PanoramaWeg

Wednesday 7 August

Panoromaweg

Woke up with big thunder about 6am, it then started to rain.  I was able to get to sleep again fortunately, and when I woke up the rain had stopped.  So at our late breakfast meeting we decided to do the PanoromaWeg as recommended by our host tour guide, Les. 

Well this should be a piece of cake, you get the cable car up to the top of Gotschnagrat, and  by Swiss standards it is a pretty flat walk to  Mittelstation, then we get the funicular railway from Mittelstation to Davos, and the train from Davos to Klosters. As experienced NZ Hanmer mountaineers, we knew we had to take our lunch, something warm to wear and a raincoat - just in case.  And so the seven of us set off in brilliant sunshine to 'knock the bugger off'.

One can't help but be impressed with everything about the Swiss countryside, it is pretty, clean, neat and tidy, everything the postcards and Disneyland portray it to be.  

At the top of the cable car we headed off on the right track and the track wound its way around the mountain range, up and down, round and round.  

At every stop to catch your breath (!) the view was just huge, awe inspiring, the mountains go on forever.

 

Range after range, there are glaciers tucked away in the ridges, there are pretty alpine flowers tucked into rocks,

 

there are the most beautiful cows with big brown eyes making music with their cow bells.  Soo "Swiss", it was all I could do to stop myself bursting into song!  

Ask anyone in our group (except Penelope, and maybe me) and they will tell you that it was the most wonderful walk, inspite of the change in the weather (cough, cough), the wind whipping you almost off your legs as you climbed ever steeper up the mountain.  

"But Mum", said James, "the air so pure (I was gasping through my asthma by now), just look at the vista, range upon range of craggy mountains, this is to die for" (I looked while I held on tightly to his backpack)  and then tried not to look at the track going upward, "just round the next bend and I am sure it will be all downhill".  Yeah right!

So, as Penelope and I agreed this was the worst day of our lives, the sun came out again, I could shed the plastic bag that had kept me dry and not far away in the near-ish distance was the best view of all, Mittelstation and the cute red funicular rail car!  

We were soon heading down the slopes on this bright red train, hanging on the best way we could amongst the mud splattered mountain bikers and their bikes, the funicular was pretty packed!  

And arrived in Davos for the next leg of our journey.  The train from Davos to Klosters.

By this time Penelope and I were well recovered and all negative thoughts about PanoramaWeg disappeared in the flush of having 'knocked the bugger off'.

Not sure how I am going to get on with recommendation number two, Jatzmeder to Sertig Dorfli, I don't want to be whimpish, but I'm not sure I really 'get' mountain climbing, 90% of the time is spent watching the track to make sure you don't trip over a stone and head down hill at a great rate of knotts, and the other 10% is spent admiring the view and catching your breath.  I think I am the only one in the world who thinks like this (except perhaps Penelope).