Zermatt

Last night after I wrote my posting, I went out for raclette with a woman I met on the train.  Raclette is supposed to be a Valaisian speciality, and I wasn't sure what to expect.   It consisted of a pile of cheese, two little potatoes, two pickles and two pickled onions.  It wasn't bad, but I wish there were some more vegetables!

This morning, it was cloudy in Zermatt, but you could just barely see the Mattherhorn. 

Matterhorn in the clouds.

I decided to go for a hike today, instead of paying the 95 CHF for the Matterhorn Gondola.  I hiked for about 4 hours, up to the mid-point of the gondola and then back down the other side.  I didn't really bring proper hiking shoes with me, so I was slipping all over the place and my feet were soaked when I got back.  Luckily it was pretty warm today, I didn't even need a jacket!

Hiking up to the gondola.

In the afternoon, I explored around the town of Zermatt.  I went on a free tour of the oldest hotel in town, and learnt a bit about the history of the area.  The tour took a long time, since the guide repeated everything in German, English and French.  There is also a big curling bonspeil going on in town starting today.  The rink is in a great location, in the open air and there are about 16 games going on at once.

Open air bonspiel in town.

Tomorrow, I take the train to Geneva and finally get to settle into where I'll be living for the next 12 weeks.  I am looking forward to being able to cook for myself and having a home base.