Stephanie, Jeff, my dad, and I made a day-trip into Zermatt. My motivation was simple: to see the famous Matterhorn. After this two-week Switzerland tour was to complete, Michael and I still planned on a major climb or two and the Matterhorn was one of the options. In case that option fell through, I at least wanted to gaze at the history-laden rock and ice tower. It was a good day to make the trip: crystal clear skies. I also learned that the guides were avoiding climbing the mountain, a great barometer as to the general climbing conditions of the mountain. It did have a lot of snow on it still. This sign did not portend well.

Even though Zermatt is just one valley over and very close, as the crow flies, to Saas-Fee, it takes at least two hours to make the journey on train. Zermatt is a very touristy town, and as a result, I didn’t care for it so much. The views were great though. It’s hard to imagine how this town could ever not be famous with such a striking landmark towering right above it. Actually, one of the neat things to do in the town is to visit the Matterhorn Museum. It’s easy to find…just get off the train and hit the main road leading through the town until you come to the square with the church. It’s right in the middle of the square. And, it’s free if you have a Swiss Rail Pass (the rail pass is valuable – mainly for preventing heart attacks when you see the price of rail rides, well everything for that matter, in Switzerland).

After the museum, we took a train up to Sunnegga, a point in the major valley on the east side of Zermatt. From here, we walked down a bit to a restaurant high on the slopes with in-your-face views of the Matterhorn. My dad and I shared a stupidly-priced rosti with a bratwurst (quite tasty). Around this point I realized that I was dreadfully allergic to some kind of flower that inhabits Zermatt. At one point, I must have sneezed twenty times in a row. And I was constantly blowing my nose. Actually, most of my time in Europe featured me sneezing, but it was pronounced in Zermatt.

(above) Catching the train in Stalden, View from our eatery

We later dropped back down into Zermatt following a popular trail alongside the river. There’s a great waterfall to see along the train tracks as you approach the town. By this time, it was the middle of the afternoon and there was not much else to do but to take a hot train back to Stalden where we caught the bus back to Saas-Fee just in time for our usual very tasty and filling dinner.

(above) Hiking down to Zermatt, Some cool mountain in the vicinity