The Matterhorn

It's hard to describe the scene from the top of the Gornergrat. You take a cog-wheel train from Zermatt at 1,800m up to the Gornergrat peak at 3,112 meters (10,210 feet).  Sweeping in a full panorama, you are surrounded by twenty-nine 4,000+ meter peaks, a tremendous glacier carves its way through the mountains, and the Matterhorn is perfectly framed as the lord of all.  It is the most striking view I have ever seen. And rather than try to put it into words, I'll show you with pictures and a short little video...

Also it must be noted, that I might have been the first person above 10,000 feet to wear linen pants (What? I was coming from Provence!).

Zermatt, Switzerland

Zermatt is an adorable little alpine village. Nestled at 1800 meters (5,900 feet) at the foot of the Matterhorn, it has thrived for hundreds of years. Napoleon used this site to create the first railway through the Alps to Milan (before there was even a train to use it!). The town lies in a glacial valley surrounded by twenty-nine 4,000+meter peaks. The Matterhorn being the prize attraction as it rests southwest without any other peaks around, providing those visiting the town an unprecedented view of the peak. Throughout the town little parks with reclining wooden chairs offer visitors the perfect opportunity to sit and view the monumental mountain.

Cobble stones pave the streets and wood houses wind their way through the alleys. In the winter, this town is a major hub for alpine skiing.  In the summer, it is a premier destination for high-intensity hiking, as many trails lead up past 3,000 meters. As with most tourist towns in Switzerland, there are some amazing hotels and 5-star restaurants, as well as local pubs and bars (everything is still abnormally expensive). It is a beautiful town with an unbelievable panoramic landscape, absolutely worth the trip. 

The tourists represent a very eclectic group. Young thrill seekers can be seen with their rugged look, bandanas and sunglasses, packs bulging for the long hike. Couples arrive to take in the scenic air and enjoy the 5-star service. Surprisingly a large number of elderly are here, walking the trails, using long ski poles for balance, here to breathe the alpine air and stretch their seasoned bones. I've also noticed a fair number of Japanese here on vacation, whether for hiking or just to take in the view, its hard to say, their dress would indicate the latter. For Zermatt offers something for every traveller, whether relaxing in the 1,800 meter air in the village or taking the Gorngergrat cog-wheel to 3000 meters, one can't help but take a deep breath and enjoy the surroundings.

The Glacier Express

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When thinking about how to fill my last week before school in Lausanne, Switzerland, I did a lot of research about top attractions in Switzerland.  I figured it would behoove me to learn a little bit about the country I was soon to live in for over a year. The Glacier Express consistently came up as one of the top attractions in the country, as well as one of the must-do items in the world.  So I bought a ticket.

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The Glacier Express is a train, outfitted with panoramic windows throughout the cabin and runs from St. Moritz in the Northeast of Switzerland to Zermatt in the Southwest. It starts at 1600 meters and winds its way down to the glacial valley floor and follows a track through the heart of the Swiss alps, along rivers and streams, through hamlets and larger villages, and then climbs its way back up the steep alpine slopes to finish in Zermatt at 1800 meters at the foot of the Matterhorn. It takes about 8 hours and travels through some of the oldest and most pristine areas of Switzerland...cool.

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I was pumped.

I met the train in St. Moritz and took my seat in 1st Class, windows arching overhead. The train pulled out of the station exactly on time (to the minute) and headed towards Chur. Through switchbacks and tunnels over towering bridges and a gentle descent as we made our way down the mountain to the glacial valley floor. Stretching out ahead of us, one could see how through the course of millennia glaciers carved their way through the landscape, leaving behind a verdant landscape for growing crops with towering mountain cliffs framing the scene.

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After Chur we entered into the "Swiss Grand Canyon", an area that for over a hundred years remained isolated from railway due to its gradient, but Swiss engineering prevailed to build rail through the gorge, providing us with a view of where the great Rhine river begins to form. Gentle waterfalls spray droplets down to the valley floor, trickling streams begin to form, brooks gather speed as they come together, a river begins to form, and all of sudden the waters are seen as a torrent as they move down the mountain. The water is an opaque milky grey, rich with minerals from the mountains.

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As we moved south, we bore witness to the formation of perhaps the greatest river in Europe, the Rhone. It forms the same way, streams running together to form the rolling river waters. On the slope towns that were founded in 800AD sit nestled into the mountainside. And soon, we entered the Valaise, Europe's northernmost vineyards and one of Switzerland's most prized growing areas.

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At Bis we began to climb. The train is outfitted with a cog wheel allowing us to turn forward motion into torque, pulling us from 400 meters to 1800 meters! We ascended a cliffside so remarkably steep it is hard to comprehend how the Swiss laid down the tracks.  But these tracks were actually made nearly 100 years ago by Napoleon seeking to create a connection from the Alps to Milan. It is a remarkable feat and the views from the train are shocking and absolutely beautiful. Unfortunately the weather did not cooperate for picture taking, but having windows surrounding the train allowing me to look straight up the mountain 2,000m and straight down to the valley floor 2,000m, it's an experience that is hard to describe.

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The train ride was amazing. The thoughts of the Impressionists still resonated with me as I watched the sprawling gorgeous landscape move past my window. It forced me to be present and mindful of the remarkable experience the whole way. If you have the time, this was an amazing trip and well worth the time and money.  It was breathtaking and culminated at Zermatt, an adorable town tucked right at the base of the Matterhorn. My experience there is summarized in following posts.  Such a cool experience.

For more information, check out this awesome interactive video about The Glacier Express HERE!

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A long travel day

St. Moritz, Switzerland

What follows is the story of my 14 hour journey from London to St. Moritz: 2 Buses, 1 Plane, 2 Trains, 1 Taxi, and 5mi Walking...

I woke up this morning at 7:30am in Kingston, London. I made sure my bags were packed and walked out the door.  After a long and wonderful journey around Europe, I was at last on my way to Switzerland, although the vacation was not over yet.

I walked 20 minutes to the bus, which took me to London Heathrow Airport (approx. 1 hour), although I was flying from London Luton Airport, so I had to catch another bus to Luton (1 hour). I arrived with time to check my bags and catch my flight to Zurich.

The flight to Zurich was an easy 2 hours. After disembarking from the plane and customs (“How long will you be staying in Switzerland?” “Oh, a year!”), I collected my bags, navigated to the train station and purchased my train ticket to St. Moritz.

As the train pulled out of the station, it hit me, I am in Switzerland! As the relatively urban landscape of Zurich fell behind, beautiful mountains began to unfold, a gorgeous lake spilling in the distance, green everywhere, and villages dotting the hillsides. Switzerland is beautiful and I haven’t seen anything yet.

Grr German Menu!

I had to change trains in Chur (2 hours from Zurich). As you may have heard, the Swiss train system runs like clockwork (pun intended). In fact, the timetable is actually printed on the station wall, because each train arrives on time to the minute and exactly the right platform, it’s amazing. Although that didn’t do me any good because I couldn’t read German and was looking at the bus timetable instead of the train schedule and I missed my connecting train. Oh well, I decided to get something to eat with the hour I had.

I found a little cafe with outdoor seating and asked for a menu. It as all in German and inevitably the waitress didn’t speak English. So I ordered a beer, perusing the menu, and ordered something with the words “Brot, Fritz, i Chur” for 20CHF (approximately $1=1CHF, Switzerland is ridiculously expensive, to be discussed in future posts) thinking that I would probably get a sausage and some fries from the local area of Chur. Oh how wrong I was. The waitress delivered a plate with 8 slices of cheese on it! For $20! Ugh, I had no time to order anything else, so I ate my cheese (which was good, but hardly filling) and caught the train to St. Moritz (1 hour).

A wonderful welcome to Switzerland

I arrived in St. Moritz at around 9:30pm. I had the foresight to call ahead and let them know I would be arriving late, good thing because the hotel closed at 8pm. They gave me a code to enter the hotel and then my key was waiting for me with a post-it note at reception (cute). It was a very long day, but I decided to walk around a little and see if I could find something to eat (having survived solely on $20 cheese, I was starving). I happened to find a little pub with a couple of people in it. It was warm and most importantly they were still serving food. Since I was a strange site in this city at this time, conversation started to flow ("I'm from Los Angeles. It's my first time to Switzerland. I'm about to start school in Lausanne...") and within a few minutes we were laughing together and having shots of Amaro to welcome me to Switzerland! A wonderful way to end the day and start my Swiss adventure!

One Wine Please

I was staying in Paris at an Airbnb. Everything worked out perfectly, if you haven't used this service, I definitely recommend it.  Although you have to remember that you are not staying at a hotel, it is definitely somebody's apartment. Here, there were a couple of roommates. I spoke with them when I checked in and gave them my "story". I let them know that I was a Sommelier and one immediately said, "Oh, my sister's boyfriend is a Sommelier. He just opened a wine bar. You should check it out." Absolutely!

So I walked about 25 minutes in a light rain to the neighborhood where this wine bar was. I found it and opened the door to find a very quaint little "wine bar". Wood racks containing various bottles, a high top wood table with five guests enjoying a glass, and behind that three guests resting on stools at the bar. A young man approached me and asked, "May I help you?" Apparently I don't even look French. I replied, "Bonsoir, I am staying with Emilie and her sister, Stephane who is the girlfriend of Mathew." "Yes," he said. Nothing huh? Ok. "Um, I am a sommelier and they told me I should come and see this wine bar. Um, do you have wine here?" "Yes of course, how many?" "Um, just one wine please," I replied. "Alright, right this way." He then proceeded to lead me to the back of the "wine bar" where there was a single table set up. So I sat down and he brought me the list. When he returned, I asked him for a recommendation and he offered me the Pinot Noir from the Loire Valley (a great recommendation).  He delivered the wine and said, "Enjoy," and left.  So there I was, sitting at a table by myself in the back of a french wine bar having a single glass of wine by myself. Classic.

I ended up trying to engage with the Sommelier a little further to discuss wines and wine tasting and the difference between Sommelier in the US and France.  The conversation was mostly one sided (as you can imagine) and lasted about five minutes. So I had my single glass of wine, but provided myself with my own notes...2014 Chinon by Domaine N. Grosbois: bright vegetal characteristics, jalapeño, spicy, bell peppers, red underripe cherries, delicate on the palate, light finish, young with minimal acidity, soft and delicious. Serve with Braised Lamb Shank with a subtle mint sauce.   

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Paris in the Rain

The Impressionist mindset: the moment is fleeting, light, movement and change surrounds us, the fragility of time is ever present and the pleasure of the moment should bring joy to the artist and subject alike.  These guys (and girls) were on to something.

An empty park on a rainy day in Paris

My second day in Paris was raining, which offered me the glorious composition of Paris in a different light. I love Paris in the rain (it's not just cliché, it really is beautiful). I decided to utilize this rainy day to visit the Musée d'Orsay. If you have never been to this museum, it is an absolute MUST. A tip for the wise, purchase your tickets online and skip the line that starts to form before the doors open. Also I recommend getting to the museum right around opening to enjoy the Impressionist Wing before the throngs of tourists arrive. While the entire museum is spectacular, the 5th floor (The Impressionists) is really the crown jewel of the collection.  Shhh, you're not allowed to take pictures...

"La Classe de danse" by Edgar Degas

Monet, Sisley, Boudin, Manet, Renoir, Pissarro, Cezanne...the rogue masters creating (arguably) not only the most iconic and identifiable art ever, but also the most strikingly beautiful pieces you can ever see in person.  It is a must.

One panel featuring the lily pond at dawn by Monet at the Musée de l'Orangerie

With your ticket to the Musee d'Orsay, you also have the pleasure of visiting the Musée de l'Orangerie (just across the river). This museum was commissioned by Monet. He wanted to create a space where a viewer can actually immerse themselves in his garden at Giverny (or his vision of the garden), where he painted some of his best known works. This museum or rather installation consists of two large oval rooms where four panels stretch around the entire interior of each.  You understood that correctly, two large oval rooms with soft light entering through oval skylights, with full length Monet murals surrounding the viewer. It is breathtaking and absolutely worth a visit.

Paris in the Sun

With only two days in Paris, I decided to take one day for the Musee d'Orsay and one day to "act like a local." The weather on my first day was absolutely gorgeous, so I decided to walk from my apartment (rented on Airbnb) to Le Jardin du Luxembourg. This was the right idea. I made a quick stop by Église Saint Sulpice. This cathedral is absolutely remarkable with gorgeous vaulted ceilings and towering stained glass windows and is often (very) less crowded than Notre Dame, offering one a welcome reprive from the warmth of the day and the stifle of tourists.

Le Jardin du Luxembourg was the perfect image of a French park. Old (and young) men playing chess (I also saw groups of four playing cards, I miss my sister!), grass tennis courts, shaded benches with young coeds laughing (how old am I?), pristine grass to picnic on, and a marvelous center fountain where children played with toy boats. Honestly, it was like a flim.