{"id":5215,"date":"2016-10-05T23:36:32","date_gmt":"2016-10-05T22:36:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.haydnwilliams.com\/blog\/?p=5215"},"modified":"2022-04-11T16:39:27","modified_gmt":"2022-04-11T15:39:27","slug":"zurich-and-bernina-express","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.haydnwilliams.com\/blog\/zurich-and-bernina-express\/","title":{"rendered":"Zurich and Bernina Express"},"content":{"rendered":"

We travelled to Zurich recently and had a brief couple of days in the city to catch up with friends, but no time to actually have a proper look around. Once work finished, though, we did manage to catch a train down through the Albula and Bernina Alps to Tirano just inside Italy.<\/p>\n

Having travelled with hand luggage only, I forwent my cameras for running gear so some of the photos below are ludicrous crops from an iPhone image in lieu of a proper zoom. Sorry.<\/p>\n

The side of Switzerland we saw was very efficient and well organised. I highly doubt the UK could effectively arrange for two trains to use the same platform at a station just three minutes apart, whilst also travelling in opposite directions. I was also very pleased with the facilities on the UPSTAIRS deck of first class.<\/p>\n

\"Swiss

Swiss trains have proper coat racks! This was upstairs! \u00a9 Haydn Williams 2016<\/p><\/div>\n

We changed trains a couple of hours outside Zurich, onto the Bernina Express<\/a> which has panoramic windows so you can enjoy the view.<\/p>\n

\"First

First class carriage to ourselves, woohoo! \u00a9 Haydn Williams 2016<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Choo

Choo choo! \u00a9 Haydn Williams 2016<\/p><\/div>\n

Unfortunately during our two days we didn’t really get to see the peaks around us climbing to 4,000m because of some rather low cloud.<\/p>\n

\"Silly

Silly iPhone crop of church from the Bernina Express. \u00a9 Haydn Williams 2016<\/p><\/div>\n

However, the journey was still very pleasant, not least because of some of the train-based acrobatics that takes place to get up and down the various passes.<\/p>\n

\"Crazy

Crazy spiral railway track. \u00a9 Haydn Williams 2016<\/p><\/div>\n

On the outward trip we stopped briefly at the high point of Ospizio Bernina, where the watershed between the Danube and the Po River sits.<\/p>\n

\"Rain

Rain falling left of this sign drains to the Adriatic; to the right goes to the Black Sea. \u00a9 Haydn Williams 2016<\/p><\/div>\n

Despite\u00a0getting some pretty gnarly weather at 2250m above sea level, they manage to maintain hourly train services even through winter. This is partly through the use of modern machinery, but also this frankly terrifying steam-powered snow plough from 1910 (I’ve set the videos to start at the interesting bits!).<\/p>\n

https:\/\/youtu.be\/4-XqjKjDT4k?t=1m12s<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n