worth alllll the hype

some things in this world are famous for a really good reason … and are just truly worth any and all hype. these things are stunningly better in real life than one can imagine from pictures, and experiencing them for oneself is truly epic. the matterhorn is one of those things.

getting a glimpse of this iconic peak isn’t a super easy task. first, because weather is unpredictable, and clouds tend to like to form over tall mountains. and second, because the terrain and development around the matterhorn necessitates quite a long drive (that includes lots of tunnels!) from any major city.

we woke up early and traveled from lauterbrunnen to the town of zermatt (which is pretty much the gateway to matterhorn viewing), chasing the clear skies and constantly checking our weather apps. we drove along mountain passes, one of which included a train (that you drive your car onto!) through a tunnel. then, we parked in the town of tasch, and took another train to zermatt – where no cars are allowed. just as the train was pulling in and beginning to stop, we caught our first peek of the peak! it was seriously thrilling. we were so pumped that the clouds had stayed high and we could see that spectacular shape of gigantic rock. we quickly dropped off our luggage at our hotel and raced to get on yet another train, which brought us up to gornergrat, a high point overlooking the matterhorn.
that final train ride was genuinely one of the coolest experiences of my life. it wasn’t cheap (94 CHF!) but immediately it was worth every penny. we climbed and climbed among alps and glaciers, all the while taking in sensational views of the incredibly stunning matterhorn. we were so excited that the skies continued to be clear and we both just couldn’t believe how amazing seeing that mountain in real life, and up close and personal, was.

we hiked down along the train path for a while, just taking in our amazing surroundings, before getting on the train back down into zermatt after clouds had encroached on our views of the matterhorn. the next morning, after wandering around zermatt for a while, we nearly paid for the train ride again – it was that good! – but the weather wasn’t as clear and it was too risky…! instead we enjoyed the views – of the matterhorn and the paragliders flying over the valley - from the terrace at our hotel. then, we drove back to the zurich area to my brother’s house. that drive took almost twice as long as expected due to roadworks and traffic … but the scenery was ridiculously beautiful and we had one awesome pit stop at goms suspension bridge.

we so enjoyed spending saturday evening and most of sunday with our sister-in-law and niece. we ate raclette, stayed up late talking, attended church together, played and played around the house, and had great discussions. love those two so much! we did really miss my brother, tal! luckily he and his daughter are coming to london in december!

sooooo glad we were able to see the matterhorn. it really is worth alllll the hype! and then some.


^^ the town of zermatt – we zipped through to drop off our bags and get on the train while the weather held out! ^^

^^ our first view of the mountain from the train. we were seriously so psyched. ^^



^^  ^^ other spectacular views from the train. ^^ ^^
 
^^ at the top! ^^

^^ moses had just spotted a dog when i took this picture :) he gets sooooo excited when he sees doggies! ^^

^^ our lunch view. not to shabby, huh?! ^^

^^ surrounded on all sides by insane beauty! also that hot chocolate was so good. ^^
 



^^ as we were hiking down, clouds started to gather around the matterhorn. we asked a stranger to snap this family photo before it got completely covered! ^^


 
^^ we sat and tried waiting it out at the lake you can see in the distance, and at a hotel/restaurant a bit further down the path. we thought we might get lucky, as the clouds were moving pretty quick. and it was nice to just sit and breathe in the alpine air. but matterhorn viewing hours were over for that day, it seemed, and we eventually headed back down into zermatt. ^^
 


 
 
^^ the next morning, we strolled around town and kept checking over our shoulders/around certain corners to see if the mountain had peeked out of the clouds. eventually it did, and we considered getting back on the train! ^^
 
^^ no cars allowed in zermatt … so they have these darling little shuttle taxis. ^^

^^ moses saw these stuffed saint bernards all over the souvenir shops and was obsessed! ^^

^^ he wanted to give each and every one a hug and a kiss :) ^^


^^ this small amount of visibility and that large amount of encroaching clouds caused us to nix any plans to pay for the train again. but we were still glad to see some more of the mountain from zermatt before we had to leave! ^^


^^ the view from our hotel terrace. ^^
 
^^ at goms bridge! a really fun stop on our drive back to my brother’s house. ^^
 



^^ on the other side of the bridge, there were randomly some donkeys. moses was sooooo excited. ^^

 

^^ on our drive we happened upon a bunch of mountain goats! and a ton of amazing scenery that i didn’t photograph… ^^

^^ with our awesome sister-in-law and niece. we had such a great sunday with these two. ^^

until next time, switzerland!