We arrived in Täsch, Switzerland on Oct. 28. We're only a 10 minute train from Zermatt, the village where one is *supposed* to be able to see the infamous Matterhorn. On the 29th, we took the train in to Zermatt to tour around despite the impending horrible weather. It began to really rain and snow for the entire day, and we were completely clouded in so we didn't bother to go up the Gornergrat Bahn which is a train that takes you up to a summit so that you are at a perfect point to view the Matterhorn, as well as take numerous hikes to see many of the alpine lakes in the area. We figured that with the weather supposed to improve the next day, we will do it then. The weather was so crazy in fact, that we even got a thunderstorm through the night! All of the locals we talked to said that it was quite odd to have a blizzard and thunder and lightning at the same time.
Today we went back, but our hopes of hiking and seeing the Matterhorn were repeatedly crushed. Unfortunately for us, all of the trains and lifts were closed except one that would take us up to a small village called Füri a little ways up the mountain. We decided to do it, because even the hiking trails were closed due to icy conditions. It wasn't a complete loss of a day, as we still had a really great walk through the snow, the village was very quiet, and we finally got to see glimpses of the damned Matterhorn (although I don't think Case is completely satisfied with the view we got... a trip back someday may be in the books).
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| The church in Täsch. The bells ring every half hour (including throughout the night) |
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| Old buildings and barns in the village, some dating back to the 16th century |
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| "Staddle Stones": these lifted the buildings, usually granaries, up off the ground to protect from water and mice |
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| Zermatt in the snow, Day 1 |
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| Walking through the old village and noticing more staddle stones |
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| A really nice example of one of the traditional style of the upper Valais homes |
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| I have a thing for shutters... |
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| Smiling even though his feet are soaked |
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| The mountains were completely flocked in by this point |
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| The Mountaineer Cemetery; a cemetery dedicated to all those who perished on the mountains |
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| One of the more interesting murals I've seen in a church... Notice the skeletal head in the TV, the skier and the man in a speedo... |
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| Zermatt Day 2 |
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| That's quite the horn |
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| Gophers/marmots wouldn't be my first choice of mammal to be immortalized on a fountain |
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| Main Street |
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| Do I spy the Matterhorn in the distance...? |
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| In Füri |
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| Zermatt below |
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| Impeccable form |
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| Actually hit him. Didn't mean to. |
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| Howdy neighbour |
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| "Maybe that's it..?" -Case |
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| Desperately trying to see the Matterhorn in any direction possible |
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| Sampling that Sweet Swiss Snow |
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| Tastes like Evian™ |
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| "Ok, that's gotta be it. I asked the lady." |
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| "See? Court, make sure you get a good picture." |
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| "Take a picture of me with it so we can prove we saw it" |
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| Wait a second... |
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| We're all waiting for the same thing. |
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| What Case thought was the Matterhorn |
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| The actual outline of the Matterhorn |
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| Photo proof! |
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| View from our window when we woke up to leave our place in Grindelwald. We miss it already! |
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| Trains with snowplows. My dad would appreciate this I think! |
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