Zermatt! =D

            I had to take a few different trains to get to Zermatt from Lucerne. One of them was a regional train that was not covered by my Eurail pass, so I had to pay for a ticket. While on the train there was a British family sitting behind me, I heard one of them on the phone saying that there was an avalanche on the train tracks to Zermatt, so we would have to get off the train and take a replacement bus. But the tracks were thankfully cleared by the time we got there! The train ride to Zermatt was unreal. It was basically going directly through the Alps, like the train was just on a small ledge- above was straight up and below was directly down. It was insane! The views were beautiful; my face was stuck in an awe struck position the whole time!

            When I did arrive in Zermatt, I waited at the station for maybe fifteen minutes for my host to meet me. My host in Zermatt’s name was Peter! He was such a gentleman and insisted to carry my bags for me (of which my past few hosts didn’t even offer). We took my bags to his place- a cozy little single room with two beds. Sunday evening, he had already eaten but he came along with me to get a proper dinner. Peter is from York in England (of which I visited), so it was very easy to talk with him. Not having a language barrier was very nice, so we got into more in depth conversations. I really enjoyed talking with him; he is such a passionate and honest guy. He is also a very simple man; I easily had more things in my bags than he did in his entire flat. He really lives his life in the moment, not worrying about the past or future- just doing what makes you happy. =)

On Monday we slept in a bit, ate breakfast, and then headed into the village. Peter went off to work and I started exploring and doing things that he suggested. Zermatt is a very small village, but very nice. It is mainly filled with hotels and lodges for skiers and visitors. I just explored the town and did some shopping for most of the day. Some super short hiking trails because I only had tennis shoes, so I didn’t want to risk it.

On Tuesday, April 17^th, Peter and I got up early to go up into the Alps on the ski lifts. The weather claimed it would be sunny, but in the morning it was cloudy and you could not see anything from the village. However, once we gained altitude and broke through the clouds it was sunny and beautiful. At our first stop, Gornergrat, there was a beautiful view of the Matterhorn- this being the first time I had actually seen it! It was so amazing. Making it even better, there was an adorable St. Bernard there! I was just petting her but then got my picture with her! (which is why she was there!) The dog’s name was Nana even! (reference to Peter Pan). We got some pictures together in front of the Matterhorn, and some with Peter- of whom was afraid of Nana! Pft! Next we went to another peak, Matterhorn Glacier Paradise. There we ate our ‘picnic lunch’ we brought. I was very thankful that Peter was able to come along with me, because I don’t think I would have navigated the different lifts and trains that well. By the time we got to our last peak Rothorn, the clouds raised up so we were unable to see anything. We were still lucky that we had clear and sunny weather for the other peaks. 

Yes Zermatt was cold, but it was not unbearable! I was only really cold a couple times but I wore a bunch of layers, so I was usually warm.

On Wednesday, I got up early to catch my train. I had to pay for a train out of Zermatt because my Eurail pass did not cover that regional train. So I took a train from Zermatt to Brig early in the morning, but was able to sleep for most of it. And then a noisy, crowded, but direct train to Venice! =)

Enjoy the pictures, even though they do not do it justice! 

Me with Peter and Nana! =D Peter was afraid of her!

love my life <3