Right off the bat the name often causes confusion:
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The ‘Bernina Railway’ is a train line which connects St Moritz (Switzerland) to Tirano (Italy) via the Bernina Pass. The route is narrow gauge, but all standard “friction” trains (no cogwheels) so it has to gain and lose height slowly - hence all the winding sections and loops which look like a model train enthusiast got carried away. It also has the highest through station in Europe; ‘Ospizio Bernina’ which at 2253m is over a 1000m lower than Jungfraujoch but isn’t a dead end.
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The ‘Bernina Express’ (BE) is a special premium train exclusively aimed at tourists which runs a few times a day from Chur to Tirano (or VV); along the Bernina Railway and also the Albula Railway. It is also marketed as carrying on to Lugano with a special bus running non-stop from Tirano to Lugano, but I am going to mostly ignore that part.
This is a follow up to my expanded Glacier Express post. Whilst is not as famous as the heavily marketed Glacier Express (GE) the BE is getting increasingly better known (thanks in part to the social media friendly scenes). I would say the BE route is much more varied, has more impressive views, and is more consistently interesting (plus it actually has good views of glaciers). The Chur-Samedan section is covered by both trains and is said by many to be the best part of the GE. Basically given the choice of the two I would choose the BE.
The BE takes half the time of the GE clocking in at around 4 hours, but as with the GE I still think that charging through in a single sitting (in as much as that train can charge) misses out on too much or barely gives you a glimpse of some things along the route. For example the stunning view of the Morteratsch glacier and Piz Bernina passes by in only a few seconds. However in comparison with the GE there are less diversions. Partly because it is much shorter, but also the route is through much steeper and emptier landscapes.
Disclaimer: As with the GE I have ridden the whole of the train route (much of it many times over), but have never set foot on the BE train itself so I can’t talk about the quality of the service. Nor have I covered the extra section from Tirano to Lugano by bus.
--- The Bernina Express (BE) ---
- This is what I would call a ‘premium tourist train’; it requires a seat reservation at an additional ch
I don't want to step on anybody's toes here, but the amount of non-dad jokes here in this subreddit really annoys me. First of all, dad jokes CAN be NSFW, it clearly says so in the sub rules. Secondly, it doesn't automatically make it a dad joke if it's from a conversation between you and your child. Most importantly, the jokes that your CHILDREN tell YOU are not dad jokes. The point of a dad joke is that it's so cheesy only a dad who's trying to be funny would make such a joke. That's it. They are stupid plays on words, lame puns and so on. There has to be a clever pun or wordplay for it to be considered a dad joke.
Again, to all the fellow dads, I apologise if I'm sounding too harsh. But I just needed to get it off my chest.
Do your worst!
I'm surprised it hasn't decade.
For context I'm a Refuse Driver (Garbage man) & today I was on food waste. After I'd tipped I was checking the wagon for any defects when I spotted a lone pea balanced on the lifts.
I said "hey look, an escaPEA"
No one near me but it didn't half make me laugh for a good hour or so!
Edit: I can't believe how much this has blown up. Thank you everyone I've had a blast reading through the replies 😂
It really does, I swear!
They’re on standbi
Pilot on me!!
Nothing, he was gladiator.
Dad jokes are supposed to be jokes you can tell a kid and they will understand it and find it funny.
This sub is mostly just NSFW puns now.
If it needs a NSFW tag it's not a dad joke. There should just be a NSFW puns subreddit for that.
Edit* I'm not replying any longer and turning off notifications but to all those that say "no one cares", there sure are a lot of you arguing about it. Maybe I'm wrong but you people don't need to be rude about it. If you really don't care, don't comment.
What did 0 say to 8 ?
" Nice Belt "
So What did 3 say to 8 ?
" Hey, you two stop making out "
I won't be doing that today!
[Removed]
This morning, my 4 year old daughter.
Daughter: I'm hungry
Me: nerves building, smile widening
Me: Hi hungry, I'm dad.
She had no idea what was going on but I finally did it.
Thank you all for listening.
You take away their little brooms
There hasn't been a post all year!
It’s pronounced “Noel.”
After all his first name is No-vac
What, then, is Chinese rap?
Edit:
Notable mentions from the comments:
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Spanish/Swedish/Swiss/Serbian hits
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French/Finnish art
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Country/Canadian rap
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Chinese/Country/Canadian rock
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Turkish/Tunisian/Taiwanese rap
It was about a weak back.
There hasn't been a single post this year!
(Happy 2022 from New Zealand)
Nothing, it just waved
Where ever you left it 🤷♀️🤭
Him: I can explain everything!
(It's his best joke yet I think)
Bob
Due to Covid it seemed easier to stay domestic this year. Not the worst thing as far as I am concerned (though I am hoping to finally get further away again next year).
The plan was to just rent a place, make a list of ideas, and hit them as the weather allowed. I don't think I have spent 2 weeks purely on holiday in a single place since I was a child. It wasn't a problem to fill the time; I still have a list of things to do there that would easily fill another week.
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I have already written up a few of the more interesting days as separate posts, in these cases I have provided a link for them.
Rankings:
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Best place: Alp Suvretta. A little Alp farmhouse way up the Val Bever selling a few basic bits of food and drink. It is barely even marked on the maps as a building, there are only a few handwritten signs to invite you to pop in for refreshments (and zero internet presence that I can find). A wonderfully relaxed and beautiful spot which felt utterly detached from the world. I spent two 1.5 hr sessions whilst on MTB tours just sitting and slowly eating/drinking. I was invited to keep sitting for longer after finishing and paying, but would have fallen asleep in my deckchair if I stayed any longer (not that it would matter as a few of the other handful of guests were already doing so).
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Most touristy: Val Roseg. There seemed to be a fairly constant stream of people and bikes going to/from the Restaurant Roseg and Pontresina. Given the glacier views at the end it isn’t a surprise, but I had thought this would be quieter given that it is a 7km through the narrow part of the valley to where the view opens up by the restaurant. Bikes, and especially ebikes, make the approach up the (relatively) gentle climb much easier for lots of people, and quite a few people on foot seemed to be doing the full round trip and surprised by the length.
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Best surprise: S-Chanf. A classic Engadin style village which I just went to for the train station but was very impressed with it as I walked through. There is quite a large old village core with hardly any newer buildings around the outside - a rare mix.
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Best view: Munt Pers (via Diavolezza cable car). Unbeatable view of the highest peaks and glaciers of Graubünden, with an extensive view of other peaks and off into Italy too.
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Favourite side valley: Val Bever, especially p
When I got home, they were still there.
Due to Covid it seemed easier to stay domestic this year.
I don't think I have spent 2 weeks purely on holiday in a single place since I was a child. It wasn't a problem to fill the time; I still have a list of things to do there that would easily fill another week.
-
I have already written up a few of the more interesting days as separate posts, in these cases I have provided a link for them.
Rankings:
-
Best place: Alp Suvretta. A little Alp farmhouse selling a few basic bits of food and drink way up the Val Bever. Barely even marked on the maps as a building, there are only a few handwritten signs to invite you to pop in for refreshments. A wonderfully relaxed and beautiful spot which feels utterly detached from the world. I spent two 1.5 hr sessions just sitting there and slowly eating/drinking whilst on MTB rides. I was invited to keep sitting for longer after finishing and paying, but would have fallen asleep in my deckchair if I stayed any longer (not that it would matter as a few of the other handful of guests were already doing so).
-
Most touristy: Val Roseg. There seemed to be a fairly constant stream of people and bikes going to/from the Restaurant Roseg and Pontresina. Given the glacier views at the end it isn’t a surprise, but I had thought this would be quieter given that it is a 7km through the narrow part of the valley to where the view opens up by the restaurant. Bikes, and especially ebikes, make the approach up the (relatively) gentle climb much easier for lots of people, and quite a few people on foot seemed to be doing the full round trip and surprised by the length.
-
Best surprise: S-Chanf. A classic Engadin style village which I just went to for the train station but was very impressed with it as I walked through. There is quite a large old village core with hardly any newer buildings around the outside - a rare mix.
-
Best view: Munt Pers (via Diavolezza cable car). Unbeatable view of the highest peaks and glaciers of Graubünden, with an extensive view of other peaks and off into Italy too.
-
Favourite side valley: Val Bever, especially past Spinas station when it gets much more wild and rugged. However, you generally can’t go wrong with any of them.
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Most “Oh god why am I doing this to myself?”: Climbing up the Scaletta Pass with a bike on MTB Route 90. A steady 14% climb for 600m over loose and rocky ground. I pushed/carried pretty much the who
