White Christmas in Zermatt

Yes, we got it!  Many years after the snow let us down in Bavaria, it more than made up for it here.

Our train journey was interesting and slow.  Because of booking shortages, we had to take two trains before we could get on to the Glacier Express at Andermatt.  This train really lives up to its reputation as the world’s slowest express train.  Much of this is because of the terrain, but also because of the single track and the need to wait for passing trains. It was crowded but comfortable and got us to Zermatt late on Sunday. We did strike snow while we were waiting to change trains and then for much of the journey at higher altitudes.

We arrived in Zermatt to light snow and a wet walk underfoot to the hotel.  This was just a taste of what was to come.

On Monday, we were taken on a guided tour of the town, showing the main sights.  There are some very old houses here and a church with cemetery where many people who died climbing the Matterhorn are buried.  Unfortunately, the graves and their headstones were completely covered with snow, so it was difficult to see anything.

The rest of the day was free, so we took the opportunity to have a rest, after the busy week we had since leaving Munich.

Tuesday, Christmas Eve, we were scheduled to ride the cog railway to Gornergrat, but the weather was so bad that we couldn’t go.  So Carole and I hit the snowy streets, in heavy snowfall.  This was quite novel for us, of course, but we think that being in this weather all the time could become a bit of a drag.  Not to mention the constant dressing and undressing going in and out of buildings.  All good for for a short time.  The snow was very heavy at times and we gave our boots and thermals a good workout.

The weather forecast promised a clear day today, the 25th, and we certainly got it.  We caught a vague outline of the Matterhorn in the gloom yesterday afternoon, but today was a different story.  Bright sunshine all day gave us fantastic views of the Matterhorn and surrounding mountains.  We caught the train (with about 5000 skiers) to Gornergrat, which sits at an altitude of over ten thousand feet.  The only downside was strong winds that whipped up the snow and made it a bit unpleasant to be outside.  Still, the views made up for it.

We had a big Christmas Eve dinner last night and have been promised an even bigger one tonight.  We leave early in the morning for Luzern, which means that our first tour is coming to an end.  We will be sad to leave here after all the build up to the trip.  We get on well with most people in the group (and have less to do with some others) but there have been no real dramas. We stay in Luzern until the 28th when we transfer to Milan for the next tour.