switzerland 1977

(Both 17.2.1977)

This is Chur in Switzerland, on a cold evening in February 1977. Yes, that is a train running down the road, and this is a sight you can still see today, although the track has been doubled in the town itself.

I'd been Interrailing and this was one of those iconic locations I'd planned to visit. The branch line up to Arosa is very spectacular and soon after leaving Chur runs into deep snow. But this was my favourite stretch of the line, the incongruity of long trains running down the road still a novelty.

This was very different from home back in Littlehampton, I was just twenty and couldn't speak a word of German, so it all seemed very foreign. It's very familiar to me now of course, having visited (and lived) in Switzerland many times since!

our best winter holiday

The view from our hotel room window.

40 miles to the south we were in Italy having a genuine pizza.

(Both 4.12.2008)

Back in 2008 we were very lucky in nabbing a long break in St Moritz. I'd been there before of course but never thought I'd be able to stay there. We stayed at the Waldhouse at the head of the lake. It was an amazing place. Thanks to the prices St Moritz is 100% chav-free.

We had a rover ticket for the railways, first class of course, and one day went down to Tirano on the amazing Berninabahn. We popped ina  genuine Italian pizzeria near the station and walked about the rather quiet town, so different from the Swiss towns just a few miles up the road.

Going down we went in a panoramic coach which was great. We were filmed most of the way by a helicopter. The train coming back was very different, with a single coach and a few freight wagons. It was getting dark and the tiny first class section in the coach had a real cosy feel. We got talking to an American and his Croatian wife who were also staying in St Moritz, and the time passed really quickly.

A fantastic holiday which I expect will appear here many times in the future!

leysin 1982

(24.7.1982)

Thanks to Margaret Thatcher everyone was unemployed in the early 80s and my brother Jeff and I made the most of this extended holiday to go on extended trips to Europe in both 1981 and 1982. We'd discovered Leysin in 1981 quite by chance and returned in 1982.

Here Jeff is in the back of the van with Fiachra who annually came over to Leysin with his Irish family (his mum and 8 kids!) - his mum spent the summer climbing and the kids ran wild. They were great fun!

I've returned  to Leysin many times, most recently last September. It'll probably appear many times on this blog!