"They Made Me Feel Small."
Welcome back to the 3rd blog of our trip to Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious Switzerland
Hope you like my last blog on Zermatt, here we are going to continue to spread our footprints in the Suisse landscapes.
Just to sidetrack, in case you missed out: Supercalifraglisticexpialidocious - A nonsense word from movie - Mary Poppins - it means something very magnificent, outstanding and wonderful.
The Matterhorn
The magnificent Matterhorn is standing at 4478 meters tall, is the most famous mountain in Europe.
The landmark of Switzerland is at the border of Zermatt and Italy's Aosta Valley, looks like a tooth in the sky.
The Swiss-German name for the peak comes from the words Matte meaning ‘meadow’ and horn meaning ‘peak’. It is called Monte Cervino in Italian or Mont Cervin in French.
The peak of the Matterhorn is actually African rock. The mountain is the result of the collision of two pieces of Earth's crust, the African continental plate and the Laurasia, or European plate. The peak is actually from the African continental plate.
The Matterhorn is blanketed in snow throughout the entire year! Because of this, the Matterhorn is one of the few places in the world where you can ski during summer.
However, Matterhorn can be seen almost everywhere in Zermatt due to its majestic position over the town. We explore around, admiring Matterhorn from different angles. In certain angles, we cannot tell that it is Matterhorn!
Do you know ? :The Swiss Alps cover more than 60% of the country's surface area but less than 15% of the Alps lie within Switzerland. Austria is the country with the largest part of the Alps with 28.7%, followed by Italy with 27.2% and France with 21.4%.
The Magical Moment
Grabbed these photos from the goggle, as I do not want to wake up SUPER early for the magical moment. Winter is too good for hibernating and my hotel's breakfast starts at 8am.
That moment when the sun reaches the Matterhorn is beyond to compare from violet to blue and to the golden glow of the first rays of sun – an awesome palette of colours greets you and the new day.
A safe tiny hut is built at the edge of the Matterhorn:
There is no cable car service on the Matterhorn itself so there are people actually climbing the mountain.
Perched atop the majestic Matterhorn lies the tiny Solvay Mountain hut constructed as a refuge for climbers in the Alps. Despite its small size, this hut can accommodate up to 10 people if needed.
It also has an emergency phone line for anyone who needs to be airlifted off the mountain due to an avalanche or injury. A haven in the midst of harsh weather conditions, the Matterhorn Hut provides climbers with the perfect place to take a breather and relax for a few minutes. Here are the photos I got from goggle.
We kicked off our day 2 with a hearty breakfast, it will be a long and challenging day so it is a MUST to fill up your tummy to at least 80% full. We are going to challenge more than 4000m above the sea level.
Shoes Spikes / Crampons It is absolutely fine to walk on fresh snow, but it is a big challenge to walk on old snow which has already became ice and it gets really slippery if you do not have a powerful shoe for icy terrain. Here are the spikes AKA crampons for our shoes which we put up to use for the trip to up to the mountains.
These spikes indeed cannot make it to Fashion Week but trust me, you will end up thanks theses spikes to aiding you to walk freely on the ice and end up laughing at those without spikes.
Do note that some in doored venues might require the removal of crampons, please look out for signages.
The weather is harsh on the mountain, we put on our ski pants with legging and wore a few layers of tops.
Here come The Matterhorn Express that come & go between Tasch and Zermatt every 15 minutes.
PEAK2PEAK Tickets
Today is our second day in Switzerland and we will be spending the day on the mountains of Gornergrat and Matterhorn Glacier Paradise via PEAK2PEAK tickets.
Before we purchase PEAK2PEAK ticket from Zermatt GBB station which is just right opposite of Zermatt Train station, the most important thing to do is to check the weather forecast at https://meteo.search.ch/ - this is so very reliable for up to 48hrs.
If it is foggy and you cannot see anything, what is the point to visit the peaks when the price is not cheap?
Well, luck is with us, the weather is clear on top so we are spending the money. With Swiss Travel Pass, we managed to purchased the PEAK2PEAK discounted ticket at CHF150 for 2 tickets
Just to share more, with Peak2Peak ticket, you can combine a trip to Gornergrat and Matterhorn Glacier Paradise in one excursion.
We will start from Zermatt GBB station by taking the mountain rail to Gornergrat then taking a series of gondola and cables at few transit stops before reaching Klein Matterhorn.
The pass valid for a day but it is not "unlimited" so plan properly as new ticket is require for duplicate stops.
The views along the way from 1800m of Zermatt to 3100m is speechless, let the photos and videos speak themselves:
Gornergrat Railway Station
To reach the Gornergrat, we must take a 30-minute scenic ride on the electric cog train up to the highest point cog train station in Europe. The journey offers one of the most beautiful routes in Switzerland that is so mesmerizing. Crossing through the tunnels, bridges, meadows, forest, mountain and as the train moves, we can see the Matterhorn from different angle, it was enchanting, indeed one of the best views in our lives.
This heritage landmark of Gornergrat Railway station has been serving nature lovers since 1898.
Large crowds of skiers gathered right behind of Gornergrat railway station, we followed suit and realised that there is the starting point of the skiing slope.
The Gornergrat Observation Platform
At the observation platform, standing at more than 3087 meters above sea level, we have the most incredible view of the Matterhorn and surrounding mountains that have been capped with snow ever since 1898!
The Gornergrat Chapel AKA Bernhard van Aosta Chapel
At the tip of The Gornergrat there stood a chapel that was built in 1950.
The exterior of the building is simple but elegant in washed white color.
Since we are already here in such a unique spot, we went in to take a look since there is no entry fee. Visitors are welcome to light a candle and enjoy the peace in the church while hiding from the cold.
3100 Kulmhotel Gornergrat
Walking slightly up to 3100,
Having a break at 3100m
The Toblerone logo by my cup of tea
Riffelberg Buffet & Bar
We are here for a bite and a stopover to change another leg of train ride to the Matterhorn.
A typical Swiss restaurant that cater the need to mainly skiers and tourists.
We stop by for a bite before going to transit at the next station where I don't think there is any F&B outlet.
Riffelberg Station
Riffelberg is a mountain station located in Zermatt, Switzerland. It is a charming blend of history and spectacular scenery. Visitors can enjoy a grandstand view of the alpine world, complete with the Matterhorn and many other 4,000-metre peaks.
During winter, there are direct access to the ski ground, winter hiking trails and the end of toboggan run track.
Furi Station
Standing at 1,867m, it is an area in the mid if the mountain which is only slightly higher than Zermatt.
On the day of our visits, we saw tons of skiers hanging around and mingling with one another here.
I heard that during summer, Furi is a great excursion point for everyone as Suspension bridge, glacier garden and BBQ area too.
Schwarzsee Station You can reach Schwarzsee by taking a gondola down from Furi to Trockener Steg. or in reverse,We took a 10 minutes break at Schwarsee Station because there are 2 beautiful spots to admire and capture into our cameras, which are the Lake, chapel and "Zermatt" sign.
However, there is a huge traffic of skiers on the path and from Schwarzsee station, I can see that the lake was totally frozen. Therefore, we decide to take the photos here.
The small lake nestled within the valley with a small chapel on the banks.
Can see from the photo that the lake became covered with snow and ice.
According to the locals. some mountain climbers prayed for a successful conquest at the door of the chapel.
Not far from the lake is the sign of "Zermatt" where we also took the photo from Schwarzsee station.
We are on the next leg of cable car to Trockener Steg.
Trockener Steg
The last cable car station before Klein Matterhorn is Trockener Steg, which is worth a stop. the views here are beautiful as well, and actually you're slightly closer to the Matterhorn here than at Klein Matterhorn.
Trockener Steg is one of the stations between Furi and Matterhorn Glacier Paradise.
This is an area before reaching The Matterhorn. Trockener Steg is standing at 2,939m which is a hub for skiers and snowboarders, 365 days a year.
Most of the people here to transit to another leg of cable car up to The Matterhorn, in other words, this is a transit stop on the mountain.
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Matterhorn Glacier Paradise AKA Klein Matterhorn (little Matterhorn) One of the best things to do in Zermatt is visit the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise. To reach Matterhorn Glacier Paradise, the only way is via cable car while transiting to another cable car. Hiking up is discouraged as the path is always covered with snow.
At the height of 3,883 meters above sea level, it offers 360 degrees view of more than 35 snow mountains of the region including Italy and France.
It is open 365 days offering different views of the season you visit. There is always snow no matter it is summer of winter so please dress well.
Viewing Platform of The Matterhorn Glacier Paradise This is the best place where gives you a breathtaking panoramic view of various mountains and glaciers.
There are ski slopes in our views too, but these are not easy, the wind was ultra strong that we cannot stood still, and the air was super ultra cold.
We saw quite a handful of people at different points trying to catch their breath. Even us, we also need to rest in between.
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"I travel because seeing photos in books and brochures was not good enough for me, To be there, that was everything"
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Up to here, we took every step slowly and breathe deeply, the impact of high altitude is here.
We felt slightly breathless and headaches, it is time to decend.
Took the cable car down and the last close shot of Matterhorn.
Our happy times in Zermatt & Matterhorn shall end here after spending 2 wonderful days.
Well, the end of this blog meaning the start of another; coming up next will be on the famous Interlaken. The remaining blogs of Spiez, Grindelwald, Lauterbrunnen, Wengen, Gimmelwald, Iseltwald, Colmar and Lucerne will be in the queue for publishments.
Here are the shortcuts to the blogs on our trips in Switzerland:
We visited Europe recently like The Netherlands & Belgium recently : Amsterdam, The Hague , Rotterdam , Kinderdijk , Naarden ,Muiden , Haarlem , Nijmegan, Brussel, Bruges
and Antwerp.
We even moved to stay in Denmark during the peak of Covid : Relocation from Singapore to Aalborg, Denmark
Meanwhile we will still be driving for short trips to nearby Malaysia especially gourmet trips to Johore.
At the time of writing this blog, I am in Denmark as my husband is here for a short outstation and we already booked air ticket to Tromso at the start of February. Hopefully we are lucky to catch the aurora.
Feel free, you are most welcome to browse through my other blogs to France, Japan, China, Thailand, Malaysia and cruises etc. I will be deeply blessed if you can like my facebook page:: followblueginger
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