Day 7
- When: July 17, 2024
- Where: Brig, Zermatt
Today was the move to Zermatt. I chose an early start leaving Brig, since the weather forecast for Zermatt showed clear skies. There was severe flooding around 3 weeks ago in the Zermatt area and as a result the rail line is closed along part of the route. The routing, then, was train from Brig to Visp, ride a touring bus from Visp to Täsch (the train stop before Zermatt), then board a train for the last leg. I think the trip ended up being around 90 minutes total, if I recall. In Visp I take a moment to chat with one of the people directing travelers onto buses. “Which bus would you take?” She smiles and points to one of the nicer 2 story touring buses. That was a win, as I see other people boarding a less comfortable city bus for the trip through the mountains.
Once I made it to Zermatt, I found lockers under the train station and stashed my big bag. I’d scoped out a hike called the Gourmet Trail. It starts at the top of the Sunnegga Blauherd Rothhorn Funnicular…
… and ends back in Zermatt. It’s called the Gourmet Trail due to multiple restaurants along the way, though several of them were closed during my hike. I’d say the first 1/4 of the trail is uncomfortably down, the middle half is a flat walk through a gorgeous forest, and the last 1/4 is walking downhill on a well-maintained road.
The first half of the trail features gorgeous views of the Matterhorn. Today the very top was obscured by clouds but it was still incredible to be able to glance up and see this iconic sight. There’s almost no tree cover for the first 1/4, also, so sunscreen was essential. Overall I’ve been fortunate in that my sunscreen is doing what it’s supposed to, even on my head.
Mid-trail was wooded, and I so loved this part of the hike through the trees:
One of the stops along this “Gourmet Trail”:
Back in town after the hike, I started to search for lunch places but it was looking like it would be a $40+ meal. Instead I went to the Coop and got my good old arugula/mozzarella/tomato/pasta salad (though I forgot to grab the salad dressing) and camped on a train station bench. Afterwards, I grabbed my bag from the locker and hoofed it across town (and slightly uphill) to my hotel, where fortunately I could get in before the official check-in time.
Hotel Tannenhof is new and nice. It’s the kind where the room doesn’t wake up until you put your keycard into a little holder by the door. The room is comfortable and clean and has a balcony that could probably seat six. Speaking of the balcony, I was checking out all the angles, and I’m pretty sure that if my balcony were about 10-15 feet further north that I’d have a direct view of the Matterhorn instead. Oh well.
I read on the balcony until a reasonable hour for dinner, and ended up at a place called the Derby. After the hike today I wanted protein so I opted for the Entrecǒte. It was fine. I’m at the point where I’d like to get a big juicy ribeye even though it would probably cost $60.
After dinner I went for a stroll and had a nice catchup Facetime with Sherri while I sat by the church. This was my view during that Facetime, which isn’t bad.
I thought I’d get gelato across from the church but the line was out of control, so I chilled at the hotel. I set back out again a little after 10 for another stroll to check out nightlife. I didn’t wander long; seeing people out and about, enjoying time together in the bars and restaurants, made me feel lonely and homesick. I went back to the hotel to stay in for the night.
The hike today was incredible. Top 5 for sure. Maybe even top 3. The section of the trail that passes through the woods gave me such peace and joy. I don’t understand this part of my wiring. But also, Zermatt is where I’ve felt the most acute loneliness so far on this trip. In a city like Zurich, you see lots of other people by themselves, going place to place or sitting my the river while they live their life. In Wengen, it’s a small village, and there were a lot of families there doing family activities, which you would think would make be feel isolated, but somehow didn’t. Brig was somewhere in the middle. There I ate two dinners at two different places and didn’t feel out of place, as there were others doing the same. Zermatt, though, is set up for wealthy tourists: there were some families with kids, saw some younger couples, but LOTS of older people who appeared to be friend groups. Lots of people in groups, walking together, eating together, window-shopping together, laughing and having fun. It’s the lowest I’ve felt this whole trip, at a time when I’m surrounded by so much natural beauty. I really really really need to figure out how to do a trip like this with my family or travel friends. I have some doubts that I could be happy doing this solo again knowing what I know.
Lastly before I wrap this entry: I am fully away of the privilege of being able to come on a trip like this. It requires time away from work, a certain financial position, and an understanding family. I feel profoundly grateful to be here, but I fully recognize there’s a lot of room for improvement in my own mental well-being. If I can’t be happy somewhere amazing like this, where can I be happy?