More About My Switzerland Trip
I had just begun to fall in love with the unhurried pace when Andersen signaled for action
. Driving on to the northern entrance to the Viamala by my Switzerland car rental, we reached the ruins of Hohen Ratien. A castle guarded by rocks on three sides, it offers an uninterrupted view of the surrounding Domleschg Valley. No points for guessing that it required some labour to reach the vantage point. Forty minutes of an average climb but worth every step. By the time I negotiated a wooden ladder to reach the castle top, I was sure I had attained a kind of surefootedness.I trained my lens on the sixth-century Roman church, the castle"s immediate neighbour, while Andersen read out from his notebook. The castle was nothing more than a pile of stones when the current owner inherited it in the 1970s. It has since been restored even as excavations in the area have thrown up surprises like the church and also a front which, apparently, was used to baptize adults.
The nitty-gritty twists in the tale escaped my attention as I looked out at the gorge that had, quite literally, taken the wind out of my sails. As if on cue, Andersen turned my thoughts towards another natural wonder "" one that held the promise of undoing many an unhealthy wrong I had done myself. He enlightened me on the many mineral water springs in Andeer, tempting me to ditch the wine that night for a glassful of good health. I smiled at him, envying his level of fitness, something that seemed as inherently Swiss as the pralines or truffles.
The healthy conversation ended with a visit to Zillis, another neighboring village that boasts a fine example of Romanesque art. Walking down gentle grassy slopes, I found myself at the door of St Martin"s Church. Inside, panels of 153 paintings adorn the ceiling in a spectrum of colours. I revisited scenes from the Bible as I admired the paintings through a mirror I picked up from a basket on the aisle. It saved me from a crick in the neck, allowing me both time and comfort to admire the work of art from a distance that didn"t hurt the eye.
Most relaxing, however, was what came last. A dip in the mineral spa at Fravi "" around 1 hr 40 mins away by Zurich car hire. I floated around the pool clumsily in a heavy bathrobe, picturing my swimsuit gathering mold stains in the wardrobe back home. A sense of feel-goodness crept into my bones and I didn"t know who or what deserved that credit. Was it Andersen and his nuggets on healthy Swiss holidays or the minerals at work? I emerged as hungry as a wolf but my watch told me dinner was still an hour away. But thanks god for Mars bars. While the sun drew curtains over another Swiss summer day, I looked at the itinerary for the next. It read: Departure from Andeer; visit to Roffla Gorge" Another natural wonder, another rendezvous with the Rhine. This time I was not complaining.
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