Thursday: After breakfast, we board the train and head for Zermatt. We have about a 3 1/2 hour trip including two train changes along the way.

One of those was the “Interlaken shuffle” which involves dragging your suitcase off the train, down a narrow ramp to an underground rabbit warren, and then back up another narrow ramp to the correct train. And this is done among hundreds of other people all trying to find the right ramp, the right train, etc. And you cannot dilly-dally. Swiss trains are on time. Always. It’s an adventure.

The second change is at Visp where everyone coming to Zermatt has to change trains. Along the way we see several buildings with these flat stone roofs.

After arriving at the Zermatt train station, we walk a short distance to the Bäckerei Café Fuchs for lunch.

I had the spinach pie and once again, I think we all had some sort of decadent dessert. They had plenty to choose from here. Several smaller versions of this restaurant are scattered around Zermatt.

After lunch most of our group left on a short hike while the rest of us headed to the hotel. On the train trip to Zermatt, we noticed a number of suspension bridges and our hikers got to traverse this one on their outing.

We stopped at a bookstore on the way to our hotel where I was able to purchase a copy of The White Spider in English. We had to wait a bit to get into the shop; it was closed from noon to 2 pm for lunch. Then we grabbed a cab to take us to the hotel. There are no cars in Zermatt; there are no highways into the town. But, there are many of these small electric-powered vans transporting people and goods around town.

Our hotel for the next three nights was the La Ginabelle Resort.

I did not take a photo of our room but it was very much like this only with one double bed.

And with a breathtaking view of the Matterhorn from our balcony.

Dinner that night was in the hotel restaurant with several interesting courses.

An after-dinner habit became sitting in the lobby area and listening to the lady play the piano in the bar. She was truly wonderful.

But the biggest attraction was the swimming pool. Warm water, but laser-controlled with streams that could massage almost any body part, as well as interesting underwater benches to sit on.

Friday: Clear day so the objective is to visit Gornergrat, the Gorner Glacier, which is part of the Monte Rosa Massif, the highest mountain wall in Europe. We start out by walking about 1/2 mile to a different train station; this is a cogwheel train that travels only to Gornergrat. It’s a 33-minute ride to the top.

There are several stops along the way – one shown below – and our hikers leave the train at Riffelberg.

The beginning of the hike was marked by this sheep statue, and the Matterhorn in the background. We were really lucky to have sunshine and blue skies during our time in Zermatt.

Further down the trail, they arrived at a lake with a clear reflection of the Matterhorn.

The kids were excited to see a herd of black-faced sheep on the mountainside. Interestingly, there was a shepherd nearby and later we found out that wolves have been reintroduced to Switzerland, thus the shepherd.These sheep also had a connection to a restaurant owner we meet tomorrow; they are her family’s sheep.

A group photo in front of the Matterhorn.

Heading uphill.

Finally, they arrive at Gornergrat at an altitude more than 10,000 feet.

They visit the few shops at the top and also had the chance to try a virtual reality paragliding experience over the Gornergrat area.

In the meantime, when they started hiking, I stayed on the train to Gornergrat and took a photo of the glacier.

I have to say I was very disappointed in the changes that had occurred since we were here nearly 20 years ago. The glaciers have receded so much. These glaciers all connected to the Gornergrat then and this area was a massive wall of white. Sad to see.

A photo of Ross at Gornergrat in 2004. Interestingly, we were also there in mid-July but obviously colder then based on the clothing we were wearing. And cloudier. I don’t think we saw the Matterhorn.

An area filled with cairns.

I went inside the Kulm Hotel to check out the shops there.

Looking at the knives at the Victorinox store.

Enjoying the view from the balcony.

View of the Matterhorn from the balcony.

Hiking options and times from Gornergrat.

Looking down towards the train station and track. End of the line. Matterhorn in distance.

I got back to Zermatt much earlier than everyone and discovered our hotel did not offer lunch. So it was back out for another walk to Zermama Bistro for a nice salad and crusty bread. I took along my new copy of The White Spider and discovered that to comfortably read this paperback I was going to need a pair of “cheaters.”

My walk back was along the river which seemed higher and more rough than yesterday. Our guides explained that sunshine and snowmelt affected its daily levels.

Dinner tonight was at the Hornox Restaurant. Very good steaks. Possibly my favorite meal of the trip.