“I remember the dazzling whiteness of the tumbled snow-desert between us and the black horn of the Matterhorn some miles away.”
-J.R.R. Tolkien

Note: This is leg four of a six part journey to Switzerland.

ZERMATT

When my train rolled into the station at Zermatt on the last day of June, the first thing I noticed was the difference of temperature. Montreux was beautiful but it was sweltering during the time I was there. The cooler air of Zermatt was most welcome, although the rain I was greeted with was less so. With a steady downpour in progress, I couldn’t see the one thing that everyone comes to Zermatt to see: the Matterhorn. I would see it from the top the next day but clouds would prevent me from ever seeing it from the village.

I put on my waterproof windbreaker and hurried up the hill to my hotel. Although Zermatt is a car-free village, there are special mini-taxis that are similar to golf carts. But I didn’t know how much they cost and my hotel wasn’t that far away, so I continued on foot. I had been on the road (well, on the tracks) all day and I hadn’t had a chance to eat lunch, so once I had checked in I ventured back out into the rain and ate a dinner of pizza and local craft beer from a bar called The North Wall. With the rain continuing to come down, there was nothing else to do but hang out in my hotel. My room had a balcony but due to the direction I was facing (not to mention the gray clouds), I didn’t have as spectacular of a view as I had in Wengen.

When I woke up in the morning, the rain had stopped, and I walked for about 15 minutes to the outer edge of the village of Zermatt, where the cable car line to the Matterhorn begins. The Matterhorn is one of the most recognizable mountains in the world, with its jagged peak sticking out above the clouds. If you’ve ever eaten a Toblerone bar, you’ve seen a picture of the Matterhorn. It spans the border between Switzerland and Italy. It’s not the tallest mountain in Switzerland, but at 14,692 feet tall, it might as well be. Because of its daunting shape, the summit of the Matterhorn was never successfully scaled until 1865, in an expedition that was marked by tragedy. The ascent was made without incident, but on the descent, a rope snapped and four men plunged to their deaths.

On the day that visited the Matterhorn, no-one died, as far as I’m aware, but history was made once again. For it was on that day–July 1st–that the Bergbahnen gondola/cable car line was first extended all the way across the mountain, making it possible for the first time to travel all the way over the Matterhorn from Zermatt in Switzerland to Cervina in Italy. It was a project that had been discussed since 1939 but never accomplished until now. To celebrate the opening of the new international cable car connection, tickets were 50% off for everyone that day.

I bought my ticket and stepped on board the gondola. There is a new luxury option called the Crystal Ride that has transparent glass floors so you can see directly beneath you, but I didn’t want to shell out the extra money for that. The gondola ascended up the mountain and passed through several intermediate stations before reaching Trockener Steg, where I had to switch to a cable car. Along the way, I passed what should have been a perfect view of the Matterhorn peak, but it was completely hidden behind the clouds. It was pretty comical to watch the gondola slow to a halt over a small platform and the automatic doors open briefly to allow me to take a picture of a large frame that showed me exactly where the view of Zermatt would be if it had been at all visible.

From Trockener Steg, a cable car takes you the rest of the way up to the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise resort. At this point, I finally rose above the cloud cover and was able to see mountains and the glacier that straddles the Matterhorn. Finally I reached the top and ventured out onto the observation platform.

From here I could see a stunning view of mountain peaks piercing through the blanket of clouds that had obstructed my view earlier. The landscape around me was covered in snow and the peak of the Matterhorn itself was now plainly visible, although it looked a lot different from the top than it does from below. On the edge of the observation deck is a large crucifix covered in icicles-a dramatic sight in itself on this early July morning.

There was more to see and do here, but I could do it on the way back. It was time to cross the border into Italy. As I walked towards the new cable car line, a mood of celebration pervaded the atmosphere. A DJ was blasting music and a staff member handed me a souvenir lanyard with tickets attached for a free sandwich and drink on the other side.

The cable car lifted me over the glacier and across the gap that had until today marked an impassible barrier between the Swiss and Italian sides of the mountain. It was a smooth ride as the cable car coasted into the station at Testa Grigia. I redeemed my tickets for a free sandwich (there were several options and I chose a caprese sandwich on ciabatta bread, which was very good), and a bottled water. A yellow line marked the border between Switzerland and Italy and I stepped over it. I had officially crossed the border. The view from Testa Grigia was different from the one on the Swiss side, but still magnificent. Another cable car waited here to take people down the mountain to the Italian town of Cervina, where you could continue on to Milan or Venice if you wanted to. But going down to Cervina would require purchasing another ticket and this time without a discount. So instead I headed back to toward the Swiss side. A staff person put another lanyard over my head, either not noticing or not caring that I was already wearing one. I shrugged and helped myself to another sandwich and a glass of red wine before stepping onto the cable car and returning to the Swiss side.

There are a number of activities available at Matterhorn Glacier Paradise, and now that I had made the crossing, I took some time to check them out. One of the attractions was an ice palace like the one at Jungfraujoch. It even had an ice chute you can slide down. There was also a snow sports area but since I don’t really ski or snowboard, I didn’t spend much time there.

After checking out what the resort had to offer, I took the cable car back down to Trockener Steg. By now, some of the clouds had cleared and I was able to see a decent view of the Matterhorn peak from here. Instead of continuing down the way I had come up, I took a different cable car that took me to Schwarzsee, the closest stop to the horn of the Matterhorn. From here, I hoped to get that postcard-perfect shot of the Matterhorn. Unfortunately, there were still a number of clouds in the sky and although they were constantly in motion, they all got stuck on the horn of the Matterhorn, making it impossible to get a completely clear view. Undeterred, I walked up to an observation deck/picnic spot and decided to wait around for a while and see if things cleared up. There was a great view of some other mountains from here and I enjoyed just relaxing on a comfortable wooden bench for over an hour, watching the clouds dance around the mountaintop. But I never did get that perfect shot. My nephew got to go skiing in Zermatt earlier in the year and he has a perfect picture of himself posing in front of a completely snow-covered Matterhorn, unobscured by clouds or fog. I didn’t get that, but the experience was still incredible, so I have nothing to complain about.

Having given up on Schwarzsee, I took a gondola down to Furi station, one station above the Zermatt stop. Furi is a popular place for hiking and you can sometimes see ibexes and other wildlife here. I spotted the famous bridge that I’d heard people like to hike to, but the trail to get there was fairly steep, and at this lower elevation, it was getting a bit warmer. I didn’t feel like getting sweaty that day, so after taking in the view, I got back on the gondola and descended to the final stop, Zermatt.

After walking back to my hotel to freshen up, I spent the rest of the day wandering around the village of Zermatt. It’s a very touristy place, but in the best possible way. Even though I could tell that a lot of places were built specifically for tourists to visit, it never felt cheap or tacky. Zermatt is a very pretty village, despite being overrun with tourists. I visited the village’s main church and the cemetery where some of the fallen climbers from the 1865 expedition are buried. I also visited a history museum that contained a number of interesting artifacts, including the broken cord of rope that doomed four of the climbers who made the first successful ascent of the Matterhorn. I also happened to be in the right place at the right time to catch the beginning of an impromptu Alpine horn performance from a group of musicians clad in traditional Swiss mountain apparel.

For dinner, I tried fondue for the first time, with an appetizer of raclette, a traditional regional dish that also features melted cheese. I can’t say I was a big fan of either food. It was just too much dairy for me. But I’m glad I tried them once.

All in all, I really enjoyed my time in Zermatt, and while I would have loved to spend another week here, I also felt like I had gotten to see and do most of the things I wanted to without feeling rushed. And I was looking forward to the next day, when I would ride the world’s slowest express train, the panoramic Glacier Express.

THE GLACIER EXPRESS

The Glacier Express is the longest and most popular of the special panoramic trains that operate in Switzerland. It connects Zermatt with the upscale ski resorts of St. Moritz and Davos. The full journey to St. Moritz takes eight hours, far longer than it would take to get there taking a regular inter-regional train. The snail-like pace of the Glacier Express has earned it the title of “world’s slowest express train”. It is only an “express” train in the sense that it makes limited stops. But with this train, it really is about the journey, not the destination. It’s a wonderful experience to spend the day riding through some of the most scenic landscapes in all of Switzerland from the comfort of a luxury train where your every need is attended to.

My original intention when I first started planning my trip to Switzerland was to take the train all the way to St. Moritz. I was aware that tickets for this train go on sale two months in advance. What I didn’t realize until later was that seat reservations become available three months in advance. I found this out about two and a half months out and in the two or three weeks that I had dilly-dallied, all of the window seats had sold out. I could have still gotten an aisle seat in second class, but I had already bought my first class Swiss Travel Pass in large part because of this train, and I didn’t want to spend the money for this scenic train and not get to sit by the window. After looking into my options, I discovered that I could still get a window seat in first class if I disembarked at Chur. I would miss out on experiencing the famous Landwasser Viaduct towards the end of the route to St. Moritz, but I would still be on board for the majority of the route, and my end destination would actually be preferable for me. I wasn’t very interested in St. Moritz, and I had been planning to just sleep there for the night and then travel for hours to Zurich and then another hour or two to the tiny nation of Liechtenstein. But with this new plan, I would get off at Chur, the oldest city in all of Switzerland–a place I wanted to visit anyway if I had the time. I would arrive earlier, giving me enough time to see the town in the same day and then take a train the next morning to the nearby border town of Sargans, where a bus would take me across to Liechtenstein. I would get there much earlier than if I was coming from St. Moritz. After putting all this information together in my head, I went from being disappointed to being excited. This was actually better than my original plan!

There is another panoramic train called the Bernina Express that goes from Chur to Torino, Italy via St. Moritz, and follows the same route as the Glacier Express for the first part of the trip. Although I wouldn’t have time to take that ride during this trip, it’s good to know that if I ever go back to Switzerland I can still experience the part of the Glacier Express route that I skipped without actually taking the Glacier Express again.

The train was very comfortable. I did have to sit next to strangers since the single row side of the train was fully booked even to Chur, but the other passengers were quiet and respectful and they didn’t really impact my experience. There was a fold-out table in front of my seat and a cupholder that my reusable water bottle fit into perfectly. The train is covered in windows all the way to the domed ceiling, giving passengers a superb view of the majestic alpine landscape. I would love to ride this train in the winter, when everything is covered in snow, but the scenery is incredible any time of year.

There was a menu to order breakfast from and a server brought me a box of croissants and bread and a cup of tea. Later, my preordered lunch was served, which was a tasty plate of rice and lentils in an Indian curry sauce. When I wasn’t eating or just staring at the changing landscape, I read an e-book on my phone called The Magic Mountain, an old novel about a sanitorium high up in the Swiss Alps shortly after World War 1. I didn’t have to worry about running out of battery power since there was an outlet next to my seat. After several hours, the train arrived at Chur and I disembarked.

CHUR

Chur is a beautiful old city of stone streets, decorative fountains, and ancient buildings, nestled in the foothills of the Rhaetian mountains. As I mentioned earlier, Chur is the oldest city in all of Switzerland. It has been continuously inhabited for at least 5,000 years. There are Bronze Age and Iron Age artifacts that were discovered here and I got to see some of them in the Rhaetian Museum. After the Romans conquered the area, Chur became the capital of the Roman province of Raetia (or Rhaetia) in 15 BCE, and a number of Roman ruins also survive here. When the Roman Empire collapsed in the 5th century, Chur endured as the linchpin in an alliance of three small confederations in the region, before later becoming part of the Swiss Confederation.

After visiting the aforementioned history museum, I explored the narrow stone streets and admired the old buildings. Many of the houses, apartments, shops, and restaurants here are well over 500 years old, a fact that can be easily overlooked until you read the small, unassuming plaques that are affixed to some of the buildings. History is so pervasive here that Chur is one of the areas where the Swiss-Roman language of Romansch is still spoken. It’s still a distant second to German in terms of how widely it’s spoken here, but I did see signs in Romansch. Romansch is closely related to Latin but it is its own unique language, containing elements of the pre-Roman Celtic and Germanic languages that once existed in this region, as well as influences from modern Swiss German.

From the city center, it’s a short walk to the walled citadel that contains the city’s main church along with numerous other historic buildings. The wall is punctuated by a tall stone tower at the center. I walked up the covered staircase under the tower that takes you up to the plateau at the top of the citadel. At the center of the citadel is the Chur Cathedral, also known as the Cathedral of the Assumption of Mary. This beautiful Catholic church was built starting in 1151 and is actually the third church to occupy that space. The first church was built all the way back in the 4th or early 5th century, when Chur was a Roman city. The church possesses the relics of St. Lucius of Britain, an early Christian martyr from the 2nd century.

Next door to the church is a museum containing church relics and artifacts. I toured this museum (which, like the Rhaetian Museum was free with my Swiss Travel Pass) and the special exhibit in the basement featuring recently restored medieval panels depicting death. Each panel shows a different scene of people being approached by skeletons representing death. The artist made a point of making sure that all stations of life were represented in the panels, from princes and merchants to beggars and peasants, illustrating the point that death comes for us all, regardless of our social status. This artwork is representative of the obsession with death that characterized European society during the time of the bubonic plague.

After visiting the museum, I walked past the bell tower of the church and continued further up the hill. Ahead of me was another church high up on a hill. To my left, a road curved around a vineyard with a great view of the medieval stone buildings of the citadel and the mountains beyond.

I walked down that road and it led me back down to the center of the city. There I took a few minutes to admire the Obertor tower, one of the three surviving towers of the medieval town fortifications. Nearby was the narrow arching bridge that spans the shallow Plessur River. In this part of town, the narrow streets open up to wide plazas and there are some larger historic buildings along with parks, gardens, and fountains. I ate a delicious dinner of Maluns, a traditional Grisons dish made from potatoes that are grated and roasted with flour in butter, and an iced tea made with fresh berries.

Then I returned to my hotel, which was a beautiful old building in its own right, and prepared for the next step of my adventure.

My hotel in Chur, the Zunfhaus zur Rebleuten

The next morning I would be leaving Switzerland, but only temporarily. I was crossing into one of the smallest and least visited countries in the world, the tiny constitutional monarchy of Liechtenstein. That’s where we’ll pick up on Thursday, when I post the penultimate chapter of my Switzerland (and Liechtenstein) adventure.

Meanwhile, check out the new Photo Collection page for this blog. I had a different plan for how I wanted to display the Google Photo albums, but after running into mysterious errors for days, I settled for a simpler solution that still works just fine. Now you can see all my photos from places I have covered so far, up to and including Zermatt and Chur. I’ve also noticed that some of the navigation and social icons on the site have inexplicably stopped displaying. I’ve contacted the developers of the WordPress theme I’m using, and I’m now waiting for their response. But it shouldn’t really impact your experience much. As always, if you like this blog post, please share it with friends, family, and your social media network. Since I no longer have any social media accounts, I rely 100% on my readers to spread the word, and I can’t express how much I appreciate everyone who has let others know about Lone Wolf Journeys. Thanks so much, and stay tuned for the next post on Thursday!