Zurich to Saas Fee Arrival
Morning arrived in Zurich so I put the call into Frederik to assess the days snow conditions, he let me know there was no hurry in getting to Saas Fee, so I put no rush in leaving ZRH. Once early afternoon rolled around, I loaded up the rental, paid my parking fine and hit the road.
Another wonderful day was blessing the lower elevations of Switzerland, so it made for perfect driving conditions. I stayed in the drivers seat for 96 kilometers (60 miles) until I noticed this unique building on my left, so I hit the next exit to investigate. What I was seeing out the window was the Paul Klee Museum in Bern.
Paul Klee was an influential Swiss born artist who mastered color theory and wrote extensively about it during the tens, twenties and thirties until his death on June 29th, 1940. He never obtained Swiss citizenship despite his birth in that country because the Swiss authorities considered his work too revolutionary. Six days after his death, they accepted his request for citizenship…with the museum opening in June of 2005.
After the museum stop in Bern, I was back on the road for another 65 kilometers (40 miles), when I reached the Kandersteg car ferry. For those of you unfamiliar with a car ferry, it’s an open-air train that you drive you car onto so you can get from point A to point B. In order to go from Bern to Saas Fee, you have to use the car ferry because there’s no highway built along that route. Pay the toll, drive onto the train, apply the emergency brake and kick back for twenty minutes. Once you reach the other side, you drive off and continue your journey. Efficient. Kinda fun too.
Another hour or so and I reached the Saas Fee parking plaza where the car will sit until my departure next week. Gasoline powered automobiles are forbidden in the village, so you either walk your way around town or hail one of the electric taxis. As I arrived at the Dorfblick, Freddie’s brother Bjorn was doing a little spring clean up and preparing the BBQ for our crew. To my delight, four of my good buddies from Aspen are also staying at The Blick. We barbequed, hung out and then called it a night. Out to the slopes tomorrow. Peace, Blotto
