The next part of our trip was Mark's original idea for his birthday: the Glacier Express, which passes over 200 bridges and through nearly 100 tunnels on its 8-hour route across Switzerland. The train originates in Zermatt (at the Matterhorn) and continues to St. Moritz, but we boarded the Express in Brig, having to skip Geneva and Montreux for lack of time. Yet, our journey to St. Moritz, and then a short way to Pontresina, took close to 7 hours. What made it so enjoyable was the spectacular scenery, and the sheer idea of crossing the country by rail. In Pontresina, we checked into the Chesa Mulin, a quaint and friendly family-run hotel. Again, the breakfast presented every morning was exceptional: a table covered with eight homemade breads (you filled your little basket with your slices), a counter lined with fresh cheeses (a variety of five to six), meats, homemade yogurt, jams, granola and nuts, oatmeal, and fruits. We always wanted to eat more than we could, with our hiking in mind. The mornings were surprisingly cool, and we had to set off for our hike with jackets. We chose the Panoramic Trail, which we reached by the funicular at Punt Muragl, and hiked to stunning views of St. Moritz Lake at a tiny restaurant with picnic tables at the edge of cliffs. This amazing spot with the red "port-a-potty" marked with the Swiss cross, appeared unreal to us. From that point, we followed a rugged trail where we met an attractive young couple from Zurich, and then a spunky older couple (two women) who amazed us with their fitness. It was a steady climb for much of the way to the station with chair lifts that returned us to the bottom. That evening we had dinner at the Hotel Albris, a pretty hotel owned by a young woman and her brother. We had to compliment them on the service, the finest we had on our trip. (My homemade ravioli was to die for.) It was at their little bakery that I found the delicious sandwiches we packed for our hike early that morning, and again for our train trip after another day of exploring the town. The Bernina Express was our final train journey, and it turned out to be the most spectacular -- through white-capped mountain peaks, green valleys, rocky gorges with rushing rapids (and kayakers) and over one beautiful bridge after another. Now we know we can count on the Swiss to never disappoint.