We set off early, as we have quite a journey ahead of us today. We quickly leave St. Gallen behind us and climb higher and higher as we head south. Our first stop is Säntis, or at least the valley station of the gondola lift, where we stop to take photos. We are surprised by how many cars are already parked here. There must be loads of hikers out and about! No wonder the post buses here are double-deckers or have trailers with extra seats.

The journey is truly beautiful, with all the green hills and lush meadows. This brings us to the viewpoint for the Seven Churfirsten peaks. Here, too, I find it fascinating to see the sloping rock layers that were folded during the formation of the Alps and then eroded over time to leave behind the seven peaks.

Our journey continues to the Principality of Liechtenstein. However, we are only passing through here, and we wonder: why is there no ‘Grand Tour’ photo stop for Vaduz or the Prince’s castle? Of course, the Principality of Liechtenstein is a different country, but somehow we belong together. That’s our suggestion for Switzerland Tourism.

We arrive in Heidi Village at lunchtime. At restaurant Heidihof, we try the Graubünden dishes we’ve been looking forward to for so long. And we have to say: capuns and pizokel are simply delicious! Capuns are small parcels made from Spätzli dough and filled with Bündnerfleisch, wrapped in Swiss chard leaves. The delicious cheese sauce they are swimming in is a lovely surprise. Pizokel is a kind of Älplermagronen, but with Spätzli instead of pasta. We enjoy everything very much.

Then we set off on foot to Heidi Village. And work up quite a sweat on the rather long walk with several inclines in the blazing sun. The few houses we encounter in the tourist village may be charming, but not a single one of them is wheelchair accessible, not even the Grand Tour photo stop. People in wheelchairs simply did not play a role in the planning here. What a shame. So we soon leave Heidi Village with mixed feelings. At least the free-range chickens we encountered here were a highlight.

We continue through Davos and past the Alpengold Hotel, which is often shown on television during reports on the WEF. Well, we can’t do anything with such ostentation. And there are also problems at the Grand Tour photo stop near Davos: a farmer has cordoned off the area and is letting his cows graze here instead of tourists.

Now we continue climbing higher and higher over the Flüela Pass. The vegetation becomes increasingly sparse and, with the reddish soil, everything around us looks almost extraterrestrial, like Mars. The view from up here is magnificent, with the small stream in the valley that has eaten its way through the mountain over millions of years.

On the way down, we make a detour to Guarda. This village and one particular house inspired the author to write ‘Schellen-Ursli’ (‘Cow bell Ursli’), an 80-year-old children’s book that is probably read in every Swiss household – at least in ours and also at Gabi’s home. Here, everything really looks as if time has stood still. We park at the edge of the village and explore the narrow streets, where cars rarely venture, except perhaps the small post bus. First, we are greeted by a cat, who is immediately very friendly. We find the right house and notice that many of the houses have doors in the same style. In a small café, we enjoy some surprisingly luxurious patisserie pastries for afternoon tea before picking up a drink for the road at the supermarket.

We don’t find the photo spot in La Punt straight away. Of course, it’s slightly hidden, down a few steps on a small wooden deck next to the river.

Finally, we arrive in St. Moritz. We pick up a light supper at the Coop before driving to our hotel high above the town. Here, we all share a family room with a separate room for Chrige, while LucY charges overnight at the charging station at the main building.