Day 13 - Zermatt

We started the morning off with a leisurely stroll around the gardens on Lake Lugano, then back to hotel for checkout on the road for the long haul journey to Zermatt. BUT, not before passing the St Gotthard Pass, I thought yesterdays San Bernardino track was bad but OMG this was terrifying. Even John was sick of the bends and ups and downs by the third pass we had to do today. No video, I was focussing for dear life 1) not to be sick and 2) doing a virtual brake and turn on every chicane. After St Gotthard, we then had to take the Furkapass.

There are 3 ways of travelling the Gotthard Pass 1) through the modern tunnel - 16.9 km's long and takes roughly 14 minutes, 2) the Gotthard Alpine Pass which is a more modern version of the option 3) the Roman Road, cobblestone pass. We took Option 3, which is 24 km's (15km up and 9km down) and not for the faint hearted. Then when you think its all over and my stomach is about to settle, we see this zig zag road ahead and this would be the Furkapass 12km up and 17km down.

Morning walk around Lake Lugano

Lugano to Gotthard Road

Gotthard Roman Road

The Furkapass and onto Tasch

We arrive in Tasch which is the transportation hub to Zermatt as Zermatt is a car free town. We board a train for a 24 min train ride through the Alps and see the Matterhorn in all of it's glory.

It is a 20 minute walk from the train station to our hotel, John is not a happy chappy as we has been driving the most treacherous roads for the last 4 hours and is a "grumpy ol' Hector". Fortunately there is a telephone where you can call your hotel and they come and pick you up in these modified golf cart buses.

Zermatt is your typical Swiss village, timber chalets with potted flowers. Some photos below.

The Matterhorn - Triangular. A cragged rock “tooth” ranging into the heavens. Standing alone on the horizon. A magnet for alpinists, aesthetic emblem, mountain with ideal proportions. Rugged rock with magical light. Playing in a sea of clouds and horizontal colouring. Seeing enough of the Matterhorn? Not possible! At 4,478 metres, the majestic Matterhorn stands very proud in the landscape.

The Zermatt village is heaving and very very active, it has an apres ski atmosphere but without the snow.

John has porcini risotto tonight - was quite the performance with the serving of it.