On to Zermatt and the Matterhorn

Switzerland is full of highlights. Lets begin in Chur where we spent the night after leaving Austria. The Glacier Express originates in St. Moritz, heads north to Chur and then southwest toward Zermatt, with many wonderful places in between. We boarded the train in the morning and chugged along for over five hours stopping in many fabled places. In the afternoon we arrived in Zermatt, rather the worse for wear but in good spirits. The food on the train was very good, if slightly expensive. This train is pulled by a combination of regular electric angine and cog rail engine. Whenever the grade gets too steep, the center has a cog rail laid between the rails and the engineer can let the cog gear drop at the right moment and the train proceeds still giving a rather smooth ride.

Quick Tips:

The best way to get to Zermatt is of course by rail. There are no cars allowed in Zermatt. Cars must be left in the town before, in the public garage, and then you must take the train to get to the Matterhorn.

Best Way To Get Around:

The only way to get around is to walk,it;s a small town, or use the horse drawn carriage or if your hotel has one, use an electric golf cart. That is how they bring the luggage from the train station.

This was a rather small hotel and at first they wouldn't offer a room, because the only one they had was one flight above the floor the elevator stopped and they felt Americans wouldn't want that. It was, however, a wonderful room on the fourth floor. In the morning we would get up, sit on the balcony, sip hot chocolate and gaze at the Matterhorn which couldnt have been more that a 1/2 mile away. Zermatt is over 5000 foot high and if you have trouble with thinner air, don't exhaust yourself.

There was nothing unusual about this place but the food was reasonable and very good. Lots of people wander in and out and the selection on the menu is sufficiently varied to please most diners.

This is an easy place to walk along and sightsee. Of course Zermatt is a typical tourist town now and there are many store anxious to cater to the varied spectators. Outside of town things are calm and beautiful and the delightful odor of cow dung has to be appreciated.

This is an incredibe looking mountain. It has a jagged peak with snow on it year-round. Zermatt lies near the Italian border and the mountain extends well into Italy. Here it is called Monte Cervino and the ascent from Italy is more difficult, I am told. It is the kind of view one can drink in all day and watch the clouds drift by and stick to the top of the mountain. Bring binoculars.