Zermatt, Switzerland

A few weeks ago Jenny's brother and his family, along with her Mom all came to visit us from Texas.  Almost immediately after they arrived we all packed into both cars and started venturing around Switzerland.  One area we visited for a few days was Zermatt, Switzerland.  The village of Zermatt is located in the southern portion of the country next to Italy, and it's the home to the world famous "Matterhorn" mountain (the icon of Switzerland.)  We've been meaning to get down to Zermatt ever since we moved to Switzerland, but it hasn't worked out until now.  In the winter Zermatt is a popular skiing destination, but in the summer the area turns into a hiking wonderland.  One other interesting note about Zermatt...there are no cars allowed.  When you go there you have to leave your car in the town of Tasch, and then take a train south into Zermatt.  The result is a quiet, picturesque ski village with lots of character.   We stayed at the "Bellerive Hotel," which was newly renovated and very nice.  We would definitely recommend it.  One other interesting thing we came across in Zermatt was the cemetery. Many of the graves pay homage to those who have tried to climb the Matterhorn and failed.

On our first full day there we all took the cog-rail train up to the "Gornergrat" area, which is an observation area looking out at the Matterhorn.  From here you get panoramic views of the surrounding mountains and glaciers, as well as the famous mountain.  From "Gornergrat" we then hiked down to "Riffelsee" and a beautiful lake.  The lake is a famous "photo spot" for reflections of the Matterhorn in the water.  The kids found a smaller lake nearby and went swimming in the freezing waters.  It was fun watching them splash around in such a remote spot.  Megan also had fun imitating "The Sound of Music" in her "Heidi dress."  Then from "Riffelsee" we continued our hike down to "Riffelberg" where we caught the train for the rest of the way down.  I have to be honest here, the hike we did from "Gornergrat" to "Riffelberg" just might be the prettiest scenery I've seen thus far in Switzerland.  On top of that I'll go ahead and say it might also be one of my favorite hikes ever.  The weather was perfect, the scenery was spectacular, the kids were in great spirits and never complained, and we had full views of the Matterhorn all the way down.  Doesn't get much better than that.  

Then on our second day we took the gondola up to the top of "Glacier Paradise," which is exactly what you think it is - a ski resort on top of a glacier at the top of a mountain.  The area straddles the border with Italy, and the views are amazing.  It's here that you can ski all year long.  The boys from Texas had a great time playing around in the snow...something they don't normally get to see.  Then later on we took a hike down from the "Schwarzsee" area to "Furi."  Right before we arrived at "Furi" we came upon a small restaurant on a slope in the middle of the woods .  It was owned by a older couple, and it was a great spot for a cold drink.  It's very typical in Switzerland to all of the sudden stumble upon a pub, hostel, or restaurant in the middle of nowhere while hiking.

Anyway, overall we loved Zermatt.  Ever since we first told Ben we were moving to Switzerland the first thing he wanted to do was to see the Matterhorn.  Now we can cross that off our list.  Zermatt is truly one of the most beautiful areas of Switzerland I have seen so far.  We will definitely try to go back before we leave.