Switzerland, 9.6.16 - 9.17.16, Part 13 of 13: The End Of The Tale
By the time we all got back to the hotel, the clouds had really started to move in. The next day was expected to rain all day. None of this really fazed us. We had seen so many incredible things and had such an unbelievably great time together that if the sun never rose again we would have felt like we had done it all. We spent that evening wandering through Zermatt, eating a great meal in town and relaxing back at the hotel.
When we woke up the next morning, sure enough, the valley was socked in and rain was to be with us the entire day. No worries. I had promised my dear wife a year before the trip that when we got to Zermatt I would treat her to a massage (she reminded me of this quite often) so we had arranged it the night before. Each of us had an hour long full body massage and it was heavenly. After that, a soak in the spa was in order. The spa was really nice. It had double whirlpools, comfortable lounge chairs and views out to the town and the Matterhorn right from the hot tubs. I can think of worse ways to kill a rainy day!
The spa room at the Hotel Shönegg
Dana and Bridgit, each in their own private spas
View from the lounge chair. In sunnier times, that would be the Matterhorn out the window.
We sort of figured that the sightseeing was over as the forecast called for rain for the next few days. We still had one more day so we planned to just go with the flow and make it a relaxing final day before making the journey back home.
When we woke in the morning, just like every day I went out to the balcony to see what there was to see. The Matterhorn was engulfed in clouds but soon after the lower portion of the mountain began to clear, revealing a fresh coating of snow from the previous night. Almost as if it was sneaking up on us, the sun began to fight its way through the swirling cloud cover and the Matterhorn began to light up as if to say, “I’m not done yet”!
I had tried to go down to breakfast but things were shaping up to be spectacular again so I wolfed down some eggs and a cup of coffee and headed back to my balcony.
This was not supposed to be happening. It should have been raining! In short order, the clouds slowly lifted and revealed a completely different Matterhorn, coated in brilliant white snow against a vivid blue sky and my camera was purring like a cat in a catnip patch.
The promise of good things to come
Snow covered Matterhorn
The world’s most beautiful mountain
Encouraged by the change in the weather, we decided to gamble and take one last shot at getting some views. We hurried down into town where we boarded the Gornergrat Railway. This railway took us up high on the next closer ridge to The Matterhorn from where we had been at the Rothorn. At the top, the Gornergrat Hotel stands at 10,135’. Where the Rothorn looks across at Monte Rosa, the Gornergrat sits directly underneath it and glaciers pour down the sides of the mountain from every direction.
The Gornergratbahn
The Gornergrat. Home of the world’s largest chocolate Matterhorn!
Not sure but I think this is 14,911’ Dom
The Gornergletscher coming off Monte Rosa
Glaciers everywhere
All morning we were battling the elements and while we were still up at the Gornergrat, it started snowing. It was very beautiful and since we had already had so much great sunny weather, this was almost like another treat we hadn’t experienced in our journey to Switzerland.
With clouds shutting down any hopes for more views, we headed back down to Zermatt and spent a bit more time exploring the village. One section was extremely old and had really cool old buildings right in the middle of town.
Old town Zermatt. The houses were built on stilts with flat round rocks to keep the rats from getting in.
We also went to the climber’s cemetery where the headstones had inscriptions about all the climbers who had died attempting the Matterhorn and all the other great peaks in the region. Another cool spot was right next to the town church. It was a climber’s museum and it had all sorts of displays showing the history of climbing in the Alps. One display showed how climbing boots had evolved over the years and another display had the actual rope that was found from the first climb of the Matterhorn when in 1865 Edward Whymper scaled the peak, but on the descent the rope broke and four of his party fell to their deaths.
It was difficult to get anywhere in Zermatt because Bridgit and Dana couldn’t pass a shop without going in.
We had another delicious fondue dinner on our last night and went back to pack for our trip back home. Despite the fact that the weather had turned and that we weren’t able to go up to Matterhorn Glacier Paradise, we knew we had defied the odds and felt nothing but gratitude as to our good fortune.
This trip had every ingredient necessary for the perfect recipe. We had such great weather that even the hotel owner told us we were extremely lucky. We spent quality time in what is considered to be the most beautiful scenery on earth. Our planning and execution of the itinerary went perfectly and spending so much time in Grindelwald really made us feel like we got to truly know the character of the area. I’m convinced that seeing one area thoroughly is ten times better than breezing through a lot of places to try and see everything.
Having not one, but two spectacular sunrises on the Matterhorn, one rock and one snow was the culmination of a lifetime of dreams. Never have I laid eyes on such an awe-inspiring mountain. Just being in the presence of the Matterhorn was a very spiritual experience for me.
But above all, and I have stated this before from other trips, it was the company we kept that made this trip ever the more special. Gina, Dana and Bob were the best of travel companions and all of us, caught in the spell of the Alps and all they have to offer, had the time of our lives. These memories will never fade and we will always have that bond.
And of course then there is the love of my life. Bridgit clearly fell head over heels in love with Switzerland and there was not a moment of the entire trip that she wasn’t beaming with happiness. And you know what they say. When the wife is happy, everyone’s happy. We are all ready to go back and can hardly wait to start planning the next great adventure.
Thank you all for letting me share my experience with you. I hope you enjoyed the writing and the images. Believe me when I say that the words and photos do not even remotely capture the grandeur that is Switzerland.
Bridgit hasn’t been the same since we got back. I wouldn’t put it past her to go buy a cow for the yard.