1936 On the Continent

Bergün is becoming popular as a winter sports centre; the scenery here is dominated by the Piz d’Aela, and offers some fine climbing during the summer. From Bergün a railway climbs up to Preda, where it enters the 3½-mile Albula tunnel. On emerging at the other end, at Bevers, we are in the Engadine, which is the celebrated valley in which some of the most exquisite scenery is to be found. During the spring and summer, the meadows are a mass of flowers, and no description can do justice to the effect of the flower-studded meadows running up to the slopes of the blue-green wooded hills, with white villages or isolated chalets dotted about and behind it all, the varied shapes of the mountain giants, with snowy peaks and the glaciers sparkling in the sun and darker patches where the snows have melted. Atruthful description would sound forced and over-coloured, but those who have seen the Engadine in its springtime glory may well agree that thus would appear the flower-spangled fields of Elysium, and that the noble dead might well be content to roam here for ever. Here are found not only the edelweiss and the gentian, but also the alpine rose and forget-me-not, the Rhaetic poppy and many other varieties not found elsewhere.
Good Roads
    During the winter the aspect of the country is entirely different, and the nearest description one can give of the mountains, now wrapped entirely in snow, of the bare trees weighted down by snow and hoarfrost, of the chalets and houses blanketed in white, is that it all resembles a masterpiece of the confectioner’s art in sugar. The prevailing colour is white, but there is variety in the blue shadows and the lights flashing from the icicles. In the Engadine was made the “White Hell of Pitz Palü,” and those who have seen this film will have some idea of the magnificence of the scene. From Bevers we can proceed to Zuoz and along the lower valley of the Engadine to Zernez. Here is the entrance to the Swiss National Park, an animal sanctuary and flower reservation; here we can stroll at our will and may see the elusive chamois and also find many flowers that have become extinct in other parts of Switzerland owing to the over-eagerness of collectors. The next station on the line is Süs, the terminal point of the Postauto route to Davos-Dorf via the Flüela Pass, but this road is only open in summer, when it offers a pleasant alternative to the motorist.
    All over Switzerland there are good motor roads, and the country is ideally suited for a motoring holiday. However, it is always advisable to enquire beforehand whether the road selected is open at the time, as on the higher roads, particularly over the passes, there is the possibility of their being impassible owing to snow, avalanches, or other such contingencies. A good motoring map showing the various motoring roads and stating whether they are first class or mere tracks can be obtained, and a special concession is made to the foreign motorist, to whom a refund is made when he leaves the country on the petrol purchased in Switzerland.
    Beyond Süs the line goes on to Tarasp-Schuls-Vulpera, a group of villages where there are some valuable mineral springs. These villages are very old and unspoiled, and Schuls-Tarasp is becoming known as a winter sports centre.
St. Moritz
    Proceeding from Bevers in the opposite direction we come to St. Moritz via Samaden and Celerina. Here we arrive at the real “playground” of Switzerland. Lying at the head of the St. Moritzer See, the village is in a glorious position and has many attractions for the sports enthusiast, including the famous Cresta run. St. Moritz itself, however, is frequented mostly by the wealthy cosmopolitans who are more interested in the social round than sports, and to whom it is more important to be seen at winter sports than to participate in them. Here you can indulge in a hectic round of pleasures, here you can buy the latest Parisian creations or the newest perfume at fantastic prices; you can sample the most newly invented cocktail and listen to the hottest jazz; here you can be photographed in your most attractive outfit, and you can, if you wish it, actually skate, and even ski; but you will be in the minority and will be paying far more for your sports than if you stay at the surrounding villages which give access to the same marvellous ski-ing country.
    From St. Moritz there is a string of beautiful lakes, along which are situated the resorts of Campfer,