Maudie

Martha,

Thank you for the info and I will look forward to your trip report. We would like a nice little town to stay in for 2 nights. We have been looking at Filisur as there is a walk from there to Wiesen via the Landwasser Viaduct and we would like visit some other places in the general area but the hotel there didn't get great reviews so I will check out the Rosatsch.

Thanks again.

Suelynne

Marigross, Thank you for your report. I laughed at your description of browsing shops in St Moritz. I had excatly the same experience there a few years ago.

LLindaC

maudie- we stayed at Filisur for an overnight and enjoyed it. There were some good hikes. There are 2 hotels there I would recommend..

marigross

Day 19- On the Glacier Express from Samedan to Zermatt

After one last, large, long breakfast of strawberry preserves and bread we checked out of the hotel and walked to the train station. We boarded the Glacier Express wagon and found our seats without problem. As this train ride takes over six hours, I had been mildly concerned about the temperature but it was early morning and not nearly as hot as our experience with the Bernina Express.

Within a few kilometers we were marveling at the wonderful mountain views and stone bridges. Every single Japanese tourist in Switzerland must have been aboard that train! Our wagon had some vacant spaces and a French family sat behind us. The conductor told them that those were reserved seats and if someone claimed them they had to move, otherwise they could stay. I was almost floored at this show of Swiss flexibility! The French boy cried for a good half an hour before his mother finally moved and let him have her window seat. The mother talked CONSTANTLY for the ENTIRE duration of the SIX HOUR trip. Her family did not pay that much attention to her so I guess they were used to her monologue. By the time we arrived in Zermatt I was ready to smack her.

We had a light lunch of soups and salads which were served on our seats. DD slept 80% of the trip. Someday she will realize what she missed and regret it. The ride is gorgeous but I was expecting more glacier views than what we actually saw…I mean, it’s the GLACIER Express….Still, I am very happy that we did this and would recommend it to anyone that is patient enough to sit it out.

The closer the train gets to Zermatt the more impressive the views get. The last 15 kilometers I could do over and over again. Just before arrival the landmark peak appears, the Matterhorn in all its glory.

I must say that I was prepared to dislike Zermatt. I have no idea why but I had the pre-conceived notion that it would be a mix between Las Vegas and a retirement community for people with too much money.

As we came out of the train station we walked among the crowd down the main street and its souvenir shops. There were hundred of jewelry stores, thousands of Japanese tourists, millions of t-shirts, plastic cows, and red, white-crossed coffee cups…

BUT here and there one would catch a glimpse of an old, tumbled down chalet; there were flowers in every window, one passed sweaty, dirty people carrying climbing gear and every kind of rope ever woven. We saw older ladies in hiking boots drinking coffee in the sidewalk cafes. There were kids riding every kinds of mode of transportation ever imagined. It was vibrant and happy. And then….there was the Matterhorn.

I loved it. LOVED IT.

Even though the hotel would have picked us up (if we had called instead of rushing out of the train station) we wound up walking to the hotel. I had packed the map into the suitcase and it required a few stops to ask where Hotel Dufour was. Well, Zermatt is not that big…I think most hotels and garnis in the area have comparable facilities and offerings according to their rating. I did not see any hotel in Zermatt where I would refuse to stay, they all seemed to range from Decent to Very Nice.

Our room in Hotel Dufour was quite nice and big. It had a sitting area, a little balcony and the most spacious bathroom of the entire vacation. As soon as DD saw the hotel’s mini golf she wanted to go play. We cleaned up a bit and changed into fresh clothes (it was not steaming hot but it was not particularly cool either) and got golf clubs, balls and tally sheet from the hotel reception.

It was totally silly but we had fun. I was winning so DD started complaining that I was violating our unspoken agreement which requires that I always do worse than her at any sport that we attempt. Before we realized it was time to go for dinner.

DH had asked for a few restaurant recommendations from the hotel receptionist and we headed into town. We finally decided on the Old Spaghetti Factory mostly on availability as it was 8:00 and the restaurants had not turned the tables around yet. I had lasagna, DH had tagliatele al pesto and DD had mussels in red sauce. This was washed down with the, by now normal, two half liters of red wine. We were all very happy with our meals

As we ate we watched recordings of Orienteering events on the restaurant big screen. This sport is very popular in Switzerland (DH has several friends which are very involved) and is a mix of cross-country running and map reading. Participants are given a map of the area with the location of checkpoints marked. They have to find them as fast as possible (or walk) and stamp their log at the post.

DD wanted to buy ice cream and walk to the hotel by herself. After several admonitions that the walking-by-herself privilege was restricted to small, safe towns and would be suspended once we left Zermatt, she got her three francs and happily skipped away.

DH and I lingered over coffee and then went for a walk through town before heading back to the hotel and crashing for the night.

Next: Gornergrat

Maudie

LLindaC,
yes, please, I would love the 2 hotels in Filisur that you recommend. I am trying to stay within the budget of the ones on www.rooms.ch if we can.

Marigross,
Food, wine and icecream, sounds like a perfect holiday.

LLindaC

hey maudie, I don't want to hijack the thread....if you want to write me personally at [email protected] I will give you my Filisur info. The hotel by the railway track had great food, friendly staff.That was the Grischuna ( sp?) We stayed at the Schoental. While it was a nice setting, nobody staffed the desk. NO kidding. We had to summon waitresses to get our keys at check in and to check us out. They didn't get our bill right, and we got called at the railway station. AWFUL! Terrible service.We had dinner at the hotel Raetia and it was lovely. I think either one of those hotels would be great. The town is very cute, right on railway, but has charm and many nice hiking trails and villages close at hand. It was a pleasant surprise. By the way, marigross, your description of Guarda is shocking to me! It must have been the "festival". When we were there in June, we hardly saw a soul in town. Very quiet, almost eerie. Like Soglio. I think the time to visit is in June! FAR fewer tourists. BTW, what do the Japanese do with all those pics? Maybe I'd be a millionaire if I sold photo albums in Japan!!

marigross

Day 20

Today was Thursday and DH had made arrangements to meet with one of his friends in Zermatt for the weekend and had thrown some ideas around what they could do but had not made solid plans. One of the things they had considered doing together was going up to Gornergrat but when DH saw this glorious morning he was worried that we would miss the good (excellent) weather if we waited until the next day.

We got up early and as soon as I looked out the window I saw hundreds of people running around in all directions. It was the day during Swiss National Orienteering Week when the participants run through the town of Zermatt and the hills around. There was a checkpoint just outside our window so we could see as the runners came in.

There must have been at least fifty kids under the age of ten going through the checkpoint (by themselves or in ‘packs’) during the half hour we watched. It looks like a wonderful sport for the entire family. There were older people of all sizes and fitness level, some walked, some jogged and others RAN. In the younger categories I saw almost the same amount of boys and girls. In the ‘real’ running categories there were still a lot of women but the men still predominated. I think this is a sport I could take up….when I move to Switzerland…well – I can always dream of it!

Breakfast at Hotel Dufour won the all-around prize at the best of all the places we had stayed. First there was the food: multiple types of bread, cheese, cold cuts, yogurt and a huge assortment of cereals, granola, and grains. And second: the breakfast room had a view of the Matterhorn in all its glory. And so our plan was set, we would go up and not risk a rainy day tomorrow.

The ride on the cogwheel train was as spectacular! As we went up we could still see hundreds of Orienteerers running like ants through the outskirts of town. We were soon above the tree line and in full alpine tundra. The train made several stops before our final destination: Gornergrat.

I know I’m being repetitive but: WOW! The views were drop-dead gorgeous. It was quite crowded and touristic but it is an absolute must-see. We went a little uphill to look around from a 360 degree viewing point. In the observation point there were stone mounds everywhere, similar to trail marks or maybe Tibetan cairns. DD and I built one of our own from the ruins of a previously collapsed tower.

The sun shined so bright on the glacier that sunglasses were an absolute must. Through the binoculars we observed different groups of hikers/climber up on the surrounding peaks. The grand scale of the mountains distorts distance making the people look so close and the peak reachable in a couple of hours…luring the unwary hiker!

After ten-thousand pictures we pulled ourselves away and returned to the train station in order to go down to Rifferalp, this was our trail head for hiking this day. DD was not excited to go walk again but she put up with it even if she kind of hung back throughout the day.

The first part of the walk was mostly downhill and not very strenuous (it would have been different if we were walking uphill!). Our direction was Grunsee where we planned to stop for lunch. After maybe an hour of walking through the forest we reached the restaurant/hotel. DD stayed to get us a table – as she would not partake in any unnecessary walking- and we kept going to the lake.

The lake itself was nice and for a while we looked at people diving in and jumping out. That water must have been COLD. Most people just sunbathed and picnicked. It looked like a wonderful location to spend the day.

Back in the restaurant DD had a very expensive but decent chicken breast with mixed salad and I had a ‘croute’ that was not nearly half as good as the one I had in Bettmeralp. DH ate all the leftovers. We shared some white wine. For desert DD had a vanilla milkshake and I had ‘Williams’ (pear liquor) ice cream that was incredibly good

After lunch we still had to complete our hike by walking to Sunegga. Of all the trails we had walked I found this one to be one of the worst marked. We actually lost the trail two times and wound up walking on dirt roads only to find it again when we saw other people coming down in the opposite direction.

We did not really have a good trail map and we were depending on the signs so when conflicting directions were given we had no way of evaluating which way was better. If you read ‘Sunegga 20 minutes to the left’ and ‘Sunegga 40 minutes to the right’ it can be assumed that the 20 minute route will be quite steep and the other one would flatter. The operative word is QUITE.

Up to this moment this was the only hike in which I really struggled to make it up the hill. I still blame it on the super-heavy lunch! But struggle I did and so much that I did not even notice the scenery around Sunegga. We headed straight to the train that would take us back to Zermatt.

This train (more like a semi-vertical elevator) goes through a shaft. We tried to get the three of us into a cabin but it was packed solid and we had to split up. Once I made it I called DD’s name to make sure that she was in. DD could not hear what I was saying and stepped out of the car to come to where I was! I could have smacked her! But she made it into the car before the doors closed.

The ride down was hot, stinky and stuffy. The car was so packed that we were just in full body contact with the people around us. It was very unpleasant. DD began to look pale after the first couple of minutes and by the time we came down into the Zermatt station she was decidedly green.

The blast of COLD air coming out of the shaft into the exit tunnel was enough to revive us and we walked to the hotel.

We took showers and rested for a while. DD wanted to play another round of mini-golf and we did until the rain interrupted us. What a shame…I was winning! After we gathered our umbrellas and raincoats we headed into town.

It was 7:00 PM and every restaurant was packed. We had agreed on having pizza and decided in one of the places recommended by the hotel – “Grampi’s”. I did not know at the time that it was mentioned in the guidebooks. The place was packed but they took our reservation for 8:00. We wandered a bit around town looking at the few souvenir shops that were open and before we knew it, it was time to eat.

We were seated in a corner by the front windows, almost above the street. It was great to people-watch from above. The pizzas were very good. I was beginning to feel a need for seafood (not a Swiss specialty and very good at home) so I ordered the ‘Grampi’ signature pizza. It was deliciously covered with shrimp. I know that seafood is tricky as it is full of water but if they would have managed to make the crust stay dry, that pizza would have won the all-time best award. Delicious!

A half a liter of red wine (Dole) was followed by a second one as we sat there watching all kinds of people stroll by underneath. DD took off to buy her ice cream in the street stand (she was quickly becoming a regular) and for once came back after she had eaten it.

By the time we were done with eating the rain was a mere drizzle and we happily walked home.

Next: Breithorn and the Great Vacation Hike

marigross

Day 21

After another nice, LONG breakfast during which the hotel staff had to replenish the cheese and meat tray a few times, we got ready to meet DH’s friend and his girlfriend. I asked DH about the plans for the day and he replied that we would go up to Trockensteg and look around. ‘Okay’, I said, ‘are we going hiking?’ ‘Well…not really …- he replied, because the girlfriend is a self-declared ‘city girl’ and not into hiking at all’.

As I started to put on my trusty Clarks walking shoes (which had been perfectly fixed in a Samedan shoe shop) DH said, “But why don’t you put your hiking boots on anyway? You know, in case we walk somewhere anyway…” I was ready to leave the room when he asked: ‘Why don’t you take the pole as well? It never hurts you know…’

I should have known at that moment that there was something going on….

We met with DH’s friend in the hotel lobby and after a round of introductions we took off for the gondola station. The ride to Trockensteg was spectacular. We went up from the grassy pastures of the Zermatt outskirts, past the tree line into the alpine tundra and over the glacier.

I think that if I had to select a single destination in Switzerland, it would have to be Zermatt. Jungfraujoch, Pilatus, Corvatsch are all stunning but happy Zermatt and the Matterhorn steal the show.

We reached the platform on Trockensteg and took countless pictures. Absolutely gorgeous! There were a few clouds and the Matterhorn tip was continuously covered but still the sun was shining and the temperature was adequate (not COOL mind you but comfortable).

After ogling to our hearts content, I saw DH having a talk with his friend P in front of the trail map with the guide book in hand. They wanted to walk the trail from Trockensteg to Schwarzsee. They came back and showed us the trail description: 6km long, 200 meters in elevation height with an estimated duration of 3 to 3 ½ hours.

My mind screamed: 6 Kilometers taking THREE HOURS!!!!....something does not add up here! The elevation noted was only 200 meters but no height profile was provided. Something was very wrong….could it be a typo on the book? But if so, which one was it: height, length or duration?

P somehow convinced his girlfriend (GF) that she could easily walk the trail arguing that she had walked more than that the day before when she was in Paris – yes, poor GF has arrived VERY late the night before from Paris and had not even slept that much.

I took one quick look GF’s shoes….oh oh!...she was wearing nurse-like city-appropriate walking shoes. I opened my eyes very wide at DH: ‘do you think this is a good idea?!??!?’ He pointed out that DD was wearing Converse tennis shoes. I counter argued that DD was really Spiderwoman’s baby that had been switched in the hospital and given to me by mistake and that she could probably climb the Matterhorn in flip flops if given the chance.

I got the distinct feeling that I was being herded towards the trail head before I could raise additional arguments. Hmmmm, very suspicious! Is this why he strongly suggested that I wear hiking appropriate clothes and shoes? Had they planned it all along?

Not more than 100 meters into the trail the path got rocky and steep. I pointedly looked once again at DH: This poor woman is going to break an ankle on this path! I was ignored.

For once I was not the slowest hiker on the group and I walked happily by myself (me and Trusty Hiking Pole) on several stretches as DD took off and disappeared once the terrain was interesting enough (read rock climbing) and DH hung back with P and GF.

This trail is breathtaking. The terrain is quite varied and we walked over a lot of sandy slickrock and rubble. The trail got steeper and steeper as we went down but I was taking my time and I must say that I enjoyed every step of it (except for the ascent to Schwarzsee soon to follow).

DD waited for me at a lookout point and I stopped for a couple of minutes until the entire group was there. GF laid on the ground and was asleep within seconds. She was exhausted but at least did not have anything sprained or broken so far. We just sat there and watch the cable car gondolas hang over the glacier abysm. At this point we had been on the trail for almost three hours and we still had some ways to go.

After a resting a bit we got up (GF was literarily lifted by P onto her feet). Within a couple hundred meters we went around the hill and could see that we were now in a bowl and that Schwarzsee was still quite some way up the hill.

As we approached the final stretch the path changed to gravel. This had the clear disadvantage of holding and radiating a lot of heat. The change from the dirt path to the gravel trail must have been of at least 15 degrees.

DD and I started off together up the hill and we could see that it was at least half a kilometer with a steady STEEP slope. We agreed that the best approach was not to look at how much more we had to go and we resorted to singing (there was some panting involved) silly made-up songs to one another. It was HOT and gritty. In the last switchback we turned around and could see DH quickly approaching but P and GF were lagging behind. At least the path was fairly even and I did not fear broken ankles and helicopter rescues anymore….

Our ‘just keep going strategy’ worked until we were almost all the way to the top. DH caught up and we sent DD ahead to find a table in the restaurant. The last 200 meters did require a few stops to catch the breath. I must publicly acknowledge that I don’t know how I would have made it up to that restaurant if I had not been hiking daily for the last three weeks and very used to hot weather.

We plopped into the restaurant terrace and waited for P and GF. They were at least half and hour behind and wanted to sit inside on the shade. The heat in the steep trail had been almost too much for both of them. I had not considered heatstroke as a possibility during the hike but to me it was quite clear that they were not very far from it at the moment.

After cooling down we had lunch. P and GF, to my ever lasting admiration and awe, were in a good mood and were even laughing a little bit!

Slowly we left the restaurant and headed back down into Zermatt by way of the Swcharzsee cable car. We decided to go back to the hotels and meet with P and GF later in the evening for dinner.

We were happily relaxed for a while in the room. DH had seen an announcement that there was a ‘goat parade’ through Zermatt at four o’clock. So we got our shoes back on and headed into town. We sat on the church square to wait and were rewarded with a spectacle of a different type.

There was a wedding taking place in the church and the honor guard was assembling outside. There was a horse drawn carriage waiting to take the newlyweds after the ceremony. People were taking pictures of the driver and team as well as the honor guard carrying their standards and swords.

When the bride and groom emerged from the church it turned almost into a mob scene. The Japanese lapsed into full blown picture-taking FRENZY. They constantly interrupted the wedding photographer by stepping next to the bride to pose and take their own pictures. Some people even walked all over the bride’s gown train! It was madness… at least the bride looked so deliriously happy that she did not even notice what was going on.

We finally figured out that we had missed the goats and returned to the hotel to shower and get ready for dinner. I was betting that P and GF would be too tired to come but I was pleasantly surprised when they came down. We had a great dinner together and said our goodbyes as they were going to Gornergrat the next morning and we would not see them again.

Next: The Last Official Vacation Day - otherwise known as ‘There are no easy hiking trails in Zermatt’

enzian

Wonderful report, Marigross. I came across this while researching hotels in Zermatt, where we will be next summer. Woul dyou particularly recommend the Hotel Dufour? Did you like the location, etc? Do you have any advice regarding staying in the village versus staying up at either Kulmhotel Gornergrat or Hotel Riffelberg? Thanks!

kopp

Thanks, enzian, for bringing this back up. I missed it while I was gone, and it's such a good read!

marigross, bravo! This is really nicely done. I can relate to so many of your experiences. You've really captured the essence of the Swiss experience.

And I definitely agree that one of the biggest WOW moments on our trip was the view at the top of the Gornergrat. Unbelievably breathtaking!