Pictures from this day can be found here.
Once again we took advantage of the free breakfast at the hotel, and found some yummy items. The bread was not bad but they had a creamy milk honey to spread on it – no need for butter. It was a high-energy start to our day. We checked out of our hotel but stashed our bags in a “kids playroom” while we went to go check out the Klein Matterhorn.
Near the end of the same street our hotel was on we found the bottom of the lift to the “Matterhorn Glacier Paradise”. We went up to buy tickets and noticed that there was no price posted anywhere. Anyway, it was something we really wanted to do, so we bought two tickets, and they turned out to be nearly 8000 yen each. Wow! Still, it’s only money – how many times in your life can you stand on top of the Swiss Alps?
We caught a gondola on a ropeway system that was the most complex I’ve ever seen. It was divided into stages, but you never had to leave the gondola until the last stage. We kept going higher and higher, and people that paid less had to get out earlier. We just kept going – each stage we thought was the last, but it continued up and up. The temperature dropped rapidly outside, the wind picked up, and I was starting to think that a T-shirt with a fleece top over it wasn’t going to be enough protection.
Finally we reached the top (or so we thought) and got out of the gondola. The summit was rocky with some patches of snow, a few small lakes of melted snow a couple of restaurants, and a gift shop inside a cement complex that looked more like a bunker than a tourist destination. But as it turned out, we kept on going through the bunker to the other side, and there was waiting an even larger gondola – something out of a James Bond movie. We packed inside with a bunch of people wearing ski and climbing gear, and then the doors closed and we started up to the very top peak – the Klein Matterhorn.
By now we were well over 10,000 feet, and snow was everywhere. It was bright and I could feel the sun burning my cheeks already. Kuniko was a trouper – she is not big on cold places, but she knew I was into this trip and she stayed with it. As we got closer to the actual summit you could start to see the other gondola station. It was actually built into the side of the mountain, and after docking we walked into a man-made cave the led through the mountain to the other side. Inside the cave it was like a sci-fi movie – supplies lying around everywhere, construction equipment and cold wind blowing through made it seem like we were settling on another planet.
At the end of the tunnel was a gift shop/pizza restaurant. After walking inside a suddenly warm restaurant full of cheesy souvenir gifts it felt even more strange. Beyond the restaurant skiers and hikers could hit the slopes, and back in the hallway was an elevator leading to the very top of the peak where they had built an observation platform. We took a ride to the top, and enjoyed a spectacular 360 panoramic view of the area. The temperature was sub-zero, but we were lucky that the winds had subsided, so it was OK to stick around for a while in our light clothes. We took lots of pictures, looked across the mountain into an Italian town just down the hill, and we could see far back into Switzerland. Across the way you could see the tiny dots of climbers traversing crevasses on the way to climb a distant peak – just incredible views up there. After talking a Japanese guy into taking our picture together we headed back to the elevator, and then caught the gondola back down the hill. It was certainly worth the money after seeing that view.
The trip to the top and back was about two hours, and it was probably the best sightseeing spot of the trip for me. I was still snapping pictures on the way down, too. It’ll take a while to sort through all the images I collected.
Next stop was back to the hotel to collect our bags and then we went over to the station and caught a train out of Zermatt. The next destination was the dairy town of Gruyeres, and there were quite a few transfers and train changes to get there. First was the town of Visp, where we caught another train to Montreaux. Between Visp and Montreaux you could see just how many terraced mountain vineyards there were in the area – thousands of acres – I had no idea that they produced so much wine. I’ll definitely be on the lookout for more Swiss wines in the future.
Montreaux turned out to be a nice town on the edge of Lake Geneva, and there we caught an old fashioned three car train that left the station and starting winding up back and forth up a mountain, giving us more impressive views of the region as we went. The tiny towns we traveled past seemed remote but they commanded an incredible view of the lake and surrounding mountains. The small town of Chamby impressed me as well – it looked like a nice place to get away and spend some relaxing time.
We kept on going and we started wondering if we were on the right track (so to speak) but finally we came through a tunnel and emerged in rolling green hills, pastures and farm animals. Then we knew we were headed the right way. Not long after we arrived at our final transfer point, Montbovon. We caught our last train there and went about five stops before arriving at a Gruyeres’ small train station.
The hotel people had told me that it was easy enough to find the hotel. Just walk uphill about 10 minutes and you will see the building. The trouble was that there were several hills. We decided to follow the signs to the town of Gruyeres as there wasn’t much else around, and it turns out that it was the right decision.
As we crested a small hill we could see the town of Gruyeres up ahead. High on a hilltop it had a small castle behind it, and looked kind of like a walled city. The closer we got the more tourists and buses we could see, and I kind of had a sinking feeling, but once we arrived and looked around we started to enjoy it. On the surface the town is like a small tourist trap – with shops selling typical souvenirs and quite a few restaurants on cobblestone streets. But I think the longer I was there the more I enjoyed the slow pace of things there. Despite the tourists you could go just one street down and avoid them, and there was plenty of things to explore in the countryside.
Despite assurances, however, the location of our hotel eluded us, and after consulting with the tourist office we found it fifty steps out of town. That turned out to be a good thing, as we were away from the hustle and bustle during the tourist rush, and we could spend plenty of quiet time relaxing. That was the original purpose of stopping in Gruyeres for a couple nights – food and rest after our Alps adventure.
The hotel was nice enough. Although a little dark, the rooms were spacious and very comfortable. As usual, we settled into the hotel and then went out in search of sights and food. We chose the Chalet de Gruyeres in the center of town and ordered up a pot of fondue along with a cheese platter – because we like cheese a lot. Fondue was great, and the big surprise was how good dried meats are when dipped in cheese. Pickles and pickled onions were also a big hit – somehow you can always eat more pickled things. We drank Cardinal beer and tried lots of new cheeses, and finally Kuniko ordered dessert. The most diabolically unhealthy dessert I have ever eaten. It was hard sweet meringue, with two scoops of ice cream on top and a big cup of thick heavy cream to pour over the top. By the time we managed to finish it off I was sure I could hear my heart starting to slow down.
We walked around town a little more afterwards to burn a calorie or two before heading back to the hotel and bed. I wasn’t sure if I would survive the night, actually. Figured I’d have a heart attack at some point, but apparently my body is more resilient than I thought.
