Where in the World is Sharon Daugherty2: Zermatt, Switzerland

It's a beautiful day as we leave Lucerne heading for Zermatt. First leg Lucerne to Bern and then change trains from Bern to Visp. These next pictures are the views from the train going up the mountain from Visp to Zermatt

a field of wild flowers or may be weeds, but pretty

We arrived and boarded our electric transportation from the station to the Best Western Butterfly. No gas vehicles of any kind in Zermatt.

The view from our balcony

As it is supposed to rain and snow tomorrow, we immediately headed back to the train station to get the little train up the mountain to view The Matterhorn. This was my only view of it on the way up. I sat on the wrong side of the train. You can bet I will be on the right side coming down.

Our train route went to the Gornergrat Glacier stopping several times to let people off to hike other trails and mountains going ever higher

What views I had were pretty nice

a glacial lake "Riffelsee Lake" I think, just beginning to melt

And finally hitting the snow line and our final stop at Gornergrat at 3,089 metres (10,134 feet). Thank God the Saint Bernard is here if we need rescued.

The "Matterhorn" is one of the world's most famous mountains. It rises 4478 meters high (14,691 feet), but is not the highest mountain in Switzerland, nor in this mountain range. The highest one in this range is Monte Rosa at 4634 metres (15,203 feet). There are 38 four thousand-metre peaks that Alpinists can reach from Zermatt.

Back to the Matterhorn. The first men who managed to climb to the top of this mountain was a group of seven mountaineers led by Edward Whymper from Great Britain on July 14, 1865. Four of the seven men died on the way back.

It is unknown who named this mountain "Matterhorn" or where the name comes from, but there are many families in this valley named "Matter".

The Gornergrat Glacier behind me

spend at least an hour up here enjoying the beautiful view and fresh cold air

quite a change from Lucerne

The viewing platform is not the top, so we keep climbing and come to the “Bernhard von Aosta” chapel.

The interior has a wooden ceiling and floor of stone slabs. The windows are without stained glass; a confessional box stands on the right of the entrance. The altarpiece consists of relief-style carved wooden figures: in the centre, St Bernard of Aosta; on the left, St Maurice (patron saint of Valais); and on the right, St Theodule. A crown of alpine flowers forms the culmination of the altarpiece. The tabernacle is decorated with grapevines; the altar table is made of stone slabs with a cross. Candles are lit from visitors all over the world.

a lovely place to rest from the steep climb at 10,000 plus feet

It feels like the top of the world

We climbed back on the train and this time I am on the side where you can see The Matterhorn

as it decreases in size as you head back down to Zermatt.

There are alpine marmots up here and we were lucky enough to see several running away.

They are very shy and very fast, so by the time you tried to take a picture, they were gone.

Zermatt far below

Back in the little valley we explore the streets. One big Marmot posed for us.

a glass of wine at one of the hotel porches right on the street

Very rustic ski town, lots of chalets. More on Zermatt history later.

Everyone out enjoying the beautiful warm day

Towards the end of the 19th century, the remote mountain village of Zermatt was an up-and-coming summer resort. Wealthy city-dwellers would withdraw, often for several weeks at a time, to this retreat in the mountains for their summer holidays.

The village vicar at that time, Josef Ruden, came up with an unusual idea to help his congregation: the oldest families in the area – the burghers of Zermatt – should take economic advantage of the surge in tourism by building a hotel.

The energetic vicar succeeded in motivating the burghers of Zermatt to do as he suggested and, over the three years from 1876 to 1879, they turned his vision into a reality by building the Zermatterhof. With its 94 rooms and 150 beds, at that time the Zermatterhof was the largest of all the hotels at the foot of the Matterhorn.

In order not to inflict huge debts on themselves and their fellow citizens, the burghers of Zermatt promised to work for free on the construction of the hotel. In return for this charitable work they were granted usufructuary rights (the right to use the property) to the property, which in essence continue to apply today. Today it is a five star hotel, which unfortunately was closed until June, so we could not take a look inside.

The Marmot Fountain was built in 1902 and is a sculpture representing the alpine marmot - an animal that inhabits the high-altitude meadows of the resort and is a popular mascot within the Swiss culture.

spring comes later here

Zermatt is proud of its Old Village, home to more than 30 buildings constructed between the 16th and 18th century, in the traditional style of the barns, stores, stables and houses of the upper Valais. The area is known as the “Hinterdorf” (rear village). Many sit on flat stone slabs balanced on stilts to keep out mice.

Tough larch timber
The buildings are made of larch, the tree that dominates Zermatt’s surroundings. Rich in resin, the timber is particularly resistant to pests. The houses are roofed with heavy slabs of rock, which compress the timber supporting it and make the construction more robust still. Sunshine and weather darken the wood, and over the course of many years it turns black. As a result, the building becomes much more effective at absorbing and storing heat.

Barn: for keeping hay; one door

Store: for keeping food such as dried meat; usually four doors.

One section, individually accessible, per family

A local dish for dinner, Rosti with ham and cheese. Basically, hash brown potatoes with cheese and normally an egg. You can add ham of other ingredients. This was very filling and rich. One time will do you.

Next morning we awoke to rain - below same view, yesterday and today

After a leisurely breakfast, we went out to go to the Matterhorn Museum.

When we arrived, there was a sign saying open at 2:00 PM. This sculpture of the mountain goat is on the other side of the Alpine Marmot one I took a picture of yesterday.

We walked around in the rain and went in and out of souvenir stores. Terry was looking for something for her grand kiddies.

Still raining

and beginning to snow

a little snow will not deter us

this cafe was probably full of people yesterday

a cute table inside the barrel above

There are watch stores on every corner

starting to look like a winter wonderland

Coffee with sunshine please

went back to the hotel to drop off a few purchases and then back up the street to the museum

The Matterhorn Museum - all underground

shows Zermatt’s development from a village of mountain farmers to a world-famous alpine resort. Original houses and interiors, and recreations of the world of the inhabitants and of former alpine explorers, bring the subject vividly to life. Roofs were covered with heavy stone tiles, which were not nailed in place. The heavy snow in winter would move the stones and they would have to be re-built in the spring.

The village

a typical home - 2 rooms, kitchen and

bedroom

The tea room

a boot maker

Early hotel

Domestic animals goats

black nosed sheep

Mules were used in the 1800's to transport tourists up the mountain to Gornergrat

this little guy was fascinated by the stuffed mule. He would touch its head and then laugh out loud

Hotel history

The first ascent of the Matterhorn by Edward Whymper in the year 1865 is shown. The drama of the three survivors (Whymper and father and son Taugwalder, the mountain guides) and the four men who fell (Michel Croz, a mountain guide from Chamonix, and the guests Francis Douglas, Robert Hadow and Charles Hudson) is pportrayed in this exhibit.

The broken rope, which is draped over a red velvet cushion,

You can also see equipment and clothing remnants from the victims, as well as the portraits of the stern-looking participants. In 2007, using a replica of the original rope, it was found that, contrary to the rumours, the rope was not cut for self-survival. The investigation commissioned by the museum proved that the rope could only hold 300 kilograms, and was therefore too thin to save the lives of the four men that fell.

A relief of the Matterhorn shows the different routes to the summit with illuminated lines. This was the 1865 route of Edward Whymper

the chapel

These were the guys that made the climbs successful

Back outside after a hour or so in the museum

It's really snowing now

Among Zermatt’s historical buildings, it is the Hotel Monte Rosa that embodies the story of the first ascent of the Matterhorn. The resort’s hotel tradition also began here.

The hotel has its origins in a building dating from 1839 in which a surgeon, one Dr Lauber, opened his “Laubersche Herberge”, with six beds for guests. In 1853, the Zermatt hotelier Alexander Seiler rented the wooden chalet, and soon after bought it outright. He had realised the potential of the Matterhorn as a tourist attraction very early on.

After extensive renovation, Seiler reopened the hotel in 1855 as the Monte Rosa. It soon became the favoured haunt of the pioneering mountaineers who were flocking to Zermatt in order to conquer the surrounding 4,000-metre summits. Among them were many Englishmen – including Edward Whymper, who stayed here even before he made the first ascent of the Matterhorn in 1865. Whymper said of the hotel: “There was no need to advertise the house by the ordinary methods, for it was advertised sufficiently by its clientele.”

Also unable to see inside as it is closed until June. Made beautiful by the huge snowflakes