More humidity today but at least not as hot , we’re unsure if its yesterdays exertions on only emergency rations or the heat but we’re not bouncing with energy today. I hasten to add that I couldnt have been that hungry as I didn’t resort to eating our melted chocolate with a spoon like hubby!  I was happy finishing off  our canned herrings on ryvita topped with a red capsicum!

Set off early to beat the heat but clouds built up quickly and we thought the forecast storms were about to happen but no just more humid. We managed the climb up out of our valley more easily than I expected , plenty of vineyards either side of the small lanes. The next village along they had widened the road and were then rebuilding a stone wall, a work of art.

It was one of those days when an early coffee was required so we stopped in Malans,which also had a hotel with rooms free. There hasnt been too much accomodation around otherwise. This historic hotel was 1400s complete with old wine press.

From Malans it was a descent into the valley crossing a full flowing river coming down from Davos.The route then gently meandered down back to the Rhine suprisingly still a big river, how is it going to disappear to nothing in 2 days.?

First time we’ve seen pigs in fields in the whole of the holiday also fields and fields of strawberries. What a set up -the workers sat on stools with wheels, almost like a cart and then had a complete tarpaulin like structure over them shading them and their strawberries. We could have bought strawberries at the farm but thinking about the chocolate yesterday thought better of it.

After 26kms we arrived in Chur a friendly policeman directed us to our hotel. He’d travelled around Australia twice, in his youth.

Chur is the oldest town in Switzerland but its not as mediavel looking as some of the german or french towns we’ve seen. Cathedral was impressive, famous for the relics of St Lucius of Britain and again Hans Holbein was at work in here with artwork from the late 1400s and Albrecht Durer. St Lucius was apparently a 2nd century king/lord in Britain somewhere (not a full king of britain)who converted to christianity. Lucky the locals here were staunch catholics so after the Reformation forced the protestants to build a new church and not lose all the art work in the Roman Catholic Cathedral.

So a relaxing day, emergency rations restocked up on and ready for trying to get our laden bikes on a Swiss train, a costly experience methinks.So we are taking the train to Disentis settling into a hotel tomorrow then Wednesday the plan is to take the cog train up to the pass. From the pass we’ll lock our bikes up and walk to the source of the Rhine about a 2 hour walk and come back and cycle back down to Disentis. So big day Wednesday we could be at our amended end point of the Rhine journey….

So back to relaxing…..hubby still very happy we’ve come into Switzerland to see the source of the Rhine although we wont be coming back in a hurry too expensive!

Relaxing was interrupted by the melodic sound of Alpine horns I put my head out of the window and there were a whole group of swiss horn players in the square…wow…

Hotel Post     great location, comfy beds, great staff, safe bike storage- cellar

Chur

Switzerland