Samstag en Das Bad

The Alps and town of Leukerbad (bottom left) from the Gemmi Pass.

Jill during her first sledging experience.

The outdoor pool at Burgerbad.

Late last week, Matt and I contemplated the thought of spending the weekend in Zurich, lounging around the apartment not accomplishing much, and decided to make other plans.

We departed by a 7 a.m. train to the ski/spa town of Leukerbad, which allowed us plenty of time to enjoy the day. The train & bus take about 3 and a half hours (give or take, depending on your connections) to get there, putting us in around 10:20. We dropped our bags at the hotel, then made our way to the Gemmi cable car lifts. This lift takes you to a section of the Alps that is popular with cross country skiiers, snow shoers, dog sledders, and sledgers. There is also a lake, which was frozen over during our visit, but looked like, from the pictures, a beautiful place to take a hike during the summer.

Matt and I thought we'd give the popular Swiss activity of sledging a try. Basically, this is like sledding but on an elevated wooden seat equipped with metal runners. There are plenty of places to go around Switzerland to enjoy this popular winter sport. Some courses can be as long as 15 kilometers with steep grades, narrow paths, and treachous drop offs to your side. We opted for the 2 kilometer long course with plenty of soft snow embankments for our first time. Our sledge rental was 6 CHF per person, then off we went. We weren't exactly sure how to steer and there is no breaking system for the sledge, so we found it best to stick our legs out to help control our direction and speed. It was a lot of fun, even though Matt and I both took nasty spills. Thankfully, there was a lift for us to take back to the top, so we didn't have to carry our very heavy sledges the 2 kilometers up the mountain.

We watched fathers and their children take on the sledge runs at alarmingly hazardous speed. Our last run through, we understood their thrill as Matt and I decided to go double on the sledge. This provided us with alot more momentum, and we flew down the course with anticipation (and me roaring with laughter) that at any moment we could go crashing. But we managed to keep it together, and we decided to end the day of sledging with that last great run.

On top of the mountain, there was also restaurant with patio overlooking the Alps and valley in which Leukerbad lies. We had a great lunch and a couple of beers there before heading back to town. It was time to check out the thermal baths!

There are a couple of places to take in the thermal baths in Leukerbad, and we tried out Burgerbad based on a recommendation of the hotel clerk. While there were many different pools, indoor and out, and the saunas were great, it was quite crowded with people. It's also difficult to get too relaxed into "spa mode" when the swarms of children around you are yelling and bumping into you while swimming after their floating toys. Plus, the waters are never hot enough for me. The American idea of a hot tub and a European thermal baths are two very different things.

One last thing I forgot to mention. I find it interesting that when travelling by train through the Alp region, you see plenty of people out for a day trip in their full winter gear and carrying their skis or snowboards. Quite normal, but what I have a hard time with is how many are actually walking around the train stations with their ski boots on!! I realize they are trying to cut down on the amount they have to carry with them, but come on! I can barely tolerate walking around in ski boots when I'm in the chalet, I can hardly imagine leaving my house and walking to and fro the train station in them. Ten hours in ski boots? I guess that's Switzerland.