In January, Tom was attending the Swiss Investment Managers Circle held at the Rifflealp Resort (above Zermatt). No way I was passing up an opportunity to see the Matterhorn. Tom left mid-week and after my class on Friday, I hopped on a train to join him. I did spend a lot of the train ride doing homework because I knew I wouldn't want to do it once I arrived. I did manage to look out the window sometimes for the spectacular views along the way.
Upon arrival in Zermatt, I had to switch to a cog train up to the resort. Tom met me at the Rifflealp station and we walked the 10 minutes to the resort (nothing else is there). My luggage rode on a snowmobile. I arrived with enough time to change and go down for dinner. They had a speaker before the meal who spoke about teamwork and cooperation. He had been an orchestra conductor for many years. Sadly, I don't remember his name, but his presentation was fantastic. Engaging, interesting, funny, great musical examples. Nothing to dislike. I was so glad I made it in time to participate.
The dinner stretched very long, but it was the conclusion of the conference so no early wake-up call the next day. All was forgiven. Saturday was a full day of "play" in the area. Tom and I are not downhill skiers so we opted to pass on that option. I honestly doubt there is anything for adults that would be a beginner level up there. The Swiss start their children on skis so young (as we saw), I think "Swiss adult ski beginner" is an oxymoron.
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| lobby area |
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| mostly we used the elevator, but I like the stair decorations |
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| Tom and a new friend |
I knew Switzerland was dog friendly, but this is over the top! Choose the bed that fits your pet and take it up to your room. There were actually only two beds there when we arrived so one was being used!
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| basement or "Keller" restaurant |
Can't beat the view right outside the resort entrance. The penguins are carved from wood and each is different. There was even one in passage between the exterior door and the lobby.
Hello Matterhorn. Thank you for coming out to show us how beautiful you are!
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| Gornergrat |
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| one of the stations along the way |
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| people ride the train up and ski down |
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| lots of cloud cover today |
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| Gornergrat is 3100 meters above sea level |
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| here we are at the top - looking down on Gornergrat |
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| we found reasonably priced trekking sticks at the top - a huge help! |
We're walking down to this igloo village.
Tom and I at either end of a walkway in the igloo "dorf"
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| farewell view of Igloo Dorf |
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| skiers |
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| another way to get skiers to the top - looks nice from this vantage point, but I wouldn't want to be in the lift! |
We took a break at this cafe before taking the train down to Zermatt. You can tell by all the skis that we weren't the only customers.
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| very young child having a ski lesson - who needs poles? |
Zermatt is a very cute town although touristy. I love the way the shopkeepers want to be totally sure you know what they are selling.
Want to try to get this knife past the TSA? Good luck!
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| Zermatt main square |
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| love this T shirt! |
Views from walking around Zermatt
This marker is in a cemetery near the church. It honors mountain climbers and guides who perished climbing the nearby mountains. I particularly like the hands carved into the stone.
We discovered that Zermatt is quite enthusiastic about the sport of curling.
We stumbled upon two rinks where many games/matches were going on at once. (I have no idea what the right terminology is.)
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| having some gluhwein is always a good way to warm up |
The very next weekend, we went to the other side of the Swiss Alps, to St. Moritz, for the World Championship Bobsleigh competition. I have another post about the sporting event, but I'll include a bit about the rest of the experience here.
Views seen walking around St. Moritz
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| Businessmen! |
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| who wants a croissant from the BAD bakery? |
These are for Sarah, Alicia and anyone else who knows about Tom and his nightmare with the giant squirrel. Look at him conquering his fears. I am so proud.
We saw several of these - binoculars for the public? Look inside and you see the landscape or lake in summertime! Fun!
ice sculpture outside the lovely hotel above - notice silverware inside the base
The only time we've seen evidence of Switzerland's fourth language, Romansch. Whatever language you understand, you must keep your dog on the leash and clean up after it. Poop bags generously provided .
One part of St. Moritz was hosting the Bobsleigh races. Another part was the venue for polo on ice! Who knew? Horses, trucks and lots of people on a frozen lake sounds treacherous and risky to me. The far edges of the lake weren't even frozen.
Tom learned of the panoramic capability of his camera. Thanks for sharing!
Cows out for a walk. No evidence of a farmer with them. Only in Switzerland.
We sure haven't seen or done it all, but we now have a much better idea of what it's like in the Alps. We know from pictures that it's also a beautiful destination in other seasons. We hope to be back in the Spring with Lynn and Pam when they visit.
