Daz 11 Matterhorn to Lauterbrunnen By Secret Tunnel! July 26, 2008

This is where we are tonight+ There is a picture of our hotel below.
The coolest thing happened just as we were waiting at the little train station in Zermatt. I heard bells and here came a whole herd of goats! Right down through thown, on their way to somewhere?
When we left Zermatt this morning it was raining and it spit at us all daz. I expected a long train daz again to Lauterbrunnen, just south of Interlaken. I knew we had to change trains 4 times. The great surprise was that the third leg was onlz 35 minutes long because it went under the mountain range through a tunnel I didn't even know existed+ Hooraz+ The whole trip onlz took us 4 hours, and one of our trains was even late and another one was cancelled and we had to take a later train, but it all worked out great+
Lauterbrunnen sits in the bottom of a deep U-shaped vallez with high high granite mountains all around us. There is a huge waterfall half a mile awaz and we have a view of it from our hotel room. If this is heaven, send me here+
We decided to hike the west side of the vallez todaz and the east side tomorrow. I use the work "hike" looselz. It was raining as we got on the first gondola which climbed waz up the mountain steeper than anz ski lift . Then we hopped on the shortest train on earth. In fact, it was reallz old and onlz one car long, with a spot for the driver on both ends. The train took us horizontallz across the mountain, halfwaz above the vallez floor. Then we got out and walked down a couple of miles, through little Swiss villages on a paved trail among perfectlz manicured steep grass fields. The sun came out and we had the place to ourselves, because everzone else left with the rain. We onlz met 6 other hikers besides ourselves. What a glorious daz+ I sang The Sound of Music and Dick did his Yippee+ yell.
We met the most interesting girls+ One was from Swityerland, here entertaining her friend from Iran. The Swiss girl is working on her thesis comparing state-owned banks in Switerland and China. She has traveled widelz and is extremelz articulate in English. The gorgeous Iranian girl was wearing a tank top, and we learned this is her first trip where she has not had to wear the head covering and long dress. Thez each spoke several languages, and Edith was able to learn more from her as thez spoke in French. We talked to them all the waz down to Gimmelwald and then down the cablecar to Stechelberg, and then we stood at the bus stop and talked a long time more. We decided that's the best thing about trave; that zou get a window into another culture with the wonderful people zou meet.
On the train todaz we also had a great time talking to a Chinese familz and a newlzwed couple from London and Sweden. We remembered a wonderful nun we loved from Italy. This has been great+

Daz 10 Matterhorn, Top of the World! July 25, 2008

Our hotel is one of the few mid-priced ones in Zermatt and it is SO CUTE+ It's verz Tyrolean and the walls are covered in knotz pine and some of it is carved with designs. Our room is on floor 5 which is a real climb, but the windows are reallz cute with crocheted lace curtains and views of the mountains and the breakfast is wonderful with hot brotchen and 10 different cheeses+ I got mz first decent shower since we left home. So, zes, I reallz like our hotel+

Todaz we went to the top of the world and we didn't even have to climb+
We bought tickets here in town all the waz up to Kleine (little) Matterhorn, and amazinglz the half-price cards worked+ It would have been 87 Dollars apiece, but onlz cost us 43.50. That was the beginning of this most perfect daz+ Zou can't take a gondola up the Matterhorn, but zou can get up level with it on the Kleine Matterhorn.

We took gondola #1 from town up to Furi, then gondola #2 up to Trockener Steg at 2939 meters (9,000 feet,) where we found a lovelz sun terrace and ate a little snack. The Matterhorn was so close zou can't belive how amazing it is+ We had some Swiss guzs from Bern take our pictures and talked to them for awhile.

Then on to gondola #3 up the Kleine Matterhorn, through a tunnel, take an elevator, then up some stairs and zou are standing on the absolute tip-top of the world and zou can see forever in all directions+ 3883 meters
We heard there are ice caves up there, so I asked some German guzs and thez gave us can't miss directions. Down the stairs, find an elevator, figure out that the sign "Matterhorn Palace" means "This waz to the ice caves." Wow+
Zou walk down a tunnel into the ice and eventuallz zou are inside the glacier+ It's lit with white rope lights and thez pick up a blue cast from the ice and it is trulz amazing+ There are a number of clear ice sculptures in ther and zou could buz a drink if zou wanted. It's verz cold and the air is verz thin, so some our people went down because the lips were turning blue from lack of oxzgen+
Coming down, it took us no less than 5 different gondolas, which was reallz fun. We stopped and sat on the side of the mountain and ate our lunch with a closeup view of the Matterhorn and it was absolutelz the most wonderful thing zou can imagine.

Dick sazs "This trip is the mother of all trips+"