A trip to the island of the Alps.
Switzerland has been #1 on my bucket list for a long time. I’ve always been someone who loved scenery over big cities which may be those small-town girl roots poking out. Switzerland is completely surrounded by Alps and 5 different countries! (Italy, France, Austria, Liechtenstein, and Germany). This explains why most Swiss know 4 different languages- German which is the primary, Italian, French, and English. What is even more amazing is that they speak each one FLAWLESSLY. With Alps in all different directions and sparkling lakes from snow melt around each bend, Switzerland painted the perfect picture. My grandmother, mother, and great aunt (whom I lived with throughout all of PT school), and myself packed our bags for a Switzerland adventure with the Collette tour group. We flew on Delta from SAT to Atlanta to Zurich. From Zurich, our tour group provided a bus transfer to Lucerne where the party started.
Day 1 Lucerne, Switzerland
Upon arrival, we dropped our bags off at our hotel, Ameron Hotel Flora. The hotel rooms where teeny tiny but the location couldn’t have been more convenient for the weary US traveler stumbling around with eyes halfway open due to the overnight flight. We arrived a few hours before our check in time so we headed out to explore the city of Lucerne, correctly identified as “Luzern” by the Swiss. We explored the local farmers market alongside the river before making our way to Pfistern for lunch.
Day 2 Lucerne, Switzerland
Our second day consisted of a guided walking tour of Lucerne. We strolled through Altstadt (Old Town), across Chapel Bridge, the Baroque Jesuit Church, and the Lion Monument.
We quickly grabbed lunch and made our way back to the hotel to hop on the bus for a ride to Pilatus-Bahn, a cogwheel that takes you up to the 7,000 ft peak of Mount Pilatus. There are many local legends but one claims Mount Pilatus was named as such because Pontius Pilate was buried there. However, there’s another similar legend about a peak in Italy. It could also be as simple as its similarity to “Pileatus” which means “cloud topped”.
When we returned to our hotel, we made our way to Wirtshaus Taube for dinner which we all agreed was our favorite dining experience
Day 3 Lucerne, Golden Pass Train, Montreux, Zermatt
We took a bus to Gstaad where we boarded the Golden Pass panoramic train to Montreux. After some leisure time to walk along Lake Geneva, we re boarded and made our way to our final destination – Zermatt
Montreux, Switzerland
Montreux, Switzerland 
Montreux, Switzerland 
Raspberry Gelato
Day 4 Zermatt
Zermatt is a pedestrian village, meaning no cars (unless electric) are allowed. Sounds a little bizarre but it works perfectly for this village. The roads are small and mainly filled with people. Zermatt is a famous ski destination but is also known as the home of the famous Matterhorn. We checked in to our hotel, Hotel Pollux, and ate dinner provided by the hotel. The next day we took a guided walking tour around Zermatt then made our way to the Matterhorn via the Gornergart train. The Gornergrat is expensive (price varies depending on season) and we almost didn’t do it but I’m so glad we did. It truly is a once in a lifetime experience.
You may notice how dark the stone is on the Matterhorn compared to other photos of the Alps. The Alps were formed from the collision of two tectonic plates: the African continental plate and the European plate. Alps that are darker belong to those of the African tectonic plate and the gray/lighter color Alps belong to the European tectonic plate.
For dinner, we experienced our first fondue dinner at Swiss Chalet. I really over did it but for some reason I don’t have any regrets. If being nauseas from over eating cheese is wrong then I don’t want to be right..
Day 5 Glacier Express Train to St Moritz
Today we boarded the Glacier Express, a 7 hour train ride from Zermatt to St Moritz. 7 hours sounds long but it went by much faster than I expected. The beauty outside was breath taking and the captivation erased the sense of time. We traversed through peaks and valleys of the alps, admired the plump swiss cows wearing their huge bells, and remarked the quaint mountain villages that seemed to be a world of its own.
Day 6 St Mortiz
Even though we spent 2 nights in St Mortiz at Hotel Steffani, we weren’t in the actual town very much. I think this was intentional since St Moritz is a famous ski destination therefore at this time was in its low season. Many shops were closed however squeezing a walk around the lake was so worth it.
One night we ate in our hotel, the next at Hotel Hauser across the street. Both are recommendable!
Most of our time in St Moritz was taken up by our train ride on the Bernina Pass.
On the Bernina Pass train, we traveled to Tirano, Italy for some free time and lunch before taking the bus to Mount Diavolezza.
Tirano, Italy
After our time in Tirano, we boarded our bus and headed to Mount Diavolezza. The cable car takes you up to 9,000 ft elevation for a view of the alps!
After Mount Diavolezza, we made our way back to St Moritz for our last night in Switzerland! We made sure to stock up on Swiss chocolate before we left.
Day 6: St Moritz to Lake Como Italy
We boarded our bus to board a ferry that would take us around Lake Como. See my Italy blog for the continuation of this trip!
Switzerland no doubt was one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen. Along the way I even made notes of where I’d like to return for an Alps hiking trip. *when I get back on a regular exercise schedule and healthy diet that doesn’t consist of cheese and chocolate*
Until next time, Switzerland!
Much love, Chesney
Whimsical wandering 
One thought on “Switzerland”