When you travel, “it’s always something”…and this trip to Switzerland was no exception. On the United flight from Washington, DC to Zurich, I was the unfortunate person who had the only defective entertainment unit in coach. The overhead light went on and off at will, the monitor screen brightness level would suddenly appear on the screen in the middle of the movie and brighten up the entire film to oblivion, the sound levels went up and down shattering eardrums, and the monitor would fall every now and then from its upright position into my shin.

The Zurich airport compensated with its very easy navigation. You get from Terminal C to A where baggage and immigration is located by a spanking new people-mover. The doors shut and background mood music begins, “Swiss style.” The clanking of cow bells, some yodeling and even a cow mooing. Fun. A fast showing of the passport at Customs and wait for your bags at a carousel with two illuminated signs. One showing exactly how minutes it will be before your baggage appears (it keeps counting down) and another giving information about every train whisking through the Zurich Airport along with its destination during the next hour.

Luggage on free carts, follow the signs to the Bahnhof (train station) within the terminal and line up in front of the SBB to buy your rail tickets or have a pass validated like we did. All the SBB personnel speak English and automatically print out a schedule for you that tells train times, what track it leaves from, what track connections (if there are any) leave from, total duration of time, etc. Easy as falling out out of bed…

Traveling to Pontresina by train took three changes including the last leg on the distinctive red narrow-gauge Rhatische Bahn. All easy. Tip: Never take a popular train on Saturdays or Sundays without a reservation. That’s when all the locals travel. This trip began on a Monday and there was plenty of free space on all our connections.

little red Rhatische Bahn into the Engadin Valley of Switzerland
I thought the Surovas train station (the next stop past the main Pontresina station) would be a good idea, but the train stopped in the middle of nowhere, with a little one-room closed Surovas station in front of us. No platform, just mounds of snow burying the train tracks. In total shock, I dragged my suitcase off the train and promptly fell into the snow, tripping over the tracks buried underneath. Finally off the train tracks with the conductor and people looking at us like we’re crazy (we are), some other people tell us the road to Hotel Bernina is about one block straight ahead but we have to get there first. I am dragging and pulling a 26″ bag on wheels through at least 6″ of snow and each pull creates a heavy snow buildup. The trail behind me looks as if I had shoveled our driveway back home. Finally, a little road (fortunately downhlll – unfortunately icy). Dragging the suitcase a little farther to the main road, there was the Hotel Bernina in front of us! A heartfelt and loud Hallejuh chorus from both of us. Sweat pouring off and arms burning, we staggered in to a warm greeting and a lovely room with gorgeous views of the mountains. We made it!

our Hotel Bernina room view