Pictures from this day can be found here.
After a no-frills breakfast at the hotel we checked out and then headed back to the station, walking around the lake in the sun to find the Glacier Express train lined up and ready to go. People were posing outside for pictures, and it was officially a big deal with the passengers. We were no exception, and once onboard in our seats we took quite a few photos ourselves. The train itself was much more modern than I had envisioned. With huge windows on the side and above it was easy to take in all the scenery. Once the train left the station we went back down the same track we came in the day before. People around us jumped up to take pictures at every turn, but they soon discovered what I had found yesterday on the way in – the windows and sunlight made lots of reflections, and these pretty much screwed up the pictures taken from inside the train.
Still, it was good for Kuniko to see all the scenery that she slept through the day before, and with much better weather to boot. In keeping with the spirit of the affair I ordered a half bottle of champagne that we shared while taking in the sights from our seats. As we changed to a new train line and started the trip up the mountains the scenery grew more and more majestic, and by lunchtime we could see vast meadows between mountains, rivers and green grass everywhere. In the distance snow was covering the tops of the Alps, and I just put the camera away and let it all soak in. Lunch was a three course affair that was better than expected – a swiss chicken dish with vegetables, and pasta. Pretty tasty for being served on a train. With lunch we had a bottle of red wine, and so life was pretty good for us.
The downside of huge windows all over the train was that there were no shades, so with the sunlight pouring in and lots of wine in our bodies it was tough to stay awake. After a while dramatic mountains became a little more familiar, and I thought maybe it was time to doze off. Most of the other passengers had already nodded off, but Kuniko and I fought it to the bitter end. We managed to stay conscious all the way up the hill to Zermatt, and pulled into the Zermatt station at 5 p.m. pretty tired but alert.
Zermatt was touristy, packed with people, and a little ritzy, but had a quaint feeling that I ended up liking – more personality and homey than St. Moritz. The town has no cars, but instead is full of little electric mini-cars that act as taxis, delivery trucks, and what-not. All the Japanese tourists were a bit of a turn-off for Kuniko, but I enjoyed walking through town. We had no problem finding our hotel (Hotel Bristol). Our room had a very nice view of the Matterhorn, and I was very happy with the view while Kuniko was not so impressed. The room was very comfortable, and after we unpacked a bit we went back out into town to sightsee and catch dinner.
We had our first raclette at the Stockhorn – a restaurant/grill right down the street from our hotel. It turns out a raclette is just a pile of melted cheese eaten with pickled onions, pickles, and sliced mini-potatoes. It was really good, and at 7 francs per plate it was a great deal. Kuniko had a plate of veal sausage grilled inside the restaurant, and we sat right next to a couple of Japanese guys trying to figure out how fondue worked. The waitress at the place was really friendly, and she introduced us to Swiss beer – called Cardinal. Good stuff, and headed back to our hotel and bed after the delicious meal.
