Hidden Treasures

When I boarded the train last weekend I really had no idea that I would be in for such a treat, travelling on the infamous railway through the Swiss Alps. Having been inspired by the train ride this past weekend, I now have an unsatisfied desire to do some serious hiking in Switzerland. It was such a tease to stop in the Swiss towns and not be able to get out for just a few hours and explore the Alpine terrain. No, I had a reserved seat and wasn't granted such permission. I have spent far too much time this evening on the Internet researching potential possibilities. However, in all of this research I have also come across hidden treasures!

During this train ride, so long as we weren't in a tunnel, I was glued to the window and surprised that most of my travel mates were sleeping or had their noses buried in a book. The landscape was of course amazing, but it was hard to miss the red covered church. At the time I thought that I saw three different red covered churches and wondered if this was the art of Christo and Jean-Claude. I had an unsuccessful Internet search about the mysteriously covered churches, and inquired a Swiss classmate about the phenomenon, only to receive a puzzled look.

But tonight, the mystery is solved! At the time, I was actually passing through the St. Gotthard Tunnel, 15 Km of tunnel with a steep ascent. We briefly came out of the tunnel 3 times, giving multiple views of the town of Wassen. Apparently my travels happened to fall on the 150th anniversary celebration of the tunnel and in commemoration the Church of Wassen was covered in Swiss red for the weekend. The church, St. Gotthard Tunnel and Schoelleren Gorge which was below us, are all quite the architectural accomplishments.

Now, if I can only find some cheap and available accommodation perhaps I'll get a chance for an upclose view.