After my rant last week about not just going on a ski trip, but actually getting there, you will be happy to know that I not only survived, but that neither the trip or the destination were nearly as bad as I imagined they would be.  Dare I admit that it was enjoyable? Here’s a look at our ski trip via pictures I took and posted using the photo-sharing app, Instagram.
The ICE train – ICE as in InterCity Express, not cold – from Utrecht to Basel, was the second of four trains on our 9 hour journey to Klosters.

Miss P and Miss V are at the train station, ready to roll.

This is us packing light, believe it or not. Actually, we didn’t to do to bad, considering how big and bulky ski gear is. In addition to each of us having a rolling suitcase, the girls each had a backpack, I had my Lo & Sons O.G. bag, and I and the other adults each carried a skating bag which held ski boots and helmets.

Miss P and Miss V traveled like pros.  Well, for the most part. Clearly, they were getting a bit delirious at the end.

Our hotel, Silvretta ParkHotel Klosters, was a sight for sore eyes after the long train ride.

The goody bags courtesy of PT Ski, the company who helped us organize our ski vacation, included stuffed animals, chap stick, hand warmers, chocolate and wine!
Miss V and Miss P on the first day of ski school. Don’t let those sweet smiles and innocent faces fool you…

those chicks were kicking butts and taking names. Miss P came in second and Miss V third in the ski races on the final day.  They like the bling. They get it from their mama.

After a hard day at ski school, the little ladies liked to enjoy a swim in the pool.
You can’t have a ski vacation, especially not one in the Swiss Alps, without fondue!!
Since I don’t ski, I spent my time touring Klosters and the surrounding towns and villages. Having a train station in Klosters made it very easy for me to do that, and I took full advantage, visiting the beautiful Chur, Davos and Landquart, all just a few stops away.

I also took a ride on the Bernina Express, part of the UNESCO World Heritage Rhaetian Railway, which took me from winter in Switzerland to spring in Tirano, Italy, passing stunning landscapes and amazing feats of engineering along the way.

Tirano is a small city just over the Swiss border in northern Italy.  Despite it’s size – it has fewer than 10,000 inhabitants – Tirano was designated a city because of its strategic location and the medieval gates built to protect it.

The Basilica de la Madonna is a major tourist attraction and important for religious pilgrims because it was built where the Virgin Mary appeared to Mario Degli Omodei in 1504.

It wasn’t all holy ground and UNESCO World Heritage sites. I did manage to find some shopping. Not the best outlet I’ve ever been to, but shopping, as with pizza and sex, even at its worst is still pretty good.
Miss P and Miss V who are used to bundling up and skating in indoor ice rinks or on the frozen canals of Holland, found themselves rolling up their sleeves as they took a spin around the outdoor ice rink.

The train ride wasn’t as bad as I expected, however, a short ride to the airport followed by a 2-hour flight on Swiss Air was a “sweet” ending to a week of skiing, swimming and sightseeing.