A Church perched above the Inn River in Scuol.
We arrived back in Zurich on Sunday afternoon and, after spending a little while in downtown Zurich (Rita shopping, and Allen reading), we returned to Rosemary Whiston's. We asked Rosmary for suggestions as to how we should spend our remaining time. She suggested, and then arranged for, a train ride through the Swiss Alps, with an overnight stay in Scuol.
So Monday morning we boarded another train for a ride through some of the world's most beautiful scenery. The ride took us to the southeast corner of Switzerland. The railroad tracks end in Scuol.
Scuol is in the lower Engadine Valley - the valley of the Inn River.
Scuol is located at an elevation of about 4000 feet in the lower Engadine valley. This is the Romansch speaking area of the country. Switzerland has 3 official languages; German - spoken by about 65% of the population, French - 20%, and Italian - 8%. Romansch - spoken by less than 1% of the population - was an official national language from 1938 until 1996, but now has partial official status.
Scuol is a health spa with lots of mineral springs around the area. There is plenty of skiing and hiking nearby, and there are white-water rafting trips on the Inn River. We spent our half-day here walking around the town and admiring the mountain views.
Tuesday found us on the train again, on a side trip to St. Moritz where we had lunch by the lake. The train from St. Moritz to Chur traveled down a marvelous valley with many twists and turns including a few complete loops where the track passes under itself.
The track from St. Moritz to Chur.
We were soon back in Zurich, where we spent the final night of our trip with Rosmarie Whiston before heading to the airport and our return flight to Los Angeles via Frankfurt, Germany.
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Page last updated May 02, 2004