Bernina Express

I had a flight to catch in Zurich in a few days so i thought I would use my rail pass one last time to take the Bernina Express in the opposite direction from St Moritz.
This is a train that goes from St Moritz (well, from Chur) to Tirano which is just over the border in Italy.
In terms of detail, I can't do any better than seat61 again so have a look to see more [link].
Again the route goes very high and then comes down into Italy (and palm trees in the summer!) via the mountains and some amazing architecture (especially the Brusio spiral viaduct).
I had a quick lunch in Tirano (nicer than any food I had in Switzerland actually - and cheaper) and then got the same train all the way back and eventually connected up to Zurich. It was a relaxing journey though and I did get a bit of night time in Zurich though. The weather was, however, terrible. it did not improve.

Bernina 2013 - click for photo album

Glacial Glacier Express

Apparently this is the slowest express train in the world and the reason I am on my trip at all. I'd read about the Glacier Express during a few of my fruitless planning eurotrip sessions but I'd felt it would be difficult to incorporate - so I decided to make the whole trip about it. There are actually a number of scenic journeys within Switzerland but I got most of my information from the excellent seat61 (used for overland travel all over the world) website and from that it seemed the Glacier Express was the most interesting.
Starting from Zermatt, and I did manage to see the Matterhorn on a clear day, the train winds through some phenomenal scenery and showcases it through massive, panoramic windows. The windows were a mixed blessing as they let so much light in that taking photos is significantly trickier but the actual journey is beautiful as a result. I still took a massive number of photos and almost entirely drained my battery by the time I reached st Moritz. The trip is set up as an event in itself with carefully designed details such as the panoramic windows, an audio guide (headphones included) and an attentive set of attendants. Not something you get on every train. The audio guide was accompanied by a map showing where each numbered excerpt was relevant although they were automatically played - but it made it quite easy to see where you were. The train does stop (so not sure what the express designation really means other than not having to change trains...) so although the train was not full throughout the journey it did fill up a bit later on as we went through the centre of Switzerland.
Dining was also an option, and one that was taken, as the service was too good to miss. It was lovely to sit in a dining carriage, essentially, and I have to say the scenery and food were both of a very high quality.
Because of the massive changes in altitude over the trip, there was a lot of infrastructure that needed building and travelling over these was as amazing as some of the scenery. The Landwasser viaduct is particularly lovely.
Anyway, photos below:

Glacier Express 2013 - click for photo album

Unfortunately, I had drained my camera battery by the time I got to St Moritz and the hostel did not have an adaptor (unlike every single other place) so I decided against taking pictures in St Moritz as I wanted some charge for the next day. St Moritz was not as nice as Zermatt though - it was far bigger and felt more like a shopping street.

Zermatt - the start of the Glacier Express

Zermatt is a small town in the shadow of the Matterhorn and famous (in these parts) for not allowing cars (well, internal combustion) for environmental reasons - the main one being the view of the Matterhorn. I made my way from Interlaken (accompanied, part of the way, by a fellow hosteller) by train of course and it was partly along the glacier express path so I had a chance to recce it.
Once I'd sorted my bags out, I found some maps and paths to make my walk. After stepping in a massive puddle, I found my way winding around the bottom of the Matterhorn. Visibility was variable but an enjoyable walk was had. I don't think I'll tire of signs to go to different countries for a while so I liked the fact that the ski lifts took you to Italy - I am often easily impressed.

Zermatt 2013 - click for photo album

While I had dinner, I noticed the noise from another room downstairs and found some people watching tv. It was France vs Spain (an England game vs Montenegro was also on) so I watched. As a result of the magic societal effects of football, I got talking to a Swiss guy who happened to work there (called Sven). We started on football but it lasted for a few hours and we spoke about employment rights and travel which is a great combination. The reason for that particular combination was that he was a "civil servant" and not in the military.

In Switzerland, national service is compulsory and usually with the Swiss army, but my conversational companion had persuaded the relevant authorities that he was a pacifist and so was placed into different civilian "institutions" for help. I'm not sure I entirely agree with this,conceptually, as it does appear to be public finance subsidising private companies but I'm not sure how private the companies are. Sven said that he'd worked in a fair few places on the scheme and he got a lot of personal benefits (free train travel?) out of it and that, of course, the company did too as his salary was basically state funded. He was paid at a similar rate to his previous job as the wages he got were linked to his previous pay rather the job itself and so, as he'd had a relatively well paid job before, he was relatively well paid now. He said a similar thing about unemployment benefit and it is, of course, much more "generous" than in the UK. We spoke for quite a while about national service, which I found really interesting, but it ended up being pretty late by the time I went to bed.

Interlaken but not Jungfraujoch (maiden's ridge...)

The youth hostel showed via a webcam [here] what the weather was like on the "top of Europe" and as the weather was not conducive, I didn't go to the highest railway station in the world. In these situations, I always think I'll go again when I miss something but it is rare to actually do so.

Instead, I went to Grindelwald which was part of the way there (before the train becomes too expensive and wasteful in poor visibility). Once there, I found the tourist information point for a map and had an enjoyable walk. Rather handily, it is quite well signposted but when it started snowing it was a little difficult to see... Well, more difficult than normal.

When I got back to Interlaken, I had a walk from the station along the path to the lake. The water was a truly astonishing colour, something it is difficult to do photographic justice to as it looks a little fake. It was raining at the time which I think almost accentuated the colour as the surroundings were a little grey.

You can actually get an idea of the colour from the photo but it may be clearer on Google maps (link) as of this date as you can see the colour change in the water itself. As it was also raining quite a lot, it wasn't the most exciting walk in the world but still enjoyable.

Grindewald, Interlaken 2013 - click for photo album

From Basel to Swiss Capital (Bern)

Basel was really just a starting point so I moved on the next day towards Interlaken as recommended by a good friend [link].
The Rail pass I had bought [link] allowed unlimited travel on chosen days and half price on the days in between but it also included boat and bus travel so I thought it'd be nice to travel by boat too via Thun.
Unfortunately, a little misunderstanding (or lies on the timetable) did see me get stranded in Speiz where I thought I could get off and wait. As a result I walked to the train station which was up a big hill on on the other side of town. I was surprised at how sleepy a town it was and I think it was then that I realised how small (and small town in some ways) Switzerland actually was.
The weather was not great and visibility pretty poor. While in interlaken I wanted to go to the highest train station in the world at jungfraujoch so looked at the prices. It was risky with visibility so was not sure about it but what else would I do? I went to the ticket office and they explained, kindly, that there was no benefit to buying a ticket earlier so I should check the next day. That saved me a lot of bother! The hostel in interlaken was very friendly and made me think I might generally be better off youth hostelling but without Chris Eubank. I'd not booked my future accommodation at that point so it kind of made my decision - it is always the right thing to make decisions with one data point.
Interlaken was pretty, and pretty quiet so with the rain,I thought I could head to Bern for free*.
Bern is a handsome city with some interesting architecture and a bear pit. An actual pit and bears. They are not now quite the same thing but they used to be not all that long ago. I was genuinely impressed with the high bridges and the aspect of the buildings. Had the weather been a little more pleasant, I think it would have been really lovely - had to drop the "really".
On my return to Interlaken, I walked down the main road and noticed a lot of oriental tourists (mainly Chinese) and this was a common thread throughout. I guess the tour market is booming with the newly moneyed middle classes but you don't see them as much in the UK due to the kind of isolationism that supposedly gets votes [link]. The Chinese tourists I saw spent a lot of money on designer goods. Or at least window shopped quite hard!

Thun, Bern, Interlaken 2013 - click for photo album

(Basel is a where an agreement about Banking Capital ratios was decided)

Why Basel?

But why Basel?
My reasons for visiting Switzerland are pretty simple, a spot of scenic travel but that explains nothing about why there? The airport.
I guess faintly appropriate for a trip about travel. In all honesty, I came to Switzerland to travel on the glacier (and some may say glacial) express but I thought I should see some other things too. Looking at the flights, I felt it would make sense to fly in and out of different cities so Zurich and a.n.other. Then I saw Basel airport (or more accurately: EuroAirport Basel–Mulhouse–Freiburg) served three different cities in three different countries. Spurious reasoning, but reasoning nonetheless. I believe the hotel I stayed in was the first hotel in Switzerland...
Basel is not huge but has a good tram and bus network and I always enjoy a spot of public transport on holiday.
Switzerland benefits from its famous neutrality by having retained most of its older architecture although some may say this is a mixed blessing.
My photos from Basel are here.

Basel 2013 - click for photo album

A Sunday night in Kentish Town

The fire happened on Sunday night and was in the front of the flat while I was at the back. I didn't actually see it and the fire itself did not spread far but the smoke did - throughout the whole flat except the front room and kitchen (where there is just a bit of a mess from people saving my life).
I was rescued by the (amazing) fire brigade from my window about 5 mins after shouting for help so I went down the ladder wearing an inappropriate amount of clothing for a) the public and b) the night. But I'm sure it was more embarrassing for me than anyone else! I am totally fine.

I'm pretty certain that it started with an oven glove that re-caught fire. I had some burn earlier in the day and so I put them out and drenched them in cold water so I thought the fire was out - cold to touch. I put them in a bag of rubbish to chuck out later (am on 3rd floor). I had planned the evening/night around "Match of the Day"¹ on at 10:30. I started watching a film so that it'd finish at 10:15, it was Alien 3 actually. Then I'd have time for the removal of rubbish and an all important brew.
 As I was watching the film (which you may know has the theme of catching aliens in hot stuff and fire generally) the lights were off anyway but then the sound and the picture went. I got up to check the fuse box at the front of the flat but the door to the corridor wouldn't open (pressure difference from heat causing effective suction, I guess) and was decidedly warm. This obviously concerned me so I went to the kitchen door (which leads to the same corridor) and noticed smoke² so I went to the window and tried calling the emergency services.

I failed calling the emergency services. My landline was essentially out of service due to lack of electricity to the cordless receiver so I tried my mobile, which did not respond. A slight concern.
Anyway, I was at the window so I shouted for help.
A passing girl asked me if I was "taking the piss?". I said I wasn't, told her my address and she called, and then said she could see smoke after.
"You're right, I can see smoke coming out of the windows"

There was some smoke in the front room as I remember getting down to avoid the smoke but the details are pretty hazy to be honest. Within 5 mins³, I saw the fire engine coming (I waited by the window as that seemed safest) and the fireman told me a ladder was coming up so I moved away from the window slightly - but obviously not too far away. And then went down the ladder. I think I was pretty lucid so I wanted to go down quickly but he made sure I was slow and careful by standing below me. A neighbour did tell me later they saw me "race" down so it may have been my mind being slower than my body. Some other firemen then broke through my front door to put the fire itself out which was at the front.

I was put in the fire engine, given oxygen⁴ and then asked how I felt etc. Then, as I had had some oxygen administered, I was put in an ambulance for some tests and questions. All were very pleasant people throughout. The police came after that (coastguard would have been a clean sweep, but fairly tricky in Kentish Town) and asked what happened and, understandably, whether it could have been arson⁵.


I told them later what I thought the cause was and they found the offending item.
Even after all the water and the fire was put out, the glove still had embers of fire so they put that out too. Unbelievable ability to hold heat!

I called my parents and asked them to come and get me as there had been a fire in the flat(I later found out they did not realise it was my flat as they came) which they very kindly did. And that, is how a Sunday night can turn a little sour.

<sup>1. The last day of the season, and I did not yet know quite how spectacular it was.↩
2. My memory fails me as to whether I opened the door or just noticed it in the little glass window above the door.↩
3. It was rather lucky it didn't happen after the fire service cuts pushed through by Boris Johnson.↩
4. I was actually asked if I had any respitory problems and then told to have the oxygen as a precaution.↩
5. You have no idea what was going through my head when asked whether there was anyone that could have wanted to do this to me in particular.↩</sup>