We had a choice of two train options: the fast (about 3.25 hours), slightly less scenic, but less expensive route or the Glacier Express, which is slower (about 8 hours), more scenic, and slightly more expensive. In the event, they were sold out of the Glacier Express tickets, so I got tickets for the fast train, which turned out to be a good thing, as 3.25 hours was just about LGG's limit that day.
It was snowing heavily as we boarded the bus to the Hauptbahnhof for our train to Visp, but the sun broke out as we left the station. Along the way, we ate lunch and LGG and I worked on a Sudoku puzzle together
and a bit later LGG enjoyed playing in the kid's car at the end of the train
It's a bit crazy to have a slide and small climbing structure inside a train car, but it's a really nice idea for families. The car is completely separate from the rest of the train, so kids can be as noisy as they like while they burn off energy. It was great for LGG to have the break.
We arrived in Zermatt and headed to our hotel to unpack and settle a bit. While the adults debated what to do, LGG did what she usually does:
She was utterly oblivious to us taking the picture -- normally she complains when we try to take pictures of her. She is reading The Little Prince.
The kind desk clerk at our hotel helped us make dinner reservations, and recommended a good cafe for Zvieri. We penguin-walked our way down to the cafe (the only way to walk when the ground is very icy and snowy) and after a nice snack waddled our way through the early evening streets
Nai-Nai noted that Zermatt reminded her of Mammoth Lakes in eastern California, or more correctly that Mammoth Lakes was clearly modeled on Zermatt.Next, we headed off for a classic Swiss dinner of fondue:
Yum! (And thanks to Zürich Mama Geek, who didn't really want fondue but was kind enough to have it so I could have it -- Nai-Nai and cheese don't mix well.) Finally, it was time to head back to the hotel and bed.
Side note: LGG and I shared one room while ZMG and Nai-Nai shared the other. It might seem unfair that they had to share the bed, but (a) their room was bigger and (b) they weren't sharing with LGG. The first night, LGG woke me up by growling in her sleep and saying 'Hungry Tiger!' (which she vehemently denies, but I swear really happened). The second night, I woke up to find that she had taken both blankets -- one to be another pillow and the other for a blanket. Sure, ZMG snores, but at least she isn't a hungry, blanket-stealing tiger!
The next morning, we woke up to gloriously clear and very cold weather: it was about 10 degrees Fahrenheit (-15 to -10 Celsius) in Zermatt and sunny. Our special deal tickets included a round-trip on the Gornergratbahn, so even though it was -10 Fahrenheit (-23 Celsius) with a 10-20 km/hr wind at the top, off we went. As we turned the corner near our hotel, what did we see for the first time?
"It looks like a giant thumb sticking up into the air, Dada!" The Matterhorn is pretty amazing, and it was just one of many mountains we could see from the Gornergrat (3100 meters up).
After taking a bunch of pictures at the summit, freezing, and then having a nice lunch, we headed down to rent the sleds that were also part of the special ticket.
LGG and I took three rides together, ZMG had two, and then I took two solo rides at the end of the day while the rest of the gang rested in the warm cafe. Here's LGG doing her best imitation of a certain landmark:
We headed down and Nai-Nai snapped this sunset shot before we headed off to the hotel to warm up.
The next day, we headed back to Zurich via Bern to show Nai-Nai the Swiss capital; we'll post on that soon.
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