Interlaken

Morning Call/Breakfast: 8.00 * Baggage Call: 8.30
Departure from St. Moritz: 9.30

The weather showed a lot of improvement when I glanced out the window while waiting for breakfast. When I opened the hotel window, I could see the sun shining through a break in the clouds, and even a little bit of blue skies. I hung out of the window breathing as much of the cool air as my lungs could manage, and felt like I was nested in a luxurious attic room. Glancing down, I discovered that I was looking out over the bus. Familiar voices floated up, and I finally gave in to my paparazzi instincts and snapped a picture of Elamr and Ueli on the street, having a chat. No doubt discussing the prospects for the day's driving.

We'd been advised to get ourselves sandwiches and drinks of choice for the train ride, since the trip would be about four hours long. The dining car was some way from our assigned carriage - and prices were bound to be a little steep. As the family quartermaster, it was my job to go down and get the provisions. I ran into Doug and Joan as they were on their way out the door, and joined them on the short walk to the COOP store. We met Jack near the top of the square, and for the fifteen minutes before the 8.00 AM store opening, we hung out and shared observations about the tour thus far.

The COOP doors opened promptly at eight, and I plunged straight into the fragrance of freshly-baked bread being pulled out of the oven. Heavenly stuff! Quickly picked out cold cuts, small croissants and bottled water for lunch, then threw in a tube of hand cream into the basket as well - my hands were drying out from the cold air and being plunged into warm water at every washroom stop. Was back up in the room by 8.15, collected the parents, made sure nothing was left behind in the drawers and closets, put out the bags, and then down to breakfast we went.

Made a good breakfast of it, given that lunch was going to be a picnic-style affair on the train. By now I was starting to think wistfully of the rice-based breakfasts we had at home, which could carry me all the way to 2.00 PM easily. Made do with the breakfast rolls and still more cold cuts instead - I was determined to keep away from fried food for a while. And while I love cereals, loading up on them, would have meant too many trips to the washrooms for comfort - and when you don't know when the next set of facilities will turn up, that definitely limits this woman's breakfast choices!

Back up to the hotel room to fetch down the carry-on bags, and then back to the lobby to turn in the key. Ueli offered to take my bulging carry-on and stow it in the lower baggage compartment, but I declined, and laughingly told him to wait till after I'd gotten myself a proper backpack in Interlaken. As usual, we were off on schedule, and Elmar loaded us on the train by 9.30 AM, well in time for the scheduled departure of 10.00 AM.

This train, unlike the delightfully vintage-type Bernina Express, was a modern thing with those panoramic windows that make you feel like you're traveling from inside a glass bubble. While the seats were comfortable, and there was even an on-board audio system, I missed the option of being able to open the windows. Panoramic views are all very fine and fantastic, but in my humble opinion, a great deal of the fun of visiting the mountains is breathing in the mountain air. I hasten to add that my less than enthusiastic opinion of the carriage was colored by the fact that the airconditioning needed tweaking, as the watery sunlight gradually warmed the train as we climbed to higher altitudes. No doubt the next batch of Insight passengers will have proper airconditioning - but I must warn the photographers among you that there will be reflections all over the place, making shooting glare-free pictures quite a challenge. (But you had best shoot what you can, never mind the reflections - you'll never know when you can go back to take them again!)

The weather cleared considerably once we were above the timber line. Lovely views! As I said earlier, any attempt at taking photos of the landscape resulted in glass reflections blurring at least one part of the image. This time, the parents had the jump seat area, and Elmar happily bonded with Dad over shared pilot experiences. Turns out that our TD used to be a glider pilot, while Dad once served with the Philippine Air Force and was a corporate pilot for 23 years.

At one of the longer stops, Gary gave everyone a huge scare by staying on the platform a touch too long. We inside the train knew that it was going to be leaving, but he was still taking pictures! Word got down to Elmar, who, with Gary's wife, hopped out of the train to call out to him, and then back on again. There were a few moments of exquisite suspense until the other end of the coach called out that our stray sheep was safely on board, and a collective sigh of relief swept over us all.

I took one look at Elmar's face and teased him, "It's OK, Elmar. You can breathe normally now!" I could totally relate to the feeling - Dad is a wandering gypsy when we're on tour sometimes, and there is nothing like turning around to discover that the person you thought was tagging along behind you, has been left around the corner admiring a shop window! The incident reminded me of various other times I'd been on a tour group when people were lost, and I shared some of the highlights of those experiences with Jenny and her husband, who had come down to the jump seat area.

Passed around the cold cuts and croissants and water as lunch time came around; and in the interests of reducing what I had to carry, made sure we ate everything. The entire trip took 4.5 hours, ending exactly at 2.oo PM. Again, Ueli was waiting patiently at the Andermatt station for us, and never was the blast of brisk air as we got down from the coach more welcome!

As most of the group elected to make this their washroom stop, there was a bit of a wait. Unable to bring myself to get back into an enclosed space after being cooped up for 4.5 hours, I had a chat with Ueli, who asked whether the air was as fresh on the train as it was out in the open. I pulled a face at him and said it would have been *much* better with open windows, which made him laugh. He smiled in understanding as I sighed that I would miss the natural air-conditioning so very much once I was back home in the tropics. In the course of our conversation, I discovered that he averages about 75,000 km/year as a tour bus driver - and was duly impressed. Ueli pointed out the general direction of the Susten Pass, which we had to go through before reaching Interlaken, assuring me that it was going to be a fine drive. I didn't doubt him for a minute, not even with clouds lowering over the mountain peaks.