This past weekend marked a holiday in Switzerland, with businesses closed on Good Friday and Easter Monday. There is something to be noted about the connection between the various religious observances and national holidays here, but I’ll save that discussion for another time. For many families, the two weeks surrounding Easter Sunday present an opportunity to travel domestically and internationally. Some friends took advantage of the break to visit Japan, while others spent the week near Milan. My friend who owns the corner café traveled to Ibiza.
There is a subtle adjustment to the rhythm of life here that isn’t immediately obvious. The first part is adapting to the different holidays. I wouldn’t say I miss Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, or Labor Day per se, but the year feels different without those familiar markers. Instead, we have holidays like Good Friday, Easter Monday, May Day, and National Day. My favorite holiday, Thanksgiving, presents a particularly challenging difference, as the Swiss do not have an equivalent celebration.
The second adjustment is the near-total shutdown of commerce on these holidays. While Thanksgiving Day is a rare exception, shopping and conducting errands on most other holidays in the US is generally possible. Here, however, we need to ensure we have enough milk and fruit in advance (just like we do on Sundays!) since all stores are closed. Consequently, families tend to travel, spend time outdoors, and engage in non-shopping activities. Capitalism doesn’t always take precedence. Our little section of Zürich becomes quiet as the sounds of adults going about their workdays and children chatting on their way to school vanish, as if transported to another planet.
I asked everyone I knew for advice on how to spend the long weekend. The suggestions I received varied; some recommended places in Italy, while others mentioned local destinations. Given the wide range of responses, I focused on one key factor: train travel. I looked for locations where train occupancy for departures and returns was low, a relatively straightforward process using the most incredible app ever created. Based on the suggestions I received and our travel constraints, we ultimately decided to go to St. Moritz.
St. Moritz is a globally recognized destination, having hosted the Olympics twice and attracting the wealthy for many years. As a result, there were not many hotel options available for us. Instead, we decided to pivot to a nearby town, Pontresina, which is overshadowed by its more famous neighbor. Both towns are nestled in the Upper Engadin Valley.
I often talk about the benefits of train travel, and I will repeat it: it’s a fantastic way to travel from Zürich to almost anywhere in a scenic and stress-free manner. Before my trip, I had no idea that the train we booked was part of the UNESCO World Heritage route of the Rhaetian Railway. We thought we were on an “ordinary” Swiss train, but instead, we were treated to breathtaking views at every turn.
One comment we repeatedly make to each other is that no picture captures the magnificence of the landscape we are witnessing. The GIF above is a poor substitute for the vivid IMAX-level experience of looking out a train window towards the Alps and valleys below. The scenic trip took three hours, reading and gazing out the window.
Countless small towns along the way are so picturesque that you might suspect the Disney corporation artificially created them. Each hamlet has tiny houses clustered around a simple church, with the structures seeming to climb up the mountainside. We were tempted to get out at each stop and explore.
I catalogued another difference between rural Swiss and US towns on this trip. The pictures above show a complete absence of large signage and billboards. It’s sometimes more challenging to notice something that isn’t there, but once processed, it is impossible not to. On our trip, there were no updates on how many miles until we reached Wall Drug, SD, nor were there explanations on the proper definition of marriage. There were just small towns going about their business without being flashy. Most laws and regulations in Switzerland are implemented on a canton-by-canton basis, but the overall mood is growing to restrict outdoor advertisements even more.
After the three-hour train ride, we checked into the Hotel Walther, a lovely family-owned fixture in Pontresina for over 100 years. Upon arriving, we were greeted by Thomas and Anne-Rose Walther, the hotel owners. Each would check on us several times throughout the weekend to ensure we enjoyed our stay. It made the experience quite personal, and I am certainly more inclined to stay there again, given the tremendous hospitality.
On our way to the room, we were met in the lobby by a sentry who had not left their post since it was opened in 1910.
We enjoyed a lovely dinner at the hotel’s Italian restaurant on Friday evening.
We decided to hike to St. Moritz on Saturday, rather than take the convenient shuttle. Only three miles separate the two cities, and the hiking trail was perfectly Swiss: wide, well-marked, and well-maintained.
We passed through a lovely forest, just awakening to Spring’s colors. We emerged on the other side to pause by a still-frozen lake, Lej da Staz.
St. Moritz was a bit of a disappointment for me. I can’t recall when I first read about its existence, but it has resided low-key in my head as a place I need to visit. I am unduly attracted to glitzy locales, imagining that the über-wealthy have some secret understanding of places to travel that I need to unlock. The more I travel, the more I divest myself of this notion, recognizing that the world is filled with beauty that an elite few cannot bottle. To be clear, St. Moritz is beautiful and worth a visit, but I’m glad we stayed where we did.
We strolled through the town and found a lovely café to read and drink coffee. We took the funicular to mid-mountain to get the view shown above, although the upper mountain was closed due to a combination of the Easter holiday and a music festival. The “SunIce Festival,” billing itself as the “Coachella of the Mountains,” was not our cup of tea (or coffee), as we didn’t recognize any of the acts. The train up the mountains was otherwise filled with people less than half our age, looking to drink and enjoy music in the mountain air. We took our picture and then enjoyed a wonderful walk down the hill to the city.
We hiked back to the hotel intending to spend time in the spa. Jo opted for the sauna while I went for the hot tub. I chose poorly. For Easter weekend, the hotel was filled with families, including many small children, who brought abundant energy to the pool and hot tub. They were fine, yet I was interested in something much more low-key.
No matter, the highlight of the evening was a dinner at the fabulous fondue restaurant across the street from the hotel.
The small restaurant’s dining area was contained inside a large decommissioned gondola, shown above. So cute! We were served by the most cheerful person we have ever encountered, who taught us the difference between “raclette” and “fondue.” We opted for the fondue option and ate more cheese than is possibly healthy for our recently vegan digestive systems. I regret nothing. The combination of flavors and textures was worth any potential digestive distress.
Easter Sunday arrived, and we agreed to keep it relaxed. Earlier in the week, we had been invited to spend Easter brunch with a US friend who now lives in Klosters. This small town of less than 5,000 residents has been the ski destination of the British royal family and other celebrities for decades. My friend has been incredibly warm, welcoming us, and supporting our transition to life in Zürich. Jo wasn’t feeling 100%, so I went alone to spend the afternoon with her and her parents, visiting from the US. I know this family from my swimming days back in Menlo Park. As such, this was a fun reunion of Lane 4 inhabitants. I enjoyed deepening our friendship and sharing the yummy Easter food.
After my train trip back to the hotel, we enjoyed a final dinner at the Swiss restaurant adjacent to the hotel.
After a quiet breakfast of meat, cheese, muesli, and reading, we packed to return home. Finally, it was time to say goodbye to the Engadin Valley and the town of Pontresina.
As we were checking out, the staff informed us that if we hiked behind the hotel, we could see some ibexes that had come down to graze on the green area below the rocky mountain tops. They even showed me pictures taken in the area hours before. The image of an ibex is quite common in Switzerland; these animals were nearly hunted to extinction over 200 years ago, but now they can be found populating the mountains throughout Europe. Unfortunately, our hike up the hill did not result in any ibex sightings.
Our journey back to Zürich was filled with wonder as we had the opportunity to appreciate the view from the opposite direction. It might seem silly to some—it’s the same landscape, right?—but it offered a fresh perspective on the stunning Swiss scenery. During the return trip, I also noticed the significant difference in elevation between our home in Zürich (1,300 ft) and Pontresina (6,000 ft). Having caught a cold, my ears struggled to adjust to the change in altitude. The train glided gently down the mountains back to our adopted home city. We read, talked, and gazed out the window, soaking in the view.
The more we travel in Switzerland, the more I realize there is much to explore and enjoy. As May approaches, we are entering a period of warmer and sunnier weather. And we will start welcoming guests from the US. I look forward to showing them the country we have grown to love and appreciate.
Thank you for taking us along! We were in Geneva, Switzerland for Easter Weekend in 1990. As you say, it was interesting to see that all stores were closed. We went to Chamonix on Easter Monday. The weather was mild, sunny. The Alps were humbling.