DAY 8 (22nd September 2022)
Zermatt (Gornergrat)
After doing the 5-Lake Trail the previous day, today we would go to the other famous location in Zermatt. If I were to describe Gornergrat in one word, it would be “Wow!” As with the previous day, the main attraction of Gornergrat is the unadulterated view of Matterhorn (again!) aside from the area being a famous ski resort. And we had another opportunity to take a photograph of the reflection of Matterhorn from Riffelsee.
But how did we wake up this morning? With this view:
The photographs above are NOT modified or adjusted in any way – the mountain really is golden in colour, but it has to be the right conditions to be able to catch it, i.e. the right amount of snow, the angle of the sunlight hitting the mountain (Bro Ray: something about refraction and all that – I must have fallen asleep during physics class in school!), and needless to say, being cloudless. This lasted no more than 10 minutes – sleep in a little more, and you’ll miss it completely.
Train to Gornergrat
After the welcoming sight of the golden mountain, we had a quick breakfast, and then off we went to Gornergrat. We boarded the first train up on the Gornergrat-Bahn, as we had quite a lot to cover, including the longest hike of our trip to Switzerland. By now, our muscles would have gotten accustomed to the walks, or so one would hope.
Gornergrat
After the 39-min journey, we arrived at the final station, and disembarked to another view of the Matterhorn, from a slightly different angle than the day before. There is a museum called Zooom, an alpine kitchen which serves delicious hot meals, a small chapel, an observatory (the Observatorium Gornergrat) as well as a hotel named Kulmhotel Gornergrat. I would imagine that you’d have to book this hotel way in advance during the winter months.
We walked around to the various viewpoints to take photos, and because the skies were so clear on this bright day, I think many of our photographs turned out very crisp and clear. Perhaps this place attracts mainly the skiing enthusiasts, hence, there was plenty of elbow room for taking photographs without other people in the view. And we had many opportunities to try different poses as well.
And then, there is the most touristy thing you can do – taking a picture with the Gornergrat badge with Matterhorn in the background. Simply a must do…
There are many hiking trails starting from here, including a short hiking loop which takes just 20 minutes to complete! On this short trail, we will get to a mound from which we could also take some nice photos. On the other side of the mound is a perfect spot for contemplation and reflection, facing a beautiful glacier.
Riffelsee
Then it was time to do what we came to do – the longest hike of our trip to Riffelsee – all of 2.5km (by my estimates). Almost the entire hike down from Gornergrat, we would have the Matterhorn in full view in front of us. (Bro. Ray: Have I not said that Matterhorn is probably the most photographed mountain in the world?) The trail is easy and the path is wide with good trail markings along the way. With nary a tree in sight, we have a rather clear view of the horizon as we walked. However, as visitors and adventure travellers, the main thing is to stay on the paths to avoid stepping on the pastures. Apparently, the edelweiss flower has not been seen in these parts for many years.
Riffelsee is an alpine lake located at 2,757m above sea level, and has crystal clear waters, suitable for the targeted Matterhorn reflection. There are actually two lakes, the smaller one is a little further down – about 10 minutes’ walk, which, apparently, is the better lake to do the reflection thingy. Well, you can judge for yourselves based on the photos below:
Going Back to Zermatt
After spending quite a bit of time at the two lakes, we walked on further down to Riffelberg station to catch our train back down to Zermatt. It had been a fantastic and wonderful day, and we thought that it was a good time to splurge on dinner to celebrate our adventures so far, with the realisation that our travels were soon coming to an end.
Summary Day 8
Overall, our stay in Zermatt can be said to be successful – we managed to take the pictures of the golden Matterhorn in the morning, and we managed to catch its reflection off at least one of the many reflective lakes. And since we are not skiers by any means, this would represent a measure of success for us! Well done, adventure travellers!
