Arosa & Glacier Express into Valais

Today we have a divided day. Until the afternoon, we want to take the train to Arosa and back and also walk around a bit in Chur, which we haven't seen yet. In the afternoon, a highlight awaits us: the Glacier Express.

At 9:08 am, our train departs from Chur to Arosa for an hour through a beautiful mountain scenery. 

The train ascends 1200 meters in altitude, as Arosa is located at an elevation of almost 1800m above sea level. In the town itself, there is a car race, which is why the road to Arosa is closed. So the city tour is quite short, as we can hardly reach anything due to barriers everywhere.

Finally, we walk around the small lake and try out some of the quirky wooden benches. Not all of them seem to be made for sitting 😉😀 

After two hours, we take the train back to Chur and are lucky to find an open wagon at the end of the train. The ride is absolutely fantastic 👏🏼🙂.

We get off the train in the old town of Chur and walk through it towards the train station. Chur has really nice little alleys and squares. It is the oldest city in Switzerland. 

Considering the prices of 3.70-4 Swiss francs for a scoop of ice cream, we go to Coop and get ourselves a Magnum for 3.20 CHF (what a tremendous saving 😄). While some things are similarly expensive as in Germany, other things are mega expensive. Broccoli for almost 7 francs (about €7.30) for a 250g piece or 18 francs (around €20) for 30 rolls of toilet paper, 6 francs for elmex toothpaste or 4.95 CHF for a pot of basil, are quite steep. On the other hand, local cheese is usually cheaper than in Germany. 

We retrieve our luggage from the locker (12 CHF 😉) and at 2:26 pm we start our journey with the Glacier Express, which we almost missed as it is very short and stands at the back of a platform where a normal train stands in the front, where we were waiting. We were always waiting for the display on the platform, but it didn't come. Luckily, Jutta saw a railway official and asked 😜 

A journey on the Glacier Express - who doesn't wish for this experience? This has been on both of our bucket lists for a long time and today it is finally coming true. We are lucky that the seats next to us stay empty until the end. Our wagon is also quite sparsely occupied. The Glacier Express has two classes. We are taking the ride in the 2nd class, included in our Swiss Travel Pass, which cost us 308 euros for 4 days. 

With this pass, we have already traveled to Arosa and back today. However, the Glacier Express can only be booked with a seat reservation, which costs 50 euros per person 😑. In addition, we have booked a kind of snack plate for eating, which costs another 35 francs. But it doesn't matter! We toast to this experience with the delicious Heidi Wii, which we already enjoyed on the train back from Tirano yesterday. While yesterday the half-liter bottle cost 22 francs, Glacier Express now charges 9 francs for 0.1 liter... 

First, we pass through the Rhine Gorge, which is already one of the highlights. 

The landscape around us is gigantic and the weather is also cooperating. Unfortunately, here you always have to take pictures through the window, which doesn't allow for really good shots without reflections. 

Shortly after the highest point, the Oberalp Pass at over 2000m, there is a stop and you can take a few minutes to photograph the landscape from the platform. 

Unfortunately, the Glacier Express has not shown the view of the Rhone Glacier for quite some time and instead of crossing the Furka Pass, it now passes through the 15.4km long Furka Tunnel in just 10 minutes at a rapid speed. The train here operates on a cog railway. In practice, you hardly see any glaciers that the name of the train promises. Yesterday we saw much more. The weather is gray and cloudy starting from the Furka Tunnel. 

We travel through the Valais region with its dark wooden houses and across meadows, along rivers that carry almost no water, through small villages and below sharp, high mountains. We are served our meals and enjoy Swiss meat and good cheese once again. 

Punctually at 6:40 pm, after almost 4.5 hours, we reach Brig in the Valais region, where it is surprisingly warm at 20 degrees. We drag our bags through the town to the Schlosshotel, which has nothing in common with a castle except that the castle is next door.

Our hotel has no staff, so it can remain affordable. That's the claim. So we simply check in at the machine and pay 400 euros for two nights. Small side note: A few years ago, Switzerland considered establishing a minimum wage of 3500 or 4000 francs. Then it was realized that hardly anyone in Switzerland earned less than that - and the minimum wage issue was buried. So, if you save on personnel to be affordable, it has a very special dimension here compared to our standards 😉. 

Interestingly, we have a room with 3 beds and after sitting down, it is clear that the regular bed is better and the third one is just a great storage space for clothes 😉. The bathroom has the design of the 70s and is - if not Gelsenkirchener - possibly Walliser Baroque 😵‍💫. 

We go for a walk in the old town and first admire the Schloss Stockalperhof, which is a huge building located right next to our hotel. Even pomegranates grow here. 

Anyway, Brig seems Mediterranean to us. And it is surprisingly mild this evening. With almost 20 degrees, much warmer than expected. After a little tour through this city, which gained prosperity and significance about 100 years ago through the construction of the Simplon Pass, we sit down for a beer at the central square before spending the rest of the evening on the balcony of our hotel. 

A nice place, this Brig. For us, it is just the starting point to Zermatt and the Gornergrat, where tomorrow we want to see over twenty peaks from an altitude of over 3000m.