The Europe Express Tour

I saw an opportunity to travel over the Alps on the famous Benina Express train ...This train has a panoramic roof to see the views .It also has a luxury dining experience...
However,by the time I was looking to book ,it was sold out .
So I was.relegated to the local regional train ,that actually goes the same route ,as the Bernina train.
First ,an early morning walk to Milan Centrale Station ,which is huge!! As well as having stunning architecture.
Grappling with International trains on the scale I was about to undertake ,is a new thing and much less straightforward than a flight ,as there are stops and different routes to negotiate .
The amazing thing was the right train was in the station ,no waiting in the cold ....unlike in the uk
My destination....Tirano ..then change for the train to St Moritz
The train waz a double decker...the uk should introduce these, they are fab !
Getting off the Train in Tirano was confusing .....theres one line and having dropped us ,was going back to Milan......Everyone seemed to exit the station.After looking round ,quite a bit,I did too and found the Bernina Express line....The ticket office confirmed ,much to my disappointment ,that I am on the ordinary train...not the special train.....I could see that one waiting for its passengers
Others boarding with me,discussed the best side of the train to sit
In the end it didnt matter one bit that I was on the local train.....because it had opening windows Everyone tolerated the cold when the windows were open,without complaining ,as all the passengers were all over the carriage,opening windows to get the best pics of the incredible scenery.The route goes over viaducts and through tunnels
St Moritz is a name that has bugged me for a long time and Ive been curious
Arriving finally in St Moritz ,the station was so ordinary ,not the fancy station id imagined ,given that the rich and famous go there.
The fact it didnt live up to my vision,triggered an unexpected and irrational blip ,and although not remotely homesick, I thought Id call it a day and go home tomorrow.
However,Id booked and paid for a room in Zermatt and they would give free cancellation ,so I am committed to going
A visit to the ticket office,sorted the next leg of my journey to Zermatt ,tomorrow
I called at the supermarket,at the ststion ,for some food .Then to reach my hotel ,which I could see but couldn't get to ,I was told I had to use the underpass ...which really cleverley started inside the station so you dont get cold....It also means not walking on slippy surfaces.
Arriving at my hotel which was uphill,I saw a couple in a horse drawn sleigh..The horses actually looked healthy so I asked at reception ,about doing this
Unfortunately ,it had to be pre booked and i had also arrived too late for it to be worthwhile going into town for the cable cars
So I settled for resting in my room.
There's extensive snow everywhere,but the roads are clear overall. The huge lake outside the hotel, was frozen..A helicopter was dropping things on the lake ,in preparation for an event ...on the frozen lake !people were walking all over it
My hotel room was very alpine but had a huge beam over the head end....I rearranged the room so i didnt bang my head and also to see the fabulous view through the window,from my repositioned bed ! I actually skipped dinner,had an early night and slept with the window open despite it being sub zero temperature outsideRead more