July 22 ~ Zermatt, Switzerland
On our way up to Gornergrat, above Zermatt
Today we explored the quaint haunt of the rich and famous – Zermatt! Primarily known as a ski resort and mountaineering base for those wanting to challenge the infamous Matterhorn.
“The Matterhorn was one of the last alpine mountains to be conquered (in 1865),and the first expedition that reached the top ended dramatically with only 3 of the 7 climbers surviving the descent. The story is related in the Matterhorn Museum.” ~ Wikipedia
Matterhorn Museum with the blue roof
The Matterhorn Museum was right around the corner from our hotel, but sadly we ran out of time and did not get to visit it.
The town itself is quite manageable on foot with the only motorized vehicles allowed on the roads being the small hotel shuttle vans. We saw numerous backpackers with their walking sticks and a few on bicycles.
The main street through Zermatt that leads to the train station
Most of the windows are adorned with flower boxes overflowing with multicolored thriving flowers. Many in the geranium family.
But our big excursion today was to take the cogwheel train up to the top of Gornergrat.
Entrance to the Gornergrat Bahn
Map showing the route to the top and surrounding area we would see
The scenery along the climb to the top improved around each corner.
One of the optional stops along the way to the top
Tim and Joanne with the Gornergrat Bahn train
The air was a bit thinner at the top with an elevation of 10,132 feet (3089 m), but I took my time climbing the steps up past the visitors station to get to the upper viewing platform.
A bit further to reach the top viewing platform
And what an amazing place to simply take it all in!
After a relaxing lunch at the restaurant on top of the world, we got back on the train and then got off at the first stop, Rotenboden (9235 ft) to start our hike to Riffelsee to try to get a reflection picture of the Matterhorn. From there we would continue down to Riffelberg (8471 feet) where we would rejoin the train back to Zermatt.
A hike with the snow-covered Alps ahead
Time for a rest and to catch my breath. That is the Matterhorn behind us.
Tim
There was a breeze which ruffled the water on the lake, so the reflection shots did not workout very well, but the hike itself was another huge hit for us.
We also enjoyed the numerous but miniature alpine flowers along the way. They were small but so mighty to survive at this elevation and in this extreme climate.
Alpine flowers
Upon returning to Zermatt, we walked through the cemetery next to the church where a special section was devoted to those who had lost their lives while mountain climbing in the area, including a tomb of the unknown climber.
The gravesite of the unknown climber
GRATITUDE MOMENT: Today I am once again awed by just how powerful Mother Nature is. To be surrounded by this much beauty is both over whelming and humbling.
A Note From Abroad 
I absolutely loved Zermatt. We went closer to christmas time and it was magical! You both look so happy in the photos! Where to next?
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I can only imagine how incredible Zermatt must have been during the Christmas holidays! I would love to experience that some day. We just departed on a Uniworld river cruise that will take us from Basel to Amsterdam. Plus I still have a couple more days to write about from our time in Switzerland including Lousanne and Murren.
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My mum lives in lausanne 🙂 and Murren I am yet to visit! Hopefully soon :)Safe journey to Amesterdam and I look forward to see more about your travels 🙂
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You have had an amazing time in Switzerland!
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Yes we have!
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I was there a few years ago, and loved almost everything, just the prices could be slightly lower. 😉
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Yes, we too found Switzerland to be expensive – but worth every penny to see such magnificent scenery.
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so true! I guess Swiss people also know it 😉
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Wanna go there
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I hope you do get there to see all this amazing beauty for yourself!
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Such beauty and such cold (at least it looked that way!)
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It was cool but not too cold. Thankfully!
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Gorgeous!!! Love it all. And such cute photos of you two!
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Thanks Trish!
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Wow! Thanks for sharing your photos!
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And thanks for liking them…
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Just beautiful. A must place to visit, wish I could have made it there when I was in the area in the past.
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Terry, hope you will have a chance to return to see this area. Highly recommend it!
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It is on the Bucket List, but the list is long and I’m getting older so I have to step up my game a bit. Enjoying following you and have a great adventure.
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Love your smiling faces. What spectacular pictures. When I see row after row of flowers spilling out of window boxes, it seems unreal. Lovely, Lovely!
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I think most of the window boxes have flowers in the Geranium family. They were over flowing.
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Only got to spend a short time in Zermatt so the Gornergrat Bahn is still on my wish list – your photos are wonderful such amazing scenery! The window boxes are so pretty 🙂
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Gornergrat Bahn is a must see/do.
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Yes it’s on my list!!
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Hi Tim and Joanne – how strange to think that after reading your blog for a couple of years now we inadvertently followed in your footsteps to Zermatt. We were there a week after you! We also ran out of time to visit the Matterhorn Museum (all the more reason to return). We also didn’t go to Gornergrat (again we ran out of time). We visited the Aletsch Glacier, Klein Matterhorn, and hiked up the Path to Freedom and reached the summit of Oberrothorn.
Our photo experiences of the Matterhorn seem to have matched yours – a lot of the time it was covered in cloud. However, on the day we left it graced us with its full presence in a morning of glaring sun.
We are determined to return to Zermatt. Wow. What an incredible place!
Nic
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Nic, How fortunate you were to see the Matterhorn in all her glory! Lucky you!!! Sounds like you got to see and do some fabulous things while there. Too bad our time did not overlap as it is always great to meet up with fellow travelers, even if only for a few moments to say hello in person. And we agree – Zermatt is incredible and well worth a return visit. Thank you for following us for so long. We sincerely appreciate it!
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