Have you ever read “The Magic Mountain” by Thomas Mann? Everyone is dying of consumption up in the Alps, taking the “cure.” They are all a little too interested in the food because they have nothing else to do besides falling in love with other rapidly failing mortals. I went to Vals Therme, which is a kind of spa-hotel, in the far eastern part of Switzerland. It was awesome and I felt totally like a WWI-era convalescent!

It was the best thing ever but strange because it was kind of a everything included community; there was no reason to leave, ever. Sanatorium.

From my room.

They made these really alcoholic chocolates in house and it was awful, I was lounging around staring at the mountains in a robe and ate around 20 in total. The bottling factory of Valser water was just down the mountain…

I only have pictures of two meals because I went by myself and I felt really conspicuous reading trashy books and taking pictures while everyone else was like drinking cocktails and listening to the jazz band.

My defense is that some sorry Italian tourist left these at the reception desk. But I guess since I read them I don’t really have an excuse.

I always forget not to eat fish in Switzerland. Salmon mousse and some kind of awful other thing that was supposed to be some kind of bastardized sushi but was helpfully masked with a strong mustard sauce.

The English menu was rather funny and sounded sort of engrish. Like essence of meat stick, fried. Anyways this just turned out to be a consommé with barley which was rather a nice version.

Huge delicious salad! Beets, sauerkraut, curry rice etc.

Fresh raviolis with spinach, hazelnuts, browned butter and ricotta. Their pastas were so good here they also had a totally sick mushroom “dumpling” that was so unhealthy, then covered with butter.

Main was normal duck with gnocchis parisiennes which is the kind with no potatoes, in this case no taste.

The best part of all the meals! The local and imported cheeses. Omg. It was ridiculous there were so many stanky delicious varieties that were from the alps. The round tube is a Swiss goats cheese that was so unexpectedly pungent. Bottom right is truffle Brie and at the top, the brown coated Camembert was Calvados flavored. The beer and nut breads were also delicious.

I knew sour cream ice cream would be delicious! Funnily enough, the German word for it is “eis” pronounced “ice.”

Breakfast was buffet style with more cheese again and brown, nutty breads and the ubiquitous and delicious birchermüesli! I love Switzerland.

Therme Vals
7132 Vals/GR
T: +41 (0)81.926.8080