The trip was booked August, 2001 for January, 2002. Then September 11th made all travel look fearful and improbable. But my buddy Ron was determined to celebrate a milestone birthday skiing in Switzerland with a posse of wine-loving ski friends. Planning continued. Trains were booked, restaurants notified, skis were waxed.
In December, SwissAir declared bankruptcy. A trip that starts with two strikes is, in my superstitious book, going to end in doom. Mr. Etherknitter almost had to push me onto the plane.
You know those movies where a terrified passenger on the plane is screaming, "We're all going to die!! The plane is going down! We're DOOMED! We're going to DIE!" You could probably read that from my face, in spite of my silence. 
What DID happen was that we had the time of our skiing lives. Ron had set up a fabulous itinerary - several days in St. Moritz, followed by three days in Davos, Switzerland.
The second evening in St. Moritz, he took us on a funicular ride to the top of a mountain. As the funicular pulled us up the mountain, cables and inner workings clearly visible, one had the feeling of riding a giant TinkerToy track. I calculated the acceleration of gravity under freefall conditions down the mile and a half track, and then decided I really needed to stop thinking things like that. So I did.
The restaurant was excellent. The views were stunning. As the sun set, I ran out with my dinky Polaroid first generation digital camera. This shot is the result.
It took two days for my fingers to thaw from the windchill up on Muottas Muralg. It was so worth it.
AWESOME!
Posted by: Cara | Saturday, January 19, 2008 at 05:14 PM
Wow! Just. Wow!
Posted by: Chris | Saturday, January 19, 2008 at 05:34 PM
Often the worst fears never materialize. What a wonderful trip, with memories to last a life time, it must have been!
Posted by: margene | Saturday, January 19, 2008 at 05:47 PM
Wow. I'm speechless.
Posted by: Kat | Saturday, January 19, 2008 at 06:04 PM
Ha! You worry about the same stuff as I do! Especially when it involves heights! Great view.
Posted by: Manise | Saturday, January 19, 2008 at 07:11 PM
Switzerland is by far the most beautiful place in the world that I've seen...to date.
Posted by: claudia | Saturday, January 19, 2008 at 08:45 PM
You get an A for A! Awe inspiring :)
Posted by: Diane | Saturday, January 19, 2008 at 09:02 PM
Once upon a time when cameras had film we had a wonderful week skiing in Cervinia. The sunsets were fantastic, most of the film was of sunsets. On the last day we found that one of us (not me) had not wound the film on correctly and all the sunsets we had were in our memory and not on the film.
I have roving in those colours, maybe without the mountainside and the teeny bit of orange there at the back.
Posted by: Caroline M | Sunday, January 20, 2008 at 06:39 AM
What a view!
Posted by: jillian | Sunday, January 20, 2008 at 06:43 AM
Wow, that sounds like an incredible trip. Except for the part about the cold :)
Posted by: Danielle | Sunday, January 20, 2008 at 10:00 AM
Woh. Woh.
Posted by: Marcy | Sunday, January 20, 2008 at 10:02 AM
Stunning.
Posted by: DebbieB | Sunday, January 20, 2008 at 01:23 PM
Wow, that Polaroid pipsqueak did okay!! Wonderful post, Laurie.
Posted by: Vicki | Sunday, January 20, 2008 at 03:16 PM
What a great photo!
Posted by: colleen | Sunday, January 20, 2008 at 08:26 PM
*gasp*
Posted by: Ruth | Sunday, January 20, 2008 at 10:18 PM
what a trip.
It is good to create such amazing memories with friends.
and what a fabulous photo.
wish I was there.
Posted by: Teyani | Sunday, January 20, 2008 at 11:10 PM
Oh my!!! What beauty in those mountains! I am so glad you were able to escape to such a beautiful place!
Posted by: Kim | Monday, January 21, 2008 at 09:27 AM
Fantastic! Good for you to go, despite your trepidation.
Posted by: Kathy | Monday, January 21, 2008 at 02:56 PM
You're right, much as I hate to admit it: there is something to be said for winter.
Amazing pic. Margene, look to your laurels.
Posted by: Lucia | Monday, January 21, 2008 at 02:59 PM
I've been on that funicular. Thank you so much for posting the lovely picture. Is the very large old building halfway up the mountain still there? Are they doing anything with it? Do you know what it was?
Anyways, enough with the curiousity based questions from a trip that I took over a decade ago. Thanks for the memories.
Posted by: Bethieee | Monday, January 21, 2008 at 04:01 PM
gorgeous shot of the mountains and sunset. and, as far as planes and flying go, I am with you on the inner conversation! LOL Glad you had a great time and really glad you had a save flight.
Posted by: Bev | Tuesday, January 22, 2008 at 12:46 PM
gorgeous shot of the mountains and sunset. and, as far as planes and flying go, I am with you on the inner conversation! LOL Glad you had a great time and really glad you had a safe flight.
Posted by: Bev | Tuesday, January 22, 2008 at 12:47 PM
gorgeous shot of the mountains and sunset. and, as far as planes and flying go, I am with you on the inner conversation! LOL Glad you had a great time and really glad you had a safe flight.
Posted by: Bev | Tuesday, January 22, 2008 at 12:47 PM
I don't even ski, and I am dying to go there. :-)
Beautiful shot! It's like a B&W photo except for that one lovely colorful bit.
Posted by: Beth S. | Tuesday, January 22, 2008 at 04:40 PM