The train ride from Innsbruck to Buchs on the border between Liechtenstein and Switzerland was though breathtaking scenery. I blinked and missed the tiny country of Liechtenstein completely, but I hear it is lovely too. At Buchs we caught a regional train to St Gallen and entered a carriage full of very rough, robust primary schoolers heading home from a school camp. Interestingly, none offered their seats to two elderly passengers, though the four boys near us were practically never in their seats. They spent most of the time punching and shoving each other onto the floor or into the aisle. We stood and watched them misbehave whenever the teacher wasn't looking and used the time wisely to reflect on the joys of retirement. We watched them rush into the loving arms of their well-rested parents at the next station, then sank thankfully into the seats of the now empty carriage and enjoyed the silence and scenery for the rest of the way to St Gallen.
This canton in Switzerland was home to my Giesendanner ancestors and we came here for some more family history research. Amazing scenery, chocolate and cheese just happen to be welcome side benefits. I am so lucky that part of my roots lie here, otherwise it might have been another part of this beautiful world that I missed visiting.
Our hotel was an incredible find thanks to booking.com again. Our room was more than anticipated with a huge bedroom with big windows on two sides, a little dining room, a small kitchen and a separate bathroom. Every room has windows opening onto beautiful scenery with a big park opposite us. The hotel is in a renovated military barracks, with a lovely restaurant downstairs in a huge airy wooden room. So - 5 out 5 ticks for our accommodation choices on this trip. Oh, one more thing - the doona is amazing. Huge, fluffy, soft, comfy - like owning my own personal cloud to sleep in. It just swallows you up and you feel divine.
As luck would have it, we arrived in St Gallen on the day they were holding their annual regional produce festival in the streets of the old town. Well, you can't say no to free samples of chocolate and cheese and schnapps and salami and sausages and bread, can you? Of course not, so we joined in whole-heartedly and tasted the fine products of this region and decided they were good. We also enjoyed the entertainment, great atmosphere, and some freebies including pens and drink bottles. Not a bad introduction to a new place. We knew we were going to enjoy being here.
Our luck continued with the weather as you will see in the photos. Things always look spectacular under a blue sky and sunshine, though it is hard to imagine Switzerland as anything but beautiful in any kind of weather. Anyhow, the great weather meant we were able to enjoy some lovely hikes and rambles.
Our best day ever was on Reg's birthday. I sacrificed a bit extra to the weather gods so that they turned on an extra-special day for us. Now, Reg tells me most people take it easy on their 83rd birthday, but he was willing to give the St Gallen Bridge trail a go on such a beautiful clear day, so off we went. On the Panorama trail above the town on the previous day, every man, woman, dog and pram was out hiking. That was a Sunday. On Monday we hardly passed a soul except for the odd jogger and the cows in the hills happily grazing. We ended up completing about 15 kilometres following this bridge trail along the Sitter River. The 18 bridges we saw along the way were all so different in age, design, and size. Some were quite old and quaint, some were huge and towering above the river. Some were covered wooden ones, others were stone or metal or concrete. Check out the photos to see some of them. The trail was interesting and varied, with some parts hugging the river down low and other parts climbing through hills dotted with farmhouses and big uddered cows whose bells echoed pleasantly around the countryside.
When we got back to the old town the sun was still blazing on high despite the fact it was after 4, so a couple of well earned beers tasted extra good as we sat at an outdoor cafe. We ended the day with an exceptional meal at our hotel restaurant as part of the birthday celebrations. You're a lucky man, Reg Scott.
Another memorable day was when we took the train to Buschwil, the small town where my great-great-grandfather grew up. I found the chapel in which he was baptized and where several generations of the family worshipped in the 1700s and 1800s. We also hiked into the country to the south west for a few kilometres to an area called Zuckenmatt, the place where the family lived and farmed. It was peaceful and so beautifully green with rolling hills and cow bells ringing.
Afterwards we took a ten minute train ride to Wattwil and, while Reg chose to do some people watching in town, I climbed high up above the town to the ruins of Iberg Castle. I then climbed the one restored tower to appreciate the spectacular views up and down the Toggenburg Valley. In 1396 a prisoner was held here by the Lord of the Valley, Abbot Kuno. 42 citizens signed a document which guaranteed his release. Two of those signatures belonged to my very, very, very distant Giezendanner relations, and this original document resides in the St Gallen Abbey archives, plus a copy in the St Gallen Abbey Library. Incredible as it seems, I was allowed to view the copy and take copies of it using the scanner on my iPhone.
Now, the Abbey Library of St Gallen has to be seen to be believed. Forget the books for a moment. The Baroque hall of the library is considered to be one of the finest library buildings in the world. It has the most wonderful warm glow as a result of the exquisite wood furnishings and floor, and ceiling frescoes painted in golden tones. The Greek inscription over the main doorway translates as 'Sanatorium for the soul.' How perfect.
Now let's get on to the books. The library possesses about 170,000 works. Of these, over 400 manuscripts date from before the year 1,000. No wonder it is ranged among the most important repositories of manuscripts in the world. The walls of the hall encase books from floor to towering ceiling, and some major works are on display behind glass. The calligraphy is exquisite and, fortunately for me, English descriptions accompanied the displayed texts. Despite not being able to read a word of the original texts, I lost myself in their history and beauty. Works include biblical studies, musical and literary history, history of law and medicine and book illuminations by Irish and St Gall monks. I cannot describe the awe of it all. Absolutely no photographs allowed, so the photos attached are photos of brochures, just to give you some sense of it.
The 2015 World Happiness Report lists Switzerland as the happiest country in the world. Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland are also in the top 10, so as you can see, we have been very cheerful on this holiday. Mind you, Australia is also in the top 10, so even when we get home we will be happy. And that, my friends, will be very soon as this was our last stop and tomorrow we catch a train for Zurich and fly out.