The hotel in Chur had a 1970s vibe, lots of wood and old carpet but the rooms were being renovated and ours was modern with everything new including usb charging ports. We had a view of the church next door which was nice until the bells chimed every half hour and practically shook the room. Luckily they stopped at 22:00 so we weren’t woken up every 30 minutes.
Woke up early at 06:30 because the curtains let in a lot of light, then down to a disappointing breakfast of cold meats, sad looking scrambled eggs and sausages, cereal and toast. All I fancied was toast but Song got stuck into everything. We had plenty of time till the train so left the bags in the room and went out to take some photos.
Grabbed a coffee from Starbucks (another $14) then onto the train to Zurich. 2 quick stops after Chur then non stop to Zurich, took just over an hour, through valleys, another sunny day so we could see the snowy mountains. The train occasionally ran alongside a lake, just stunning.
We soon left the mountain area and the landscape became flat with lots of farms.
We had 2 hours in Zurich before the train to Milan so dropped the bags at the station and went for a wander, headed for a church which had stained glass windows designed by Chagall. But it was shut. A few people milling around outside looking confused because there was a thin rope across the entrance but according to someone it should be open. We went for a walk around and went back after 30 minutes but it was still shut so we went back to the station, grabbed some rolls and got on the train. Our train was delayed 40 minutes so they put on another one to get us on the way, then the original train would express to where we were going and we’d join up with it. Pretty efficient, other places would just make you wait the 40 minutes. It’s an Italian train and they’ve always had a thing about the trains running on time.
Probably won’t go back to Switzerland, it’s nice; very clean, amazing scenery and the flag is a big plus. But it’s too cold and expensive, and we’ve seen the best bits.
Arrived in Milan, the train station is amazing, as are a lot of the main train stations in major cities. Got a taxi to the place we were staying, a serviced apartment. We pressed the bell, no answer. Again. No answer. Wonderful. There was a guy sat in an office so I used google translate to ask, turns out the owner had been trying to contact Song on WhatsApp but since we were travelling all day were without wifi. She had to pick her daughter up from school. She was in line for a bad review but then spent about half an hour taking us through the map, then the apartment, then asking if we had anything booked, then told us how to get there and when to leave so she redeemed herself and the review went up.
The apartment was really nice, Song had booked another great place. It had a separate kitchen / lounge area to the bedroom and was pretty big compared to other places we’ve stayed at in the middle of a major European city.
Relaxed in the apartment for a while then went out for a walk and to get some dinner. There were loads of restaurants around but all looked a bit too formal and we only wanted something light. Found a supermarket and picked up some stuff for breakfast and for a tour we’d booked for tomorrow.
Carried on to a seafood restaurant I saw was nearby and went in, then came straight back out again – it looked way too posh for us in our state – jeans, hiking boots, carrying plastic shopping bags, plus we weren’t in the mood for a 2 hour dinner. We’d passed a Ramen place on the way and although not big fans decided it would be just what we wanted. We shared some goyoza then I had a chicken ramen and Song had a dry noodle dish. We asked for tap water but he brought a bottle. I also had a local beer (if you live in Tokyo, it was an Asahi). Cost 40 Euro (about $69).
Very full, walked back to the hotel and watched some tv I’d downloaded.
Got to get up early tomorrow because we’ve booked a tour of the Duomo and The Last Supper.