June 3 Chur to Lucerne

A very earl y start this morning.  Checked out of the hotel caught a cab at 7.30 arrived at the station had a coffee etc at a little cafe opposite in readiness to catch the 8.32 Bernina Express.  A very magical journey through the Swiss Alps the most beautiful scenery it was a totally lovely day.  This train only goes each morning so you need to have a booking.  Originally we were planned to go yesterday but they came back to us saying not running that day (the public holiday for The Ascension) so we rejigged our plans (this is long before we left) to go today. 

We sat with a family from India, the parents a daughter of about 11 and a little boy about 10 months.  The little girl had the most beautiful speaking voice I have ever heard fluent in her own language of course but also in English she sat with me a good bit of the way.  We marvelled at the vista and she said it is so berautiful I do not know what to say and I said to her well don’t you think it is like a fairytale, she said that is exactly what  is like, she was very lovely Sam  and I were both very taken by her, I said Sam in 16 or 17 years she will be a Foreign Correspondent working for CNN as the anchor woman somewhere he agreed, but said I think she will have her PhD from Cambridge.  You know you can meet 1000 people and one absolutely stands out.  I am always amazed at the people you meet, and why do you meet them. 

After a beautiful journey we arrived at Tirano at about 1.00 lovely little town had lunch at a little restaurant and then 2 busloads from the train caught the bus to Lugano at 2.30.  Also a very lovely journey  such beauty, a very interesting journey I am very glad I was not the busdriver not a lot of room on those roads, when we arrived at Lugano everyone applauded him.  We arrived at Lugano about 6.00 also a very lovely place so one to go to.  Our train to Lucerne was due at 7.14 it came along earlier so we set ourselves up Sam and I were the only 2 people in the first class carriage so we had it to ourselves all the way to Lucerne the most magnifient scenery  we were hopping from one side to the other  taking it all in.  We arrived here at 9.40 caught a cab to our hotel which is lovely and we were set  up by 10.00.  We are very fast at this now.  We only have one day here and it does look lovely so we will make the best of it.   Talk soon  Sam and Sabine