Days 5-6: Zillis, Andeer, St. Gallen

View from the train towards Graubünden

It only takes a little over three hours to get from one end of Switzerland to the other, but the differences from region to region are marked, somehow. The language varies from German to French to Italian to Romanisch, but even more interesting to me is how, in such a tiny area of land, there is so much geographical variety. Sure, it's all mountainous and there are no drastic climate changes (unless you count the fact that the Alps have a polar climate all year round), but from West to East, Basel to the Berner Oberland to the Graubünden region, there are subtle variations in the flavor of the place. That's why I was so glad my parents were willing to spend so many hours on the train so we could see as many regions as possible. 

The reason for going to Graubünden was because Juna and I hadn't seen much of the Eastern part of Switzerland yet and there seem to be several thermal baths in the area, which is something else we wanted to do. So the plan was to find a nice bath that was near some nice hiking and make it work. Conveniently, I found a trail that started from Thusis, where we'd have to take the train anyway, then led towards Zillis, the village where we'd stay overnight (technically the bath was in Andeer, another closeby village), and passed a spectacular gorge and suspension bridge along the way. The path was called Viamala, or Evil Way, because it was once a traders' mule trail but before the suspension bridge was built was highly dangerous to navigate. But for some reason that didn't tip me off to the fact that the hike might be strenuous. My Mom broke her ankle about a year ago, so we were trying to avoid difficult terrain and steep inclines. Well, this trail had plenty of those things (sorry Mom), but she did great!

After picnicking on this river, we embarked on our hike

That's the same river! This overlook gave me vertigo

Had we known how hard the trail would be, we never would have attempted it. But the rewards were definitely worth it. We passed castle ruins, saw cows (beginning my hunt for the elusive perfect cow shot), walked across a thrilling suspension bridge, played Pooh-sticks over a dramatic ravine, and finally descended into the famous Viamala Gorge (for something like six francs each).

Picnicking and the hike took us longer than I allowed for in the itinerary, so we had to push the thermal baths to the next day. We took the bus to Zillis and checked in at the charming Gasthaus Alte Post, where we appeared to be the only guests. We weren't, but it was close. The woman who checked us in told us normal check-in things, like where and when breakfast would be, that we could pay when we checked out, etc. When I asked her what time check-out was, she said "Wann Sie Lust haben," which means "whenever you want." I thought that seemed luxurious, but I figured if they didn't have many guests right now, it probably didn't matter so much. We ate a delicious dinner at the restaurant downstairs. Their specialty was Capuns, which I have no other way to describe other than to say they are ham-filled doughy pillows wrapped in chard, garnished with thinly sliced ham pieces and served swimming in a savory broth. Juna and I both ordered these not really having any idea what they were, and didn't regret it at all.

Friendly cats abound in Switzerland

Breakfast the next morning was typically Swiss--cold cuts, array of cheeses, yogurt, milk, coffee, tea, cereal, bread with jam, honey and butter. I was excited for my bowl of frosted wheat and poured myself some of the only thing on the table that looked like it could've possibly been milk. It was so sour I was sure it must be Swiss tradition to drink buttermilk with breakfast. So when the lady who seemed to be the owner (different from check-in lady) came in to ask us how everything was, I asked if they had any milk. She pointed to the pitcher full of the heinous buttermilk. I told her that that milk was sour, she looked surprised, apologized and brought some fresh milk. All was well. She seemed to appreciate that we spoke a little German, and with her wiry gray hair and crazy teeth she reminded me of a friendly fairy-tale witch.

We went to explore tiny Zillis' main attraction, St. Martinskirche, a church whose ceiling is covered in hundreds of preserved panels dating back to the early 1100s (another five francs each). The panels depicted Bible scenes, some gruesomely, as well as some strange mythical creatures, one of which was part-elephant part-fish part horse. Poised in this somewhat remote village, against a beautiful mountain backdrop, this tiny church was so much cooler and felt more genuinely spiritual than some of the grander cathedrals I've seen in Europe. After St. Martin's, our plan was to hit the thermal baths and then come back to Zillis to shower before check-out, but while we waited for the bus, I saw the friendly witch running down the street towards us, albeit not looking very friendly. She told us check-out was at 10 and if we didn't want to pay for another night we had better check out. She also said we weren't supposed to take the keys out of the building (what?). It was kind of a scary conversation, especially because it was in German. The other lady had led us astray, so our plan was derailed temporarily.

After checking out, we headed to Mineralbad Andeer. It was neat to swim outdoors in warm water and be surrounded by mountains. It wasn't a huge resort, and maybe it lacked some of the water jet gadget things some of the bigger places have. But in keeping with my preference to avoid crowds, I thought it was perfect. We paid about CHF 26 each for two hours in the baths, which felt to be the right amount of time. Then we headed to St. Gallen and the Stiftsbibliothek, the very old library founded by the monk St. Gallen (St. Gall in English, but I prefer the German). It was fascinating, with intricate ceiling art and two floors of bookshelves housing hundreds of preserved books and manuscripts from pre-Renaissance times. The wheeled ladders you take to reach the higher books are reminiscent of that scene in Beauty and the Beast. But visitors aren't allowed to touch the books--indeed, we weren't allowed to use a camera or even enter the space except by skating across the wooden floor in slippers that fit over our shoes. But a few books spread open in glass cases showed the richly illustrated initials that began each chapter or the prayers monks would use to ask forgiveness for mistakes. I came away with a much heightened appreciation for the art of writing by hand. AND, there was a mummy, of all things. The Bibliothek closed at 5, which meant we were a bit rushed. I wish I had looked that up more carefully so we could've tried to get there sooner, but I mistakenly assumed it would at least stay open until 6, which is the norm.

Outside the library, we caught the end of a public book reading. People lounged in hammocks and bean bag chairs strewn about the square. Unfortunately most of the actual words escaped us, as it was in German. Then, passing an Italian restaurant on the way to the train station, our hunger got the best of us and we ordered a Siciliano pizza to go for a snack to tide us over until dinner. We didn't get to see much of St. Gallen, but the library was breathtaking and the pizza was mouthwatering. So I left with a great impression of the city. We also wandered into this cathedral right next door to the Stiftsbibliothek.