Tag Archives: Matterhorn

SWITZERLAND & NORTHERN ITALY #7: ZERMATT & THE MAGNIFICENT MATTERHORN (Part 2)

Posted on by
Reply

Breathtaking.  Absolutely breathtaking!  As I took in the view, I remembered back to when I was a small child growing up in Lakewood, California, eighteen miles from Disneyland.  Back then, Disneyland issued ticket books, and the rides were categorized by ticket letters.  An “A” ticket ride was a yawner, but an “E” ticket was the most coveted— your ticket to the best rides (with the longest lines).  My brother and I always made a beeline for the “Matterhorn,” a roller coaster ride that took you by bobsled in and around the mountain.  At the time, I didn’t know there was a real Matterhorn in Switzerland; I just thought it was a thrilling Disneyland ride!

Here we were seeing the real thing, as close as we could get without getting in the snow and hiking to it.  What a sight to behold!  The highest point is at an elevation of 14,691 feet and we were viewing it from Trockener Steg at 9,642 ft.  And, we had the entire viewing deck to ourselves for a while.  Where was everybody?

Our tour leader, Susy, sharing information about the Matterhorn to our group of nine travelers.
Not your typical souvenir! The Matterhorn was inside this bar glass.
Taking in the views from the gondola on our way back down.

On the way back down, we all got off at the Furi gondola station.  The group decided to stop at the restaurant for a snack before deciding whether to ride the gondola back down to Zermatt or hike the remainder of the way.  As we settled in, I gazed out the window and saw nothing but clouds.  The beautiful blue sky was shrouded by those clouds I had seen roll in earlier that morning, which meant the Matterhorn was now white on white—that is, if you could see it at all.  We celebrated our good fortune of having seen it during the morning before the clouds rolled in!

To save his aching knee (most likely, another meniscus tear acquired during our Patagonia trip), Bruce opted to ride the gondola back to town.  I hiked the three miles back—or at least I had hoped to “hike,” but I ended up on a paved road the entire way.  Still, it was a beautiful walk, and I was able to find some interesting subjects to photograph:

Susy said to follow the Zermatt signs back down to town, but there were three different paths. Which one would lead to where I would be meeting Bruce? It was an adventure, but I managed to get there!

Scenes along the 3-mile hike back down to Zermatt:

Those clouds I mentioned earlier? There they are! This is that white-on-white I was talking about; snow against a mucky sky. Zermatt is in the valley off in the distance, and where I was headed during my solo hike.

After meeting back up in town, Bruce and I visited the small historic quarter on Hinterdorfstasse.  The 17th century wooden homes, barns and sheds were so interesting.  Some had been renovated, others left as is.

It had been such a magical day!  We were so grateful to have experienced such a wonderful week in Switzerland, especially this day.

Next up:  SWITZERLAND & NORTHERN ITALY #8: ONWARD HO TO ITALY WE GO!

SWITZERLAND & NORTHERN ITALY #6: ZERMATT & THE MAGNIFICENT MATTERHORN

Posted on by
Reply

When we went to bed the previous night, we had hoped to wake up to a sunny day and blue sky.  Snow-capped mountains look so flat against a mucky background, and we were hoping to see and photograph the Matterhorn at its best.  Bruce and I were not disappointed.  Just look at the view out our window!

(For all photos, click on the image for a full screen view.)

I could hear cowbells off to the right. I was quite surprised to find this kilt-clad shepperd checking out his cell phone.

Before heading to the Matterhorn, however, Susy led us on a walking tour of the town.  As more clouds gathered in the distance, all we could think of (and mutter to each other) was, “Let’s get on with this tour and get up to the Matterhorn before we lose our awesome weather and views!”  Zermatt could wait until after the Matterhorn! No disrespect to the town, though.

Zermatt, in one word, is AWESOME!  Sure, it’s a tourist town, but for good reason.  In the winter, it’s a premier ski and winter sport resort, and the rest of the year, Zermatt is great for hiking and so much more, including skiing!  The area is Europe’s largest and highest lying summer skiing region, and the training site for numerous national ski teams. 

Full of Swiss charm, Zermatt is very photogenic.  I can remember admiring Zermatt and the Matterhorn in picture calendars my dad used to bring home from his medical office.  Pharmaceutical reps gave them out at the end of the year, so they could remind doctors of their drugs they “should” prescribe to their patients throughout the following year.  But how many calendars does one medical office need?  Lucky for me, Dad kept the notepads and pens at the office and brought home the calendars for us kids to enjoy.  I blame those calendars, in part, for inspiring my insatiable desire to travel.  I blame my dad’s slide show screenings following his international adventures with my mom, too.  And, I “blame” with total gratitude…

An interesting feature of Zermatt is that gas and diesel vehicles are prohibited, which is great for the environment.  The only vehicles allowed in Zermatt are electric— music to my ears!  (We realized just how much we had appreciated the quiet once we arrived in Italy and were surrounded by loud motorcycles!)

During our walking tour, we saw a few locals walking their dogs, and we also saw a guy walking his bull.  BULL???  After doing a double-take and catching this shot after he passed, I had to wonder what would have happened if his bull got angry.  I didn’t want to stick around to find out.

As the path through town gradually ascended, our anticipation of seeing more of the Matterhorn grew.  This was our first unobstructed view:

Our walking tour ended where the magic was about to begin—at the station where we would board a gondola to the Matterhorn viewing platform.  Surprisingly, we had beaten the crowds and had no problem getting on the next gondola.  When we arrived at the top, there were times we had the entire viewing area of the upper deck all to ourselves!

Free Kleenex was offered before boarding the gondola. That’s a first!
We were headed up the line on the left with the first stop at Sunnegga, followed by another ride up to Blauherd.

Coming up next:  SWITZERLAND & ITALY #7:  ZERMATT & THE MAGINFICENT MATTERHORN (Part 2)