I don’t break into song, but I’m beginning to feel the energy. Spend three days immersed in the atmosphere of the world’s best-known secret agent, with chauffeur, helicopter, a deluxe suite, and a gourmet dinner. Imposante Bergwelten, gedeckte Farben, legerer Luxus, ein Hauch von Drama und Abenteuer sowie diese geheimnissvolle Prise Sexiness - mit dem «007»-Package im Fünf-Sterne Deluxe Hotel The Chedi Andermatt kommt in jeder Hinsicht Geheimagenten-Feeling auf. “There’s gold in these mountains” Marja whispers and suddenly I’m a lot more interested in the geology around me.As we near the top Marja breaks into song. Dort wurde 1964 eine Szene für den James-Bond-Film «Goldfinger» gedreht. I pull over by the James Bond Strasse signpost (there is even a still of the scene here too for clarification, god bless Swiss efficiency) and like Sean Connery look down at the bend where Goldfinger was standing.A bead of sweat trickles down my back as I swear I feel Tilly’s rifle sights on it.
For a while, I take a step back in time as I pull behind the five horse drawn carriage which still ferries passengers across the mountain every day on the old route.
Hartmann ist nicht sicher, ob der Drehort durch die Tankstelle wiederbelebt wird, hofft aber darauf: «Es ist gut, dass wieder eine Tankstelle entsteht, aber es ist nicht dasselbe. This is world class in the making.It is just a two hour drive to Milan and 90 minutes to Zurich, yet here, I feel I am firmly in God’s country, surrounded by epic mountains zillions of years old. As I catch the train for my journey back to Zurich I can’t help but feel this latest chapter in Andermatt’s long history is the turning point. Bald ist sie wieder offen. “it’s the first bridge over the Rhine, so it’s special” she says.I think it’s pretty special too and she takes a picture of me on it.
Read More As I catch the train for my journey back to Zurich I can’t help but feel this latest chapter in Andermatt’s long history is the turning point.
These days it’s just a half day jaunt with lunch thrown in for anyone who wants to relive the way 65,000 posh people each summer used to get to Andermatt in the 19th century.I drop the Morgan back at The Chedi, relieved there’s not a dent or scratch in sight and head off to two more iconic destinations right on Andermatt’s doorstep; the sources of the Rhine and Rhône rivers. With the St.Gotthard, Furka, Oberalp and Susten passes on its doorstep, it has always been strategically vital to Switzerland, but two world wars and occupation by the Swiss Army for decades put paid to its tourism.The army’s drastic scale back in 1999, was the cue for Egyptian real estate and leisure billionaire Samih Sawiris to reignite Andermatt’s potential and the rest as they say, is history. Admittedly I am driving a classic Morgan, but in my head it is an Aston Martin.
That said, they’ve had to up their game considerably too after all, discerning visitors will expect more than just a plate or two of rosti and raclette.I take the car up through the famous St. Gotthard Pass, just a ten minute drive away, passing by the imposing Schollenen Gorge where the infamous Devil’s Bridge has been a crossing for travellers since 1200.
April 2020 bis zum 17. And a stone’s throw away, where army manoeuvres once took place, a development of luxury apartments and hotels slowly rises, the surrounding peaks offering up a majestic backdrop.But there is more. ANDERMATT, SWITZERLAND: This once sleepy village of about 1300 inhabitants, known for its cheese fondue, rustic wooden buildings, cowbells, and cobble-stoned streets, recently took a bold initiative. Andermatt’s historic centre with her quaint rustically alpine buildings remain, but in the space where the classic Grand Bellevue Palace once welcomed Europe’s elite, The Chedi now stands, a gleaming five star hotel of jaw dropping quality. Even Queen Victoria was a frequent visitor here. Sitting at the water’s edge it’s all too much for Marja who plants both feet in and performs some yoga/tai chi to embrace the energy of the mountain.“They put a rubber duck in up here and traced it all the way to Rotterdam” Marja tells me. The Rhône is a short drive, where for a few francs you can take a stroll inside the ancient blue-hued glacier where the Rhône begins as a tricking stream. I’ll need lots of it for the walk back down.My final visit in Andermatt is to the Sasso San Gottardo, a hugely romantic sounding name, but in reality, a hidden network of (at one time top secret) Swiss army artillery fortifications buried deep inside the Gotthard massif built to defend Switzerland from attack. Nevertheless I am hurtling down the twisty Oberalp Pass towards Andermatt, with the top down enjoying the hot summer sun and feeling distinctly like a secret agent.
Auf der Passstrasse zerstört 007 die Reifen von Tilly Mastersons (Tania Mallet) Wagen und nimmt sie anschliessend bis nach Andermatt mit. Get news about all the latest content by receiving your personal newsletter. We round a particularly tricky rock face and we’re at the lake, a beautiful expanse of pure mountain water embraced on all sides by a cathedral of granite. «Wir fanden es sehr schade, dass die Tankstelle zurückgebaut wurde», sagt Andreas Grebhan von F+R Asset Management. Es hätte gar nicht so weit kommen dürfen.» Voraussichtlich wird die Zapfstelle bis Ende Jahr in Betrieb gesetzt. It involves a hike and naturally that means effort. “it took 31 days.”We walk to where the stream flows out of the lake and someone has planted some rocks to make a bridge.Marja stands on it singing the Sound of Music. Be the first to read about all our new content.Want to know about the latest trip, hotel and restaurant reviews on TripReporter?