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The journeys by all routes
were uneventful and the run through Switzerland was the first experience
of hot sunshine and blue skies which
the travellers had had for some
weeks. Then the rain returned—pitiless and torrential, hour after hour, causing rivers to
rise and landslides to block certain roads. We thought we had spent our
money in vain. On the Tuesday afternoon many members of the party had an
alarming experience when visiting the Via Mala Gorge—through which runs
that evil stretch of turbulent water which is said to have inspired Dante, when
first he gazed upon it, to
write the lines: “All hope abandon,
ye who enter here”. The leading coach on approaching the gorge found its
way blocked by a landslide on which Swiss military engineers were working
with bulldozers. There was nothing for it but to turn back, a process which
was attempted in reverse, while the rain roared on the roof and blotted out
everything except the deep-throated thunder of the flood water racing down
the gorge.
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Hotel Schweizerhof,
Davos
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The
squirrels in the woods near Davos were a great attraction
Water was now swirling on the road from the side of the gorge
and was rapidly rising up to the rear axle of the vehicle. Before the turn
could be completed, the front part of the bus had to be edged right over a
perilous drop, a manoeuvre which had been even more difficult for the
larger vehicle. The move was successfully accomplished and it was later
that we learned that at the most critical moment the people in the larger
bus had been led by Mr. J. F. Carter in the singing of the 23rd Psalm,
surely never sung in more appropriate circumstances. Then the following night the rain turned
to snow—deep and crisp and even, and the bus party returning over the
pass from Lucerne sang “Jingle Bells”, “I'm dreaming of a white Christmas”,
and “Good King Wenceslas”, instead of the more orthodox tunes for summer
holidaymakers. We woke on Thursday
morning in a Christmas Card world, a sparkling fairyland of snow and
brilliant sunshine, fleecy clouds and blue skies, the air like wine and the
light so bright that it hurt the eyes.
St Moritz
On other days fleecy clouds tempered the heat of the sun and
reminded us that the season in the high places was
far advanced. The trips and expeditions undertaken
by the members of the party, individually and collectively, were many and
varied. The heated open-air bathing pool at Klosters was a great attraction
for the children and its idyllic setting against the snowclad Alps proved
an irresistible attraction to some of the grown-ups who went to watch them.
The ascent of the Schwarzhorn, dominating the Fliiela Pass, by
Frank and Marie Parker, was an achievement at the other end of the scale,
and in between there were the visits to Lucerne, to Cadenabbia on Lake
Como, where the Bank party stayed in 1951; to Vaduz, capital of the
Principality of Liechtenstein, where those who seek some relief from the
burden of Swiss taxation find it profitable to dwell and travel in each
day; to Lindau, on the shores of Lake Constance, in Germany; and to
Feldkirch, capital of the Vorarlberg province of Austria.
Davos
Another happy memory is of the afternoon on the Flüela Pass,
with its two still lakes, one on each side of the road over the pass. One
lake drains into the Rhine and ultimately into the North Sea, the other via
the Inn into the Danube and eventually into the Black Sea. The children spent the time playing in
the snow, paddling in the icy water and scrambling up the foothills. The small and very select number who made the trip to
the Alp Griim acclaimed it as the best of all the excursions, with
wonderful views of Piz Palu and the glacier and of the other Bernina
giants, St. Moritz and Pontresina being thrown in for extra measure on the
way.
The heated Pool at
Klosters
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So
were the chair lifts (so far as the youngsters were concerned)
Klosters
This was the day which made the holiday for the children and
if winter sport consists of snowballing the grown-ups mercilessly, then
winter sport we had, all included in the price of a summer holiday and no
extras, except for the hire of boots in which to enjoy the underfoot
conditions to the full. Then the
walk in the woods with the rapidly melting snow avalanching off the trees,
and skilfully*placed ambushes rejoicing the hearts of the children all the
way home, while every direct hit was betrayed by a sodden patch on the
clothes of the wearer. When the
snow gave out, as it rapidly did at the lower levels, there came the
delight of feeding the squirrels and birds which were so tame that they
would alight on one's clothing and feed out of the hand. The snow departed and so did the rain. The sun came out
and stayed out for the remaining ten days: some days the skies were
cloudless and from nearby peaks a matchless view was obtained of the
Bernina Range, forty miles away, and of the sugar loaf of the Piz Bernina.
Lake on the Flüela
Pass
In addition, there were expeditions up the various lovely
valleys which debouch into the main valley in which Davos is situated,
trips to spectacular passes such as the Stelvio—the Three Passes tour involving the
negotiation of 134 hairpin bends in one day. It is hard to say which was the most enjoyable, but the
name of Martins Bank was well and truly spread on every chair lift,
funicular and cable car for miles around. One
of the outstanding memories was the quiet and lovely afternoon spent up the
Sertig Valley, with John Howard fishing in the stream, Mrs. Papworth and Peter
boiling water and making picnic tea for us all, after the peaceful stroll
to the head of the valley to see the impressive waterfall.
Crossing the Strela
Pass
Others made St. Moritz their main objective for a day's
outing, and Chur the largest town in that part of Switzerland, proved a great
attraction to those who discovered it. Martins Bank special shopping
excursion to Vaduz and Feldkirch, the latter to obtain the advantage of the
favourable rate of exchange, proved a real winner and stilled the
complaints of some that never enough time was spent anywhere on most of the
excursions. Well, it was on that excursion, and none who took part will
forget the heavenly two hours spent in the Principality and in Austria. In the evening we all came together after dinner and
talked of the experiences of the day or took part in various frolics so
painstakingly and energetically organised by Pat O'Neill, the Poly
representative at the Schweizerhof. One night each week there was a beetle
drive, one night a dance at the Post, another a dance at the Schweizerhof.
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We had a treasure hunt which finished in a nearby tavern, and
a games night. Those who preferred a quiet evening, an evening stroll or a
visit to some place of entertainment followed their own devices, complete
freedom of choice being axiomatic. And so we came
to the last night when, by common consent, we all gathered at the
Schweizerhof for our fancy dress ball. And then, when all was ready to
begin, came the sad news that Edna and Arthur Smith, who had left us that
morning on the return journey by car to England, had met with an accident
at Glarus, Edna being very gravely injured. We carried on with the dance as
best we could, for we knew that that would have been her wish, but most of
us had lead in our stomachs after hearing the news. We are glad to say that
after several weeks in hospital in Switzerland Edna is now back in England
and is making a good, though slow, recovery. We cannot conclude this account of our holiday without placing on
record the names of those whose efficient service contributed so much to
our happiness. Mr. Vinnicombe, Manager of the Independent Tours Department
of the Polytechnic Touring Association, and his assistant, Mr. Nicholls,
for their patience and courtesy in dealing with the intricate detail work
beforehand; Pat O'Neill and David Hester, the Poly rep. and her assistant
at Davos, whose labours on our behalf none but the writer can possibly
fully appreciate.
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Mr. Kuhn, Manager at the Schweizerhof and probably the most
efficient hotel manager in Switzerland, for his constant attention to our
comfort; and we must not forget Franz, at the Post, who treated us all as
his beloved children, his solicitude for our welfare being beyond praise. And many times during those happy days we thought of
our dear friend, the late Commander R. G. Studd, whose interest in our
holiday ventures was so keen and lively to the day of his death. His
contribution by means of his holiday organisation to the happiness of so many thousands od people is quite
beyond computation, and we have often thought
how satisfying it must be to be able to feel that one has made so large a
contribution to the sum of individual happiness. The tradition is established now —Switzerland, 1949; Italy, 1951; Austria,
1954; Switzerland, 1956. So many friendships made, so many happy memories
of joys shared.
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German,
Swiss (Nini), Austrian and Bavarian
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Where shall we meet next time ? That remains to be decided,
but one thing is certainly clear— there will be a next time.Friendship
must be kept green and far beyond the joy of spending a few days together
in foreign places is that deeper joy in each other, the memory and comfort of which will be with us when skies are grey and the sunshine
seems far away. It is difficult to convey this feeling to someone who has
not shared the experience, someone to whom our holidays seem to be just
conducted tours, for these are things of the spirit. But assuredly we shall
meet again, and talk together and laugh together as we have done in past
years. Thank you all for your friendship, for the happiness you have given
us, and for memories beyond price.
(All photos by the Editor,
except the one of the four girls, which is by Miss E. May Williams)
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