Click on the hyperlink below for numerous photographs of the Chalet and its environs.
SWITZERLAND is a country of dreams, dreams of snow-capped peaks, country chalets, castle ruins, lush meadows, fast flowing rivers, dark forests, precipitous canyons and gorges. The Swiss are an industrious, freedom-loving people, knowledgeable in vacation rentals and other accommodations, in sports skills, as well as in technological and financial matters. The GRISONS, the largest and wildest of of the Swiss cantons, the best preserved from rampant tourism, is the epitome of all that is truly Swiss, and yet it has been known for decades, even centuries, as a place where people from many countries gather to play and work. Ancient Romans used it as a hub for their salt and marble trade, endowed it with a commercial and juridical center: CHUR, the canton's capital, stands for CURIA, where the Roman "Court" was. Since the beginning of the 19th Century, the Grisons have been the gathering place of sportsmen and diplomats, giving life to places like Davos (the place "behind" the mountains), St. Moritz, Arosa (where the Romans mined "rose"-colored marble), Pontresina, Flims and Laax.
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It abounds in little valleys nestled between rugged Alps, narrow side roads to nowhere but a verdant grass patch where a few cows pasture, a "Bündner" mountain man mows his clover, small villages balance on crags, each with a steeple or two, and chalets pop up in the most scenic spots, festooned with flower boxes and colorful shutters. Eastern Switzerland is, except for the renowned resorts, a place where the hustle and bustle of Gstaad, Interlaken, Villars and Zermatt has not yet internationalized the environment, where prices are still reasonable, and where family names are still meaningful. Various varieties of Romansch, as well as Italian and German, are spoken by these people, but they always seem eager to understand you, even if Urdu is the only language you know. Not having been overwhelmed by tourism, as in Western and South Switzerland, the Grisons are still the least polluted of all the cantons, still a place where smiles are genuine and an extended hand is meant to be shaken, not palmed. No, you won't find many dirndl's and lederhosen, but you can still buy the big cow bells and leather collars. Find the outline of the Grisons (the "Graubünden" - the Grey Leagues) on the map of Switzerland, it looks a little like a Switzerland in miniature. |
MORISSEN, where the Chalet is located, is in the "Surselva" part of the
Grisons, half-way between Chur and the famous Gotthard Pass to the West, clinging to the side of the 3000 meter high Piz
Mundaun. It has a panoramic view of the Val Lumnezia (the "Valley of Light"). Historically a producer of timber and milk products, it is at least 700 years old, having been passed, over the centuries, from Bishopric to Bishopric, from German kings to Burgundy rulers, to serve as a waystation and inn on the way west to the great Alpine passes. Named to honor St. Mauritius, their patron warrior saint, it is now a working village of about 250 inhabitants, and at least as many cows and sheep, producing fodder and milk. It is proud of its wily ancestral women who duped an Austrian army into ignoring the valley, thereby saving their men from carnage, and to whose honor a special monument (the "Women's Gate") has belatedly been built nearby.
Visible 1000 meters down from the Chalet, a second river dale intersects Val Lumnezia, creating vistas of snowy peaks, rushing waters and shimmering grassland. A mountain road connects to Zerfreila, a blue, icy lake on whose shores bikers and hikers congregate and plan their paths to the peaks, while sipping wine or beer at the local café.
| Access from Zurich or Milan is by motorway (75 mi.), a major highway (25 mi.), a paved road (5 mi.), and the last mile, paved but narrow, open all winter. Davos, Arosa, Klosters, Lenzerheide, Tavanasa, Parpan, Andermatt, and St. Moritz are all within easy driving distance or convenient public transportation (train/bus). Laax and Flims are posh, ski, skating and summer resorts 15 mi. out. Ilanz, 6 miles, is a quaint medieval town with 2 shopping malls, antique and other shops, restaurants, garages, etc. A regular stop for the red railway cars of the Glacier-Express to Zermatt and the Bernina National Park, it is also a take-off point for rafting and canoeing on the white-water Upper Rhine. Or drive past Morissen to Vrin, to see the...brr..Chapel of the Skulls. |  |
The Val Lumnezia has its own ski lift, a mile downhill from the Chalet. You can then ski back to the front door for lunch, or transfer over the Mundaun saddle into Obersaxen-Meierdorf, a medium size resort for really serious skiers. In the summer and fall, hang-gliders enliven the skyline and parcours trails to the surrounding peaks are a hiker's and a botanist's delight.
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Elegant corbeling, balconies, a stone roof and extensive use of pinewood give the Chalet its distinctive appeal. Windows are double- and triple-paned, curtained and draped, ensuring cozy warmth in the winter and insulation from the sometimes prickly, unfiltered mountain sun in the high of summer. The large French doors leading to the terrace and to the balconies on each of the villa's levels, and the many other windows let in abundant light from a deep blue, sometimes nearly violet sky. The ever sparkling summits sometimes seem so near that they leave one's vision distracted and one's chest breathless. The nights are always cool and tranquil, with many points of light dotting the two valleys below. |
The total living area is about 210 m2 and includes a large circular conservatory used for dining (seats 8-9), 3 large queen-size bed bedrooms and 1 small but airy bedroom with 2 superposed beds, a large living room with a Norwegian porcelain "Kachelofen", an adjacent wet bar with continuous ice-maker, a handsome book case and stereo center, a "Galleria" serving as office space, 2 fully equipped bathrooms, 2 half-baths, an all-electric kitchen with 3 way oven, separate freezer and refrigerator, waste disposer, grill, dishwasher, exhaust fan and other modern amenities. The laundry room includes a clothes washer and dryer, an ironing table and iron. Terrace furniture is provided. An intercom system between floors, phone and TV connections in every room, a 4-car heated garage, a stocked wine cellar (honor system) and cobbled driveways leave no doubt as to the designer's intent to please the Chalet's residents in all practical as well as aesthetic aspects.
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Last modified: November 27, 2006
