Aboard the Bernina Express!

We are BLOWN AWAY after travelling on the Bernina Express from Tirano, northern Italy to Chur, eastern Switzerland. On the journey you are immediately amongst beauty, surrounded by ice capped mountains, turquoise lakes, quaint villages and a fantastic glass roof to view it all through. (The roof is not entirely glass, much to the disappointment of the young girls in our carriage, “Dad, where’s the glass roof? You said it was glass!”) The train is a narrow gauge train run by the Rhätische Bahn.

Excited to board the Bernina!

On-board with the view-enabling windows

It was easily the most scenic train trip I have ever done. The journey had been a travel dream of mine since before my first trip to Europe in 2010. At that time, I had decided to skip Switzerland to concentrate on slower travel through France, Italy and Spain. It was well worth the wait and something I would highly recommend.

Along the way, Rob and I were entranced by the spectacular scenes outside our window as we rapidly climbed out of the valley near Tirano and up the steep track (at a rate of up to 70 metres per mile). We marveled at how clever it was to use the twists and turns to ascend the mountains (see the Brusio Spiral here). The railways architectural and civil engineering achievements are actually what made it find a place on the UNESCO World Heritage list. At one point early on in the trip we even “became a tram.” Across the route there were several tunnels and bridges (one is the longest in Europe.) We also went past a glacier, some castles, villages, a hydroelectric power plant and the highest airport in Europe! It was a beautiful area and one that you would be lovely to see via hiking, mountain biking, cycling or driving. Travelling by train was a brilliant way to experience it.

Rob’s favourite part of 122km journey was the steep ascent at the beginning. Even though we had some idea of the route we were still surprised as we watched the front of the train go up and up and up – it felt like a plane taking off! Not long after leaving Tirano, we encountered the Kreisviadukt Brusio, an amazing construction that sees the train spiral around on a 360 degree curve, allowing a rapid climb within very little space. During this part it was hard to know which way to look! 



Perhaps even harder was when we got closer to the highest point of the journey, Ospizio Bernina at 2253 metres above sea level. This was my favourite part. The sun was shining on the beautiful mountains and the contrasting mix of colours from the pine trees, rocks, grass and snow was stunning. Some people might prefer the journey in winter to see more snow, and no doubt it would be beautiful, but I rather liked the view with a little snow and lots of other colours.

Travelling through Alp Grüm our surrounds included Palü glacier and lake Palü and we had views of the Italian alps. Once at the highest altitude station on the railway network, Ospizio Bernina, we had crossed from Italian speaking areas in Italy and Switzerland into the Engadin region where Romansh and  German is spoken. From Ospizio Bernina you can see two neighbouring pools of water, one draining to the Adriatic Sea (Lago Blanco) and the other to the Black Sea (Leg Naire). The colour of the water in each was markedly different which was a strange sight.  Apparently we owe that difference to the fact that Lago Blanco is filled with glacial melt from Cambrena Glacier and Leg Naire is a peaty depression which collects murky brown water.

As well as a fantastically scenic ride, I can only imagine what this train route did for small villages once isolated by the Alps. It made me think about Mongolia and how influential further transport development could be for the country. 

Tips:

• If you can, INCLUDE THIS TRIP IN YOUR LIFE!
• Pack some snacks. There is not much choice on board. (No ice creams for the kids in our carriage as promised.)
• There are some spots where you can take photos without a window in the way, but you’ll have to stand up and might not be worth just enjoying the view.
• The Man at Seat 61 provides some great information. Including a cheaper means of riding on the Bernina. We did this and despite a bit of confusion in Tirano, it worked a treat.

Stunning Lago Blanco

Our neighbour enjoying the view over Lago Blanco

What a journey!

Look out the window!

Beautiful 

Going past Leg Naire

A barren landscape on part of the journey

A great place to stop apparently!

Milano

Taking off from Santander we had a beautiful view of the coast along Cantabria. After a short flight we descended towards Milan city with glimpses of the Italian alps. It was dumb luck that saw us take a flight with lovely departure and arrival views. 

We actually weren’t intending on visiting Milan this trip but, like a lot of places, it found its way onto our itinerary due to the necessity of getting from A to B. As it happens, Santander isn’t that close to the starting point of the Bernina Express: Tirano, Italy (originally our first destination after a month in Spain), so flying became more attractive, as did two nights in Milan.

I was still sick come Milan so it unfortunately rather reduced our explorations, not to mention restricting the delicious Italian food I could try. We did have a lovely sunny day to explore the grand Duomo di Milano (gothic cathedral), as well as its museum, and walk around town a little bit. The Duomo took around six centuries to complete which is not surprising when you are on the roof amongst the many sculptures, pinnacles and spires. Part of the cathedral was having maintenance work done whilst we were there and I imagine it would constantly need something to be restored or maintained.    

Duomo di Milano

Overlooking the city

On the top of the cathedral

Disturbing but amazing sculpture of
"St Bartholomew Flayed"

Enjoying the view

Trying to capture the depth and and
angles in this beautiful maze

Inside the cathedral

Spectacular interior

Amazing windows

Vivid images in the windows 

Massive, grand arcade in Milano

Beautiful archway

From Milan we took a train to Tirano with the aim of boarding the Bernina Express early afternoon. The latter train is more famous for its fantastic scenery but our first train had rather beautiful views too. This is not surprising since the journey takes you through the mountains and past Lake Como before arriving in Tirano. We had lunch in Tirano, checked our tickets were okay and had a very quick poke around. It must be getting close to the Grand Final because I spotted a Sherrin in a café window in town!

Out the window on the train to Tirano

We should drop in on Lake Como sometime!

Spain part 4: Around Santander town

Santander is a port city in Cantabria, northern Spain. Much of Santander was lost in their Great Fire of 1941 and this significantly changed the architecture of the town.

Two of Santander's highlights are its cathedral and palace, both of which we visited on Spanish speaking tours:

Cathedral
The mainly gothic cathedral, it has been renovated over time, was built between the 12th and 14th century on top of the former Santander Abbey. Parts of it survived the '41 fire so it is rather a special place in town. My favourite part of the tour was looking at the stonework at the entry to the church. Rob liked the altar the most and it was a good thing that the guide decided to put the lights on for us to see it (after the request of another tourist)!

Detail on cathedral exterior wall

Part of the lovely church windows

The altar

The cathedral 

Church from the road

Palacio de la Magdalena

The palace at Santander was constructed in 1908 to provide a summer residence for the royal family of Spain. The royal family used the palace until the Second Spanish Republic in 1931. It is now used as a meeting hall and conference centre and, in the summer, by the Menednes Pelayo International University. It has a magnificent view coastal views from the highest point on the Peninsula of La Magdalena. 

We joined an evening tour of the palace which took in a recreation of the royal residency. It was in Spanish so we took it as an opportunity to try to practice our comprehension! The inside was grand but we probably enjoyed the outside of the palace, its views and the surrounding public park the most. Apparently the Queen (originally from England) most enjoyed the landscape and architecture as it was very close to her native home at the Island of Wight.

Palacio conference room

Palacio de la Magdalena

View from the Palace

Palacio de la Magdalena

Kat and Palacio de la Magdalena

Flower beds and Palacio de la Magdalena

Walking around Santander

Santander was a great town to walk around. My favourite walk was easily along the top of the cliffs overlooking the bay area and Somo. 

Cliff walk Santander

Overlooking Santander bay

Santander is very hilly and it has an outdoor elevator that takes on one of the bigger hills. Of course, we went on a walk that saw us climb to the top of the elevator in order to take it down! There are some nice parks scattered around town, including the lovely Llamas Park. Many days our route would be past the market, through the town hall square and towards the esplanade. Due to the windy roads and hills, it was easy to be surprised as you came around a bend to a beautiful view of the sea or a grand building.

The palace area also has lovely walks with views of the beaches and lighthouses. There is a small zoo nearby the palace gardens that has penguins and seals, as well as a ship exhibition. 

Cloudy day view over Santander town and looking out into the bay

Elevator 

Elevator

Saw Hat Luffy from Japanese manga series One Piece

Statue and marketplace near home

Rob's royal throne

A beautiful Spanish leaf!

View from our apartment

We lived near the town square: Plaza del Ayuntamiento

Hanging out in the square: a favourite pastime for all

Ayuntamiento (town hall)

Ayuntamiento

Trying the specialty cakes of Santander

Santander town

Beautiful archway

Lovely buildings

Santander bank building