Back to civilization - Zermatt and Gornergrat

After we descended from Margherita hut we switched the country and landed in Zermatt, Switzerland. We were going to spend two nights there and then continue our alpine adventure with a trek to Hornli Hut(Bacecamp Matterhorn) and ascent of the peak.
After the 2 days in the high mountain with a huge part of them spent in the huts, walking freely on flat streets( instead of steep snow paths and rocks), among people without the heavy backpack and the whole equipment, the light shoes and clothes, the warm weather, the hotel with the comfortable large bed and the most important - THE SHOWER, acquire completely different value. It feels so different to be back in the civilization - the difference actually was almost 3 km. From 4554m (14 741 ft) to 1,620 m (5,310 ft). It was like we had been up there for a week, and not for 2 days.
We were feeling so great, full of energy and light, and it was not only because of the beautiful place and the shower. There was also the physiological reaction - our bodies were «celebrating » because of the air full of oxygen and the end of the altitude sickness with a cocktail of happy hormones 😃.

So we took a walk around the magnificent Zermatt, peeping all the time in the sky, to see our aim - Matterhorn, but it was hidden behind the clouds.

That’s the best we got for that day.

We had dinner(definitely in Zermatt the situation with the food for me was far worse than 3km higher in Margherita Hut, no vegan food in Zermatt) and we discussed how to spend the next completely free day. I am a big fan of climbing via ferratas, so that was my proposal, but the « brains » of our mountain adventure, the friends who played the roles of guides, said it is better to keep it easy and to preserve our power for the next days. We had to take a good rest before we get back in the high altitudes. So no adventures this time, just a trip with a railtrain to some place with beautiful panoramic view of Matterhorn. I was a little bit disappointed because I was sure that the via ferratas would be epic. I think that everything that is swiss is amazing. Switzerland is blessed not only with breathtakingly beautiful nature but obviously also with amazing people who work hard to make it even more beautiful. They are just creators and this is visible everywhere you go. And they create as beautifully as the nature had created in their country.
Anyway the plan for the next day was clear - Gronigrat.
The first thing I did when I wake up, was to check Matterhorn. Finally!

After a 33 minutes trip with Europe’s highest open-air cog railway we arrived to the summit of the Gornergrat(3,089m). The line leads over dramatic bridges, through galleries and tunnels, across forests of larch and Swiss stone pine, and past rocky ravines and mountain lakes.

It turned out I was wrong and once we got there I completely forgot about the via ferratas. On the website of Zermatt is written that it is one of the places that everyone should visit at least once in a lifetime. Well.. probably I could survive even without seeing it, but it is definitely worth visiting! The panoramic views are incomparable!

The majesty, impressiveness and glory and of the Alps and of course one of the most beautiful peaks on our planet - Matterhorn in all its glory, everything that was right in front of us. 29 peaks above 4000 m could be seen from here, pretty amazing.

Even the crowd couldn’t spoil the experience at all. So we started doing headstands, handstands, splits, hearts, jumps, attempt to touch Matterhorn and so on. All the usual posing and tourist enthusiasms, the place predisposed a lot to creativity.

A lot of people were doing strange things but we were definitely the strangest group there 😂.

A thousand shots later we continue to the beautiful lake close to the summit.

After that we returned to Zermatt. As it is so close to Matterhorn it has the best shops for mountain equipment that I’ve ever seen in one place. So we spent the rest of the day exploring them. Shopping climbing paradise! Than we carefully prepared our equipment and backpacks for the next part of adventure! Matterhorn, we are coming!

Thanks for reading!