Switzerland vacation: Wednesday in Zermatt

We woke up on Wednesday in Zermatt to cooler temperatures and cloudy skies, but then miraculously we saw sunny skies on the webcams for one of the mountain peaks.  So we scurried outside and to the train station to hop on a cog railway trail to take us to the top of the Gornergrat mountain.  As always, the train rides up to mountain peaks are almost as cool as the views at the tops, because you get to slowly see the green, summery world fall below and turn into a snow-covered winter wonderland in a matter of minutes.  I just find it so fascinating to know that in the valleys below summer is in full force while up top, spring has barely even started!  

Train parked at the top of the Gornergrat mountain

The views on top of this mountain peak were the best I have seen yet in Switzerland because we could see an entire glacier spreading out in front of our eyes.  Its one thing to see it in pictures, but another to see it laid out in front of you.  Its hard to get an idea for how huge this glacier is based on the photos and videos, it stretches for miles below! But here is an attempt...

Feeling on top of the world

In the left of the picture is the Dufourspitze, the highest mountain in Switzerland. At the base of this mountain is actually a hut (the Monta Rosa hut) that you can hike to and stay at by crossing the glacier fields... insane, I'm fascinated by the people that can actually do that type of hiking!

Looking to the right, the Matterhorn was covered in clouds the entire time unfortunately

The snow was still really deep in some areas as it continues to melt

The station on top of the mountain

After spending a few hours at the Gornergrat station, we decided to make out way back down to town and then up go up to one of the other peaks in Zermatt, this time via an underground metro type of train. Our destination was Chez Vrony, a restaurant that is consistently named one of the world's top ten mountain restaurants.  This is a favorite of one of my friends here in Switzerland and I had been dying to check it out.  The tricky part is that you have to hike 25 minutes to get to it, but in the end that just makes the food taste that much more delicious because you had to work for it, right? ;)  The setting, views, and food did not disappoint.  The restaurant's terrace is as Swiss perfection as it can be -- its covered in comfy lounges, pillows, blankets, sheepskin rugs, and basks in the sun  - a place that invites you to eat and stay awhile... and so we did just that.

The sun terrace

Truffle risotto and goat cheese/pear ravioli

Go away clouds! We want to see the Matterhorn that you are hiding.

Toberlone mousse with pomegranate foam for dessert

If the setting and food wasn't amazing enough, perhaps the best part about our experience at Chez Vrony is that they have a trampoline on their terrace.  I mean, could it get any better?! With this discovery, I declared Zermatt yet again one of my "happy places" and we bounced to our hearts content while overlooking the scenery - check out the video below for our bouncing fun (and giddy giggles)

Sarah the gymnast showing off her skills

After our trampoline session, we hiked our way back to the metro station and I decided that the plentiful dandelions in the meadows along the way were just begging to be made into a floral wreath

Washing the dandelion stickiness off my hands in the stream

Having landed back in town, we again indulged in the spa area and then took our sunburned faces to dinner for the evening.  All in all, another day of vacation perfection!

Here is how we met our cheese/chocolate/wine requirements for the day:

Cheese: Cheese at the hotel for breakfast and goat cheese in our ravioli
Chocolate: Nutella on croissants,chocolate on our pillows in our hotel, and mousse made out of Toblerone chocolate
Wine: Whites for lunch on Chez Vrony's terrace and red for dinner