Jewel of the Alps
While Switzerland is a charming destination, its alpine town of Zermatt fascinates Dudi Aureus the most
Switzerland may be small in size as compared to neighbouring France, Germany and Italy, yet it holds court with its beguiling charm that instantly puts travellers, myself included, under its spell. I was invited by Switzerland Tourism and Dynasty Travel last summer to discover cities such as Zurich, Lucerne and Lugano using the Swiss Travel Pass, but the place that struck me the most was Zermatt, a car-free alpine region elevated 1,600m above sea level. To get here, we travelled from Zurich via the Gotthard Panorama Express, which ran along a scenic view of the verdant greenery dotted with the colourful first blooms of summer, interspersed with craggy mountains so high they looked like they touched the sky. The small village of Zermatt is known for its clean and crisp mountain air you don’t get in the city, so the first thing that my travel companions and I did was to take a deep breath, before our eyes naturally wandered towards the quaint buildings built in traditional architectural style but adapted to modern times. They were framed by the picturesque Swiss Alps, the most recognisable of which is the Matterhorn which has not only inspired Toblerone chocolate’s iconic pyramidal shape but also shaped the town’s history and identity. To many, Zermatt is Matterhorn and Matterhorn is Zermatt. Much has been written about this 4,478m mystical mountain, from songs (Matterhorn by The Country Gentlemen) to poems ( Zermatt to the Matterhorn by Thomas Hardy). The first successful ascent of the Matterhorn took place on July 14, 1865 and although it ended in tragedy, it continues
to attract skilled mountaineers to conquer its summit. My favourite part of the Matterhorn is how the peak magically lights up at the crack of dawn when kissed by the first rays of the sun—and this can be viewed from any part of town. For our group, we were content with admiring it from the Gornergrat viewing point, accessible by the Gornergrat Bahn, the highest open-air cog railway in Europe. Before the trip, our guide mentioned that the Matterhorn likes to play “hide-and-seek”. When we were standing on the ridge, feeling like we were on top of the world, the mountain remained hidden in a thick white mist; but for a few minutes, the clouds serendipitously vanished, beckoning tourists to furiously snap photos. Like most of the Swiss regions, there is much to see in Zermatt all-year round. A tour of the Old Village gave us a glimpse of the past as we strolled down a narrow stretch of cobblestoned street lined with barns, stores and small houses. If strolling is too pedestrian for you, then consider trekking around Zermatt. We walked up a sharp hiking trail, went down steep steps and traversed wooden bridges on our trek, but it was all worth it—the Gorner Gorge was a sight to behold. Surrounding us were mountains still clothed in snow and in the distance was a deep chasm hugged by towering cliffs, gushing forth with turquoise-hued waters so powerful that the Swiss use it to provide hydroelectric power to the whole village. Our quest for something local made us walk into Zermatt Matterhorn Brauerei, the town’s iconic brewery. Despite showing up without prior reservations, the brewer gladly welcomed us with a tour of the facility, even giving us a taste of its famous lager and explaining how it uses only “pure spring water from the Alps”. He was right when he said it gave the beer a softer and more refreshing taste. It was no surprise that we left the brewery each lugging a six-pack back to Singapore—just to keep us under Zermatt’s enchantment for a little while longer.