Ta Ta for now Matterhorn

We'll miss you but we'll be back.

Off to see our awesome Swiss pals now!

More hiking... Without sticks

So today the clouds parted and the rains cleared so we could see the lovely Matterhorn yet again.  She was hiding the past few days, but now back in full view.

We had breakfast...  Took a quick peek through the hotel telescope...

Where we literally were able to see people on the top of the Matterhorn.  It was crazy!  What an accomplishment to climb and so cool to see people standing up there.

We decided to leave conquering the Matterhorn to the professionals and set of on the much more manageable "5 Lakes Tour."  It is about a 6 mile hike that we took a funicular train and a ski lift to get to.  We rode up to the town of Blauherd to start the hike.  (We decided this go around that we would mostly opt for hiking down the Alps rather than up them - and starting in Blauherd let us do that.  :)

This is us on the ski lift pod.

So off we went!  They gave us these nifty little pamphlets when we bought our train/lift tickets that if we stamped them at each of the 5 like and then turned it in at the end - we'd get a prize!  Well - I like a challenge so we were totally up for going after that prize.

The first lake we arrived at wasn't too far down the path.  It was called, Stellisee and was very lovely.

We sat on a rock for a little bit before heading off towards the next lake.  But first we got our stamp.

The signs along the hikes here are just helpful enough to be confusing.  

We took a sort of detour through some marshy mud, but made it to what we hoped was the right trail to get to lake #2.  It was a long, long hike zig-zagging down the side of one of the Alps - I'm sure our knees are going to love us after this trip is over.  This is a shot of the side of the mountain we trekked down.

The second lake was back in some woods and was gorgeous.  It is called, Grindjise.  

We actually ran into some folks there who were from Minnesota and Oregon.  They know Cassie Potter's in-laws so Cassie if you read this, we saw people who live on the same lake as Corrie's family!  It was fun to chat with them for awhile.

Onward we went, over this little stream.

And to the next lake, Grünsee, which was a more level hike, not down the side of a mountain.  That is where we decided to lunch on the sandwiches we brought with us - not a bad view for a picnic.

Other than the really loud, crazy group of kids from a camp - it was very peaceful.

The next part of the hike was another lovely path through the trees down a smaller side of a mountain where we found ourselves at the lake, Moosjisee.  Lots of construction going on around Moosjisee so we collected our stamp and pressed on!

Time to head to the last lake, Leisee, which would conclude our journey.  This is where the hiked tricked us and made us go partly up a mountain, which was pretty steep.  Some how we made it...  Maybe just a bit on the slower side.  Stopping to take more pics of the Matterhorn as we climbed our way up to Leisee.

Here is the final lake on the journey... there was a kid's park there so there were lots of kids running around and falling in the lake.  It was still pretty.

Plus we got our final stamp! 

Time to find out what prize we won.  We were thinking maybe a pin or a piece of chocolate - is the suspense killing you?  It was something we would never have guessed -

Backscratchers!  A totally odd prize for successfully completing the hike, but hey we'll take it.

It was a totally great, less strenuous, really beautiful hike.  So glad we got to do it.  It was so awesome it left me seeing 2 Chris'.

Birthday Boy!

Kicking off the day with Breakfast Birthday Prosecco for the Birthday Boy.

And getting ready to hike around some lakes...  We'll see if we need to hike up an Alp to get there.

Favorite sign in Interlaken

This was my favorite sign in all of Interlaken.  It was at the ropes course we went to this afternoon.

I want to know how many people were mistakenly using the toilet in that way before they felt the need to get a sign.

Coeur des Alpes - Breakfast time!

One of the many things I love about the adorable hotel we are staying at is... They serve you breakfast with coffee and hot milk...  amazing jams with delicious bread...  and also this...

A glass of Prosecco with breakfast.  I like how they roll.

Off to Interlaken!

Today we decided to adventure out of Zermatt. It's the second day in a row that the Matterhorn has been fully covered by clouds. After a good rain last night the sky is a bit less cloudy but still it's enough to cover most of the Alps near us. So, to Interlaken we go!

Interlaken seems like a great if maybe touristy place to visit. The chance for adventure seems high after researching things to do around the towns. Mountain vistas, ATV tours, rope courses, shopping- all waiting for us to spend our Swiss Francs. :)

We have a 2 hour train ride back to Interlaken. We used our fancy Swiss Flex Pass to save 50% on an additional travel day! The Swiss trains may be punctual and gorgeous but they are not inexpensive. 

... A few hours later...

Interlaken was interesting. It got overcast and a bit rainy so the photos became scarce (sorry folks). We did have a good time though. 

We decided to try something called Sielpark ropes course. It was advertised as a "15 minute walk" from the Interlaken West train station. I think we got mixed up in the conversion from 'Murican units to the Metric system. It took us a bit longer, though I really didn't mind wandering around Interlaken with Marissa.  There are way worse ways to spend an afternoon. 

In our defense though there were signs we are predisposed to following. 

It's really hard for us to not follow signs for curling, especially since we don't get to see many if those back home. In this case it proved to be a little misleading. 

After the brief detour through town we finally figured out where we were supposed to be going. Into the woods!

There, we had zip line fun and adventure! For 2.5 hours we zipped and climbed and wobbled in the tree tops. We were not the most adept people on the courses (so many Swiss kids put us to shame) however we were better than the two little girls who ended up in front of us on the Flying Fox course (so at least we have that, and the very little pride that comes with it). They would not let us take our phones on the course so all our pictures are on Marissa's real camera. We did have tons of fun though and we are both really glad we picked that activity to do. 

We walked back through town after the ropes looking for post cards and a late, late lunch. This proved a bit challenging but I did learn that Interlaken likes to keep it classy with the establishments and shoppes they let in town. 

And

Interlaken wasn't quite what I thought it would be. It's not as pretty as most of the other parts of Switzerland that we've seen. It looked different than what I imagined and most of the pictures we saw ahead of time. There looks to be plenty of stuff to do: paragliding, hangliding, ATV rides, general outdoor fun times outside the city, but the city itself is not so enticing to me. Not as charming as Zermatt nor as hip as Zurich. But I'm glad we went with no regrets. 

We finally found a place to eat a bit of late lunch/early dinner: pizza and beer. It's tough to go wrong with that combo anywhere it seems. 

We are on the Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn now, almost back to Zermatt. It's been a long, fun and exciting day filled with adventure. It seems to have caught up with Marissa (just a wee bit). 

Tonight will be a quiet night in front of the fire, eating chocolate, cheese (maybe a sandwich) along with some prosecco. Good times all around. 

Botanischer Lehrfpad

After another hearty breakfast today we set off in the Swalps for adventure. We chatted with one of the owners of the hotel for a bit this morning and she recommended a hike to someplace called Trift. This coincidentally was one of the hikes I had wanted to do when I was researching activities. 

The hike sets off from downtown Zermatt and (quickly) starts climbing. We ducked down an alley and headed up (and up and up and up). 

The first part of the hike is still in town and as it climbs (it always climbs), it passed several quaint little chalets, like the Hotel Romantica. 

After a few more minutes you start to leave the town behind and enter into small fields spotted with traditional, historic chalets. And of course you are still climbing. 

The hike also started to offer elevated views of Zermatt. 

Then the hike really started to take off. The ascent became more steep (gotta climb those alps somehow) and it also started to reward us with spectacular sights seemingly at every turn. 

We really had no trouble following the well marked path for Botanischer Lehrfpad (don't let this picture fool you). 

Our host at the hotel had said the climb was quiet steep at first but then it would flatten out. She got the steep part right. Neither one of us was truly prepared for the rate of elevation change but it allowed us to take many breaks along the climb. The first was a small outcropping of rocks next to one of the many waterfalls. 

It was just off the main path but we adventured over to it. 

Forded the mighty Triftbach. 

Past the Yeti cave. 

Then soaked in the grandeur of the panorama above the town. 

After a brief rest here we continued our ascent (up and up and up). Every time we would turn around and look back we could see the town farther and farther below. 

At one point we heard whoop'n and holler'n. The forest thinned and paragliders swooped into view (pretty much at eye level). 

Soon after, we came to what I thought was the destination of our hike. A little hotel, perched high atop a bluff above Zermatt, the Edelweiss Hotel. 

It looked charming enough and had a little zip line which we guess is for supplying goods and carrying luggage up to the hotel. You don't want to be carting luggage up those steep slopes (and we weren't even done climbing yet, not by a long shot). 

After the hotel, the trail did level out, a bit. But only for a brief while. I think there might have been some cultural differences between us and our Swiss hosts but no matter, we pressed on towards Trift. 

We even found some honest to goodness climbing ropes in some areas. 

Up and up we went still, high into the secluded canyon. The Triftbach always winding along beside us, ever rushing down the Alps to Zermatt below. 

Further still up the mountain we went. Sweaty, tired, not knowing if this trail would ever end or if there was ever going to be a level stretch of trail. Or even if Trift existed at all. The more I thought about the name the more it sounded like a magical, make believe place for Swiss children. We pressed on. I even found a stick for Marissa to help with the journey. 

After sitting at a well placed bench for a few minutes, way back in the canyon, we set off for what we hoped was the final stretch. It was. 

Past that panorama we spied a flag waving in the distance. Our epic journey was almost at an end. 

Trift! I thought it would be a small village, 5 or 6 houses/chalets set on the mountain. This is the actual Trift. 

The Hotel du Trift sits at the cross roads of half a dozen or more hiking trails, 2.5 miles above Zermatt, alongside the Triftbach river. A solitary hotel beaconing to weary travelers on their way up the Alps. Four or five other travelers were seated outside when we arrived on the overcast day. 

We needed nourishment after the adventure up. Draft beer and hash browns hit the spot perfect.

It was a very rewarding hike for me and my new fiancé (it's fun to say that). It was more intense and a bit more exhausting than we expected but well worth the journey. All in all we climbed more that 2,500 feet up to Trift over 2.5 miles in not quite 2.5 hours. And stickless at that! 

After our meal we felt raindrops and made a quick pace back down the mountain. 

We said good bye to Trift and hello again to Zermatt below. 

When we got home it turned out to be nap time. Adventuring is a tiring business. And we love it!