8th of July Hotel Rätia – that name already showed that we were in a different language region. The Swiss Alps preserved in their valleys and villages many different dialects but also even old individual languages like the “Ladinsch” and “Romansch”. Old Latin based languages, which are still in use nowadays.
Rita Holderegger president of the Rotary Club Flims-Laax can switch from Swiss German to Romansch within one sentence to the next. She gave me the translation of the “Less-is-more-tour” in Romansch, which is: „pli pauc-ei-dapli-tura“
She also tried to organize us a meeting with the architect Ramun Fidel Capaul as she has her office just windows to windows with his architecture firm Capaul & Blumenthal. Yesterday he would have had time at 5:00 pm, but we were still on our bikes trying to catch the train.
So unfortunately we missed to see him, but one of his employees was so nice to show us around his wonderful project of a cinema.
The cinema “Sil Plaz” combines the most sustainable intentions of preserving an existing building which saves a lot of grey energy and add a sustainable material to it: clay!
Clay doesn’t need the energy to be burned like brick and has wonderful qualities as it is able to absorb humidity without allowing mould to grow on it and regulate air moisture. The building was a former blacksmith’s shop now used as bar – jazz club or other multipurpose events with a cinema integrated build with clay walls and goat leather seats.
When we held our lecture at the Laaxerhof for the Rotary Club Flims-Laax, I was able to already integrate the photo taken at Sil Plaz. The common ritual of exchanging the wimples took place and a delicious lunch spoiled us with three courses. Our Rotarian friend Daniel was so nice to give me even a chance for photo stops. He recommended us to not to trust the weather app and believe his local experience and start soon with the continuation of our bike tour as the sun just came out.
We had a beautiful trail through forests along wild river beds cut into steep rock walls and waterfalls. Nature at its best. I even woke up a Chamois fawn sleeping beside the trail. Everything was lush and in blossom. At Trun we were discovering a great art peace called OGNA of Mathias Speschia, which used the landscape as part of the art.
Unfortunately, just at the last village before our destination Disentis it started to rain heavily and the bike trail was closed due to mud slides. We had to climb very steep to get up to the Cantonal road for the continuation, but were rewarded with the discovery of an impressive wood bridge built in 1857 and the view of a spectacular rainbow over the valley.
Our arrival at the monastery of Disentis was around 6:30 pm an hour after their closing time, but they had left an envelope with our name on and the key for the room, which was beautifully renovated and very spacious filled with the smell of wooden furniture. We meet a teacher at the front door, who we got to know during our last visit in March, when the architect Gian Caminada gave us a tour. She recommended us the Hotel Oberalp for dinner, but the name had changed into the Romansch translation “Hotel Alpsu”, where we had the best Capuns ever.
