I’ve been mentioning for a while that I wanted to see more of Switzerland. I have said this in an off-hand fashion, not giving it much thought. But my wife is a woman of action and is not one to make an observation and then not do something about it. Especially when it comes to travel. She did some research and planned an excursion to Engadin over the long Pentecost weekend and we were delighted by the trip.
We have been to the Canton of Grisons and upper Engadin a few times and have of course loved it. However we hadn’t been to lower Engadin before and Elise found a great 400 plus year old hotel in the town of Scuol.
Luck always plays a part in travels. On this trip serendipity had us arrive at the hotel for part of its anniversary festivities and were able to take part in a celebratory seven-course meal, which on its own was fantastic. However we have both also been saying that we should get to know more Swiss wine in addition to more of Switzerland itself. So it was quite fortuitous that a vintner from Malans (also in Grissons) was on hand to talk about his wines that accompanied every course.
We managed to rouse ourselves the next day for a trip up the mountain above Scuol for a hike descending from the still snow-covered peak, through the spring melt, along roaring mountain streams, and into the green Alpine meadows bursting with spring wildflowers.
After a day of hiking we were able to relax our sore bones in the pools and thermal baths of the hotel, talking about the marvelous trek we just enjoyed. Since this is how Elise thinks we should get to know Switzerland, I am already looking forward to our next excursion in the fall.
