Ken and Elise's trip

Day 15 Chur:

  We awoke early to catch the train to Chur. Ken was feeling miserable, and it was raining slightly early on, so we made the very hard decision to call for a taxi to take us up the hill to the train station. Under ordinary circumstances, we would never have considered it. Yes, it is a steepy hill, but we have walked it several times during our stay, and really--compared to what we have been through--it’s not that bad. But Ken’s muscles were really hurting and his chest was sore from all the coughing, and it just seemed a good idea to take the cab. It was going to be a tough day what with many train changes and most of them only allowing for 8-9 minutes between changes. However, we did it without a single problem and arrived in Chur (which by the way is pronounced Cur not CHur as I had been calling it).

  I had emailed the owner of the hotel we were staying at. It appears that she does not live at the apartment, she owns it but has to come and open it for anyone who books it. I had emailed her asking for walking directions, and had heard nothing back. So it was with some concern that Ken and I did the routine “Where the HECK is this place????? song and dance. We lucked out this time as there was a tourist office in the train station and a very nice girl gave us a map to the place. Fortunately, it wasn’t far as Ken was having all he could do to haul two backpacks and a suitcase. We found the place without much trouble--but of course there was no Jacqueline (owner). We stood out in the light rain wondering what to do for a minute or two, then I tried calling her. “I’ll send someone right over,” she said and sure enough a lady arrived within 5 minutes. Then, with only the slight problem of the owner refusing to take credit cards which necessitated my having to run 4 blocks to an ATM, we were given the key and settled in.

The place was a bit weird to me. The bedroom (which was HUGE with very comfortable beds) was to the left. Then there was an entryway where all the upstairs tenants came in and climbed the stairs to their apartments. Then to the right was a door leading into a kitchen, bathroom, and living room. Which meant every time you wanted to use the bathroom from the bedroom, you had to cross the entry way. It was a bit creepy to me, but Ken thought it was fine--might have had something to do with the very, very comfortable beds with the thick down comforters which he took almost immediate advantage of.

  I didn’t stay up much later than he did. I was still feeling rocky myself and we both had to be at the train station by 8 the next morning to head out on our long anticipated trip through the Alps on the famous Bernina Express.

End of Day 15 NO PHOTOS