Sargans

This is the hotel we're staying in Sargans, Hotel zum Ritterhof. It's a small hotel near the train station. In fact, the railway tracks are just next to the hotel. Not recommended if you're a light sleeper as we could hear the trains even when the windows were closed and at times, the slight vibrations as the trains pass.

Surprisingly, we were able to sleep quite soundly. Probably because of the tiring day trip or maybe the night trains are less frequent and travel slower?



"Welcome to Ritterhof! I'm Ah Kin, pleased to assist you." ;p

As mentioned, it's a small hotel where the entrance of the hotel is also the entrance of the restaurant. This 'lobby' is on the other side of the restaurant which leads directly to the hotel rooms.

The front office staff happens to be also the waitress serving in the restaurant :)



A cozy cottage feel, without the mini fridge as expected since they didn't state that in their website. We were pleasantly surprised at the cleanliness compared to the previous 2 hotels we've stayed. Located on the top floor, the window design of the room was slightly different due to the roof structure. There's a table fan in the cupboard too. I suppose during summer time would be quite hot and stuffy.


The windows could only be opened vertically. And there it is, the railway tracks.



We like the toilet. Bright, airy and spacious. Too bad the weather was cloudy, we were hoping to see some stars actually via the window. Uncle Tan was worried he'd be seen showering...aiyo, who want to see?

We made our way to see the Schloss Sargans (aka Sargans Castle) after leaving our barang barangs. If you see nice panoramic pictures like the ones below, it means Ah Kin had to climb again :) Not sure if the mountain opposite was Pizol.

Soft green pasture, how can I resist not lying down :)

Up, up we go. Along the way were the houses with well-kept pretty gardens, unlike the ones we saw in Maestre, Venice.

Somehow, I dislike eating out because I'd get very thirsty after that. And I've found out that eating an apple does help to quench the thirst pretty quickly.

Here we at Schloss Sargans, the cultural and artistic monument in Sargans.

The castle is now home to a few museums and a restaurant which also offers the "Sargans Fools" for entertainment (booking required). There are 6 levels in the tower which houses different museums. By the time we reached there, it was already 5.45pm which was near to the closing time of the museums.

Since we were already there, might as well explore the exterior of the castle ruins and enjoy then panoramic views of Sargans.

It was very windy but we were well protected :)

This is the railroad, extensive huh.

I can understand why this place was chosen as the vantage point. The entire Sargans, including Pizol and nearby towns are all within sight. Well...on clear days ;>

Okie, time to head back for dinner as the drizzle has turned to rain.

Lazy to move around, we had dinner at the hotel's restaurant.

We weren't too hungry so thought of ordering something light. I ordered the "fried noodle with vegetables" and it turned out the Swiss style of fried noodles = friend spaghetti with cream sauce. well, it tasted good, just that it can get a little jer lark after a while.

The soup was a slight. When we asked the waitress what kind of soup it was since the menu was in German, she tried to explain with the help of a dictionary that it comes with crepe. Sounds interesting right? So we ordered and only to find those few miserable slices of crepe-like stuff in the soup. Anway, I couldn't finish the 'fried noodles' so Uncle Tan of course do the job of clearing it :)

The daylight is getting shorter as summer comes to an end. By 7ish, it was already quite dark.