Switzerland - Market hustle and bustle in Poschiavo & relaxation on Lake Poschiavo

After a really stormy night high up on the Bernina Pass - the temperature gauge informs us of 2° Celsius and Felix whines about the danger of black ice (he does that below 3° Celsius) - we are once again grateful for our heating and filled tanks. Over a leisurely coffee (a coffee surogate extract for me, as connoisseurs say to cereal coffee!) we watch the Bernina railway as it winds its way like a Tatzelwurm up the pass and along the lake and listen to the hailstones pattering on the roof of the van. Camper romance par excellence.

No sooner are the cups washed and we dressed than the sun breaks through and it suddenly gets warm. "I read in a brochure that there is a market in Poschiavo on Wednesday. Shall we throw ourselves into the Rhaeto-Romanic-Italian hustle and bustle?" my friend asks me. "Sure, I'm in!" An espresso on the piazza, that's it!

So we roll down in bright sunshine, finally arrive in Valposchiavo and realise that it really is a beautiful valley. The marketing texts promise "the most beautiful valley in Switzerland", we can't really confirm that, we know so many beautiful valleys by now. And comparisons are always a bit depressing for the others. Deep gorges, rugged rock faces, larch forests on the slopes and again and again we encounter our cheerful red "Tatzelwurm", the Bernina Railway. Simply enchanting.

Felix winds his way down a good 1500 metres of altitude on well-built serpentines, curve after curve. In Poschiavo we give him a break and go for a stroll. The whole valley seems to be on its feet, the alleys of the sugary little town are littered with stalls of artisans and other regional products. Here handmade baby clothes, there the typical ring bread with aniseed.

We find a sunny spot in a café right next to the market square fountain and drink a "real Italian espresso". It gets quiet inside us, but only to let the sounds around us take effect on us. Behind us at the table there is a discussion in Rhaeto-Romanic, at the next table in Italian, much louder. Both languages trigger feelings of happiness in us. Two such wonderful language melodies!

By now it is warm, almost hot. Groups of hikers stroll past us, the children get candyfloss and splash knee-deep in the fountain. Across the street, a queue forms at the gelateria. And us? We sit here, watch and listen and are simply "there". What beautiful moments in our holiday.

But at some point we are drawn further, we look for a campsite directly on Lago Poschiavo and realise that last night didn't bring much sleep. So what? Just a short midday nap, why not?

Here at the lake, we suddenly feel an incredible calm come over us. With nice conversations and a few spoonfuls of eggnog, we let the impressive day come to an end in an enchanting place. Is the valley perhaps the most beautiful after all? Yes, perhaps it is the most beautiful.

---

Merci for "travelling with us

We are thinking about taking another break from travelling in the summer and visiting our families in Germany and Switzerland. One of the ideas is to organise a Lecture about our long journey to the Persian Gulf to prepare. If you would like to, what would interest you the most? We will also tell stories here that don't find a place here on the blog. We're thinking of the Bern and Berlin area - simply because we have family there. But other places are also conceivable. Feel free to write to us.

Do you think our travel experiences might be of interest to others? Then you can share the Share post quietly. By e-mail or however you want to do it.

In addition, if you haven't already done so, you can use our Newsletter subscribe. Here you will receive all our experiences in your mailbox whenever we publish something new or once a week on Fridays: live-pur.ch/newsletter

We are also very happy to hear your views, your tips or your questions. Just comment on the post!