Taminaschlucht: Get out despite the rainy weather

I can’t complain about bad weather at the moment. We consider ourselves very lucky to be out and about in Switzerland in the most beautiful weather. But Peter has it thick as a fist behind his ears. After all, from Monday to Friday, he fiddles around with the sun outside our office windows, in order to stir up the weekend with heavy rain clouds just in time for the weekend. Well. What then?

That’s what we asked ourselves on a recent Sunday and found a pragmatic solution. We go somewhere where it’s already wet and damp. The Tamina Gorge near Bad Ragaz is well suited. A bad weather poker game for all those who move out into the fresh air despite dark rain clouds.

Get out into the fresh air

Luckily. So, equipped with a rain jacket and good shoes, we made our way to Bad Ragaz. From the train station, a hiking trail with about an hour’s hiking time leads along a narrow road directly to the Old Bad Pfäfers, where the entrance to the Tamina Gorge is located. Alternatively, the Postbus runs the same route. Half-Fare travelcard and/or GA travelcard are not accepted for this route (one-way adult 6 CHF / round trip 11 CHF). Out of convenience, we opt for the Postbus variant. So we come dry to the starting point for the Schluchtenweg, where 5 CHF toll is charged by means of a turnstile. On the other hand, the mystical gorge with its high rock walls can be easily walked through today. In the 16th century, when Paracelsus was a spa doctor here and wrote about the impressive effect of the 36.5° warm thermal water, the way to the spring water grotto was far more arduous and dangerous. On the other hand, people stayed in the water for several days – once they made it to the back.

The path along the wild, gurgling Tamina, wedged between steep rock flanks, is an experience. The trail leads about 700 m into the depths of the Tamina Gorge. On the last few meters, a tunnel leads to the spring water fountain, where the hot water springs. On the way back, we take a look at the baroque baths of the Old Bad Pfäfer. In various rooms, information about the history of the thermal spa town of Bad Ragaz and the Tamina Gorge is explained in an entertaining way. To warm up, we jump into the healthy water in the Tamina Therme, which is well filled on this Sunday afternoon.

Fine dining in Bad Ragaz

After the fresh air and exercise in the gorge and warming up in the warm thermal water, we treat ourselves to a special dinner. I followed the opening of the new restaurant in the Grand Resort Bad Ragaz “Igniv by Andreas Caminada” with interest. This excursion offered the opportunity to combine the Gorge Trail and top gastronomy. The restaurant concept was developed by Andreas Caminada and is managed on site by a young team led by chef Silvio Germann. I think the room layout and the ambience are successful. True to its name (“nest”), the Igniv is divided into different niches and the seating is relaxed and casual.

The concept is based on a “sharing experience”. Each aisle consists of different sub-components that are placed in the middle of the table for sharing. Something different, which at the same time underlines the casual attitude of the restaurant. You can choose from a 3- or 4-course menu with the option of ordering the Ingiv Surprise components. We choose 3-speed plus Surprise components. In hindsight, three gears would have been enough – but of course we wanted to know how the Surprise components came along. The start was resinous. For me, the first course, consisting of many small plates from foie gras to sashimi, was too “complex” in terms of taste. The tomato salad with five different ProSpecieRara varieties would have been enough for me. It tasted great. The following surprise components were fish-heavy. My highlight of the dinner was the main course consisting of a trio of venison. Great!

The dessert with my favorite, the sour cream ice cream and other delicacies could not top the main course. All in all, a nice evening, even if it doesn’t need foie gras for me and we would choose the simple 3-course variant next time. It will be exciting to see how Gault Millau and Michelin will assess the restaurant in the near future. In addition, a second Igniv will open at Badrutt’s Palace in St. Moritz for the winter season.