This morning we had to be up and out of the house by 7:30. I was a zombie for most of the morning… I think these early mornings are catching up to me. However, it was important to get up the mountain to get a good look at the Matterhorn before the clouds rolled in… It was worth it! Our morning commute was as follows:
- 7:36 – 7:48 bus from Krattigen to Spiez
- 8:05 – 8:30 train from Spiez to Visp
- 8:41 – 9:41 train from Visp to Zermatt
- 10:00 – 10:33 cogwheel train from Zermatt to Gornergrat
The train from Spiez to Visp was mostly through a tunnel. It was crazy how the sky was cloudy when we went into the tunnel and sunny when we came out! It is also so much quicker to go through the mountain than around like we did the day before. The train to Zermatt had a few sections of the track that used cogwheel. The tiny villages the train stopped at seemed to be made of just a few old houses with rock roofs scattered in the mountains. I really enjoyed scenery.
Gornergrat
We got our first view of the Matterhorn when we first arrived in Zermatt. Then we jumped on the cogwheel which zigzagged up the mountain where we got an incredible view of the Matterhorn. There were several stops along the way with gondolas at each one. This is a very popular ski area in the winter but int he summer there are several hikers and mountain bikers. When we got to the top we walked along a trail that went past the restaurant and stores until we got away from the other tourists. We took far too many photos but the view was breathtaking. The glaciers were more dirty than I expected but quite large. We had a 360 degree view though of mountain ranges all equally beautiful. We ate our sandwiched and built an inukshuk. Then we walked back to the train. We stopped and bought some magnets for $3.90 (first ones under 6.00) before taking the cogwheel train back down to Zermatt.
Zermatt
The village of Zermatt is a huge tourist destination that caters to hikers and mountain bikers in the summer and skiers in the winter. There are many chalets and it feels a lot like Whistler. The roads are very narrow and filled with pedestrians while tiny cars and busses weave around the people. It was fascinating to watch. Some of the houses are extremely old and it was an interesting combination of chalets, hotels, stores, and mountains. We enjoyed walking the streets and Sandra even bought some desserts from a local bakery. We found a store that actually had magnets as cheap as $3.20! Good to know for anyone looking for souvenirs! After walking the streets we decided to head back to Spiez and book our tickets for Jungfraujoch on Sunday.
Dinner with Sandra’s Parents
While Tavis and Sandra were getting our tickets, Terris and I took the kids to a local park. We also heard a concert taking place down in town. The streets were very busy. Around 4:30 we walked to Sandra’s parents house from the Spiez train station. It was a nice walk that took us about 20 minutes. They live in a great little neighbourhood with a stunning view of Niesen, not far past the bunker we visited. The kids spent hours playing in the large playground with a zipline. Sandra’s Dad cooked porkchops, sausages, and tomatoes filled with cheese on a huge fire pit. We decided that Jamie and Simon need to build one of these fire pit bbqs on their island! We also had rice with curry and salad and for dessert we had a variety of pastries. It was a delectable meal and although we couldn’t speak the same language as Sandra’s parents we enjoyed the visit and getting to know them. It was a wonderful evening.
At 8:30 we walked to the bus stop and got back home after 9:00. Now it is off to bed as we have another early morning tomorrow and a 3 hour hike!