The World's Most Scenic Railway Journeys (2019) s01e06 Episode Script
Switzerland
WHISTLE BLOWS
Escape with us
on a breathtaking train journey
through the high Swiss Alps.
This is probably one of
the best railways I've ever been on.
We'll travel on masterpieces
of railway engineering
Whoa! Look at this!
built over 100 years ago,
in some of the most challenging
environments on Earth.
This spot is really a magical point.
We'll meet the people
who live and work along
this very special train line
I probably have the best view,
here in front of the train.
This is my favourite place, here.
The Lago Wanna.
before we reach
the roof of Europe.
Zermatt,
gateway to the iconic Matterhorn.
I love this place.
I love this view.
I love to be here.
This is no ordinary railway journey.
This is one
of the most scenic train journeys
in the world.
A Swiss Alpine adventure.
HORN BLASTS
Our journey starts
in the small town of Tirano,
in Italy.
It's just two miles
from the Swiss border,
and Swiss Rail been able to
nip over here for over a century.
And being in Italy,
it's obviously a must
to grab an espresso
before boarding the train.
Our first leg of the journey
takes us from hereto San Moritz
past remote stations,
crossing the Bernina Pass,
climbing to over 2,200m,
making this the highest railway
journey in Europe.
It's then all change
for the Glacier Express,
a train that powers up
through the Alps for 180 miles
before finally arriving at Zermaii,
at the foot of the great Matterhorn.
The Bernina Express runs
on a single track narrow gauge.
This 3,220 horsepower engine
runs on electricity,
an unexpected pleasure
for its passengers.
It's beautifully quiet and peaceful,
and people can enjoy the environment
without the noise disturbing them
from the train, so Yeah.
People travel from
all over the world
to make this stunning train journey,
like Frank, from Australia.
He has a close family connection
to the area.
Both his parents
were born near Tirano.
I was only talking
to some of my relatives,
and they actually worked on this,
on the Bernina railway line.
A couple of minutes into our journey
and we're in Switzerland.
Buongiorno.
Like most people in this country,
Natalie, our train attendant,
is multilingual.
Danke schoen.
Keeping her balance
on a moving train
is more of a challenge.
The most difficult thing is
to stand in the middle of the train,
and not going this,
like this, and this.
Yes!
To be able to climb
Europe's tallest mountains,
the Bernina line had to be a
masterpiece of railway engineering.
Just a few miles out of Tirano
is a spectacular example
of this ingenuity.
Here is the Brusio viaduct.
You can see it, here.
Like a snake,
the train slowly curves around
the 70m radius of the Brusio loop,
to gain 10m in height
in just two minutes.
Gion Caprez is a former physicist,
but then, in 1980,
he fulfilled his childhood dream.
He swapped his academic career
for a life on the tracks,
to drive trains on this very line.
This is the Brusio viaduct.
It is one of the best-known spots
of the Bernina railway.
The Brusio loop
is a good example
how the engineers worked
within the landscape.
They had a steep slope this side,
a steep slope the other side.
A small, level field in the middle,
and they had to make do
in this small area to lay the track.
The train goes
from down here where I'm standing
to up there on the viaduct
within 200 or 300m.
That's quite an altitude to cross!
So this is the start of the loop.
You cross under the arch, then
turn around.
All of this is in a 7% grade.
A good idea they had,
in the summer of 1906,
Make the line go back on itself,
in a full circle,
and continue down the valley.
It's thanks to
Gion's love of this railway
that it's now recognised by UNESCO
as a World Heritage site.
I feel really proud
that this railway
is part of the World Heritage,
and I think that it helps
to keep it in its present form,
it helps to draw people here
to experience it, too.
Our train has 35 miles to travel
before we reach San Moritz.
It will take us
to the Journey's highest point.
The Lago Wanna.
It's a really beautiful place,
and it's really special here.
HORN BLASTS
We're on the Bernina Express
in Switzerland.
Just six miles
into our Alpine adventure
to our halfway point, San Moritz
we enter
the stunning Poschiavo valley.
It's so special, because I was here
as a very young boy.
I have a famous photo
in the winter time,
when Lake Poschiavo
was actually iced over,
so I'm standing on the lake.
The lake is not only beautiful,
the emerald waters are
a source of renewable energy
providing hydroelectric power
to the area
and our train.
Our journey is about to make
a dramatic turn!
Upwards!
It starts the extraordinary ascent
into the Bernina mountain range
via a series of dizzying S-bends.
As the train climbs higher,
the landscape
starts to change dramatically.
En route to the Bernina Pass,
we are entering
Alpine glacier territory.
I really love it to work here.
This is so a magical place here.
I just love it.
Dear passengers,
next stop, Alt Grum.
You have time to make some photos.
Please be back in the train
at 11:40.
Thank you.
Greeting the passengers
as always at Alp Grum
is Prime.
He has the perfect job.
Since 2006, he's been managing
this far-flung station
which is also
a restaurant and hotel.
The people can have a coffee
Also me, and the train driver!
And just
enjoy the beautiful view here.
As Natalie slips off
for her well-earned coffee,
Primo shows us around
this rather special station.
Here we have our terrazza.
You can eat here.
And you have the view
on the Palu glacier.
Alp Grum is a place
so remote and high
that it can only
be reached by train.
Or, if you're adventurous,
by foot.
But only in the summer.
Our life here is much better
as somebody, they life
live in a city.
We're still in the Italian-speaking
region of Switzerland.
So it's no surprise that Walter,
Alp Grum's chef,
has a famous signature pasta dish.
Pizzoccheri valtellinesi.
It's like a pasta,
we make it without eggs.
Normally a pasta have eggs.
And we make it only with water.
And you see,
it's not the first time he make it!
Unlike most pasta,
this hearty dish uses buckwheat,
and is served with
even more hearty proportions
of garlic, potato, and cabbage.
All of these ingredients are local,
local potatoes, local cabbage.
Boiling water in high altitudes
requires a little bit of patience.
We are, here, very high,
2,091m,
so it's not
the normally boiled water,
we need more time.
About five, ten minutes more.
There is a lavish lot of butter.
SIZZLING
You see the calories
are swimming there.
Just a touch of Parmigiano
and black pepper
and the pasta
is ready to be served.
HE SPEAKS GERMAN
Danke. Bitte schoen.
Voila.
Some people stay
to enjoy lunch on the terrace,
but we have our train to catch.
HE SPEAKS ITALIAN
WHISTLE BLOWS
For the attention!
Ciao, Alessio.
HE SPEAKS GERMAN
OK, to Ospizio Bernina,
everybody is in.
And now we are going.
Leaving Alp Grum, we're now only
an hour from San Moritz,
but the train must travel
even higher.
As we head to the Bernina Pass,
it now enters
a long, high Alpine region
called Engadine
until it finally reaches the
highest railway crossing in Europe,
at Lake Bianco.
A reservoir fed
by glacial melt water
that gives it
its brilliant blue colour.
On its shores
is the station of Ospizio Bernina.
It may be tiny,
but it stands proud at 2,253m.
This is my favourite place, here,
because on the other side,
we can see
the lake of the Lago Bianco,
it's a really beautiful place,
and it's really special here.
Moving on from Ospizio,
our train starts making the long,
400m descent to San Moritz.
This train is on one of the highest
adhesion railways in the world.
Which means, to stop,
it relies on the friction between
the steel wheel and the steel rail.
But the last thing you'd want
is a train
weighing hundreds of tonnes
to lose the grip
on these steep slopes.
So all trains undergo
strict, weekly safety inspections.
Maintenance manager David
and his team of 160 specialists
scrutinise every nut and bolt
underneath the trains.
In particular,
the all-important brakes.
Since we have
a very strong inclination,
going down 7%,
we need to be sure the brake system
is working properly.
HE SPEAKS GERMAN
And there needs to be
a certain thickness remained
of the brake shoes
to make sure that we're safe enough.
Once the train is given
a clean bill of health,
it's ready to return to service.
After two and a half hours,
our mountain-climbing train arrives
atone of Switzerland's
most famous towns.
Atone of Switzerland's
most famous towns.
The location for not just one
but two Winter Olympics.
San Moritz.
Here we say goodbye to Natalie,
and the Bernina Express.
SHE SPEAKS ITALIAN
San Moritz is
a luxury Alpine resort.
A favourite haunt of the royals,
the rich,
and of course, the famous.
However, underneath
all this glitz and glamour
lies a problem.
One of the most striking features
of the town
is its very own leaning tower,
which leans even more
than that other one in Italy.
The tower dates back
to the 12th century,
and although it's stabilised,
they can't actually stop it moving.
It's definitely
the most inclined tower in Europe.
By 1e90,
the inclination of the lower
was already so large
that they were worried
that it will fall over.
The tower went through
a number of stabilisations,
and now the tower stands
on three Teflon bearing pads.
From time to time, we just come,
we pump oil in the hydraulic jacks,
and we leave the tower.
It's a little bit like
a jack for your car
when you have a flat tyre.
So why does it lean?
The soil behind it
is gradually
creeping down the mountain,
damaging the buildings in its path.
The irony is that some of the most
expensive houses in San Moritz
are the most vulnerable.
They're at the top,
and slipping down
by a couple of inches a year.
Fortunately, thanks
to smart stabilising techniques,
the leaning tower is safe.
You may ask
why do we not make it straight.
Because nobody wants to have
a straight leaning tower, right?!
The same happens
with the tower of Pisa, right?
Because tourists will stop coming.
It's a new day,
and a new train.
At nine o'clock in the morning,
passengers at
the busy San Moritz station
are boarding
the 9:15 Glacier Express to Zermatt.
This beautiful train journey
will take about eight hours
on a physically challenging route
through the nearly four mile long
Albula tunnel,
across viaducts,
and we'll need
to change engines twice,
at Chur,
and at again at Disentis.
En route, we'll climb past
some of the highest peaks
in the Swiss Alps,
before finally arriving in Zermaii
at around five in the evening.
The first part of the journey
is, for once, downhill.
Vera is in charge of
this 2,300 horsepower locomotive.
She's been driving
the Glacier Express since 2005,
but every single journey
still feels special.
I probably have the best view,
here in front of the train.
Yes, I have to check it
that everyone is in.
So we can start the journey.
Now, on the first few metres,
I have to
check the brakes again.
The train would really stop.
It's getting slower,
then it's OK.
Feels good.
Everything is OK.
For the first stretch of the route,
the Glacier Express travels along
the impressive Albula line.
On this journey,
there are lots of tunnels,
because we are driving
through the mountains.
There are also a lot of viaducts.
From San Moritz,
our train heads north
to the upper Engadine valley
towards the Albula Alps.
For the first 50 miles,
we'll be dropping down 1,300m,
before arriving in Chur.
Like the Bernina Express,
the Glacier Express attracts
visitors from around the world.
Trevor, from Northern Ireland,
is travelling with a group
of fellow train enthusiasts.
Well, we were looking
for a tour of Switzerland,
and we saw the Alps By Rail tour.
We're very fond of trains,
and it looked like a perfect
combination of seeing the scenery
and having a great train journey.
The Glacier Express
is in a class of its own.
With its luxury carriages,
each with huge glass windows,
and several train attendants,
like Andrea,
who knows every inch of the route.
So now, we are entering the tunnel,
the Albula tunnel, and, erm
it's approximately
six kilometres long.
Built over 100 years ago,
the Albula tunnel is nearing
the end of its useful life,
but rather than close
and refurbish it,
a new tunnel is being built
right next to it.
Juregen is one of
the tunnel engineers
in charge of construction,
which is expected to be completed
in 2022.
That's the old tunnel,
and that's the new one.
We have a small curve.
Later on, they will be 30m apart.
And But the two portals
are very close.
Tunnelling is a major challenge.
It took two years to break through
from both ends of the new tunnel.
Nearly 0.75 million cubic metres
of solid rock were excavated
before work on the interior
could begin.
The amount of water inside the
tunnel at this stage looks alarming,
but this, apparently, is normal.
You can have projects
which are completely dry,
but here, water is the real problem.
Water's circulating in the rock,
and you have
where a lot of water
is circulating,
and right now
we are draining this water.
Hey?
HE SPEAKS GERMAN
The men who built
the old Albula tunnel
at the beginning
of the last century
also battled with water.
We basically encounter the same
quantity of water like they do.
When they built a tunnel
120 years ago,
they had the problem that they
couldn't stop the water income,
and it only stopped up
after a couple of months.
Surprisingly, despite all
the advances in technology
in the past 100 years,
in the end,
the new tunnel will have taken
about the same amount of time
to complete
as the old one.
You had roughly 1,200 people
for the old tunnel,
and now we have
At this point of time,
we have 70 people.
We are not much faster.
We are not much cheaper!
But we are safer,
and we are less people.
When the new tunnel is finished,
the old one will be
turned into the service tunnel
and emergency exit.
And we can go in there,
open the door,
and we'll be in the old tunnel.
The train is coming in the tunnel,
and you can hear
feel the air moving.
Every year, over 15,000 trains
use the tunnel in both directions.
It's not just the Glacier Express,
there's commuter
and cargo services, too.
Tunnellers are one of a kind,
who love their work,
and are proud of every metre
they advance
inside the dark hole
that will eventually get them
to the other side of the mountain.
Tunnelling is a unique experience,
although in a sense
You excavate material,
and that's like landing on the Moon.
You excavated material,
and you are one of the first people
standing on that spot!
After all those years of hard labour
to build the old tunnel,
it now only takes five minutes
to travel through it.
But at the far end,
it gives way to an even more
spectacular feat of engineering.
Wow! Whoa! Look at this!
The world-famous
Landwasser viaduct.
After 35 years,
it's still a special moment.
HORN BLASTS
We're on Switzerland's
glorious Glacier Express,
an epic voyage to Zermatt,
in the Matter valley,
the Alpine region with the greatest
concentration of high peaks
in the entire 750 mile length
of the Alps.
We're making the quick descent
into the Albula valley,
named after the river
that runs through it.
It's downhill for a staggering 800m
in just half an hour.
So I hope you enjoy your journey.
For the viaduct,
the Landwasser viaduct,
we are going to pass it
15 minutes.
You will have the best view
on your side.
It's a breathtaking ride,
as the train winds around loops,
speeds through tunnels,
and travels over several bridges.
And the most spectacular
of these bridges
is the Landwasser viaduct.
Well, we're approaching
the Landwasser viaduct,
just coming out of Filisur.
See the viaduct here?
Just as he had done
with the Brusio spiral viaduct,
Gion also campaigned to make
this extraordinary stone bridge
a World Heritage site.
It's one of the best-known views
of Swiss railways,
or Switzerland, indeed.
It was built in 1902,
and, amazingly,
only took 13 months to complete.
Even more incredible,
the 65m high pillars
were constructed
without the use of scaffolding.
This was because
the risk of flooding
from the Landwasser river
in the valley below
was too great.
Of course, I know it's a bridge,
and engineers build it,
but it's This spot is really
a magical point along the line
in this valley here.
At 142m in length,
the ambitious Landwasser viaduct
is the longest bridge on our route.
It is, apart from the Albula tunnel,
the largest engineering monument
on this line.
Nature gave only this exact spot
where those two sides of the valley
come close enough together
to make a crossing like this
at all possible,
so the line for kilometres
down this way and up that way
is laid out exactly
to join sides at this point.
Crossing from the tunnel side
is particularly magical from
the point of view of the driver.
Gum knows.
He did it for years.
The tunnel is in a curve.
You don't see ahead.
So you're going through
a dark tunnel,
you don't see a thing
in front of you,
and then suddenly you come
around the curve,
you see the light, and whoosh,
you're out in the open.
After 35 years,
it's still a special moment.
You're always glad
the track is still there!
And now the passengers on our train
can experience that thrill
for themselves.
Whoa! Look at this!
Look at the valley!
That's amazing!
Look back at the viaduct, right?!
Whoa. That is amazing.
This must be one of the greatest
railway journeys anywhere. Yeah.
Driving across viaducts,
and through curved tunnels,
on a single track
with trains going in both directions
would be pretty hairy,
without good signals.
But at the nerve centre
of Swiss Rail,
they are in total control
of every inch along all lines.
For Franz and his team,
safety is paramount,
and of course the national obsession
to be punctual.
We are here in the heart
of the Rhaetian Railway,
where we remote control
all the signal boxes
on the network.
Here, on the black screens,
is really the heart of it.
Here we do remote control
the signal boxes.
On a mouseclick, we can actually
turn the switch around for them.
There are only a few places
with two tracks
where drivers can wait
for oncoming trains to pass.
Sometimes we have to make sure
the train stops completely
before we give a green signals
to the oncoming trains.
Each of the highly trained operators
look after a different stretch
of the railway line.
This operator here controls
St Moritz,
where the Glacier Express departs.
Here, this operator,
she controls the Albula,
with the Albula tunnel,
the Landwasser viaduct, e1 cetera.
If everything goes smooth,
our job would be too easy.
But unfortunately,
there's every day something else.
When we get up in the morning,
we never know what's happening
during the day.
And today is no exception.
Even the
most highly efficient systems
can have complications.
SPEAKING GERMAN
OK, he actually has now a problem
with the caternary power
in a station, Samedan,
that's on the route
of the Glacier
Bernina Express.
Without power,
we can't run the trains, so
we get quite busy,
and quite nervous.
There are trains on the station.
They should depart, but they can't,
they have no power.
He has no idea what's happening.
Fortunately, after a few minutes,
we found the reason for it,
and we could reinstall
the power on the station.
The trains are running again.
That's what this room is for,
at the end of the day.
Luckily, the power outage
hasn't affected our train.
We're still making our steep descent
into the Albula valley.
It's an exciting ride
for train buffs
like Revan, from California.
This is probably one of
the best railways I've ever been on.
It's so scenic,
and every single, you know, moment,
there's always a view,
and there's always something
to look at,
and it constantly never ceases
to surprise me and amaze me.
They say
it's the slowest express train,
but the fastest eight hours
you'll ever spend,
and I'm beginning to agree
with that, the more I'm on here.
At first I thought
eight hours sounded like
a bit much for a train journey,
but I don't think so any more.
I'll probably be regretting
when it's all over!
It's 11am,
and we're almost two hours
into our journey to Zermatt.
The train doesn't stop for lunch.
It is a restaurant on rails.
We've got leaf barley,
and tomato lentil,
and potato leek with bacon chips.
As the staff
are busy preparing lunch,
our train pulls into Chur.
At 585m above sea level,
it is the lowest point
of our journey.
From here onwards,
it's going to go up again.
A lot.
To cope with
the dramatic altitude increase
our train needs
a more powerful engine.
While the old one is heading
back to San Moritz
we're ready to continue
our journey.
The extraordinary differences
in height
are a physical challenge
for the Glacier Express.
Although our next stop, Disentis,
is only 30 miles away
it's going to take
about an hour to get there,
because our new engine,
with its extra 900 horsepower,
needs to climb 600m in height.
That gives passengers
plenty of time for gorging.
On lunch,
and to enjoy the stunning views
of the Rhine Gorge,
the Grand Canyon of Switzerland.
THEY SPEAK ITALIAN
Rainbow truffle from Switzerland,
baked beetroots, and cheese.
Savouring the local culinary
delights in these settings
is a unique experience.
Theresa and Kevin have come
all the way from Illinois
to make this train journey.
We just always wanted
to see Switzerland
and take a trip through the Alps,
and we thought
this was a great way to do it.
We're on a guided tour,
and obviously being able to
see everything through this train
is just incredible.
This is phenomenal!
I don't think you can be in
a better restaurant than this!
It's 12:30, and we're arriving
at the village of Diseniis.
Some of our passengers
are getting off here
to visit a very special place.
The majestic Kloster Disentis,
one of the oldest Benedictine
monasteries in the Alps.
Disentis has always drawn
mountain lovers and pilgrims alike.
Father loannes
often guides visitors
around this magnificent place,
steeped in spiritual history.
BELLS CLANGING
Now we have five minutes break!
LOUD, CONSTANT TOLLLING
When he can get a word in edgeways.
CLANGING
This monastery is at the source
of the Rhine,
at an altitude of 3,600 feet.
This area was
essentially uninhabited,
when, 1,400 years ago,
the first groups of monks came here.
The monks follow the rules
St Benedict wrote
in the sixth century.
Starting at 5:30am,
days are structured
like a Swiss train timetable,
around prayers, reading, work,
and formal meals.
Nowadays, we have about 20 brethren,
who are living in this community.
In addition to that of course,
we receive, still nowadays,
plenty of pilgrims who travel here.
And then, of course,
people from the Glacier Express
who pass by,
stay maybe for one hour or two,
leave the train
in order to visit the monastery.
Beneath the monastery
are the remains of a chapel
built in 640 AD
by the very first generation
of monks.
These excavations connect us
with the founders of our monastery,
so we know our forefathers
worked here,
they lived here,
they prayed here,
and they also died here.
Back at the station,
our train is
swapping locomotives again,
to cope with the upcoming challenges
in terrain.
This time, it's changing
to a cogwheel engine.
Ii has four driving axles
fitted with cogs
that will run on a tooth rack rail
for the rest of the journey.
Without this additional grip,
the train wouldn't get to Zermatt,
because the gradient
is simply too steep.
All the carriages have cogs too,
which are lowered to engage
with the track when needed.
After leaving Disentis,
we quickly start our ascent
to the highest point
on the Glacier Express,
the Oberalp Pass,
at 2,033m above sea level.
The pass is often covered in snow
until June.
But the train still runs
all year round,
even in winter,
when the roads are closed.
Well, there's a glacier field
over there, I think, and
some snow-topped Alps up here,
and a nice little valley
down in the middle.
Sopretty neat.
WHISTLE BLOWS
On the final leg
of our glacier adventure
to the iconic Matterhorn,
we'll travel through
Switzerland's astonishing
high-altitude mountain range.
Yeah, it's incredible.
A skier's paradise in winter,
and a mecca for climbers
and extreme runners in the summer.
HORN BLASTS
We are halfway through
our eight-hour journey
on the Glacier Express
from San Moritz to Zermatt.
From Oberalp Pass,
we'll travel down to Brig,
before starting our ascent
into the Matter valley
to reach our final destination.
On the way, we're travelling
through the Upper Valais region,
a spectacular,
high-altitude landscape,
home to many of
Switzerland's highest peaks.
In the summer,
Brig serves as the starting point
for devoted mountaineers.
It offers easy access
to high mountain base camps,
like here at Belalp,
where they can set off
hiking or climbing.
Mountain guide and
passionate climber Hans-Christian
looks after the nearby glacier,
another UNESCO World Heritage site.
The treasure of nature is up.
Always you have to go up.
Lifts up your mind,
lifts up your spirit,
lifts even up your intellect.
HE CHUCKLES
Growing up here in the mountains
is growing up with the rocks.
The rocks are sisters, are brothers.
You have to adapt to the rock.
He doesn't adapt himself to you.
I am a climber,
and if you're once a climber,
you'll always slay a climber.
Maybe that's my passion.
It's hard to stay
on a surgeon level,
but once a week,
I still want to go climb,
I have to,
I have to,
otherwise my body says me,
"There's something wrong with you."
Down here, you can see
the Glacier Express
leading from San Moritz
down to the valley to Brig, first,
and to Zermatt.
Back on the train,
it's the last stretch
of the journey.
Shortly after leaving Brig,
our train starts the steep ascent
into the Matter valley.
The area has been a magnet
for passionate mountaineers
for centuries.
It's mostly thanks to the railway
that once-remote villages
have been made easily accessible
for adventurers and tourists alike.
This part of Switzerland is home to
an impressive 38 peaks over 4,000m.
Like the one ahead,
the majestic Taschhorn.
The sides are so breathtaking,
and just how massive, like,
some of the mountains are,
Yeah, it's incredible.
It's only a few minutes before we'll
arrive at our final destination,
Zermatt.
For Coleen from California,
it's been the small things
that caught her attention
along the journey.
My favourite part
is the wildflowers.
When I asked what was a good time
of the year to come,
either come early
and see a lot of snow,
but they said in July,
which seems late for us,
is when the wildflowers
are blooming,
so starting at the beginning
of our trip
and coming through,
we'd just see wildflowers
in bloom everywhere.
It's 5115,
and after eight hours
of train journey,
the Glacier Express
pulls into Zermatt station.
A trip none of our passengers
will forget.
It's been
a truly awe-inspiring journey,
but this is not the end of the line,
if you really have
a head for heights.
Overlooking the picturesque town
at the end of the Matter valley
is the stunning Matterhorn.
And enthusiastic hikers,
climbers and runners
can get even closer
to this iconic mountain.
This involves
one more short train journey
on the Gornergrat railway.
Our Glacier Express
attendant Manuel
is a regular passenger
on the 30 minute long ride.
This railway is very special
because it's taking people
up to the mountain
from 120 years.
The rack rail climbs
an additional 1,400m
with an exceptionally steep
20% gradient.
It takes us to Gornergrat,
Europe's second highest
train station,
for an even better view
of the Matterhorn.
For some,
the peace and quiet up here
and the outstanding views
of one of
the most majestic mountains on Earth
is a spiritual experience.
I love this place, I love this view,
I love to be here.
Becausehere I have my peace.
I have all the space I need
to be like a bird,
to be free.
Escape with us
on a breathtaking train journey
through the high Swiss Alps.
This is probably one of
the best railways I've ever been on.
We'll travel on masterpieces
of railway engineering
Whoa! Look at this!
built over 100 years ago,
in some of the most challenging
environments on Earth.
This spot is really a magical point.
We'll meet the people
who live and work along
this very special train line
I probably have the best view,
here in front of the train.
This is my favourite place, here.
The Lago Wanna.
before we reach
the roof of Europe.
Zermatt,
gateway to the iconic Matterhorn.
I love this place.
I love this view.
I love to be here.
This is no ordinary railway journey.
This is one
of the most scenic train journeys
in the world.
A Swiss Alpine adventure.
HORN BLASTS
Our journey starts
in the small town of Tirano,
in Italy.
It's just two miles
from the Swiss border,
and Swiss Rail been able to
nip over here for over a century.
And being in Italy,
it's obviously a must
to grab an espresso
before boarding the train.
Our first leg of the journey
takes us from hereto San Moritz
past remote stations,
crossing the Bernina Pass,
climbing to over 2,200m,
making this the highest railway
journey in Europe.
It's then all change
for the Glacier Express,
a train that powers up
through the Alps for 180 miles
before finally arriving at Zermaii,
at the foot of the great Matterhorn.
The Bernina Express runs
on a single track narrow gauge.
This 3,220 horsepower engine
runs on electricity,
an unexpected pleasure
for its passengers.
It's beautifully quiet and peaceful,
and people can enjoy the environment
without the noise disturbing them
from the train, so Yeah.
People travel from
all over the world
to make this stunning train journey,
like Frank, from Australia.
He has a close family connection
to the area.
Both his parents
were born near Tirano.
I was only talking
to some of my relatives,
and they actually worked on this,
on the Bernina railway line.
A couple of minutes into our journey
and we're in Switzerland.
Buongiorno.
Like most people in this country,
Natalie, our train attendant,
is multilingual.
Danke schoen.
Keeping her balance
on a moving train
is more of a challenge.
The most difficult thing is
to stand in the middle of the train,
and not going this,
like this, and this.
Yes!
To be able to climb
Europe's tallest mountains,
the Bernina line had to be a
masterpiece of railway engineering.
Just a few miles out of Tirano
is a spectacular example
of this ingenuity.
Here is the Brusio viaduct.
You can see it, here.
Like a snake,
the train slowly curves around
the 70m radius of the Brusio loop,
to gain 10m in height
in just two minutes.
Gion Caprez is a former physicist,
but then, in 1980,
he fulfilled his childhood dream.
He swapped his academic career
for a life on the tracks,
to drive trains on this very line.
This is the Brusio viaduct.
It is one of the best-known spots
of the Bernina railway.
The Brusio loop
is a good example
how the engineers worked
within the landscape.
They had a steep slope this side,
a steep slope the other side.
A small, level field in the middle,
and they had to make do
in this small area to lay the track.
The train goes
from down here where I'm standing
to up there on the viaduct
within 200 or 300m.
That's quite an altitude to cross!
So this is the start of the loop.
You cross under the arch, then
turn around.
All of this is in a 7% grade.
A good idea they had,
in the summer of 1906,
Make the line go back on itself,
in a full circle,
and continue down the valley.
It's thanks to
Gion's love of this railway
that it's now recognised by UNESCO
as a World Heritage site.
I feel really proud
that this railway
is part of the World Heritage,
and I think that it helps
to keep it in its present form,
it helps to draw people here
to experience it, too.
Our train has 35 miles to travel
before we reach San Moritz.
It will take us
to the Journey's highest point.
The Lago Wanna.
It's a really beautiful place,
and it's really special here.
HORN BLASTS
We're on the Bernina Express
in Switzerland.
Just six miles
into our Alpine adventure
to our halfway point, San Moritz
we enter
the stunning Poschiavo valley.
It's so special, because I was here
as a very young boy.
I have a famous photo
in the winter time,
when Lake Poschiavo
was actually iced over,
so I'm standing on the lake.
The lake is not only beautiful,
the emerald waters are
a source of renewable energy
providing hydroelectric power
to the area
and our train.
Our journey is about to make
a dramatic turn!
Upwards!
It starts the extraordinary ascent
into the Bernina mountain range
via a series of dizzying S-bends.
As the train climbs higher,
the landscape
starts to change dramatically.
En route to the Bernina Pass,
we are entering
Alpine glacier territory.
I really love it to work here.
This is so a magical place here.
I just love it.
Dear passengers,
next stop, Alt Grum.
You have time to make some photos.
Please be back in the train
at 11:40.
Thank you.
Greeting the passengers
as always at Alp Grum
is Prime.
He has the perfect job.
Since 2006, he's been managing
this far-flung station
which is also
a restaurant and hotel.
The people can have a coffee
Also me, and the train driver!
And just
enjoy the beautiful view here.
As Natalie slips off
for her well-earned coffee,
Primo shows us around
this rather special station.
Here we have our terrazza.
You can eat here.
And you have the view
on the Palu glacier.
Alp Grum is a place
so remote and high
that it can only
be reached by train.
Or, if you're adventurous,
by foot.
But only in the summer.
Our life here is much better
as somebody, they life
live in a city.
We're still in the Italian-speaking
region of Switzerland.
So it's no surprise that Walter,
Alp Grum's chef,
has a famous signature pasta dish.
Pizzoccheri valtellinesi.
It's like a pasta,
we make it without eggs.
Normally a pasta have eggs.
And we make it only with water.
And you see,
it's not the first time he make it!
Unlike most pasta,
this hearty dish uses buckwheat,
and is served with
even more hearty proportions
of garlic, potato, and cabbage.
All of these ingredients are local,
local potatoes, local cabbage.
Boiling water in high altitudes
requires a little bit of patience.
We are, here, very high,
2,091m,
so it's not
the normally boiled water,
we need more time.
About five, ten minutes more.
There is a lavish lot of butter.
SIZZLING
You see the calories
are swimming there.
Just a touch of Parmigiano
and black pepper
and the pasta
is ready to be served.
HE SPEAKS GERMAN
Danke. Bitte schoen.
Voila.
Some people stay
to enjoy lunch on the terrace,
but we have our train to catch.
HE SPEAKS ITALIAN
WHISTLE BLOWS
For the attention!
Ciao, Alessio.
HE SPEAKS GERMAN
OK, to Ospizio Bernina,
everybody is in.
And now we are going.
Leaving Alp Grum, we're now only
an hour from San Moritz,
but the train must travel
even higher.
As we head to the Bernina Pass,
it now enters
a long, high Alpine region
called Engadine
until it finally reaches the
highest railway crossing in Europe,
at Lake Bianco.
A reservoir fed
by glacial melt water
that gives it
its brilliant blue colour.
On its shores
is the station of Ospizio Bernina.
It may be tiny,
but it stands proud at 2,253m.
This is my favourite place, here,
because on the other side,
we can see
the lake of the Lago Bianco,
it's a really beautiful place,
and it's really special here.
Moving on from Ospizio,
our train starts making the long,
400m descent to San Moritz.
This train is on one of the highest
adhesion railways in the world.
Which means, to stop,
it relies on the friction between
the steel wheel and the steel rail.
But the last thing you'd want
is a train
weighing hundreds of tonnes
to lose the grip
on these steep slopes.
So all trains undergo
strict, weekly safety inspections.
Maintenance manager David
and his team of 160 specialists
scrutinise every nut and bolt
underneath the trains.
In particular,
the all-important brakes.
Since we have
a very strong inclination,
going down 7%,
we need to be sure the brake system
is working properly.
HE SPEAKS GERMAN
And there needs to be
a certain thickness remained
of the brake shoes
to make sure that we're safe enough.
Once the train is given
a clean bill of health,
it's ready to return to service.
After two and a half hours,
our mountain-climbing train arrives
atone of Switzerland's
most famous towns.
Atone of Switzerland's
most famous towns.
The location for not just one
but two Winter Olympics.
San Moritz.
Here we say goodbye to Natalie,
and the Bernina Express.
SHE SPEAKS ITALIAN
San Moritz is
a luxury Alpine resort.
A favourite haunt of the royals,
the rich,
and of course, the famous.
However, underneath
all this glitz and glamour
lies a problem.
One of the most striking features
of the town
is its very own leaning tower,
which leans even more
than that other one in Italy.
The tower dates back
to the 12th century,
and although it's stabilised,
they can't actually stop it moving.
It's definitely
the most inclined tower in Europe.
By 1e90,
the inclination of the lower
was already so large
that they were worried
that it will fall over.
The tower went through
a number of stabilisations,
and now the tower stands
on three Teflon bearing pads.
From time to time, we just come,
we pump oil in the hydraulic jacks,
and we leave the tower.
It's a little bit like
a jack for your car
when you have a flat tyre.
So why does it lean?
The soil behind it
is gradually
creeping down the mountain,
damaging the buildings in its path.
The irony is that some of the most
expensive houses in San Moritz
are the most vulnerable.
They're at the top,
and slipping down
by a couple of inches a year.
Fortunately, thanks
to smart stabilising techniques,
the leaning tower is safe.
You may ask
why do we not make it straight.
Because nobody wants to have
a straight leaning tower, right?!
The same happens
with the tower of Pisa, right?
Because tourists will stop coming.
It's a new day,
and a new train.
At nine o'clock in the morning,
passengers at
the busy San Moritz station
are boarding
the 9:15 Glacier Express to Zermatt.
This beautiful train journey
will take about eight hours
on a physically challenging route
through the nearly four mile long
Albula tunnel,
across viaducts,
and we'll need
to change engines twice,
at Chur,
and at again at Disentis.
En route, we'll climb past
some of the highest peaks
in the Swiss Alps,
before finally arriving in Zermaii
at around five in the evening.
The first part of the journey
is, for once, downhill.
Vera is in charge of
this 2,300 horsepower locomotive.
She's been driving
the Glacier Express since 2005,
but every single journey
still feels special.
I probably have the best view,
here in front of the train.
Yes, I have to check it
that everyone is in.
So we can start the journey.
Now, on the first few metres,
I have to
check the brakes again.
The train would really stop.
It's getting slower,
then it's OK.
Feels good.
Everything is OK.
For the first stretch of the route,
the Glacier Express travels along
the impressive Albula line.
On this journey,
there are lots of tunnels,
because we are driving
through the mountains.
There are also a lot of viaducts.
From San Moritz,
our train heads north
to the upper Engadine valley
towards the Albula Alps.
For the first 50 miles,
we'll be dropping down 1,300m,
before arriving in Chur.
Like the Bernina Express,
the Glacier Express attracts
visitors from around the world.
Trevor, from Northern Ireland,
is travelling with a group
of fellow train enthusiasts.
Well, we were looking
for a tour of Switzerland,
and we saw the Alps By Rail tour.
We're very fond of trains,
and it looked like a perfect
combination of seeing the scenery
and having a great train journey.
The Glacier Express
is in a class of its own.
With its luxury carriages,
each with huge glass windows,
and several train attendants,
like Andrea,
who knows every inch of the route.
So now, we are entering the tunnel,
the Albula tunnel, and, erm
it's approximately
six kilometres long.
Built over 100 years ago,
the Albula tunnel is nearing
the end of its useful life,
but rather than close
and refurbish it,
a new tunnel is being built
right next to it.
Juregen is one of
the tunnel engineers
in charge of construction,
which is expected to be completed
in 2022.
That's the old tunnel,
and that's the new one.
We have a small curve.
Later on, they will be 30m apart.
And But the two portals
are very close.
Tunnelling is a major challenge.
It took two years to break through
from both ends of the new tunnel.
Nearly 0.75 million cubic metres
of solid rock were excavated
before work on the interior
could begin.
The amount of water inside the
tunnel at this stage looks alarming,
but this, apparently, is normal.
You can have projects
which are completely dry,
but here, water is the real problem.
Water's circulating in the rock,
and you have
where a lot of water
is circulating,
and right now
we are draining this water.
Hey?
HE SPEAKS GERMAN
The men who built
the old Albula tunnel
at the beginning
of the last century
also battled with water.
We basically encounter the same
quantity of water like they do.
When they built a tunnel
120 years ago,
they had the problem that they
couldn't stop the water income,
and it only stopped up
after a couple of months.
Surprisingly, despite all
the advances in technology
in the past 100 years,
in the end,
the new tunnel will have taken
about the same amount of time
to complete
as the old one.
You had roughly 1,200 people
for the old tunnel,
and now we have
At this point of time,
we have 70 people.
We are not much faster.
We are not much cheaper!
But we are safer,
and we are less people.
When the new tunnel is finished,
the old one will be
turned into the service tunnel
and emergency exit.
And we can go in there,
open the door,
and we'll be in the old tunnel.
The train is coming in the tunnel,
and you can hear
feel the air moving.
Every year, over 15,000 trains
use the tunnel in both directions.
It's not just the Glacier Express,
there's commuter
and cargo services, too.
Tunnellers are one of a kind,
who love their work,
and are proud of every metre
they advance
inside the dark hole
that will eventually get them
to the other side of the mountain.
Tunnelling is a unique experience,
although in a sense
You excavate material,
and that's like landing on the Moon.
You excavated material,
and you are one of the first people
standing on that spot!
After all those years of hard labour
to build the old tunnel,
it now only takes five minutes
to travel through it.
But at the far end,
it gives way to an even more
spectacular feat of engineering.
Wow! Whoa! Look at this!
The world-famous
Landwasser viaduct.
After 35 years,
it's still a special moment.
HORN BLASTS
We're on Switzerland's
glorious Glacier Express,
an epic voyage to Zermatt,
in the Matter valley,
the Alpine region with the greatest
concentration of high peaks
in the entire 750 mile length
of the Alps.
We're making the quick descent
into the Albula valley,
named after the river
that runs through it.
It's downhill for a staggering 800m
in just half an hour.
So I hope you enjoy your journey.
For the viaduct,
the Landwasser viaduct,
we are going to pass it
15 minutes.
You will have the best view
on your side.
It's a breathtaking ride,
as the train winds around loops,
speeds through tunnels,
and travels over several bridges.
And the most spectacular
of these bridges
is the Landwasser viaduct.
Well, we're approaching
the Landwasser viaduct,
just coming out of Filisur.
See the viaduct here?
Just as he had done
with the Brusio spiral viaduct,
Gion also campaigned to make
this extraordinary stone bridge
a World Heritage site.
It's one of the best-known views
of Swiss railways,
or Switzerland, indeed.
It was built in 1902,
and, amazingly,
only took 13 months to complete.
Even more incredible,
the 65m high pillars
were constructed
without the use of scaffolding.
This was because
the risk of flooding
from the Landwasser river
in the valley below
was too great.
Of course, I know it's a bridge,
and engineers build it,
but it's This spot is really
a magical point along the line
in this valley here.
At 142m in length,
the ambitious Landwasser viaduct
is the longest bridge on our route.
It is, apart from the Albula tunnel,
the largest engineering monument
on this line.
Nature gave only this exact spot
where those two sides of the valley
come close enough together
to make a crossing like this
at all possible,
so the line for kilometres
down this way and up that way
is laid out exactly
to join sides at this point.
Crossing from the tunnel side
is particularly magical from
the point of view of the driver.
Gum knows.
He did it for years.
The tunnel is in a curve.
You don't see ahead.
So you're going through
a dark tunnel,
you don't see a thing
in front of you,
and then suddenly you come
around the curve,
you see the light, and whoosh,
you're out in the open.
After 35 years,
it's still a special moment.
You're always glad
the track is still there!
And now the passengers on our train
can experience that thrill
for themselves.
Whoa! Look at this!
Look at the valley!
That's amazing!
Look back at the viaduct, right?!
Whoa. That is amazing.
This must be one of the greatest
railway journeys anywhere. Yeah.
Driving across viaducts,
and through curved tunnels,
on a single track
with trains going in both directions
would be pretty hairy,
without good signals.
But at the nerve centre
of Swiss Rail,
they are in total control
of every inch along all lines.
For Franz and his team,
safety is paramount,
and of course the national obsession
to be punctual.
We are here in the heart
of the Rhaetian Railway,
where we remote control
all the signal boxes
on the network.
Here, on the black screens,
is really the heart of it.
Here we do remote control
the signal boxes.
On a mouseclick, we can actually
turn the switch around for them.
There are only a few places
with two tracks
where drivers can wait
for oncoming trains to pass.
Sometimes we have to make sure
the train stops completely
before we give a green signals
to the oncoming trains.
Each of the highly trained operators
look after a different stretch
of the railway line.
This operator here controls
St Moritz,
where the Glacier Express departs.
Here, this operator,
she controls the Albula,
with the Albula tunnel,
the Landwasser viaduct, e1 cetera.
If everything goes smooth,
our job would be too easy.
But unfortunately,
there's every day something else.
When we get up in the morning,
we never know what's happening
during the day.
And today is no exception.
Even the
most highly efficient systems
can have complications.
SPEAKING GERMAN
OK, he actually has now a problem
with the caternary power
in a station, Samedan,
that's on the route
of the Glacier
Bernina Express.
Without power,
we can't run the trains, so
we get quite busy,
and quite nervous.
There are trains on the station.
They should depart, but they can't,
they have no power.
He has no idea what's happening.
Fortunately, after a few minutes,
we found the reason for it,
and we could reinstall
the power on the station.
The trains are running again.
That's what this room is for,
at the end of the day.
Luckily, the power outage
hasn't affected our train.
We're still making our steep descent
into the Albula valley.
It's an exciting ride
for train buffs
like Revan, from California.
This is probably one of
the best railways I've ever been on.
It's so scenic,
and every single, you know, moment,
there's always a view,
and there's always something
to look at,
and it constantly never ceases
to surprise me and amaze me.
They say
it's the slowest express train,
but the fastest eight hours
you'll ever spend,
and I'm beginning to agree
with that, the more I'm on here.
At first I thought
eight hours sounded like
a bit much for a train journey,
but I don't think so any more.
I'll probably be regretting
when it's all over!
It's 11am,
and we're almost two hours
into our journey to Zermatt.
The train doesn't stop for lunch.
It is a restaurant on rails.
We've got leaf barley,
and tomato lentil,
and potato leek with bacon chips.
As the staff
are busy preparing lunch,
our train pulls into Chur.
At 585m above sea level,
it is the lowest point
of our journey.
From here onwards,
it's going to go up again.
A lot.
To cope with
the dramatic altitude increase
our train needs
a more powerful engine.
While the old one is heading
back to San Moritz
we're ready to continue
our journey.
The extraordinary differences
in height
are a physical challenge
for the Glacier Express.
Although our next stop, Disentis,
is only 30 miles away
it's going to take
about an hour to get there,
because our new engine,
with its extra 900 horsepower,
needs to climb 600m in height.
That gives passengers
plenty of time for gorging.
On lunch,
and to enjoy the stunning views
of the Rhine Gorge,
the Grand Canyon of Switzerland.
THEY SPEAK ITALIAN
Rainbow truffle from Switzerland,
baked beetroots, and cheese.
Savouring the local culinary
delights in these settings
is a unique experience.
Theresa and Kevin have come
all the way from Illinois
to make this train journey.
We just always wanted
to see Switzerland
and take a trip through the Alps,
and we thought
this was a great way to do it.
We're on a guided tour,
and obviously being able to
see everything through this train
is just incredible.
This is phenomenal!
I don't think you can be in
a better restaurant than this!
It's 12:30, and we're arriving
at the village of Diseniis.
Some of our passengers
are getting off here
to visit a very special place.
The majestic Kloster Disentis,
one of the oldest Benedictine
monasteries in the Alps.
Disentis has always drawn
mountain lovers and pilgrims alike.
Father loannes
often guides visitors
around this magnificent place,
steeped in spiritual history.
BELLS CLANGING
Now we have five minutes break!
LOUD, CONSTANT TOLLLING
When he can get a word in edgeways.
CLANGING
This monastery is at the source
of the Rhine,
at an altitude of 3,600 feet.
This area was
essentially uninhabited,
when, 1,400 years ago,
the first groups of monks came here.
The monks follow the rules
St Benedict wrote
in the sixth century.
Starting at 5:30am,
days are structured
like a Swiss train timetable,
around prayers, reading, work,
and formal meals.
Nowadays, we have about 20 brethren,
who are living in this community.
In addition to that of course,
we receive, still nowadays,
plenty of pilgrims who travel here.
And then, of course,
people from the Glacier Express
who pass by,
stay maybe for one hour or two,
leave the train
in order to visit the monastery.
Beneath the monastery
are the remains of a chapel
built in 640 AD
by the very first generation
of monks.
These excavations connect us
with the founders of our monastery,
so we know our forefathers
worked here,
they lived here,
they prayed here,
and they also died here.
Back at the station,
our train is
swapping locomotives again,
to cope with the upcoming challenges
in terrain.
This time, it's changing
to a cogwheel engine.
Ii has four driving axles
fitted with cogs
that will run on a tooth rack rail
for the rest of the journey.
Without this additional grip,
the train wouldn't get to Zermatt,
because the gradient
is simply too steep.
All the carriages have cogs too,
which are lowered to engage
with the track when needed.
After leaving Disentis,
we quickly start our ascent
to the highest point
on the Glacier Express,
the Oberalp Pass,
at 2,033m above sea level.
The pass is often covered in snow
until June.
But the train still runs
all year round,
even in winter,
when the roads are closed.
Well, there's a glacier field
over there, I think, and
some snow-topped Alps up here,
and a nice little valley
down in the middle.
Sopretty neat.
WHISTLE BLOWS
On the final leg
of our glacier adventure
to the iconic Matterhorn,
we'll travel through
Switzerland's astonishing
high-altitude mountain range.
Yeah, it's incredible.
A skier's paradise in winter,
and a mecca for climbers
and extreme runners in the summer.
HORN BLASTS
We are halfway through
our eight-hour journey
on the Glacier Express
from San Moritz to Zermatt.
From Oberalp Pass,
we'll travel down to Brig,
before starting our ascent
into the Matter valley
to reach our final destination.
On the way, we're travelling
through the Upper Valais region,
a spectacular,
high-altitude landscape,
home to many of
Switzerland's highest peaks.
In the summer,
Brig serves as the starting point
for devoted mountaineers.
It offers easy access
to high mountain base camps,
like here at Belalp,
where they can set off
hiking or climbing.
Mountain guide and
passionate climber Hans-Christian
looks after the nearby glacier,
another UNESCO World Heritage site.
The treasure of nature is up.
Always you have to go up.
Lifts up your mind,
lifts up your spirit,
lifts even up your intellect.
HE CHUCKLES
Growing up here in the mountains
is growing up with the rocks.
The rocks are sisters, are brothers.
You have to adapt to the rock.
He doesn't adapt himself to you.
I am a climber,
and if you're once a climber,
you'll always slay a climber.
Maybe that's my passion.
It's hard to stay
on a surgeon level,
but once a week,
I still want to go climb,
I have to,
I have to,
otherwise my body says me,
"There's something wrong with you."
Down here, you can see
the Glacier Express
leading from San Moritz
down to the valley to Brig, first,
and to Zermatt.
Back on the train,
it's the last stretch
of the journey.
Shortly after leaving Brig,
our train starts the steep ascent
into the Matter valley.
The area has been a magnet
for passionate mountaineers
for centuries.
It's mostly thanks to the railway
that once-remote villages
have been made easily accessible
for adventurers and tourists alike.
This part of Switzerland is home to
an impressive 38 peaks over 4,000m.
Like the one ahead,
the majestic Taschhorn.
The sides are so breathtaking,
and just how massive, like,
some of the mountains are,
Yeah, it's incredible.
It's only a few minutes before we'll
arrive at our final destination,
Zermatt.
For Coleen from California,
it's been the small things
that caught her attention
along the journey.
My favourite part
is the wildflowers.
When I asked what was a good time
of the year to come,
either come early
and see a lot of snow,
but they said in July,
which seems late for us,
is when the wildflowers
are blooming,
so starting at the beginning
of our trip
and coming through,
we'd just see wildflowers
in bloom everywhere.
It's 5115,
and after eight hours
of train journey,
the Glacier Express
pulls into Zermatt station.
A trip none of our passengers
will forget.
It's been
a truly awe-inspiring journey,
but this is not the end of the line,
if you really have
a head for heights.
Overlooking the picturesque town
at the end of the Matter valley
is the stunning Matterhorn.
And enthusiastic hikers,
climbers and runners
can get even closer
to this iconic mountain.
This involves
one more short train journey
on the Gornergrat railway.
Our Glacier Express
attendant Manuel
is a regular passenger
on the 30 minute long ride.
This railway is very special
because it's taking people
up to the mountain
from 120 years.
The rack rail climbs
an additional 1,400m
with an exceptionally steep
20% gradient.
It takes us to Gornergrat,
Europe's second highest
train station,
for an even better view
of the Matterhorn.
For some,
the peace and quiet up here
and the outstanding views
of one of
the most majestic mountains on Earth
is a spiritual experience.
I love this place, I love this view,
I love to be here.
Becausehere I have my peace.
I have all the space I need
to be like a bird,
to be free.