• CH & IT Roadtrip
    Mountaineers' Wall ... or so I dubbed this landmark — Zermatt, Switzerland.
    Detail from the Mountaineers' Wall — Zermatt, Switzerland.The Marmot Fountain — Zermatt, Switzerland.The free community library is housed in a building from 1730 — Zermatt, Switzerland.St Mauritius Church — Zermatt, Switzerland.St Mauritius Church — Zermatt, Switzerland.Noah's ark painting on the ceiling of the nave ... St Mauritius Church — Zermatt, Switzerland.Bronze Alphorn ... in memory of the seven first ascenders of the Matterhorn — Zermatt, Switzerland.The bronze alphorn is on the parish hall steps — Zermatt, Switzerland.A quaint planter on the terrace of the parish hall — Zermatt, Switzerland.Pretzels anyone? — Zermatt, Switzerland.The Vispa rises from the glaciers in the mountains and runs through the valley — Zermatt.In the window of a gift shop — Zermatt, Switzerland.The English Church (St Peter's) — Zermatt, Switzerland.The English Church (St Peter's) — Zermatt, Switzerland.Charming old building on a back street — Zermatt, Switzerland.The charm of the old building is enhanced by colorful flowers — Zermatt, SwitzerlandNude watering the flowers 😜 — Zermatt, Switzerland.The friendship garden — Zermatt, Switzerland.Columns in the friendship garden — Zermatt, Switzerland.Mountain Guides Memorial (center) at the Mountaineers' Cemetery — Zermatt, Switzerland.Grave of the Unknown Climber in the St Mauritius churchyard — Zermatt, Switzerland.World War II Monument — Zermatt, Switzerland.The Vispa on our way to the apartment (circled in pink) — Zermatt, Switzerland.

    Zermatt: Day 2 … Exploring the Village

    28 Julai, Switzerland ⋅ ⛅ 48 °F

    Klein Matterhorn — aka Glacier Paradise — was socked in when we woke up. No surprise, I guess. There was snow in the forecast for the high peaks. The forecast called for more sunshine than rain in Zermatt village, however, so we flipped our plans for the day upside down to meander around the village in the morning, keeping our fingers crossed that the mountains would clear later in the day. That hope was squashed, unfortunately. Nonetheless, we had a very enjoyable day in Zermatt.

    Following a shortcut from the apartment that had us crossing the railway tracks, we walked to the village center after breakfast.

    Out steps took us first to what I have dubbed the “memorial wall’ to the Matterhorn climbers and the popular fountain decorated with mischievous bronze marmots. Stopping to photograph some of the older buildings that now house eateries and shops, we came to the parish hall where a bronze Alphorn installed on the steps of the parish hall attracted our attention. Decorated with bronze larch branches, it is a memorial of sorts to the first seven who ascended the Matterhorn in 1865. Had I known in advance about the tiny figures hidden in the branches, I would have taken some detail shots. Oh well.

    Next, we peeked inside the St Mauritius Church. Historical records indicate that there has been a church by that name in Zermatt since 1285 … likely a smaller version … slightly different location. Today’s church was constructed between 1913-1916; the clock in the tower was installed in 1925; and the Noah’s Ark painting on the ceiling of the nave was added during the complete renovation that was undertaken in 1980. After our brief stop at the church, we went to check out what’s left of the Hinterdorf … which I will leave to another footprint. Similarly, I’ll write in a separate footprint about the Matterhorn Museum we visited when it started to rain.

    While I detoured to the 1870’s English Church — aka St Peter’s — to check out the stained glass windows, Mui went in search of a place for lunch. We ended up at the restaurant at the Pollux Hotel again … ordering from the daily menu this time and enjoying our food on the sidewalk terrace despite the light rain that started to fall. By the time we were done with our lunch, the rain had let up, so we continued our wander.

    Our first stop was at the Freundschaftsgarten [Friendship Garden], a small park with a pond, benches, and a couple of sculptures. Peacefully serene. From there we went to the Mountaineers’ Cemetery, and then to the Matterhorn Museum I mentioned above was the last stop of our day.

    By late afternoon, our feet were screaming for some relief. Time to return to the apartment to rest-up.    Baca lagi

    Lihat terjemahan