Zermatt

(I apologize for the formatting of this post, I couldn't do anything to change it. I'm not very computer or internet savvy.)

Zermatt was so much fun! Bryan and I had been wanting to take a ski/snowboarding trip to the Alps and what better excuse to splurge than for my birthday? Now that we have the train system down, even though we had another delay, getting there was a breeze. However, to get up to Zermatt, the Eurail pass is not valid and you must pay for an additional ticket. Having a Eurail pass does get you 25% off so it comes out to €20 each per train ride. We saw amazing views of the countryside, mountains and lakes on the ride there. We got in relatively early and had a full evening to explore the town and eat some dinner. We found a great hotel that had full amenities such as a Jacuzzi and steam room/sauna and included a buffet breakfast. There were also a few hostels but Bryan treated me to a nice, private hotel room. The hotel was also in prime location. It was a 5 minute walk from the train station and right on the bridge that connected to another popular street. Our room had views of the mountain and we could hear the river with our window open, which was very relaxing. Stepping outside our door was a great view of the Matterhorn as well as the bus stop which took us straight to the ski lifts. We would both recommend this hotel. http://www.antika.ch/

We booked our rentals online at Matterhorn Sport - http://www.matterhornsport.ch/winter/english.html. Booking online we received a 25% discount and the prices were very reasonable. They had three locations, one of which was 3 minutes from our hotel. The one thing we found to be very expensive was food. Even a pizza was 20 Francs. We found a really cute restaurant/pub called The Brown Cow that had American hot dogs and hamburgers at reasonable prices. Some people may not want American food when vacationing in Europe, but since we live in Munich now it sounded amazing. Bryan got a gorgonzola, garlic and onion burger and I got a classic cheeseburger with onions. Both were served with big delicious fries that came with ketchup and pommes sauce, a popular dipping sauce for fries which is basically mayonnaise. Mix the two together and you've got magic! The local Cardinal beer was good and reminded us of Heineken.

I was so excited to go skiing that I woke up an hour before our alarm clock, which for me is very rare. I haven't been skiing since early 2009 when Bryan and I went to Breckenridge. The previous year, Bryan and I went to North Carolina for spring break, our first vacation together, and he taught me how to snowboard. I had never been out West to the mountains and I was excited to snowboard again in Colorado. I got sick the morning before we left so snowboarding wasn't too much fun since I didn't have the energy to turn back and forth on the board. The first day I had already decided to switch my board in for skis. The next day I was hit on the mountain but thankfully not seriously injured. I was now terrified of skiing though. For the rest of trip I would ski so slow and pause and wait for other skiers/boarders to pass....which can take a while. Bryan, of course, was patient but it wasn't our best experience.

For our trip to Zermatt I told myself to suck it up and show Bryan that I am actually good at skiing, as well as prove to myself that I'm not a pansy. We had so much fun! I only fell 4 times all day, of which only one was a legit fall. I was thankful for my helmet on that one...safety first! The first part of our day we skied on the Gornergrat  Mountain. It was Monday and overcast so it wasn't busy, which I was very happy about. I was a little bit nervous at first being that we were so high up. The first run was great so we headed back up the mountain to do it again. All of the sudden clouds came rolling in and we couldn't see 10 feet in front of us. The trail markings were small, thin poles so it was hard to know if we were going the right way. We took our time and made it down. Once we were safe, we actually realized that we had a good time...the visibility made it challenging but fun. Thankfully, we didn't realize until later that some of the trails ran along the edge of cliffs.

The visibility was much better over on the Matterhorn Mountain. We took a lift all the way up to the top which was along the Italian border. The views were incredible! We had so much fun on the runs that we stayed until the end of the day. We had such a wonderful day and I didn't think it could get any better. The temperature was a cool enough that we weren't hot but we weren't freezing even when the wind came at the top of the mountain. Towards the end of the day, the skies cleared up and we had beautiful views of the Matterhorn, which was massive. We stopped at Popperla Bar for a beer which had a cozy indoor pub and relaxing outside patio with a fun atmosphere and good music. The wellness center amenities came in handy and were great for our muscles. Even though we were exhausted, Bryan wanted to treat me a nice meal, which he had promised.

I was really excited to have fondue, being that Switzerland is known for its cheese. We ate at an adorable restaurant, the Walliserkanne. The cheese and herb fondue was amazing, as was the pasta. I think I managed to eat a pound of melted cheese by myself…I just couldn't stop eating it. We had a romantic stroll after dinner, enjoying the weather and the stars. The details are private but Bryan asked me to marry him. It was so romantic and very "us." Needless to say, I said yes!

The weather couldn't have been more beautiful the next day. The skies were clear and sunny. We were disappointed that the tram to the very top of the mountain was closed due to high winds but it gave us the opportunity to ski the trails from the previous day but with visibility. In the middle of the Gornergrat Mountain is an igloo bar. They have a full bar, music and lounge chairs. We felt like we were on a cruise in the middle of the Alps. By the time we made it back over to Matterhorn Mountain the tram to the top had opened. Since it was later in the day and the higher trails had been closed for most of the day, there weren't many people on the mountain any more. The views from the top were absolutely breathtaking! It is the highest reachable point in Europe and we could see the peaks of Switzerland, Italy and France. We even had the entire viewing deck to ourselves. Traveling in the off seasons is great!

We hit Popperla Bar once again for some delicious Guinness. They also had live music inside. Although exhausted at the end of the day, I was pleasantly surprised that our muscles weren't sore. I was expecting to be in total pain on the way back to Munich. We walked through town looking for souvenirs and chocolate. We got this incredible chocolate bark. One was milk chocolate with caramel and the other called "florentine," chocolate with caramel covered almond slices. We also got a Corn Flake chocolate cluster. All of it equally amazing. We hit up the The Brown Cow again for the chicken and egg BLT club sandwich I was torn between the other night we were there. Bryan was craving the chili dog which had the perfect amount of chili and onions. We didn't realize it until our food was served, but we had chosen prime seating for the viewing of the Real Madrid/Trottenham Champion's League Playoffs. What made it even better were the Spaniards sitting behind us cheering and cursing the whole time.

We absolutely loved Zermatt. The town is so quaint and peaceful. Everything was within walking distance. It is also an electric city, so there were not typical cars. All of the taxis and buses were like suped up golf carts. The views atop the mountains are so pretty. We thought the trails were great and were a perfect mixture of challenge of ease for me. Even without Bryan's proposal, I'd say this was one of the best vacations we've taken.