Day 1

On the airplane.

As far as our biological clocks are concerned,
it's actually still late at night on day 'zero',
Chicago time.   In Zurich however, it's now

early morning on day 1 and that's of course the

reference point for this trip.

Day 1:
On the Rhätische Bahn mountain train
sometimes called the "Little Red Train"
from Zurich en route to Scuol. 

You will see more pictures of this train later on. 
Carol and I loved riding these little red Swiss
trains.  They have enormous  windows that slide
all the way down as pictured above.
Then you can feel the wind, hear the sounds and
take in the scenery . 
Video clips from aboard the Rhätische Bahn
Better: Red Train (wmv) - 38 sec 4975K

Short: Red Train Short (wmv) - 10 sec 635K  

Day 1:
Dinner at the hotel Gvardival.

Our first night.  As expected, very tired.

No sleep on the shortened night caused by the
time zone change.

Day 2:
Breakfast at Gvardival just before our first day
of hiking begins

Day 2:
Breakfast at Gvardival just before hiking begins.
Today we hike from Schuol to Guarda

Day 2:
After reaching the summit
we traverse the ridge to Prui. 

Day 2:
These cows are all wearing large bells.
It sounds like a cowbell symphony. 
See and hear short video clip
Swiss Cows (wmv) 722K

Day 2:
Carol is braver than Karl
It turns out these cows are quite tame.  Probably

quite accustomed to hikers.  Nearly everyone
we saw on the trails were Swiss locals as
evidenced by their perfect Swiss accents when
they greet us "grüzi miteinander"

Day 2:
We are bout 5 miles in. Amazing views.

Day 2:
About 7 miles from our start.

I

Day 2:
It was pretty much straight down to the

farmhouse.  People actually live and farm there.

Keep in mind we’re in the middle of nowhere.
See a short video clip of some of the Scenery
from this very day of hiking.
Swiss Hike (wmv) - 37 sec 4662K

Day 2:

About 8 miles in and 900 feet lower.

Day 2:
This large rock is about a half mile down river
from the farmhouse by the river in the previous
picture.

Day 2:
We are now even further down river from the
 farmhouse.  Just over the ridge there’s an

enormous patch of ice spanning the river.

Perhaps this is glacier.  Then again it's only late

July.  A lot of melting can happen in August.

Day 2:

This patch of forest is such a rich dark green
that the reason for the name Black Forest

becomes self-evident.

Day 2:
This is Ardez, the town we pass just before
Guarda, our destination for the night.

Day 2:
Despite the abundance of open space, 
the towns are packed tightly and
Cobblestone is the norm.  Nobody has grass

or a yard.  Not only does this eliminate "urban

sprawl", but it means you can also walk to the

bakery on foot.
See a short video clip with scenes from
some of the Swiss mountain tows we visited.
Swiss Town (wmv) - 18 sec 2295K

Day 2:

We are now about 11 miles into our second
day’s 13 mile hike.  Each day our luggage is

forwarded to the next hotel, so we are carrying

nothing more than a rain coat, a sweater, some
first-aid and a little bit of food.  We've decided
that this is the only way to hike :-)
  We are tred nonetheless. About fifteen minutes

after this picture was taken, it started POURING.

Day 2:
The best part of this kind of hiking is that after

a long day on the trail, we get to

shower, sleep in a real bed, and eat

real food. 
 

Tonight we stay at Hotel Meisser in Guarda.

Day 3:

This was the breakfast nook where we ate

This is also Hotel Meisser in Guarda.

Side note: 

Everyone in Switzerland uses trekking poles when

they hike. Because of this, our hotel  literature

informed us that: “We may 'hire some sticks'

for just 11 Francs”.  Carol and I referred to
trekking poles as 'hiring some sticks'
for the rest of the trip.

Day 3:

Today’s hike began with a short ride on the

Rhätische Bahn (train) from Giarsun (just down

the hill from Guarda) to Cinuos-Chel.
Interestingly the Rhätische Bahn is a private

mountain rail system not part of the SBB

Swiss rail system.  The tracks are narrow--

only 1 Meter wide.  Presumably this is because

narrow tracks are preferable when you are

winding and tunneling through the mountains

See a short train video (same as above)

better:
Red Train (wmv) - 38 sec 4975K
shorter:

Red Train Short (wmv) - 10 sec 635K  

Day 3:
This is the highest point in today's trip--
Alp Giratschouls. Our written directions and

maps provided to us were insufficient.  Without

our GPS, this we would no doubt have gotten

lost just like another couple we met on this

same trip.  Getting lost can be stressful even

for the 'newliest' of newlyweds.

Day 3:

Alp Giratschouls is roughly 7200 feet

...still plenty of air to breathe

Day 3:

This is where we sat for lunch at
Alp Giratschouls.  Our lunch consisted
of  local Swiss bread and local cheese.
…and and of course Toblerone.

Day 3:
Heading down the long descent into Zuoz.

Tonight we will stay at Hotel Engiadina.