Playgrounds of Europe

Jane

Sep 19, 2024 • 3 min read

We slipped across the border into Switzerland and swanky St Moritz, the town tagged as the playground of the rich and famous at an elevation of 1,864m with more sunny days than many other alpine resorts and true to form we enjoyed some blue skies and no rain.

**The Swiss Alps: timeless towns; cows feed on rich pastures - their bells ring out across the valleys strewn with spring wild flowers**. Photos: Jane

This was the birthplace of alpine winter tourism when the hotelier Johannes Badrutt made a bold bet with his English summer guests more than 150 years ago, promising them sunshine in mid-winter.

Badrutt won the bet and St. Moritz went on to become one of the world's most exceptional winter sports resorts and hosted the Winter Olympics twice. With mineral springs the town is also a summer spa resort.

St. Moritz was often ahead of the times - the first electric light was switched on at Christmas time in 1878, the first golf tournament held in the Alps in 1889 and one of the first ski lifts in Switzerland began running in 1935.

St Moritz - Bob Sled; our family-owned hotel - The Baeren; afternoon tea with teddy Fynn - the closest we got to someone famous - he’s a Steiff - a famous maker of teddy bears since 1880; Fabulous B&W photos in our hotel - Jeanette Altwegg - ice skater - Bronze medalist - 1948 Olympics and the crowd; Cosy lounge in our hotel and 2 little bears on the counter. Photos: Jane

It’s the off season so the rich and famous are living it up at other playgrounds, the 5-star hotels closed for another month when the summer season starts. The town was ours for the weekend, arriving just in time to visit the supermarket on Saturday afternoon to buy supplies for lunch on Sunday as everything is closed, even the supermarkets and alas also the chocolate shops.

In the summer, hotels offer guests a pass for the trains, and buses including the Diavolezza cable car - the perfect way to spend our Sunday.

**Diavolezza cable car; Vintage cars in the car park; Coffee at the top and of course there is always a snowman**. Photos: Jane

At 2,978m, it was a spectacular ascent on the Diavolezza cable car - the name means She Devil - the legend: this beauty lived high in the mountains, hunters would find her, crazed by love at the sight of her and fall to their deaths.

Even though it was only 6 degrees, with no wind it was actually pleasant to enjoy a coffee on the balcony overlooking several mountains - Palu at an elevation of 3,899m and Bernina at 4,048m, among the many mountains on view from the top.

**Map of the mountains that can be seen from the top of Diavolezza.** Photo taken of map at the view point by Jane

**Just some of the snowy slopes.** **Brown-stained snow - sand had blown in from the Sahara the previous week.** Photos: Jane

We had a fabulous day and a great preview of part of the train trip we will do again the next day - the famous Bernina Express - one of the world’s most beautiful train journeys, a post coming up soon.

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