We left Milan on the train for Zermatt in the morning. The train took us north of Como and into Switzerland. Where we started to see mountains, mountain streams, Swiss style houses

We changed trains in Brig and when we arrived in Zermatt we found our hotel just around the corner from the train station. So we walked to the hotel – a very interesting building with some unique decor.

A place for wood storage in the lobby

The elevator door

Our room door (they are all different and very heavy.

After checking in we went for a stroll. No cars are allowed in Zermatt. There are a few electric vehicles used by hotels to transport luggage to & from the train station. Also one hotel has a team of horses to transfer guests and their luggage.

The street is lined with restaurants and small shops. Every second shop is a watch store with some unique offerings.

A lot of Asian tourists much as we found in Banff and Queensland, New Zealand. Zermatt is in the German section of Switzerland, the waiters, shop people and hotel staff speak many languages. We went for a stroll to get our first look at the Matterhorn.

At night there was a dinner for the group we are joining and will be with for the rest of our trip.

Today, after breakfast we headed to the cog railway for a journey on the Gornergrat Bahn. There are 5 stops on the way to the top (9277 feet). Zermatt is at 5276 feet. We got off at a stop about half way, walked about 10 minutes up to a hotel and restaurant where we had amazing views. We were the only ones that made this trek and the beauty and silence of nature was breathtaking.

We returned to the cog railway and continued to the summit. The Matterhorn had started to collect some clouds in the meantime. Again the views were amazing. Much prefer this to Madrid!

A waterfall we passed on the way down (sorry about reflection as this was taken though the train window

Also passed a sheep farm with very lazy, long haired sheep

The engineers reading will want to see the cogs

The first person to successfully climb the Matterhorn was this guy

We saw a couple of paragliders near the Matterhorn plus we could see the ski lifts and skiers on the glaciers.

After our return down the mountain we stopped for a traditional Swiss cheese fondue for lunch.

Another stroll along the Main Street – interesting art work.

Lots of outdoor patios. Also visited a few shops – small and if not selling watches they were selling sporting clothes, skis, hiking gear etc.

Tonight there is a reception and dinner for our group and Tomorrow we are off To Lucerne.