The weather was perfect - clear blue skies with only a scattering of cloud for most of the day, no wind and very comfortable temperatures. The further south we progressed, the more the countryside became some of the most beautiful and spectacular I have ever experienced. Majestic mountains, pine forests, glacial valleys with streams running through them, all punctuated with occasional waterfalls and an assortment of the most quintessential Swiss chalets and cottages as seen on chocolate box lids.
Obviously the terrain became more mountainous throughout the journey, to the extent that the last 2 trains were driven by pinions which engaged a toothed rack mounted to the track between the two rails. The angle of incline was incredible!
The Matterhorn is 4478 metres above sea level and Gornergrat is about 3100 metres. That is the highest altitude I have ever been to on land, by quite some margin. The views were predictably spectacular in all directions, but the rarefied atmosphere made it tough going walking around the paths and between the viewing platforms. We took lots of photos and had cold drinks on the terrace outside the restaurant. And yes, I got sunburnt and yes, I was in a short sleeved shirt even though the temperature was apparently zero degrees C!
On the way back we spent some time walking around the picturesque town of Zermatt, where we also stopped in at a typical, traditional Swiss restaurant for a dinner of authentic Swiss Raclette. (Google it if you don't know what it is!) We arrived back at our hotel around 21.15, tired, sunburnt, but extremely satisfied after a truly memorable day.
No comments:
Post a Comment