Zermatt

We left Bern this morning on the 9:07 AM train to Zermatt (via Visp). The leg between Visp and Zermatt actually forms part of Glacier Express route. But we had never seen this part because we took the Glacier Express heading East from Visp toward St. Moritz. In any case, the hour train ride between Visp and Zermatt is said to be one of the most beautiful in all of Switzerland. We can't argue with that. See pictures.

We arrived in Zermatt around 11AM and immediately went to the Alpine Center to book our guided tour of the Breithorn for the next day. Then we headed to a sporting goods store to rent the necessary hiking equipment (i.e., crampons, a climbing harness, mountaineering boots, and ski poles) before finally checking into our room at Hotel Couronne. We were so preoccupied we never really got a good look at the Matterhorn until we opened the doors to our balcony in our hotel room. It was absolutely awe-inspiring to see it in person for the first time. Except for muttering an occasional "wow," Pam and I sat there for some time in stunned silence admiring every detail. See more pictures or see video.

Our grumbling stomachs finally motivated us to get something to eat. We found a cute little outdoor restaurant serving traditional Swiss cuisine. We sat at a table with a great view of, what else, the Matterhorn. After lunch, we took the cogwheel train up to Gornergrat (3090m). See video. Our guidebook said it is the "highest open-air rail system in Europe." The observation terrace at the top offered wide open views of all great Alpine mountains in Switzerland's Valais region (there are a lot of them). Being surrounded by all those massifs was a bit dizzying, but that could have just been altitude sickness taking effect.

From our vantage point at Gornergrat we could also see the summit of Breithorn. I nearly s**t my pants. Breithorn is supposed to be one of the most easily climbed 4,000 meter Alpine peak, but it is still a 4,000 meter tall mountain. And from our angle there didn't look anything "easy" about it. We were both a little rattled. I was starting to wonder if maybe we had gotten in over our heads. Passing a cemetery on our way back to our hotel with a gravestone of a climber who died climbing the Breithorn didn't help matters. Coincidentally, the climber was from New York City. See even more pictures.

We had an early start the next morning, so Pam and I went to bed early. Our heads were filled with a mixture excitement, suspense, and fear as we laid there trying to fall asleep. It promised to be an exciting day ahead....