Glacier Express - 20th June

Today we got up very early to take a quick trip around the city, eager to return to the snow-clad beauty of Switzerland rather than its Mediterranean lake shores. Before having a hearty breakfast, we took a stroll in the park along the lakeshore, where there are many open sculptures from the Dada movement. After that, we took a funicular ride to Madonna del Sasso.

We were determined to take the Glacier Express from Andermatt to St. Moritz today. By 9:00 AM, we reached the station. Santanu had seen a BBC program about the Wilhelm Express and was eager to board it from Locarno until it connected with the Glacier Express. However, due to train schedules, we had to take an inter-regional train from Locarno to Goschenen via Bellinzona. Our compartment was vacant, with just the two of us, which allowed us to hop from one side to the other to take photos as the train made turns to gain altitude. Being a standard train, the chief advantage was that the windows could generally be opened for cool air and unobstructed views, allowing us to take pictures without any ghost images.

On reaching Goschenen, we immediately boarded another train to Andermatt, where we spent an hour taking photos. Swiss trains are like Swiss watches—never late, always on time—so was the Glacier Express.

The Glacier Express journey starts from St. Moritz to Zermatt or vice versa, a 7.5-hour journey across 291 bridges, through 91 tunnels, and across the Oberalp Pass at 2033 meters altitude. It’s an incredible journey through beautiful landscapes with valleys, glistening mountains, and splendid greenery. The train has huge wrap-around windows, allowing you to see through part of the ceiling. No wonder visitors do not complain about the cost. You never know how the alpine panoramas hit right in the face unless you experience it. However, the windows in the panoramic cars generally can’t be opened, meaning photographs usually come with a glare.

As soon as we boarded the train, memories from Bollywood movies were refreshed, as many songs have been featured on this train. Unfortunately, we did not have window seats, and as it was midday, many people were having lunch at their seats. The dining car was in the next compartment, where we spent a good amount of time. The Glacier Express is a very touristy train, as people from every corner of the world try to experience Swiss Alpine beauty. We had good conversations with our co-passengers, who were Americans staying in Saudi Arabia.

On reaching St. Moritz, we had a nice meal freshly prepared at the railway restaurant. Staying in the classic alpine resort was out of our budget, so it was more economical to board a train for our final destination to Zurich via Chur.

The train back from St. Moritz was a normal one, which was good as it allowed us to take pictures without glare. The journey from Chur to Zurich was also very scenic as the train runs along two lakes—Lake Walen and Lake Zurich.