HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!
As forecast, this morning was rainy when we awoke at about 7:30 AM. We lounged around in the room, working on pictures and the blog before finally getting motivated to go to the hotel breakfast at about 9:30 AM. We were not too excited about getting out in the cold and drizzly rain, and the mountains were obscured in the clouds. We were not sure what to expect, but since we had passes, we could just ride up and down on the cable cars if the weather was too bad.
Foggy & Rainy Morning in Zermatt
During breakfast, we actually got a few brief periods of sunshine coming through the clouds, so we thought that maybe the weather was already moving through and we would shortly see more of the sun. We were wrong, the sunshine was just a “chamber of commerce” trick to get all of us tourists to go up on the rides in Zermatt. Actually, the clouds were diminishing at one point, and there were some web cams on a TV in the breakfast area at the hotel showing clearer weather at the higher altitudes. It was short lived.
After breakfast, we dressed up in our warm clothes, and with all of our normal daily gear stowed in our backpacks, we headed out to ride the Gornergrat cogwheel train to the top of the Gornergrat peak. The Gornergrat area has been frequented by the Swiss for over 150 years according to the guide books.
Chuck & Stephanie at Gornergrat in Switzerland
Gornergrat is at an elevation of 3,089 meters (10,134 feet). The Gornergrat Train departs from a separate station nearby to the regular Zermatt train station, so it was just a 15 minute walk away from our hotel.
There was not much of a crowd, I suppose the weather had discouraged some from venturing out. The train ride is about 24 minutes long, and makes several stops along the way so that hikers can depart and walk the various trails. We are not hikers, so we went all the way to the top!!
The views from the train were spectacular, even with the cloudy weather. Once we arrived at the Gornergrat station, we set out to look around and find a good spot for some pictures. After we were there for about 10 minutes, it started to snow, and then there was also some freezing rain. Undeterred, we hiked up to each of the observation points to try and get a few pictures. The main view from Gornergrat is of the glacier field, which looked to consist of about 4 different glaciers. It was a pretty spectacular sight, and would have been even better in the sunshine.
Gornergrat Cog Train
We considered hiking down to an area that did not appear to be too far down the mountain so that we could get a better vantage point for some pictures of us using the tripod. Since the weather seemed to be changing, we decided not to try it. We had considered going downhill to the first train stop down from the top to avoid walking back uphill, but again, due to the weather, we decided against it. It was a good decision. What seemed initially to be a quick train ride between that station and the top during the ride up, turned out to be quite longer later when we actually paid attention as we headed down, and longer based on seeing the actual trail path there.
The Gornergrat Station – Elevation 10,134 Feet
After finishing looking around at the peak, we waited in line for the next train to go back to the station in Zermatt. It was then that we really were glad we had not attempted any hiking. It is not something you can start and then decide to quit, it was all or nothing, and the size of the mountains and open areas seemed to diminish the actual magnitude of the hikes. We are not hikers, did I already say that? What were were was happy and dry train riders!!
At the bottom in Zermatt, the sun was actually breaking through the clouds. We wanted to take the Matterhorn Glacier Express again since we had not had the time to make it all the way to the top yesterday before it closed. We headed to that departure station, which was on the other side of town. In looking at the ski lift map, which is what they give you to know how and where to catch the different cable cars and gondolas (these are all also used for skiing in the wintertime), it appeared we could catch two gondolas all the way to the top of Trockener Steg, where we would then catch the cable car to the peak. While this is true in the wintertime, the lifts connecting the gondola drop off point to the Trockener Steg area were not in operation this time of year, which we did not realize until we rode the two different gondolas to the top of the peak called Schwarzsee. This peak is actually in Italy, since the border between Italy and Switzerland is right near the Matterhorn. When we arrived at the top, we realized our error, and had to back track down one gondola ride to get back to the station to take the cable car (the same one that had broken down yesterday) to Trockener Steg.
Heading Up the Matterhorn Glacier Express
As we were approaching the cable car/gondola station, the cable car to Trockener Steg was also just arriving, so we thought we would time it perfectly, or just miss the connection. The latter happened, as we just missed the connection, the car was already departing when we arrived at the loading area. Since the cable cars run every 15 minutes, we did not have to wait long, and the clouds seemed to be decreasing with each passing minute. We took the next car up, and then transferred to another cable car to ride to the summit at 3,883 meters. It looked like a short ride, but as the car headed out over the glacier field, the size of the mountain and the glacier field dwarfed the actual distance. The vertical distance over the glaciers from one tower to the next was amazing, as was the actual vertical distance traveled between the two towers.
Glacier Ice – Matterhorn Glacier Express Cable Car
We pulled into the station at the top, and everything there was actually built inside of a tunnel in the mountain. We walked through the tunnel to an elevator that went up three stories to the observation platform, which was actually closer to 4,000 meters (13, 123 feet) in elevation. The last part of the journey to the top of the platform was a couple of flights of stairs, and we both thought we would not make it, the air was really thin. There were quite a lot of people on the platform, there was one group having wine and cheese, and we actually saw a couple of others smoking cigarettes. I guess they are used to it. Did I mention that it was cold, and a little breezy. We did not see anything that told us the outside temperature, but it had to be well below freezing.
Stephanie at the Glacier Express Mountain Top
We stayed up on the platform long enough to take several pictures, probably no more than 15-20 minutes, and then we headed down the elevator and to the cable car loading area. We had to wait on the next car to arrive, and it was then that you could really see how large the glacier was, and the mountain.
Cable Car Over The Glacier – Center of Picture
The cable car all but disappeared in the distance at the lowest point of the long drop between the two distant towers. There is one picture that you can barely see the car at all, and the car is quite large, large enough to hold 125 persons, and it is bright red in color.
Once we arrived back at the Trockener Steg Station, we ventured out and took some more pictures, glad to be in the dense air at the low elevation of 2,939 meters (9,650 feet). The sun was now almost fully out, and there were just a few clouds passing by. Unfortunately, the Matterhorn itself was still in some clouds since it is so much higher in elevation.
Standing On Man Made Snow – Trockener Steg
After we finished our pictures, we headed all the way back down into Zermatt and headed back to the hotel to rest some and to call mom on Skype for her birthday.
We then walked over to Mass at the Catholic Church, which is in the center of town, and just a few blocks away. After Mass, we headed out for a bite to eat before walking back to the hotel to work on this posting. We also needed to pack some for our departure tomorrow. We are heading to Strasbourg, France, our next stop.
Peak From Glacier Express Peak – 13,000 Feet
First thing in the morning, we plan on trying to re-do the Gornergrat train ride since it is supposed to be sunny weather tomorrow. We should be able to do this before checking out at 12:00 PM and starting our journey to Strasbourg. It will be another multiple change train ride, this time three changes, Zermatt to Visp, Visp to Bern, Bern to Basel, and then Basel to Strasbourg. We will be able to use our Swiss Pass until we get to Basel, and then we will have to purchase a separate train ticket for the remainder of the journey to Strasbourg, France.