Toddlers and Mountains

After a leisurely morning lying in bed enjoying the view of the mountains out our window, we headed downstairs to find a full Swiss spread on the table for breakfast, including cheese, meats, breads, cereals, yoghurt, and fruit. Wow….

We were also trying to play with the children. Lukas was great, as he just smiled at anything we said, however Martin was a bit more unsure as he can speak French and German, but not English…..he asked Vero why Jo was still speaking English at one point! After figuring out that animal noises and peek a boo were a favourite, we

started getting on fine.

Today Jo and I also headed to the village of Zermatt in the mountains. This is a ski resort, where they are only allowed horses and electric cars and buses. It is the best place to view the Matterhorn (provided the weather is playing ball), the most photographed mountain in the world! The Matterhorn is also the inspiration for the Toblerone chocolate which copies the shape of the top of the mountain.

After tasting some local Swiss fare (veal sausage with Rosti and vegetarian tart alongside some local beer and wine), we went for a walk around the picturesque village. There was a folk festival on and
as such there was singing, dancing and traditional bands floating around everywhere with lots of traditional costumes. There were also some children herding goats down the main street…. doing particularly well too!

After several viewpoints of the mountain we ended up at the cemetery in the middle of the town. Here are the graves of everyone who has died trying to climb the Matterhorn, over 500 people dating back to the late 1800’s. Was quite an eerie place with lots of different styles of graves and monuments in full view of the mountain that claimed their lives.

After a quick stop at the local chocolate shop, Fuchs, which is a must when in Zermatt, we went up a funicular inside a mountain to Sunnegga. There were people with skis here as you can ski on the glacier further up the mountain all year round! From here we had an unobstructed view of the Matterhorn while we sipped on (questionable) coffee on the terrace. A great end to the day in Zermatt.

We arrived back at the Chalet after bedtime which was a win and just in time for another endless glass of wine and a home cooked meal of pork and vegetables. Ending the day starring at the stars over the mountains was absolute bliss.