Date: 2008-02-11
To: ST Mauritz
Miles today: 0.0

I had a wonderful weekend in Zurich, Nick was the perfect tour guide. It was two days of action, we walked around all of the churches, we both have a great love of these archetectual masterpieces. The churches here are greatly influenced by the reformation, so they are also very simple inside. They do not have domes, instead they have spires that litter the skyline. We went up the cable car behind Nick and Nicoles house and had a look at nicoles work place, very flash neighbourhood. On the train today we were talking to a local and they said for a 3 bedroom place in the area that Nick is living would cost more than 1 million. It sure is a nice suburb Romorhof. We also went on the lake and up the end of it the mountains go towering up into the sky, one of the most beautiful sights you will ever see. There were people out sailing, and many boats along the foreshore, I took as many pictures as possible to show Peter. I have so many pictures and will post them online next time i get a chance. THe lake is surronded by hills on all it sides, and the houses are built up the mountains, the streets are mostly cobble. Evgen with all that activity and buildings around the lake, it is still possible to drink the water, the Swiss are so conscious about the environment, we could all learn something from them. There are closks all around the city, ontop of so many buildings.It was great to spend some time with Nick and Nicole, we all get along very well together, and of course they both make me feel most welcome. Zurich is an amazing place, definitely somewhere where I could live. The attitude of the peole is just lovely. They are so willing to help you, incredibly friendly. Of all the places I have been to this town and the way the people are really reminds me of home. Zurich really reminds me off Melbourne with all of the trams. The public transprt here is fabulous. Nick and I spent the weekend on foot wondering around the old city, upinto the university district, so much to look at and see. It is very different to London, many of the peope here have either travelled to australia, or want to travel there. Everyone talks to you, and is so interested to know more about you and what your country is like. They definitely are much friendlier than the English, far more positive, and really enjoy life. There was a big festival in town yesterday so we joined in and had a look at the parade.Today we left Zurich and travelled on a train up via Chur upto St Moritz, it was the best trip I have ever taken in my life. The size of the mountains out the window of the train was stunning. We went through many mountains, and would come out the other side of the tunnel in a steep ravine, and it would feel like the train was going over the edge. At one stage we looked down the mountain and we could see the tracks below us where we had just come from, the train tracks were circling up the mountain. There were tobogan runs along these sections, and they are meant to bethe longest in the world. The whole way up was breathtaking and we had chairlifts and gondolas crossing over our heads. We got up to a high plateau and all around us is 4000 m mountains. I cant describe it, but imagine the most beautiful thing you have ever seen on tv of the swiss alps and that is where we are at the moment. St Mauritz is for the rich and famous, so we fit right in, we are in a nice hotle, and it was not too expensive. We went for a walk out in the snow, and it is so soft under feet, like nothing I have ever experienced, and we are jsut at the bottom of the mountain. All I can say to Nathan Giles, I hope that girl was worth it, because today you missed one of the great days of travel anyone could ever have. We are at an elevation of 1775m, the is more than the height of Mt Buller, and there are peaks all around us that rise up and up. Just walking around this place is a real head spin, i cant beleive what i am seeing.Tomorrow we catch another train to Zammut, and it is a 9 hour journey, it is the most scenic and highest train trip in Europe, and probably the most famous train trip in the world, it is meant to be even more stunning than today, personally I do not think that is possible, but we shall see.Sent off a fax to Bendigo Bank, so hopefully will get all my finaces sorted out, and get some of my money back.I am off ot go for another walk in the snow, I am itching to get a snow baord strapped to my feet and get out there, but today there is not time.Just got back from my walk and felt compelled to tell you all about it. We are right next to the train station, behind us is a massive mountain where the town is located and behind it leads upto the ski resort, and the runs would be 10 times longer than anything I have ever seen before. In front of us is a huge lake, and it has frozen over, it is ringed by some even bigger mountains and they are too steep and rocky to be skied. Around the edge of the lake is a cross country skiing trakc, and this is what I went for a walk upon. It goes upwards at one end and I hiked to the top to witness the most amazing views down the valley and over the lake flanked by these monstrous mountains rising over 4000m. Then I headed downhilll to walk aroudn the other side of the lake when I had to dive off the track because there was two pretty girls on a sleigh coming wizing around the corner. The snow under foot on the track was hard and comapcted, the snow on the sides is soft and powdery. I was buried in snow, and when I tried to stand up it sank past my knees and halfway up my thighs. The sun was dropping and I was getting cold so I cut across the lake, and in the middle of it is a huge race track. It is for horses, and the people supposedly ski behind them being pulled by the horse, there are huge stands set up and even a gambling area. It looks to be taken rather seriously. The views back up towards the town were something I cant even descrine, the whole scene seems so unreal, the siye of the mountains and the steepness, and the shear large quantity of snow is not something I expected. It is so idfferent to anything I have ever witnessed before it is hard to describe. When you see this type of stuff on tv is one thing, to see it with your own eyes is a completely different experience. The mountains are jsut so huge.