Monday, 6 September 2010
September 5th - The Glacier Express
Well folks, the time had come, the time for the Glacier Express.
I got up about 7am, got ready and had breakfast and checked out. After all the trouble last night with the Chinese, I was half expecting a war zone in reception as I walked down the stairs and across the lounge to the reception desk. However, all was quiet and the reception area was spotless. I checked out and made my way to the train station. As I took the short walk to the train station I soaked up the scenery of the beautiful Zermatt one last time. I was still in awe of the place. It was like everyday was the first day of discovery, you just never got tired of the wonderful setting and scenery. This was definitely the valley of the gods. One other observation that is worth pointing out is the fact that no cars are allowed in Zermatt. The last car park, so to speak is a train station about 1-2km away. Then you have to take the train into Zermatt. You can hire bikes or there are small electric powered taxi's to take you from place to place. However, to be fair, you can walk almost anywhere.
As I walked down to the train station, I was in a very happy mood, but also very philosophical. Why had it taken me so long to do this, to explore the world, to do things I wanted to do?
Well to answer this I must digress somewhat, because I would not have been doing this if it had not been for a certain person called Andy Kaines. Now Andy, is the brother of my best mate Simon. Now I was chatting to Andy during new years eve, when there was a group of us having a few drinks. Suddenly, out of the blue, Andy asked 'Are you happy Gareth'
To be perfectly honest I was taken aback by such an obvious and direct question. I was just about to say yes, when I paused and seriously thought about the question. No, I wasn't happy. Andy then said, 'Do something in 2010 that you have always wanted to do, put yourself first for once.'
Well nine months later here I am. I realised all my life I have put other people first and not done what I wanted to do. So as I handed over my ticket and stepped on to the magnificent Glacier Express I was grinning like a Cheshire cat. No ties, no worries, this was me doing what I wanted to do.
As I stepped on board the Glacier Express and sat down I thought back to the book I had been reading lately “Hector and the search for Happiness”. Hector, who is the main character is travelling the world to find out what makes people happy. It is a wonderfully simply book and has some great quotes in it. One of the quotes sprung to mind as I settled down for my 7 hour train journey.
“Happiness comes when you feel truly alive”
And this was certainly the case for me during this adventure.
The train finally set off, it was 7 hours of pure wonder. The carriages had huge panoramic windows and windows in the ceiling. The scenery never grew tiring and turn after turn on the track produced something that made you smile. At approximately 12:30pm, lunch was served, it was served on Glacier Express plates, nothing was left to chance. There was a simply salad to start with, followed by venison served in a lovely sauce. Finally for desert, a lovely chocolate cake. To round things off I ordered a red glass of wine as the train lazily crossed a stunning viaduct. This was the life!!!!
Finally the train arrived in St Moritz at 5:47pm. I grabbed my bags and headed to the information center to find a map and to get my bearings. The hotel was only a five minute walk from the train station, so I decided not to get a taxi. I decided to have a stroll up to my hotel and enjoy the pleasant evening. Big Mistake!!!
I neglected to mention in my previous posts that every hotel I have been too so far, bar one, has been up a huge bloody hill, and yes you guested it, this was no exception. Actually it is safe to say that this was like training for the worlds strongest man. I had a huge rucksack on my back, a suit bag in one hand and my small rucksack in the other hand, and it felt as though I was pulling a lorry up a hill!!! The slopes and stairs were very steep to say the least and I finally arrived at my hotel gasping for breath. I checked in and collapsed in my room. Once I was sorted I did my usual tour around the city, taking a few pictures along the way. I have to say St Moritz is very posh and very expensive, there is no pound shops here. Every shop is a famous expensive brand name. Also every other car in the streets is a porsche or some other sports car. The restaurants were not cheap either. Some of the highlights are as follows:-
A pint of beer £5.50
A ham and cheese toasty with fries and side salad £13
A bog standard steak £20
However, saying that, the place was absolutely stunning, my hotel was on a huge hill high above the train station, which was situated near the lake. The views from outside my hotel down to the lake were absolutely stunning. This like Zermatt must have been another valley of the gods.
Eventually I went back to my room and got changed and went for a meal.
Now sometimes I think being on your own during a meal has its advantages. It means you can study other people, and watch their mannerisms and listen to what they say, or not say, as was the case this evening.
As I was waiting for my meal in this restaurant, a couple sat down just across the way from me. Now this couple looked to be well off and well educated judging by the clothes they wore and the way they presented themselves. They both looked like successful business people. Anyway, they both ordered their meals and then simultaneously pulled out there fancy blackberry mobile phones and started typing away frantically in complete silence. Now 20 minutes passed and since they arrived they had still not said one single word to each other. Their heads were down and they were intent on one thing, their phones. They both looked miserable with no smile or laughter forthcoming. I sat captivated by this performance and wondered what fun you could have had taking bets on who would talk first and when. Anyway, I got fed up after 30 minutes and went back to my own food. As I ate my meal in silence, occasionally glancing up at the silent couple I kept thinking back to 'Hector and his search for happiness' and what he would of thought of it all.
“Happiness is being with the people and friends you love and care for”
I guess that quote does not mean just sitting at a table with them. lol
I got up about 7am, got ready and had breakfast and checked out. After all the trouble last night with the Chinese, I was half expecting a war zone in reception as I walked down the stairs and across the lounge to the reception desk. However, all was quiet and the reception area was spotless. I checked out and made my way to the train station. As I took the short walk to the train station I soaked up the scenery of the beautiful Zermatt one last time. I was still in awe of the place. It was like everyday was the first day of discovery, you just never got tired of the wonderful setting and scenery. This was definitely the valley of the gods. One other observation that is worth pointing out is the fact that no cars are allowed in Zermatt. The last car park, so to speak is a train station about 1-2km away. Then you have to take the train into Zermatt. You can hire bikes or there are small electric powered taxi's to take you from place to place. However, to be fair, you can walk almost anywhere.
As I walked down to the train station, I was in a very happy mood, but also very philosophical. Why had it taken me so long to do this, to explore the world, to do things I wanted to do?
Well to answer this I must digress somewhat, because I would not have been doing this if it had not been for a certain person called Andy Kaines. Now Andy, is the brother of my best mate Simon. Now I was chatting to Andy during new years eve, when there was a group of us having a few drinks. Suddenly, out of the blue, Andy asked 'Are you happy Gareth'
To be perfectly honest I was taken aback by such an obvious and direct question. I was just about to say yes, when I paused and seriously thought about the question. No, I wasn't happy. Andy then said, 'Do something in 2010 that you have always wanted to do, put yourself first for once.'
Well nine months later here I am. I realised all my life I have put other people first and not done what I wanted to do. So as I handed over my ticket and stepped on to the magnificent Glacier Express I was grinning like a Cheshire cat. No ties, no worries, this was me doing what I wanted to do.
As I stepped on board the Glacier Express and sat down I thought back to the book I had been reading lately “Hector and the search for Happiness”. Hector, who is the main character is travelling the world to find out what makes people happy. It is a wonderfully simply book and has some great quotes in it. One of the quotes sprung to mind as I settled down for my 7 hour train journey.
“Happiness comes when you feel truly alive”
And this was certainly the case for me during this adventure.
The train finally set off, it was 7 hours of pure wonder. The carriages had huge panoramic windows and windows in the ceiling. The scenery never grew tiring and turn after turn on the track produced something that made you smile. At approximately 12:30pm, lunch was served, it was served on Glacier Express plates, nothing was left to chance. There was a simply salad to start with, followed by venison served in a lovely sauce. Finally for desert, a lovely chocolate cake. To round things off I ordered a red glass of wine as the train lazily crossed a stunning viaduct. This was the life!!!!
Finally the train arrived in St Moritz at 5:47pm. I grabbed my bags and headed to the information center to find a map and to get my bearings. The hotel was only a five minute walk from the train station, so I decided not to get a taxi. I decided to have a stroll up to my hotel and enjoy the pleasant evening. Big Mistake!!!
I neglected to mention in my previous posts that every hotel I have been too so far, bar one, has been up a huge bloody hill, and yes you guested it, this was no exception. Actually it is safe to say that this was like training for the worlds strongest man. I had a huge rucksack on my back, a suit bag in one hand and my small rucksack in the other hand, and it felt as though I was pulling a lorry up a hill!!! The slopes and stairs were very steep to say the least and I finally arrived at my hotel gasping for breath. I checked in and collapsed in my room. Once I was sorted I did my usual tour around the city, taking a few pictures along the way. I have to say St Moritz is very posh and very expensive, there is no pound shops here. Every shop is a famous expensive brand name. Also every other car in the streets is a porsche or some other sports car. The restaurants were not cheap either. Some of the highlights are as follows:-
A pint of beer £5.50
A ham and cheese toasty with fries and side salad £13
A bog standard steak £20
However, saying that, the place was absolutely stunning, my hotel was on a huge hill high above the train station, which was situated near the lake. The views from outside my hotel down to the lake were absolutely stunning. This like Zermatt must have been another valley of the gods.
Eventually I went back to my room and got changed and went for a meal.
Now sometimes I think being on your own during a meal has its advantages. It means you can study other people, and watch their mannerisms and listen to what they say, or not say, as was the case this evening.
As I was waiting for my meal in this restaurant, a couple sat down just across the way from me. Now this couple looked to be well off and well educated judging by the clothes they wore and the way they presented themselves. They both looked like successful business people. Anyway, they both ordered their meals and then simultaneously pulled out there fancy blackberry mobile phones and started typing away frantically in complete silence. Now 20 minutes passed and since they arrived they had still not said one single word to each other. Their heads were down and they were intent on one thing, their phones. They both looked miserable with no smile or laughter forthcoming. I sat captivated by this performance and wondered what fun you could have had taking bets on who would talk first and when. Anyway, I got fed up after 30 minutes and went back to my own food. As I ate my meal in silence, occasionally glancing up at the silent couple I kept thinking back to 'Hector and his search for happiness' and what he would of thought of it all.
“Happiness is being with the people and friends you love and care for”
I guess that quote does not mean just sitting at a table with them. lol
Saturday, 4 September 2010
The Matterhorn, Chinese, Americans and trigonometry of love (Pizza)
Well as I was in Zermatt and as I said in my previous post that this must be heaven, god dually obliged and did not punish me this morning. In fact, this morning was amazing. I got up early and had breakfast and then set off to the top of the town, oh my god that sounds like a night out in Widnes, sorry folks!!!
I set off to the top end of the town and more importantly a trip in the cable car up to the Matterhorn. The ticket set me back a cool £60, but it was worth every penny. The first cable car took me up to approximately 2900m, these cable cars were just on a conveyor belt and one arrived every few seconds. However, when you got up to 2900m at the station called Trockener Steg, you had to change to a larger cable car, which only arrived every 10 minutes and was not run automatically. However, Trockener Steg did contain a shop and a small cafe to keep you occupied whilst you waited. I choose to use the time to wander outside and take a few pictures of the amazing snow covered mountains and the valley below. There are lots of stations, so that walkers and skiers alike can dismount and go and do there own thing. Finally the cable car arrived for the Matterhorn glacier paradise, as it is called. It took a further 5 minutes to reach the top. Upon disembarking I was greeted by a sudden change in temperature and a chilled breeze, good job I was prepared and had brought my windproof fleece, which did not do much!! lol
I then proceeded through a tunnel out into the clear blue skies of the Matterhorn ridge, I then climbed some metal stairs to reach the submit (3883m). The views were absolutely breathtaking and the air was rather thin too, so you did have to take big gulps when breathing, or maybe that was just me being so unfit!!!!
But seriously, words or the pictures I took cannot describe how beautiful this place was. If there was a home for the god/s then this must be it. It was majestic, simply majestic!!
After taking lots of photos I proceeded down the steps and back inside the station and to the restaurant. I had a glass of red wine, to warm the bones, and a nice bowl of noddle, ramen beef soup, fantastic. After I had been defrosted and the belly was full, I proceeded down the lift to the Glacier paradise. You see folks, at the top of the Matterhorn ridge, there is also a lift that goes down into the rock and to an underground glacier cavern. It is not very big and it only takes 10 minutes or so to walk around it, but it was fantastic. There was glacier tunnels and even ice carved figures and displays.
Anyway, after that I proceeded back to the cable cars and finally back down to Zermatt in the valley of the gods. It was a thoroughly enjoyable morning and I got back to my hotel at about 2pm. I then went to the train station to sort out my tickets for tomorrows glacier express. After that I just chilled out and had a walk around the shops.
Now at this point, as I walked around the shops, two ground breaking thoughts popped into my head:-
1) Americans and the Chinese are everywhere:- seriously when was the last time you went somewhere and did not see an American or Chinese person. I mean come on, if I had a pound for everytime I went somewhere and seen one I would be rich. You could definitely not say that for scousers, and lets be honest, that is good news. Lol
2) And this leads me to my second point which is were would the tourist industry be without Americans and Chinese. Well I will tell you, fucked. Up shit creak without a paddle.
Anyway getting slightly distracted here, but it is important because as I was walking around the shops I overheard two American ladies speaking about their latest purchases. Now one of the American women had bought some Swiss Chocolate and her friend was commenting. 'Well isn't that lovely, that is so sweet'. I felt like going up to her and saying I am sorry love but its just five bars of Swiss Chocolate wrapped in cellophane, nothing more, nothing less, so GET A GRIP!!! However, I didn't as it might have snapped her out of the hallucinogenic drug all Americans are on, and we don't want that do we. Lol!!! (By the way sorry to all my American friends, I don't mean it really)
Well, the rest of the day passed by rather uninterestingly, and I just wandered around enjoying the surroundings and the settings. Now at this point in the blog I would normally say I went for a meal and that was that, but today this is not the case. To be fair I am glad it is not the case, because today had been fairly uneventful in terms of funny stories, and I was struggling to come up with anything interesting. So thank god for the Italian Restaurant I went to.
I decided to go for an Italian as I had not been for ages, and also the local Swiss speciality is desert, which I wasn't bothered about. Anyway I sat down and ordered my meal, and some wine. Not long after a young couple came in, who were British, and sat at the table next to me, the woman was very attractive and I must admit, for a moment I was a touch jealous, but only until I heard them speak. They ordered a pizza each and were just making idle conversation. However, when their food arrived and they started cutting the pizza with their knives, they started talking about how to calculated the angle of the pizza slice they had cut using trigonometry, I shit you not. I almost choked on my mouthful of wine as I listened intently. I mean come on, nice romantic meal in the beautiful Matterhorn range and the lovely Zermatt and instead of 'love is in the air', it's 'trigonometry is in the air'. I am sure they will be happily married soon with several kids who get an abacus every Christmas. Lol
Then of course, who can ignore the Americans, once again. Well not this woman, who was sitting half way across the room and was talking/shouting to two gentleman on another table. The most classic lines were:-
'Hi I am Cynthia from North Carolina and I deal in real estate, until four years ago when it took a sky dive'
'Oh my goodness me'
'Well aren't you the sweetest man'
And the best line was
'When we were on the top of the Matterhorn today, I just kept seeing the skiers coming down and they looked adorable so I just had to take a picture, I just had too'
Well while your at it love, why not give them a hug too, I am sure they will appreciate it.
Well its almost time to say goodbye for today, but whatever the Americans do the Chinese do better.
As I got back to the hotel after my meal, there was an almighty argument going on between a Chinese party and the receptionist. Apparently, a Chinese tour group had been booked into several rooms. However, the tour group rep had booked the rooms wrong and there was no spare rooms left, so some people had to swap and share. It really kicked off and to be fair all that was missing was the subtitles and the kung-fu weapons and we might have had something similar to the Hoosiers new music video on our hands!!!!
So its goodnight from me, its goodnight from the Americans and its goodnight from the Chinese.
I set off to the top end of the town and more importantly a trip in the cable car up to the Matterhorn. The ticket set me back a cool £60, but it was worth every penny. The first cable car took me up to approximately 2900m, these cable cars were just on a conveyor belt and one arrived every few seconds. However, when you got up to 2900m at the station called Trockener Steg, you had to change to a larger cable car, which only arrived every 10 minutes and was not run automatically. However, Trockener Steg did contain a shop and a small cafe to keep you occupied whilst you waited. I choose to use the time to wander outside and take a few pictures of the amazing snow covered mountains and the valley below. There are lots of stations, so that walkers and skiers alike can dismount and go and do there own thing. Finally the cable car arrived for the Matterhorn glacier paradise, as it is called. It took a further 5 minutes to reach the top. Upon disembarking I was greeted by a sudden change in temperature and a chilled breeze, good job I was prepared and had brought my windproof fleece, which did not do much!! lol
I then proceeded through a tunnel out into the clear blue skies of the Matterhorn ridge, I then climbed some metal stairs to reach the submit (3883m). The views were absolutely breathtaking and the air was rather thin too, so you did have to take big gulps when breathing, or maybe that was just me being so unfit!!!!
But seriously, words or the pictures I took cannot describe how beautiful this place was. If there was a home for the god/s then this must be it. It was majestic, simply majestic!!
After taking lots of photos I proceeded down the steps and back inside the station and to the restaurant. I had a glass of red wine, to warm the bones, and a nice bowl of noddle, ramen beef soup, fantastic. After I had been defrosted and the belly was full, I proceeded down the lift to the Glacier paradise. You see folks, at the top of the Matterhorn ridge, there is also a lift that goes down into the rock and to an underground glacier cavern. It is not very big and it only takes 10 minutes or so to walk around it, but it was fantastic. There was glacier tunnels and even ice carved figures and displays.
Anyway, after that I proceeded back to the cable cars and finally back down to Zermatt in the valley of the gods. It was a thoroughly enjoyable morning and I got back to my hotel at about 2pm. I then went to the train station to sort out my tickets for tomorrows glacier express. After that I just chilled out and had a walk around the shops.
Now at this point, as I walked around the shops, two ground breaking thoughts popped into my head:-
1) Americans and the Chinese are everywhere:- seriously when was the last time you went somewhere and did not see an American or Chinese person. I mean come on, if I had a pound for everytime I went somewhere and seen one I would be rich. You could definitely not say that for scousers, and lets be honest, that is good news. Lol
2) And this leads me to my second point which is were would the tourist industry be without Americans and Chinese. Well I will tell you, fucked. Up shit creak without a paddle.
Anyway getting slightly distracted here, but it is important because as I was walking around the shops I overheard two American ladies speaking about their latest purchases. Now one of the American women had bought some Swiss Chocolate and her friend was commenting. 'Well isn't that lovely, that is so sweet'. I felt like going up to her and saying I am sorry love but its just five bars of Swiss Chocolate wrapped in cellophane, nothing more, nothing less, so GET A GRIP!!! However, I didn't as it might have snapped her out of the hallucinogenic drug all Americans are on, and we don't want that do we. Lol!!! (By the way sorry to all my American friends, I don't mean it really)
Well, the rest of the day passed by rather uninterestingly, and I just wandered around enjoying the surroundings and the settings. Now at this point in the blog I would normally say I went for a meal and that was that, but today this is not the case. To be fair I am glad it is not the case, because today had been fairly uneventful in terms of funny stories, and I was struggling to come up with anything interesting. So thank god for the Italian Restaurant I went to.
I decided to go for an Italian as I had not been for ages, and also the local Swiss speciality is desert, which I wasn't bothered about. Anyway I sat down and ordered my meal, and some wine. Not long after a young couple came in, who were British, and sat at the table next to me, the woman was very attractive and I must admit, for a moment I was a touch jealous, but only until I heard them speak. They ordered a pizza each and were just making idle conversation. However, when their food arrived and they started cutting the pizza with their knives, they started talking about how to calculated the angle of the pizza slice they had cut using trigonometry, I shit you not. I almost choked on my mouthful of wine as I listened intently. I mean come on, nice romantic meal in the beautiful Matterhorn range and the lovely Zermatt and instead of 'love is in the air', it's 'trigonometry is in the air'. I am sure they will be happily married soon with several kids who get an abacus every Christmas. Lol
Then of course, who can ignore the Americans, once again. Well not this woman, who was sitting half way across the room and was talking/shouting to two gentleman on another table. The most classic lines were:-
'Hi I am Cynthia from North Carolina and I deal in real estate, until four years ago when it took a sky dive'
'Oh my goodness me'
'Well aren't you the sweetest man'
And the best line was
'When we were on the top of the Matterhorn today, I just kept seeing the skiers coming down and they looked adorable so I just had to take a picture, I just had too'
Well while your at it love, why not give them a hug too, I am sure they will appreciate it.
Well its almost time to say goodbye for today, but whatever the Americans do the Chinese do better.
As I got back to the hotel after my meal, there was an almighty argument going on between a Chinese party and the receptionist. Apparently, a Chinese tour group had been booked into several rooms. However, the tour group rep had booked the rooms wrong and there was no spare rooms left, so some people had to swap and share. It really kicked off and to be fair all that was missing was the subtitles and the kung-fu weapons and we might have had something similar to the Hoosiers new music video on our hands!!!!
So its goodnight from me, its goodnight from the Americans and its goodnight from the Chinese.
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