Magical Matterhorn Birthday Weekend

The Matterhorn (that famous Swiss Peak which graces every Toblerone Bar and Swiss themed piece of memorabilia around) is located in the small town of Zermatt, in the canton of Valais (southern Switzerland).  Despite being very touristy, it was an unforgettable experience and I would highly recommend that visitors to Switzerland make time in their schedule for a visit.

The trip from Zurich to Zermatt took approximately three hours, so we decided to spend an overnight for my birthday weekend.

"You can see Yak"!  (We didn't stay here.)

We stayed here...this was the view from our room.  The Matterhorn greeted us majestically upon arrival.  

The weather at the mountain top changes quickly and radically.  Clear skies can become cloudy in an instant, hiding the glorious view from the valley and at higher elevations.  We were checking the weather frequently the week before our trip and were crossing our fingers for good weather.  

We were fortunate to get discount tickets to Zermatt from Zurich because of a special monthly "RailAway" deal for June (before peak tourist season).  The deal also included a ticket up the series of gondolas to Klein Matterhorn.

The forecast called for just two hours of clear skies, so we decided to risk the ride up.

Furi: The first transfer point.

The green hills below.

The landscape changes drastically higher up.

The Matterhorn looks like a smoking volcano here.

The second transfer point.

Monte Rosa in the distance is actually the highest mountain in Switzerland.  Take that Jungfrau!

At the top.

Our RailAway deal included tickets to the Glacier Paradise, a series of tunnels and rooms carved into the glacial ice filled with glittering ice sculptures, exhibits on climate change and glacial fleas, and an ice chute to slide down. 

Colored lights added some drama. 

Matterhorn Ice Sculpture.

The slide was not very slippery and required quite some scooching to complete (or was simply not intended for adults).

  

The Matterhorn lists the following as an attraction at Klein Matterhorn "Photo subjects: Matterhorn, Breithorn, Weisshorn and other celebrity mountains".  What does it take to be considered a celebrity mountain?  

We felt very fortunate to have clear skies and a wonderful view of the Matterhorn, because just half an hour after our ascent...

Not a thing could be seen.  Celebrity mountains are hiding from our camera.

The Matterhorn is completely hidden.

But just a couple hours later, clear skies again!

Clouds whisking around the peak.

The clouds made the mountain look alive.

The Matterhorn exhales clouds.

It's hard to remember to look around at Zermatt when your eyes are always drawn skyward to the Matterhorn.  However, we took some time to explore the town before dinner.  

Only electric cars are allowed in Zermatt to reduce noise and air pollution.

Like many other parts of Switzerland, lush green pastures are framed by bold mountains.

The region of Valais is well known for Blacknose Sheep.  We had dinner at Schäferstube which featured delicious lamb dishes.

A skewer of lamb and lamb sausage, grilled to perfection.  One of the best dishes I've had in Switzerland.

Lamb ragu with Spätzli (egg noodles) and vegetables.

Beautifully presented ginger ice-cream with fruit.

The next day was completely overcast with occasional rain.  However, that didn't stop us from walking up to Sunnega, one of the many small mountain villages surrounding Zermatt.

View of Zermatt on our way up.

Exploring the "foothills" around Zermatt.

We arrived at the small village of Findeln, where the Swiss Ms found a highly regarded restaurant for lunch, Chez Vrony.  We highly recommend it as well.

Our spectacular lunch view.

A glass of Fendant (Chasselas), regional white wine of Valais.  Dry and fruity.

Valais Rye Bread, a dense rustic sourdough, thinly sliced.

A spicy fish soup.

BURGER.

After lunch, we continued up to Sunnega.  On the way, we thought we heard a bird calling out above.  The sky was empty, so we scanned the meadow.  Something caught our eye in the distance: a marmot on alert!  

We finally reached Sunnega.

At Sunnega, you can take an underground cable car that cuts through the mountain back down to the town of Zermatt.  It's steep.

We had some extra time before we needed to head back to Zurich, so we spent a few hours at the Matterhorn Museum.  It was very interesting to see how Zermatt blossomed into a tourist destination during the "Golden Age of Alpinism" when many Swiss Alps were scaled by visiting mountaineers (many of them Britons).  Today, most of Zermatt's business comes from tourism, and the town (around 6,000 inhabitants) swells in size during peak tourist seasons up to 20,000.

The evolution of hiking boots.

And the evolution of canteens.  There has certainly been a great deal of progress in hiking gear over the past century.

Again, the skies clear as we leave.  Until next time.

Thanks for reading!

-Herr Cervelat

Snowshoeing in Melchsee-Frutt

**Some catch-up posts are in order, dear readers.  We're taking you back to March for this one.**

Switzerland is the land of skiing.  Ritzy ski resorts, perilous slopes, bragging rights, and perhaps a little more time spent on the après than on the piste.  Swiss children learn how to ski soon after they learn to walk.  The Swiss Ms was not so fortunate.  Her first ski adventure took place well after the higher order functions of her brain were able to connect "going fast" to "breaking bones".  Higher order functions can really take the fun out of skiing.

After nearly an entire winter of avoiding the slopes (and exploring Italian cities instead), we bought an SBB RailAway deal for a day of snowshoeing.  

Perhaps more than any other trip, this day exemplified the beauty of Swiss transport.  Each part of our journey connected to the next nearly seamlessly.  

After taking a train to Luzern, we boarded Die Zentralbahn to the heart of Switzerland, Interlaken.  We exited the train at Sarnen and there waiting for the train, were 3 buses anticipating the influx of weekend visitors to the mountains.

Each bus was equipped with a trailer to hold skis, poles, helmets, sleds, etc, thus saving room on the bus itself for passengers.  

The bus delivered us right to the base of the Stockalp where the gondola whisked you into the mountains.

Our RailAway deal included discounted snowshoe rentals available steps away at Stockalp, round trip train fare, and lift tickets.

Armed with a map we set out to explore the snowshoeing trails.

http://www.melchsee-frutt.ch

The pink lines on the map above indicate snowshoeing trails.  We started our hike by heading towards Erzegg.  It was a sizable climb for first-time showshoers like ourselves and the trail was not well broken due to the recent snowfall.  However, we were rewarded with excellent views.   

Unbroken snow = hard to follow trail

Landmarks like these houses and stream were helpful.

At last, we arrived at Erzegg.

Next stop: Tannalp for lunch.

The snow on this trail was deep.  Compare this photo to the picture above where the sign post is far above our heads.  I think its safe to assume that both polls are about the same height.  

The trail to Tannalp was blissfully downhill, albeit very steep in parts.  It was more heavily traveled than the path to Erzegg.

What hits the spot after hours of climbing in the Swiss prealps?

Bratwurst with onion sauce and alplermagronen with fried onions and applesauce.  That bottle of water was 8 CHF.  We drank all of our water en route and there were no water fountains at this little restaurant.  It had to be done.

Irish Coffee for dessert.

Outdoor seating was popular, but the tables were full when we arrived.

The trip back to Melchsee-Frutt took us on a very well-groomed trail.  It would have been possible to complete this leg of the journey without snowshoes.  

Although it's hard to tell from this picture, the snowshoe/ hiking trail paralleled separate groomed trails for classic cross country skiing and skate skiing.  Maybe next time?

We learned a few lessons from our first snowshoeing experience:

1) We overdressed.  Snowshoeing is a workout.  A heavy coat is not necessary.

2) High altitude sun is no joke.  High altitude sun + reflective snow is worse.  Apply sunscreen everywhere and often.  (Reapply after you blow your nose.  Trust me.)

3) Stay on the trail.  With snow this deep, its impossible to know what snow is supported by ground underneath, and what snow isn't.  Watching fellow snowshoers stray from the path made us nervous, especially considering the steep trough between Erzegg and Tannalp.  As a Swiss once told me: "Respect the mountain".

Thanks for reading!

-The Merry Swiss Ms