Day 120: Nothing Else Mattershorn

There are a few ways to see Matterhorn, one of the tallest summits in Europe. There is a scenic train, a gondola (also used by skiers), and you can see it from the town. Online sources agreed the gondola was worth it so we forked over the money for the trams. We desperately wanted to ski as well, but we didn’t have our gear or clothes so the rentals and jackets alone wasn’t worth the price.

Visiting the gondola station the previous day, we power walked from the train and jumped on the next car. The gondola dipped up and down, and Kieran started to get motion sickness. We climb high enough that the casual skiers were hopping off, and we got very sad. We jumped off with them and took time to appreciate the slopes while Mary ate some snow. We finally make it to the top station at 3838 m and Kieran is feeling the altitude sickness. There is a panoramic viewing platform where you can see mountains and snow for miles.

Across from Matterhorn is a huge slope where skiers must climb with gear and eventually ski down. We were excited to watch the skiers execute their runs and a man next to us says, “I have something for you” and pulls out some powerful binoculars. Mary immediately notices he has a Bethany Beach jacket, complements him, and says we are from Baltimore. Surprise Surprise he’s from Baltimore too! We spent an hour talking to Ron Goldstein outside on the viewing platform about travel, Baltimore, and life. We talk so long we get cold and need to get Ron on his way to Italy.

The gondola pass also includes free entry into the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise Ice Castle which is carved into the glacier. We walk through pretty quickly because we lost all our heat talking to Ron. The ride down messed Kieran up and we needed food/water/rest immediately. Grabbed a half chicken from the grocery store and just sat at a park watching kids play ball.

Kieran wanted to hike more, but we decided this was a bad idea and got him home. It was the right decision as Kieran either had food poisoning or altitude sickness the remainder of the evening.

Spots:
Matterhorn Glacier Paradise
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