I went to Switzerland!
I still can't believe I made this trip....very big thank you to
@2Julianas who was the one that really made this happen....I mean I have always wanted to go to Europe, but like...where to go? whats its like? how to plan it? I would sit and think about it and then go....fuck it, lets ski alta again. Anyway, Alex did pretty much all of the planning...from planes to trains to air bnbs and food....if im honest, I can't really think of a single I planned....maybe a little here and there navigating the ski areas. I think one day I planned to eat eggs in the morning, but I ended up having yogurt and musli instead.
So what do I know about Switzerland? Well good cheese, great watches and coo coo clocks, lots of money...and as an engineer...Im very familiar with the term "like a swiss train"....as in something that works properly. In 1970, my mom took a trip to Switzerland with some coworkers, saw a bunch of the sights....she brought home this little pendant necklace with the matterhorn on it. When I was a kid I found it in her jewelry box and asked her if I could wear it.....so I used to have this little necklace of the matterhorn....all I could remember was her telling me that you could go next to it, but not on it.....So I grew up thinking you werent allowed to climb the matterhorn....I mean this is my mom, this is not her area of expertise. But I always thought the matterhorn was so cool looking...never thought I would get to see it.
This trip would only be the 4 of us....my first adult vacation in a very long time....well ok, ill leave out my yearly gypsy trips across vermont with the crew...
Anyway, so after driving to Alex/Marks house...we headed to JFK for the overnight flight to Zurich. Alex doesnt fuck around on the plane...she comes fully prepared for the apocalypse
View attachment 234073
The plane ride was uneventful, I slept for maybe an hour or so....the most exciting part being the landing....I was in the middle section, so I couldnt see too well...but we were in the clouds....I heard the landing gear go down......so i knew we were close....kept looking and looking out the window...all clouds, could see nothing...than BAM we were on the runway. Well ok then, we are in Zurich.
Got our bags, thru customs, then into the airport to wait for our train....goddam the Zurich airport is nice....There was a full on supermarket in the airport. We got down to the platform and waited for our train....So this is a ski trip and we have alot of shit to haul around...ski/snowboard carriers, bags, etc. I noticed...there is no place to put bags on the train....I mean this little tiny area about the sice of the trunk of your car...for a train car that can hold like 100 people. So ok, we just had to stack it up in the entry way and have people climbing over it to get to their seats. Ok, this is odd....However, the train itself....at 120mph...you could have layed on the floor an assembled a house of cards, it was that smooth and quiet. Amazing, im used to the NY subway system which is like riding inside of a washing machine thats broken and smells like pee.
Poor
@MurderBort is holding his snowboard bag here...finally we said fuck it and just left everything in a pile in the entry way
View attachment 234075
3 hrs on this train that ended in Visp after going thru a 21 mile long tunnel which was pretty wild. From there I did the farmer carry run from hell with my 50lbs duffel bag and 50lb ski carrier across 2 platforms to make the Glacier express train to zermatt.
This train was so cool....snaked its way on the edge of cliffs thru the valley to Zermatt....up some steep hills.
View attachment 234076
it was a cog railway, and going up steep hills in a train felt pretty weird
View attachment 234077
the views on this ride were really stunning I must say
View attachment 234078
After an hour or so we arrived in zermatt.......there was a line for taxis that we waited in....im trying to make out the address for our air bnb, meantime the taxi driver is talking and moving full on NYC warp speed but in German. This is where
@2Julianas whipped out her super power and started rattling off where we needed to go in German.....The people in line behind us were from PA and I said "see thats why we brought her" guy replied..."Dam...do you rent her out?"
JFC the taxis are as nutty as NYC or maybe even India...I thought we were going to mow down at least 4 people and a few bikers for good measure. We finally got to our Chalet, unpacked at little then walked into down to the supermarket. never had these chips before, but Alex hooked us up and they are money
View attachment 234079
from there we just to find dinner, but in Switzerland...either you have a reservation, or, well your fucked. After trying a few places we found a restaurant that did Pizza take out. Pretty good and after many hours of traveling, I was very happy to pass out....it was a hell of a first day.