Day 9 - St Gallen to Davos

Epic, majestic, jaw dropping are the most used superlatives today and I apologise in advance if there is a repeat because it really was epic, majestic and jaw dropping.

We started the morning late as the Abbey Library only opens at 10am. St.Gallen Abbey Library is one of the oldest, most important libraries in the world. Its valuable collection of books illustrates the development of European culture and chronicles the abbey’s cultural achievements from the 8th century until its dissolution in 1805. Numerous key specimens of European intellectual history are preserved here in outstanding condition. The core of the collection is its corpus of Early Medieval manuscripts dating from the 8th to 11th centuries, most of which were produced on this very site.

In 1983 the Abbey Library, along with the entire abbey complex in St.Gallen, was listed as a World Heritage site by UNESCO.

Only a small room, it is relatively dark, to preserve the manuscripts, and you have to put on these slippers over your shoes. This saves them a lot of polishing expenses and preserves the floor as well. I am not a library person - but this was AMAZING. No cameras so picture stolen below.

Not sure why but there was even a mummy (sarcophagus) - we never found out as we wouldn't fork out the CHF5 for the english audio guide. This is well worth the wait and visit.

Now off through the Alpine Valleys to Davos, via Gais, Appenzell then at Schwagalp we took the Cable Car up to Santis. A peak that you can see 6 countries from. At 2502m and CHF100 later, we climbed the mountain via Cable Car. It was a gorgeous day and a spectacular ride, see for yourself.

We have a lunch date in Lichtenstein, you wouldn't even know that you were in a different country unless the guide book hadn't told us.

Then off to Maienfeld, the original setting of the world-famous Heidi story. The peaceful hamlet is home to the original Heidihaus, the residential building furnished as it was in Heidi's times, Heidi's Alphütte, the replica of Alpöhi's loving home, and the Johanna Spyri's Heidi World exhibition.

And then to Davos, our home for the night. As I write this there is a thunderstorm and it is the first time in 9 days that I have felt cool. We leave you with a short video of some of the scenery we have passed through. I had to cull from 45 mins video that I took - a tough task as everything as epic, majestic and jaw dropping. Night night.