The Most Beautiful Place on Earth

Day: 97-98
Km travelled: 137.94
Height Reached:3,135 m (10,285 ft)
Steps: ?
(forgot my power adapter in Montreux, so my Fitbit wasn't charged!)
Location: Zermatt & Top of the Gornergrat Mountain

December 12-13, 2017

Following a wet 2 days in Montreux / Geneva, I was ready to move on. The ski resort town of Zermatt was my next destination (view from the train, photo, left). It might seem like an odd place to choose for someone who doesn’t ski and who’s been complaining about the cold for the last 4 months.  However, like most other decisions I’ve made about this trip, the choice was arbitrary.  I looked on at a map of Switzerland, cross-referenced that with the routes of the scenic trains and chose Zermatt as a place to call home for a couple of nights.  What a fortuitous decision it turned out to be!

I left damp and rainy Montreux mid morning and arrived a few hours later to snowy Zermatt.  While the sun did not grace us with its presence, the weather was mild and there was no precipitation (yeah- mother nature was finally on my side).  Snow abounded everywhere you looked.  People carrying skis and snowboards walked around town.  As Zermatt is a car-free town, small electric vehicles shuttled people and goods.  Wooden chalets-style buildings lined the streets.  As the crisp mountain air filled my lungs, I felt my rain-induced slump start to dissipate.  After checking in, I debated taking a cable car up to the Rothorn mountain to get a scenic view over the region.  There’s a handy website with a live-view webcam and I could see that the visibility at the top was ‘so-so’. 

After hemming and hawing for some time, I sent off for the cable car station.  Well, turns out as it was 2pm and the last returning cable car was at 3h30, I wouldn’t have enough time to do this activity.  Well, that decided that. 

I took advantage of the remainder of the day and walked around the village.  Stores selling winter gear and renting ski equipment, restaurants, souvenirs shops and many hotels make up the town, with a river running through its centre.  This is the picture I had in my head whenever I pictured Switzerland.  Idyllic, peaceful and snowy.  The view from my room (photo, left) confirmed my earlier suspicion: I was in a Swiss paradise! 

I decided that rain or shine (please Lord, let it be shine) tomorrow, I would head up a mountain (there’s a few options) and take in a view I might not have an opportunity to see again. 

I woke early and before even getting out of bed, checked the webcams to evaluate the visibility.  To my surprise, the view from the Gornergrat was perfect! There was sun and it appeared clear as far as you could see; the Matterhorn, the star of the region was picture perfect.  That was it, that’s where I would be going today.  I excitedly jumped out of bed and threw open the curtains.  I literally let out a shriek of joy!  Bam!  There was the Matterhorn, right in my face, peaking over the neighbouring buildings (photo, right)

While the view out my window the day before had been wonderful, I hadn’t realized that the visibility had been poor as I was not able to see any of the mountains surrounding the town (I hadn’t realized that I should be seeing these and didn’t know what I was missing).  I could not believe it: I could see the famous Matterhorn from my room!  This was the start of my obsession with this famed peak.

The Gornergrat Bahn is a mountain rack railway that connects Zermatt to the summit of the Gornergrat.  It takes about 30minutes to climb the 1,469 m  to reach the top and the view is along the way is definitely worth the journey in itself!  There’s various stops along the way, some to reach ski slopes, others for accessing different hotels.  (If you’re interested, check out the Gornergrat Bahn map)

The Gornergrat Bahn train

The minute I stepped off the train, I knew I was info something magical.  Accompanied by all the skiers, I walked a few feet towards the open area at the start of the ski slopes and there she was in all her glory. Standing tall at 4,478 m meters, the Matterhorn is iconic.  Its pyramidal shape can be recognized the world over.   The sun was shining, the sky was blue, the weather was mild and the wind was absent; my photo loving self was in heaven!  

Come on! How cool is that?? Imagine skiing next to her?

I spent the next few hours exploring the Gornergrat and observation station.  The summit of the Gornegrat is 3,089 m above sea level.  There’s a restaurant and shops, as well as an outdoor terrace overlooking the Matterhorn and accompanying mountain range.  Despite the cold (-7 degrees), I couldn’t resist to sip my morning outside, soaking in the view.

From the observation area at the highest point, you get a 360 degree panoramic view of over 29 mountains above 4000m, including the Matterhorn, Monte Rosa massif and the Forner Glacier!!  All I can say, it was EPIC!

I couldn’t get enough of the view!  Everywhere you looked, massively impressive peaks greeted you.  Gleaming white and positively sparkling in the sunlight.  I’ll admit, it was a very poignant moment for me, standing amongst these wonders.  I’m not a skier (although I really want to be now!) and certainly not a hiker.  Had I not taken this year of travel, I likely never would have found myself in Switzerland in winter, let alone standing atop the Gornergrat.  I couldn’t help but acknowledge the good fortune that had brought me here, on this gorgeous day.  In fact, it was quite lucky as the day before was overcast and the previous day had been closed due to high winds!  I lucked out!

Some of the other 4000m+ peaks 

This had to be the most beautiful place on earth!  You feel like you are on top of the world, just one more of these colossal mountains.

The Matterhorn though, what more can I say?  Awe-inspiring! Stunning!  Powerful! I could go on, I told you I’m now obsessed!

Unfortunately, when it was time to go, the train had some technical difficulties and could not return passengers to Zermatt.  However, fortune was smiling down upon me again, because we had to take a few cable cars to get down the mountain!   Again, the view is simply amazing.  I was wonderstruck.

Great view of Zermatt at the bottom of the final cable car

Walking back from the cable car to the village, I was greeted with even more sightings of the glorious Matterhorn.

What an amazing day.  Reflecting back, this experience was definitely in the ‘top 5’ of the trip so far!  This was the quintessential Swiss experience I had dreamed of and it had come true.  How cool is that??

(Ive refrained from including in the post the 176 photos of the Matterhorn I shot, however if you’re interested in seeing more photos, check out the ‘Best of Zermatt’ gallery below.  Just click on any image to make it bigger.)