Zermatt

Wow, what a weekend. The trip was 4 hours by train each way, so no mountain roads for Jeff to drive. In fact no cars are allowed in the town. Taxi, bus and delivery are by electric vehicle. This makes for an unusual quiet, and the ability to construct buildings very close together. Zermatt is a bustling town filled with outdoor enthusiasts, tour groups, extreme sports nuts, and folks like us. Many a person was strolling down the street with a sturdy pack on their back with poles or picks or spike shoes, to aid in the hiking or climbing. We took 2 separate journeys into the mountains. The first was on a cog wheel train up to Gornergrat, at 3089 meters. At the top there is a hotel, restaurant, and a nice shops area, which was a good thing having forgotten to pack Jeff a hat. We hung out here over strudel and enjoyed the amazing view, not to mention the cooperative weather. The rest of the day we explored the town and the very interesting cemeteries. Day 2 we decided to do it! It being the 3 section ascent to Glacier Paradise. The first segment was in a small 6 person 'bubble'. The next 2 segments were on large gondolas, not the kind in Venice, but the kind from James Bond movies. Having ridden chair lifts to go up a mountain, and not being really thrilled about them, this is a much preferable mode of transportation. I had packed for the freezing temperatures on the top, so we were comfortable scampering around the observation area, and the Glacier Palace. The last of the pictures, where we did get cold, was the path that skiers and boarders take to reach the slopes. It is also the start for some very ambitious walker/climbers, who connected by rope in groups, headed for a peak in the very thin air. We were at 3883 m. at this point. Wow! It takes my breath away just writing about it.
I picked up a new term on this trip, the four thousanders, in reference to the height of 38 peaks in the area! Good thing there was a lift, because that's the only way you'd get Jeff and I up there.