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| Looking down the San Bernadino Valley |
Bundled everything down to the car and into town so AJ and J could do some urgent computer work. A café on the waterfront proved to be the ideal location. Off on the road again just after lunchtime. This was going to be a big day tracking down the trails of early immigrants. AJ and I were taking turns in the backseat, with J doing a magnificent job of driving hither and yon. After leaving Como, with a number of false turns, we found we were crossing the border into Switzerland before we knew it. Unfortunately had not got to fill up with diesel before we crossed the border (past the border guards) and were immediately stung by the steeper prices in Switzerland. This set the scene for what were to be much bigger price hits over the next 4 days.
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| Mesocco Castle |
Set off up the San Bernadino valley and our jaws immediately dropped. The scenery was just so stunning. The valley was quite narrow, very green, with plenty of forest and small villages. Nearing the top we came across the Mesocco rruins, a magnificent castle, dating in part from the 14th century. We spent a wee while climbing around it and shooting photos up and down the valley. We reached the top of the Pass when we were going through a long tunnel. Going down the other side into the Hinterrhein, the valley broadened out with pasture extending extremely high up the hill slopes. We passed by Hinterrhein village and then pulled off the highway into Nufenen village. This was the village where quite a number of the Meuli family immigrated to Taranaki. We took a number of photos, then asked a local woman about an early resident called Meuli. She said the Meuli family lived next door. We duly knocked on the nearby door, explained our presence and were immediately welcomed in to have a hot drink and chat by Erika Meuli. It was her husband’s grandfather’s uncle (or something) who first emigrated. We had a great old yarn, ending with her inviting us to stay the night in the self-contained unit they had upstairs. We were delighted, and took up her offer.
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| Doing the daily goat run |
Erika had said the goats were due back at 6pm, so we walked out both sides of the village to fill in some time until they came back. The Meulis have 40 cows and 20-30 goats from which they make their entire living. We expect there must be some heavy subsidies. Each day the goats are taken out to a hillside pasture some 2-3km away, and brought back in the evening. The cows are inside November to May, but outdoors the rest of the year. They still cut hay by hand on the high alps every summer to store in the big huts on the hillsides, from where they lug it down to the main house/barns as required in winter. It’s such a work-intensive and ancient lifestyle.
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| Swiss roads are not straight! |
We wanted to also see the next village down the valley, Splugen, to see a woman who had written a book about emigration from the valley and to get a drink and something to eat. The drink was lovely, out on the verandah of one of the hotels there (the area is used winter and summer for ski-ing and walking respectively). We had a pizza at what looked the cheapest place in town and were shocked by the $80NZ for 3 pizzas without drinks. Swiss prices are appalling. An espresso is CHF3.70 – nearing NZD6 – which hurts after the 1€ prices or less in France and Italy.
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| The valley opposite Splugen |
It was lovely going to bed in the Meulis’ house – Der Grosshaus – which has been the hub of the village of Nufenen since it was built….wait for it….in 1473. Unbelievable. I don’t imagine we will ever sleep in an older building. It felt such a privilege to do so. Like our German host in Montalto, we had two single duvets on a double bed. Must be the way the Germanic people do it.
