Zermatt: a surprise

Zermatt is my favorite place for snowboarding and hiking in Switzerland. The train ride there was beautiful and smooth. A new record was set this time. We stayed at the most expensive accommodation during our entire trip: a whopping US$150 for a private room (without toilet paper and shampoo). And it was just a hostel, not a hotel. But I must admit that the room was nice with a view of the Matterhorn. Well, this is Zermatt after all.

isn't it beautiful?the town church

The town has this special ambiance that is hard to describe. It still has many old houses and chalets preserved. No cars (except the special taxis) are allowed inside the town. The rosti and fondue are extra delicious there (perhaps due to the cold).

Katy's first fondue - her comment was "interesting"

Katy making a snow angel
the result

my turn

the result

The next morning we rented a wooden sledge and rode the cable car to Furi. The sledge was much faster than I expected. After a few minutes on it (and a few crashes), I finally figured out how to control the direction. At a few slopes, it was too steep for us to even attempt it, so we just walked down the slopes. At the final turn, the sledge was going down too fast and I could not brake in time, so we crashed into a tree. Thank God, it had foam paddings around the tree trunk. We enjoyed it so much that we rode the cable car again for a second run.

warming up the wet socks in a mountain restaurant called Farmer's Cafe
an old chalet

the tree where we crasheda well-deserved meal

Oh BTW, I proposed to Katy on the night that we spent in Zermatt, and she said yes. So we are getting married after the trip!