The second part of our trip to Europe in February took place in Zermatt, Switzerland. For years we have dreamed of visiting the Alps and to finally get the chance to visit was magical! We’ve always planned to go in the Summer and do a lot of hiking but because of our wedding schedules every year we just haven’t been able to go during warmer months. But going in the dead of winter was so worth it! Growing up in the South, neither of us have experienced the copious amounts of snow that would be awaiting us in Zermatt!
While researching places to visit in Switzerland I stumbled across Zermatt and fell in love with the little town! I had no clue that it would be listed on the Times 100 places to visit list for 2017 when we booked our trip in December. As soon as we stepped off the train we instantly knew why it was on the list! The town is nestled at the end of a valley and near the boarder of Italy, France, and Switzerland, can only be accessed by train or helicopter, and sits at the base of the Matterhorn. The town is completely car free (except full electric carts) and you can walk the length of the town in about 20 minutes… but it is the pinnacle of Swiss ski towns! If you have seen the show, The Night Manager, several episodes have scenes in Zermatt and what you see in the show is what you can expect in real life!
We intentionally picked just one town to visit because we knew we needed to fully soak it in and also we wanted to relax fully! Philip has longed to photograph the Alps for his landscape portfolio and with 28 peaks over 4,000 meters in the surrounding area, Zermatt was the perfect place for us! We spent 5 days there and could have stayed for so much longer! Since we’ve only skied a few times in our lives and alpine skying is a beast, we decided to focus our time on hiking, landscape photography, and a little tobogganing.
We took the train from Paris to Zermatt and it was absolutely perfect! We entered Switzerland at Lausanne and we only saw it from the train but we know we will go back and visit that city! Seeing the Alps for the first time across Lake Geneva will bring tears to your eyes! We enjoyed the view so much we didn’t take a single photograph at that moment but don’t worry we both other train views of the countryside. Here is a look at our time in Switerland, as scene from our “big camera” and Iphones.
The vast views left us awestruck!
And this explains why we didn’t ski. Savannah is not very good at winter sport 🙂
The photograph below is in full color but shot during a whiteout. Within minutes of taking this photograph I couldn’t even see Philip from where I was standing!
Matterhorn Glacier lookout, over 12,000 ft high and temps at -15 C… the coldest weather we experienced and we were thankful for the sun!
One of our favorite parts of Zermatt is the river that runs through the town. Walking along the river is pretty stinking magical!
We fell in love with all the adorable little chalets! Each one had such beautiful character!
The hiking houses that dotted the mountain sides were amazing. They each would have a huge patio with sweeping views of the Alps. Nothing beats having a meal on one of these patios and soaking in the view. 
We ate our weight in bread, cheeses, chocolates, and wine on this trip. One of my favorite meals we shared together was a little picnic we had on our hotel rooftop. We sat for hours, just the two of us, enjoying our view and conversation together. So much of every day life is spent in these simple moments with each other and to be enjoying our favorite past time while sitting in the Alps was priceless.
This was the view of the Matterhorn from our hotel room. Nothing beats looking out the window and seeing the majestic Matterhorn.
Oh Zermatt, you will always have a place in our hearts!!
Cheers,
Savannah and Philip
