From Mountains to Mountains

We had a fantastic finish to our 2 month adventure. Our Swiss daughter and partner planned a week-end trip to the mountain village of Zermatt in the southern part of the country, close to the Italian border. The 2 bedroom apartment they booked had a direct view, from our spacious living room, to the pointed peak of the Matterhorn (4478 Metres). On Saturday morning we departed early to catch the cog wheel train, used for steep gradients, from Zermatt to Gornergrat (3135 metre peak). With the weather forecast calling for a cloudy afternoon, we got off the train at the Rotenboden station (2815 metres) one stop before the top. The blue sky allowed for some great views of the Matterhorn and many of the other 28 Swiss Alps peaks that were within sight and over 4,000 metres in height. We walked down to a small valley and frozen lake that offered mirror views of the Matterhorn during the summer. After returning to the station, Pocahontas opted for the next train to the top, while the rest of us hiked our way up along a steep, snow path. The views at the top offered a full 360 degree view that was impressive but the clouds were starting to roll in and the Matterhorn peak was slowly disappearing, to the chagrin of other travellers who opted to sleep in that day. While waiting for the next train down the mountain, we visited a small museum that offered a 3D, virtual paragliding flight to the Matterhorn and back, while sitting in a swinging chair off the ground. It was a fun experience and the new attraction was being offered for free till the end of the year, so our timing was fortunate.

Once we were back in Zermatt, we wandered around the town that had many similarities to Whistler with it's pedestrian-friendly streets. Shops and restaurants were at street level and rooms for accommodation above, not to mention the early-season skiers walking to or from the lifts with their gear. We found a nice spot for lunch and then walked uphill to our apartment, where we enjoyed 30 minutes in a sauna and then relaxed for the rest of the afternoon. Another evening surprise awaited. A dinner reservation had been made prior to our w/e trip at one of the nicest restaurants in Zermatt, Brassiere Uno. Once there we were treated to a 7 course meal with wine pairings. The food was excellent, with artistic presentation, and appropriate sizing so that every course could be enjoyed. It was a glorious finish to an outstanding day, and to our time overseas.

We are now safely back in Canada, but it didn't come without some apprehension. Our pre-flight Covid tests both came back negative late on Sunday night, but my bride's confirmation was provided using her maiden name which obviously did not match her passport name. Our hugs were exchanged Monday morning and we headed to the airport early not knowing if we were going to be allowed to board our flights. Fortunately, the Covid test lab at the airport was open and they re-issued the correct document and we were on our way. We had also decided to purchase a Covid home-testing kit to bring back with us so that post-flights we could ensure we were still healthy in between visits with family and friends.

Hopefully, we won't have to deal with all the Covid-induced travel requirements next time around but if we do we will certainly be experienced with the routine! 

After arriving in Zermatt at night, the next morning we woke up to a beautiful view of the Matterhorn from our apartment window. It doesn't look like an easy climb but 3,000 fit trekkers do the technically challenging climb annually. Unfortunately, over 500 others have perished along the way.

Our pack leader checking out the surrounding views on our way up to the Gornergrat peak. There were a few spots like this with rock showing which was easier to navigate than the snow covered uphill path.

The view down to the Gornergrat hotel from the peak, with the cog wheel train stop further below. The impressive Matterhorn peak was no longer visible for the rest of the day, so our early start paid dividends.

Our daughter taking her turn enjoying the 3D virtual reality paragliding experience around the Matterhorn and back, on one of the 3 suspended chairs available. It was a unique activity for us, and a safer option! With limited crowds earlier in the day we were able to try the second option which was a 3D panoramic paraglide trip.

Walking along the pedestrian-friendly streets in Zermatt. It reminded us of Whistler Village which copied the successful street plans from the Swiss Alps towns and villages.

While wandering around Zermatt we came across this interesting tree art. Look carefully at the design, would you drink from this water source?

The view of the Zermatt village while walking back to our apartment. Notice the green taxi vehicle coming up behind us. Zermatt is a car-free town and the only vehicles allowed are electric taxi's and a few battery driven buses, making it a quiet and clean place to be. The taxis are larger than normal to accommodate ski equipment and up to six people squeezed in to the two bench seats facing each other. Anyone visiting Zermatt with a car, needs to park in a village 5 km's away and then take a train, taxi or shuttle bus to Zermatt.

This was how our dinner at Brassiere Uno started out, and this was only one of the two first course sharing platters delivered to our table. With two more servings on the second platter, one might have thought our advertised 5 course meal was sitting in front of us.....but 6 more courses followed in order.
This particular platter featured a stuffed mushroom, corn salad and baba ghanoush filled pastry.