Pictures from this day can be found here.

Despite being totally full of high calorie food last night, we were at the hotel breakfast table again trying out some local dairy products. We experimented with two kinds of yogurt made from Gruyeres milk. Kuniko had blueberry and I had chocolate, which turned out to be so-so, but an intriguing experience nonetheless. The coffee was really good, too. They serve a hot pot of coffee at your table, and they also give you a hot pot of milk, so it is up to you to set the ratio that you like. The milk is hot and frothy, and fresh from a cow, so it made for some very good morning drinking.

Our goal on this day was to take a tour of the local dairy, and relax the rest of the day. We managed most of it, with the exception of a little problem that we ran into. The dairy was back at the train station, so we geared up and went down the hill to check it out. Already there were some tours arriving in a bus to look around, and we ended up behind a big tour. It was a very simple tour, with some (excuse me) cheesy audio commentary, but pretty impressive to see the operation. They were making cheese while we were there, although the process was a little too long for us to sit around and see the whole thing. As part of the tour they gave you three samples of cheese – Gruyeres cheese aged for six months, ten months and twelve months. It was interesting, although when we tasted them it seemed like maybe they had made a mistake in packaging – the ten month cheese was very smooth, but the other two were still quite salty.

In the gift shop we bought some cheese as souvenirs, as well as our very own mini-raclette maker to experiment with back in Japan. Afterwards it was back up the hill to tour the Gruyeres castle. There was a huge international group there while we were touring, and they set up a big lunch party that we would have liked to join. The castle turned out to be much bigger than I had previously thought, and we spent a lot of time exploring it. Once we finished touring the castle we walked around town a bit, and then I made a fateful decision to walk five kilometers to the next town, as they also have a dairy that you can tour.

We set off from Gruyeres and walked down the hill to the train station, and then began walking towards the next town, called Moleson Village. At first the walk was very pleasant – along a river and through a small town filled with interesting houses and friendly people. However after half an hour of walking the sidewalk disappeared, and the road suddenly started going up a long steep hill. As we continued up the hill we passed a sign warning of a 12% grade ahead, and cars started passing us at dangerous speeds. It was a warm day, and so I was sweating pretty good, Kuniko was nervous about walking on the shoulder, and we were torn on whether to continue on or go back. We walked another twenty minutes or so, and then finally gave up. There was no end in sight, and the visit to the town was kind of arbitrary anyway, so we turned around and walked all the way back to Gruyeres. There we stopped at the first restaurant we could find and sat down on the patio to drink beers in the shade and rest up. I felt good after the exercise (especially considering last night’s dessert) and the beer was refreshing. We went ahead and ordered a slice of cheese quiche to go along with our beers, and it was excellent – they know how to do cheese around here.

In keeping with our goal to relax we went back to the hotel in the afternoon and took a long nap with the window open and the mountains surrounding the town in the distance – very relaxing. Now and then a horsefly would wander into the room from outside, but soon enough it would buzz right back out again, so a good environment to relax.

We woke up with a tiny bit of an appetite, so dinner was back in town at another restaurant. This time we ordered fondue (again) along with a raclette. The raclette burner they had here was a little different, but the results were the same – delicious melted cheese… yum. We also had a pretty good Swiss Pinot Noir with dinner. While we ate we noticed that the other patrons of the restaurant weren’t being served, and we had gotten our food almost right away. We were the center of attention as a lot of hungry people watched us pig out, but we didn’t mind. I’m used to getting a lot of attention when I go out in public.

We even had room for a cup of ice cream from the local grocery store before heading back and falling asleep. Despite the mountain hike it was a pretty relaxing day, but the calories keep on coming, and we were starting to get worried about our long-term health… two weeks of delicious foods is sure to cause some problems, right?

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.

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.

Pictures from this day can be found here.

Monday morning our only plan was to get to St. Moritz in southeastern Switzerland, so we took our time in Zurich before we left. We were still full from last night’s dinner so we did a little shopping in town from the stores that were closed the day before. Sunday in Zurich means a holiday, and pretty much everything was closed the day before, so we hit a couple of stores and then went off to the station. At the station we looked for a couple of sandwiches to take with us for lunch, but unfortunately we couldn’t find anything that looked appetizing. In the end we walked into the “American Bakery” that ended up having some pretty delicious bagel sandwiches. We were pleasantly surprised that the cheesiest store had the best food.

Once on the train it was a long trip up the mountains to St. Moritz. Despite the rain the scenery was gorgeous – huge mountains with waterfalls cascading down the side, cloud-topped rock faces and tiny towns nestled around a church in the middle of nowhere. Kuniko slept through most of it – there is something about riding trains and my wife – it is pretty tough for her to stay awake.

We arrived in the ritzy moutain resort town of St. Moritz around 3 p.m. The weather was still crappy, and quite a bit colder due to the elevation of 1800 meters. We walked around the lake that dominated the town until we reached to low-rent area where our hotel was. On the hill above the station was the upscale stuff, and it was very upscale. A little snobby for me, but Kuniko liked the town well enough. Once we found the cheaper area of town we kind of accidentally stumbled on our hotel (Hotel Sonne). We checked in and promptly couldn’t figure out the door to our room. I think the lock was stuck because of disuse, but once we got the hotel clerk up there she opened it right away. The building was a little old, the hallway smelled vaguely of cat litter, but once inside our room it was clean and smelled fine. I was relieved that the room was OK, because our options for affordable accomodation were pretty limited in that town.

After dropping off our bags the weather turned quite nice and the sun came out, so we walked around the high-rent part of town taking in the sights, snapping pics of the surrounding snow-capped mountains and doing some shopping. Since we didn’t really feel like eating out that night we bought some goodies at the local Coop store (our new favorite grocery store in Switzerland) and brought them back to our room just as the temperature really started dropping. We had a small party in our room, and opened a couple of bottles of wine, ate lots of Swiss cheese, along with some peppered salami and had a good time. We conked out a little early in anticipation of our trip on the Glacier Express the next day.

Pictures from this day can be found here.

Roger wisely arranged for a meetup on Sunday at noon, thinking that either he or we would be out late partying so it would be best to get a late start. Turned out to be a good idea. We woke up around 9 a.m. and lounged around the hotel room resting our legs (and stomaches). Outside it was sprinkling rain, but we decided to make a go of it and walk around town to do some sightseeing on our own instead of waiting around in the hotel room.

Zurich is an interesting town as it straddles a river flowing directly from Lake Zurich, and so it provides a lot of views involving water. The town is very well off, and the money shows. The financial district and shopping district are ritzy affairs, but other areas are well-maintained and very attractive to walk through. Kuniko and I spent a couple of hours walking around and exploring the town. They already had cleaned up a lot of the mess from the previous day, and sometimes I realized we were in the same spot as the previous day – I just hadn’t originally recognized it because of lack of people around.

We finished our morning walk with a breakfast at a different hotel, and enjoyed a typical Swiss breakfast – loads of bread and croissants, omelettes and cheese. I was very interested in the coffee, and our waitress was very friendly and patient with our ordering. She was even more patient when a group of what appeared to be off-duty porn stars came in and started ordering in three different languages. These women looked like they had worked all night, and I did my best to keep my eyes on my breakfast.

After breakfast we went back to our hotel and met up with Roger in the lobby. He had some big ideas for the day, and so we sat down at a nearby cafe (that turned out to be quite famous) down the street to sip alcoholic coffees and hot chocolates and plan out the day. When I realized that we were actually in the famous cafe that I had hoped to visit, Roger was surprised that I even knew about it. Then I showed him my Lonely Planet guidebook that I had installed on my iPhone, and he saw that most of the destinations for the day were there. He half-jokingly asked me just what we needed him for – we had all the info we needed already. I was a little bit afraid that we hurt his feelings, but we didn’t know him quite well enough at that time to realize that he was kidding.

With the weather turning to blue skies, Roger proceeded to give us a guided tour of Zurich that was entertaining, comprehensive and humorous – he was a great tour guide. We went to the top of churches, examined stained glass windows, posed for pictures for Nancy, hit bars, saw a steamboat, and just about covered every major sight in town. We ate macaroons at a historic wall overlooking the city, where city elders had dressed women as soldiers to give the enemy the idea there were more fighting men available than really were. The spot provided an excellent view, and it was a great place to relax in the sun. Before the last stop of the tour, a panoramic bar at the top of a historic downtown building, we gave him the present we had bought in Germany, a bottle of wine from Rudelsheim, the wine town that we had visited on the first leg of our trip. Turns out he is a big wine fan, so we were happy to get him something (a little) rare in Zurich.

Roger’s plan for dinner was originally to drive us to his favorite restaurant outside the city on the hillside above Lake Zurich. He was a little worried about whether he should drive or not considering we were hitting bars and having drinks now and then during the day. We managed to convince him to share a taxi with us, saying that we would pay the bill. The taxi fare was almost 70 Francs to the restaurant, and before we could pay Roger beat us to it. We were paying for dinner, so we let it slide after some protest.

The location of the restaurant, perched on the hills above the lake, was pretty dramatic. We had a cocktail out on the terrace and enjoyed the scenery. There was absolutely no pollution or smog above the city in the distance, and the deep blue color of the lake really contrasted with the bright green of the hillsides. It was a beautiful location, and we drank it in until it started to get cold. We went inside and grabbed a big table in the dining room and set to ordering. Roger knows the owner, chef and staff very well – he’s a regular – so he kept asking for dishes that weren’t on the menu, and he was good enough to translate the menu items that we couldn’t figure out. It was a rare experience for us to travel and understand the whole menu – and so we took advantage and ordered some things that were very Swiss.

Loads of delicious food began arriving at our table – we did a rotation of three appetizers, and then a rotation of three main dishes. Finally a rotation of three desserts, and that pretty much did us in. We managed to drink two bottles of very delicious Swiss wine (Swiss wine – who knew?). As the night wore on other customers left, and the staff came over and sat at our table talking with us. Roger translated what we were saying, and we felt like we were regulars ourselves.

The owner Maya came over and held court for a while, telling us a couple of dirty jokes (faithfully translated by Roger) and entertaining us while we finished off our meal. Some of the cooks came in and sat down, too, so it was a full table. Maya gave Kuniko and me some Toblerone chocolate bars to take home with us, as well as some postcards showing the restaurant – she was a very kind woman. During the commotion Roger snuck over and paid the bill before we could get to it, and no amount of complaining or threatening could get him to let us help pay the bill. Too nice.

Also late in the evening Roger’s roommate Johnny came by. He had to go to a business dinner so couldn’t join us for dinner, but he stopped by afterwards, and we got to meet him. He was a cool guy, too – and after the evening wrapped up he drove us all back into town.

The dinner was definitely the highlight of the trip – something that we couldn’t ever do on our own, and something we’ll always remember. Sorry, Lonely Planet.

We said our farewells to Roger and Johnny on the sidewalk and then headed back to our hotel for our last night in Zurich. Roger turned out to be a great guy – and we’re hoping he’ll have the chance to visit Asia sometime in the future so we can return his hospitality.