Switzerland

Zermatt and the Matterhorn. Hiking and exploring the Swiss Alps. Which are freaking amazing. The trip to Switzerland was a fam trip. Which means it is a group of travelers put together by the ground operator. And the travelers were all travel providers of some sort with the goal of us returning and sending guests to visit. This trip was 100% comped, including air, which it not usually the case. And because of this the flight schedule was not direct. Also it meant the entire group was going to be on the final trip into Zurich. And so, I decided that since no doubt we would be waiting on luggage at arrival I may as well check a bag. I also decided that because I would be meeting the group I should make an effort to dress fairly nice as opposed to my regular adventure travel attire. And that was my biggest mistake!! We arrived in Zurich. My luggage however did not. Our itinerary was a busy one and also active. We arrived in evening and the next day was a full hike. And I stupidly wore cute shoes! This was a big dilemma. Luckily the group were experienced travelers and so that first night at my dinner everyone had brought one item from their luggage and presented it to my so I would have things to wear. And for shoes.. well there was a 30 year old guy in the group with a spare pair of running shoes. So rather than my well worn in hiking shoes I was going in sneakers! They were perfect by the way. And the luggage did catch up with my on day 4.

Our first stop was Bern, the capital city. We had a brief walking tour and overview of the history and its medieval architecture. Then continued to Interlaken. We had dinner at a restaurant at the top of Harder Kulm. We had to take a funicular to get to the restaurant 4340 feet above sea level, and looked like a small castle.

And it was clear in the morning. I looked out the window of my hotel room and was surprised to see a cow in the building across. We were staying in Interlaken, town located between two lakes - Lake Thun and Lake Brienz. It is in the magnificent Jungfrau region and offers views of the famous mountains: Eiger, Monch & Jungfrau.

We took a train to Bernese Overland and then rode a cable car up to do some hiking. We had lunch at a local restaurant and then took the train back to Interlaken.

The rest of the afternoon is all about food. Visited a local farmer and tasted fresh milk and cheese. And then to chocolatier and learned about the different types of chocolate, and tasted them all of course. Dinner was raclette, which is basically cheese fondue.. a giant wheel of cheese is melting slowly and scraped onto bread and veggies.

The next morning we packed up and started towards Zermat. First we traveled by boat on Lake Brienz, with its crystal blue and turquoise water. Next we boarded a boat to an open-air museum in Ballenberg.

After lunch we boarded the famous Glacier Express enjoying the views along the way to the town of Zermatt which lies at the foot of the Matterhorn. The Matterhorn is one of the most famous mountains in the world and the surrounding town is a popular vacation destination. And it is completely a car-free zone.

We take a cable car up one of the mountains and hike alongside the Matterhorn and Monte Rosa Massif. We visit the Gornergrat and ride Europe’s highest open-air cogwheel railway. We also visited an ice castle on top of Klein Matterhorn, Swiss Alps. At 12,470 feet it is the highest point in Europe reached by cable car. Temperature was about 60 degrees colder than the base.

Our final day we took a train to Visp then another to Geneva, bordering on France. Suddenly so many people around were speaking French. We passed through the countryside and arrived in beautiful city continuing to the airport for our flight home.

A few interesting notes: Switzerland is not part of the EU. They use Swiss Francs not euro. Though many larger stores will accept euro they will give change in CHF Cash is still widely used. The Switzerland railway system is extremely efficient and punctual. Best way to travel around the country and very easy to navigate.