My Mother’s Journey on the Blockchain: Zermatt, Switzerland

Pyramid-shaped, spiky and rocky tooth reaching for the sky, the Matterhorn mountain is considered to be one of the most remarkable mountains in Europe. This landmark is located at the border of the western Switzerland, Zermatt, and the Italian resort of Breuil-Cervinia.

For this reason, the Zermatt village at the foot of the Matterhorn is extremely photogenic as it is almost completely surrounded by the high mountains of the Pennine Alps. The Matterhorn and Zermatt are inseparably linked to each other. To prevent air pollution, which can obscure the town's view of the Matterhorn, the entire town is a combustion-engine car-free zone. Almost all vehicles in Zermatt are battery driven and are almost completely silent.

The view and surrounding of Zermatt are astonishing, however, they come at a price. Accommodation in Zermatt is known to be one of the most expensive in Switzerland.

My Mom visited Zermatt in 2015 during the city’s celebration of its 150th anniversary of the first Matterhorn ascent. The village of Zermatt was not big. There were only three main streets which ran along the banks of the Vispa river, and numerous cross-streets.

Restaurants and shops with attractive alpine display on both sides of the street

Small café/pastries

Restaurants along the street

Battery-driven cars in the combustion car-free village

There were many restaurants and shops with attractive alpine display. The air was clean and refreshing in the combustion car-free environment.

At the heart of Zermatt, you will find a fountain with bronze marmots. The marmot is a common animal in Zermatt. The fountain dates back to 1906.

The ibex is also another common animal in Zermatt

Matterhorn Museum

Old town, open-air museum

My Mom visited the Matterhorn Museum which explained the history and development of Zermatt, from a mountain village to an Alpine holiday resort. There were a lot of photographs and information of the first ascent of the Matterhorn.

A typical Swiss restaurant

Zermatt was located in the middle of an enormous hiking and ski region, making it one of the world’s most attractive vacation villages. My Mom was not fond of skiing, and preferred hiking and taking photographs of Switzerland landmark, the Matterhorn. There were varieties of attractions to be discovered around the Matterhorn.

Gornergrat Bahn

There is an excursion to the top of Gornergrat and is accessible via the Gornergrat railway from Zermatt.

Along the way up to Gornergrat

The ride on the railway was 33 minutes long and was a vertical climb of 1,469 m. The line ran over bridges, through tunnels, across forests of larch and the Swiss stone pine, passing rocky ravines and mountains.

Gornergrat Kulm Hotel

Small church

At the summit, there were hotel, restaurant, a small church and a shopping center.

View of the Matterhorn from the Gernorgrat viewing platform

On this three-thousand-meter mountain, there was a viewing platform overseeing the Matterhorn. It was truly an unforgettable sight.

Zermatt had more than 100 lakes, all of which were gorgeous. However, some were particularly alluring as the sight of the Matterhorn reflected on the surface of the water. Stellisee was one of the more famous lakes in Zermatt.

Matterhorn reflecting on the Stellisee

Pictures of the Stellisee could be seen all over the world because the reflection of the Matterhorn on its still surface had been photographed millions of times. My mother was no exception, she took many shots of that reflection.

Amazing view during lunch

After a few hours of admiring the scenery, she had a perfect lunch with a breathtaking view of Matterhorn at Sunnegga. The mountain panorama and the unique view of the Matterhorn were remarkable.

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