The first thing that struck me about St. Moritz were the colours. An ultramarine lake is surrounded by deep green firs. The undulating forest stretches upwards to dramatic, snowy peaks above. And the light is faultless. The sky is crystal clear and such a vivid blue. St. Moritz itself is not wonderfully attractive, but for its location clinging to the shores of the lake. It is mostly a sprawl of ugly, high rise block architecture. However, there are beautiful highlights like the Badrutt's Palace hotel, that looks like something from a fairy story. It boasts more designer boutiques than Zurich, and has a high street to rival Bond Street. The only unfortunate thing for us, was that everything was closed in preparation for the upcoming ski season.
Amongst the highlights of our weekend were a trip to the top of Diavolezza ski lift, where you can look out across never ending peaks that look like they've been coated in marzipan and icing; a spectacular journey along the Albula train line, a UNESCO world heritage site that features many viaducts and tunnels; a visit to a vertical mineral baths to recuperate; a stunning walk around the lake; a horse and carriage ride to the Lej da Staz, an indescribably beautiful lake in the middle of nowhere. We had a very interesting tour of the town with a ski guide, who told us only 40% of visitors come for the winter sports. The rest come to see and be seen. I have to say, I would hate a place like that in the high season! I pity people who live like that. She also showed us a very long escalator, which brings visitors from the lake shore straight up to the town centre. We tried a delicious speciality of the area, Nut cake, which tastes a little like caramel shortbread without the chocolate coating. The air felt wonderfully crisp and fresh, but at 1,856 metres above sea level what else could you expect!
