Zermatt, Switzerland, and the Matterhorn

Zermatt, Switzerland and the Matterhorn

Of all the places we visited in Europe, I think Zermatt, Switzerland, was my favorite. It looked like the typical picture book Alpine village with brightly colored flowers decorating all the lodges. The outstanding feature of the town is that from those flower-covered balconies one gets the magnificent view of the Matterhorn in the distance. The mountain changes its character as the light changes each day.

From Zermatt you can get close to the Matterhorn without climbing it by taking a series of cable cars which transport you to the top of nearby Klein (Little) Matterhorn. It's a breathtaking journey up to 10,000 feet where the air is clean and cool. It's appropriate that at the very top of Klein Matterhorn is a statue of Jesus on the Cross.

From the top of Klein Matterhorn one can see three different countries: Switzerland, France and Italy.

The area is popular with skiers as it is for those who don't feel up to climbing the Matterhorn but want to test out less strenuous slopes.

A feature of the site is an ice cave dug into the nearby glacier which allows visitors to feel what it feels like in a mountain of ice.

A brief stop in Italy. >>>

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