After the rain cleared, the sun shone as if we had ordered it, just in time for our very memorable and scenic train journey into the mountains to Disensis.
A final look at the view in Brunnen.
We travelled south from Brunnen to Disensis by the express train that goes up into those very mountains and on over the Gothard Pass south towards Italy. At almost the top of the pass, at Goschenen, the express goes on through one of the long tunnels that the Swiss are famous for engineering. But we took a different route… By cog rail up to the top of the pass at Andermatt. This is where the Swiss train lines that run north south and east west cross. Some passengers headed west to Brig and Zermatt but we joined a very small regional train for the scenic journey east across the Oberalp Pass to Disentis.
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Mountain scenery on Oberalp Pass.
This train too used the cog system for several of the very steep parts of the journey up and over the Oberalp pass.
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A mountain lake in thaw.
The route went by mountain lakes that were in the throws of thawing after the long alpine winter. Along the right hand side of this lake is a snow tunnel that just looks like a row of posts in this photo. It’s really a roof built to allow the train to pass this way long before the thaw. It’s almost invisible in the vastness of this scene but it’s there and our train was about to go through that “tunnel” giving some idea of the vastness of this landscape. It is so hard to show the vastness of the landscape.
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Train tracks cut across the mountains.
The train route and the road look like cuts across the landscape.
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Looking back up at the pass.
As we began to descend, it was hard to decide where to look…. Back up the pass we had just come across, or down into the valleys ahead. I managed to catch David,s fingers in the bottom corner of this photo. He was looking down the valley from his window, I was looking back. We virtually had the carriage to ourselves and were free to move around from window to window as the scenery changed. And the windows opened letting us see more clearly… And breathe in that wonderfully fresh mountain air.
This train line is part of the route taken by the very expensive ” Glacier Express” where passengers sit in designated seats. Ours was the much cheaper option of the small local train and it was a lot of fun. It cost us just $15 each on top of our normal train pass. Way to go!
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A narrow valley with golf course!
At one point, the train line ran along a ridge high above a narrow valley. We couldn’t believe our eyes. Down there beside that cluster of houses, was a golf course. It appeared to be be one fairway wide, the whole course running the length of the valley. I believe the area is used for cross country skiing in the winter.
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A mountain village
The further we went down the valley, more farms and small villages added to the beauty of this journey. Always a church spire adding that point of interest to a photo.
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Our destination, Disensis.
Finally, Disensis came into view, dominated by its huge monastery. We had reached our destination after a truly memorable and most enjoyable train journey.
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Disentis abbey or monastery
Disentis Monastery sits high on a hill above our hotel which was close to the station. We spent the afternoon climbing up there, finding a wide variety of wild flowers in the meadows that surround the abbey and enjoying exploring the interior of this amazingly large building for such a small village. It is in fact a very important monastery, the centre of life here for many in this isolated valley where the Rhine River begins its journey. Because of its isolation, it is one of the few places left where the Swiss Romanch language is spoken by most of the population and taught at the monastery high school. I have tried to make some understanding of the written language but am defeated most of the time.
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The interior of the abbey church
The interior of the church is sumptuous in gold and bright colours with very ornate white plaster work. This is man’s creation and beautiful in its own way.
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Flower and Beatle in the Abbey meadow.
Outside in the meadows beside the abbey, we spent a very happy time finding a wide variety of nature’s creations. And that’s an activity that brings great joy to both of us.
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Tiny but perfect
And sometimes you have to look very carefully to find the tiny flowers amongst the taller, bolder ones. Soon all of this meadow will be mown for hay but for now, the wildflowers have their moment in the sun.
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The view from our room.
Back at our small hotel beside the train station, this was the view from our room up on the top floor…. Worth the climb up all those stairs. And we could watch all the activity down at this small village train station. We would catch one of those trains next day but for now the sound of the cow bells across the valley, a tractor taking a farmer home after a day of mowing hay, the occasional bells on church and abbey and the hourly train arrival were all the sounds we heard as we enjoyed this delightful little village.
more of our journey anon
Jennie and David