Barns

After rain last night there was again low cloud over the mountains when we woke up. I decided to wait for the cloud to lift before going for a walk with Xena. 

While I was waiting Gavin went into the village to book the PCR travel tests (as is required by the UK for travellers coming in to the UK) at the pharmacy for Inca and Tommy who fly home next Tuesday, and we discovered that they need to have the tests on Saturday after lunch time (to fit in with the the time of their flights on Tuesday to comply with the 3 day before travel requirement). However this would not work for them as the lab collects the tests early on a Saturday morning. This resulted in us considering different options, including driving to Zurich to get tests, or changing their flights, but eventually we found out that the hospital in Davos could do the tests so we managed to book them tests for Saturday afternoon. We booked the tests for the rest of us for later as we only return on the 30th. However, later on we went to the village to get groceries and we bumped into English friends who told us that we did not need PCR tests as the UK accepted lateral flow tests with a stamped certificate. So we went back to the pharmacy and as those results are available in 30 minutes we changed the booking so that Tommy and Inca can have those on Saturday afternoon at the pharmacy instead of driving to the hospital. The lateral flow tests are also much cheaper than the PCR tests. It's all been a bit of a learning curve for us but at least we now know. I am sure that these tests will remain a feature of travel for a few more years to come. Learning to live with Covid means we have to live with precautions like this and I think that is fine. 

By now it was sunny and bright so I went out for a walk with Xena on my own. Gavin had a long work meeting, Tommy was working  and Inca was studying. We had a lovely walk and I passed so many of these old barns on my route that I had to feature some of them today (also in extras)

Tommy is taking the next two days off from his internship work so we have a big day planned for tomorrow. A long cycle up to the base of the mountain, then a hike up to the top, and then a long walk to the glacier. We did this many years ago and it was tough, we were pooped after the uphill cycle and that was before we had even started climbing up the mountain. This year we have e-bikes which will make it so much easier - but I don't think Gavin and I will climb up to the glacier but we will see how we feel when we get there.