Switzerland II: The Mountains

[Highlander]

Lenexa wrote:  Highlander you went to Switzerland in January and not a single refernce to the ski slopes?

Glad you asked.  For skiing we went to Zermatt.  Zermatt is a small town that is totally pedestrianized (except for small electric cars) at the head of the valley Mattertal which contains, as you may have guessed, the Matterhorn.  Zermatt is probably my favorite ski area in the world.  Not so much for the skiing, which is really good and quite extensive but also for the incredible view.  There are several small areas but we visited the Klein Matterhorn area which is serviced by the highest cable car in Europe at about 12,700' and the Gornergrat.  From the Klein Matterhorn ski area, you also have access to the Italian side ski area....just make sure you get back to the Swiss side before the lifts close!  We stayed in Brig in the Rhone Valley, Zermatt is a pretty expensive place. 

The Matthorn above Zermatt


The view from the Klein Matterhorn Area:
The piste




The view from the Klein Matterhorn.  It's a unique perspective of the Matterhorn from this location.




As you venture out onto the slope...which comprise a glacier, you are greeted with this sign...


At the midway point down the mountain....there is about 9000' vertical so it takes a while to get back to town. 








Some nice hanging glaciers

Gornergrat glacier on Monta Rosa...highest point in Italy and Switzerland


The Gornergrat area

Best way to get there for skiing is by Cog Railway from Zermatt





Matterhorn from another perspective



I took 400 pictures in two days at Zermatt and only show a sample here.

[LenexatoKCMO]

I got to ski Mt Titlus years ago and it looks remarkably similar to your great pics.  I was a starving backpacker who showed up unprepared for skiing, so I have some great pics of me on skis wearing cotton pants and a knee length wool coat. 
The food in Switzerland has to be the most overpriced in the world.  Beautiful country though.  We based our operations out of Lucern. 

[Highlander]

I got to ski Mt Titlus years ago and it looks remarkably similar to your great pics.  I was a starving backpacker who showed up unprepared for skiing, so I have some great pics of me on skis wearing cotton pants and a knee length wool coat. 
The food in Switzerland has to be the most overpriced in the world.  Beautiful country though.  We based our operations out of Lucern. 

We went to the McDonalds in Zermatt in an effort to save some money.  For a family of 4, it costs us 56$.  That was still far and above the cheapest meal we had in Switzerland.  We generally struggled to keep restaurant meals under 100$ and then just gave up and self catered at grocery stores.  We went to Lucerne also.  Loved the wooden bridges, wished the weather had been better.  The blue sky pictures from Zermatt were from the only clear day we had on the trip....but getting even one clear day in the middle of winter is considered pretty good luck. 

[LenexatoKCMO]

We went to the McDonalds in Zermatt in an effort to save some money.  For a family of 4, it costs us 56$.  That was still far and above the cheapest meal we had in Switzerland.  We generally struggled to keep restaurant meals under 100$ and then just gave up and self catered at grocery stores.  We went to Lucerne also.  Loved the wooden bridges, wished the weather had been better.  The blue sky pictures from Zermatt were from the only clear day we had on the trip....but getting even one clear day in the middle of winter is considered pretty good luck. 

Yup thats about right.  Good luck finding lunch somewhere with a waiter for less than $20 a head. 

[st steven]

What's up with the expensive restaurants in Switzerland? I've never been. Dining in most of the major European cities is a bit pricey, but nothing like that. Is there a special tax?

Great pics, btw. Thanks.

[Highlander]

What's up with the expensive restaurants in Switzerland? I've never been. Dining in most of the major European cities is a bit pricey, but nothing like that. Is there a special tax?

Great pics, btw. Thanks.

Thanks.  I got a bit carried away taking pictures of the Matterhorn.

Anyway, I am not really sure for the high price of food but suffice to say that everything there is expensive.  Except gasoline, for some reason it's cheaper in Switzerland than anywhere else in Europe.  Only Norway and Sweden rival Switzerland for high cost.  One reason is that you are paying for service in Swiss restaurants and wait staff makes decent wages. You do not need to leave a big tip which saves a few bucks but you pay for the service in the bill.  The other issue is that the dollar to most European currencies is at an all time low, Swiss Franc included.  When I went to Milan on the same trip, the prices were slightly lower than in Switzerland but the Milanese charge a cover charge to sit down in restaurants.  It's highest in the center...one restaurant was 4€/person and less expensive outside the center (about 2€).  Most make no effort to inform you in advance what the "coperto" is....at least the Swiss are up front about robbing you!

[kcjak]

Your fotos are beautiful - I went skiing several times when I studied in France and the strangest thing about skiing in the Alps (as opposed to the Rockies) is that almost all of the pistes are above timberline. It's breathtakingly beautiful and surreal at the same time.  Did you walk through the glacier near Interlaken?

I lived about 45 minutes north of Lausanne for a year and went to Switzerland often - it's expensive but everything is spotless (except for the pockets of drug parks here and there). No potholes, great transit, well-paying jobs for almost everyone and lots of Swiss have things subsidized by the government.

The Swiss also tend to be against 'outsiders' moving to their country - lots of animosity toward anyone who might try and leach off the welfare system.

It's strange what gets upcharged in other countries - more expensive to dine in at McDonald's in France (and also a fee for ketchup packets) and when I went to a movie in Austria I found out that they charge different rates for where you sit in the theatre 

[Highlander]

Your fotos are beautiful - I went skiing several times when I studied in France and the strangest thing about skiing in the Alps (as opposed to the Rockies) is that almost all of the pistes are above timberline. It's breathtakingly beautiful and surreal at the same time.  Did you walk through the glacier near Interlaken?

I lived about 45 minutes north of Lausanne for a year and went to Switzerland often - it's expensive but everything is spotless (except for the pockets of drug parks here and there). No potholes, great transit, well-paying jobs for almost everyone and lots of Swiss have things subsidized by the government.

The Swiss also tend to be against 'outsiders' moving to their country - lots of animosity toward anyone who might try and leach off the welfare system.

It's strange what gets upcharged in other countries - more expensive to dine in at McDonald's in France (and also a fee for ketchup packets) and when I went to a movie in Austria I found out that they charge different rates for where you sit in the theatre 

The glacier in Interlaken you speak of must be Altesch glacier you get to via the Jungfraujoch cog railway.  I have been up near there but not taken the train to the end point on the glacier.  Again, it's like 100 bucks to do that and times 4, it was prohibitively expensive.  I understand it's one of the most impressive things to do in Switzerland though. 

Funny you mention cleanliness.  When I was in Zurich, I witnessed the police at work in a way which surprised me a bit.  A couple of young girls were sitting on a terraced park in the center of the city and one threw a piece of candy onto the street below.  Two Zurich policemen were there and quickly descended on the girls, one of them going back down to the road to collect the "evidence" in a plastic bag.  I do not know what the outcome was, last I saw, they were just talking to the girls but I was surprised they had enough time to waste on a case of littering going so far as to even collecting the evidence in a plastic bag.   That explained to me why the streets of the city were immaculate, not even a cigarette butt.  The night before, I bought some roasted chesnuts from a street vendor and my kids tossed a few of the shells....good thing for us no cops were around.   

I think it costs something like $250,000 to become a Swiss citizen.  I'm saving up. 

[LenexatoKCMO]

What's up with the expensive restaurants in Switzerland? I've never been. Dining in most of the major European cities is a bit pricey, but nothing like that. Is there a special tax?

Just a guess but I would expect part of it has to do with being in a landlocked mountainous country - not much tillable acreage for agricultural purposes, thus necessitating overland food import and scarce commodities. 

[Tosspot]

Highlander, I think getting that nice Canon XTi paid off.

[Highlander]

Highlander, I think getting that nice Canon XTi paid off.

Yea, I really love it.  My holidays are constant movement trying to find a better vantage point for my camera.  I have not become very sophisticated yet.  Basically, put it on the desired program, adjust the lens and shoot.  Any suggestions about what to do to start getting  more professional looking photos?

[Tosspot]

Yea, I really love it.  My holidays are constant movement trying to find a better vantage point for my camera.  I have not become very sophisticated yet.  Basically, put it on the desired program, adjust the lens and shoot.  Any suggestions about what to do to start getting  more professional looking photos?

I don't know, I think the ones in this thread came out great. The sky and light cloudiness, with the white snowy ground and the mountains... it all looks great.

I guess, since you now have a digital SLR, the next step would be to take advantage of different lenses, perhaps starting with an ultra-wide lens. Wide angle is SO much fun especially for dense and crowded urban scenes. A wide angle equivalent for your XTi would go as low as 10 mm in focal length (17 or so millimeters on my Canon 5D - because its sensor is larger). Maybe after that try a telephoto... usually around 70 to 300 mm. I find them all useful for urban landscapes.

The caveat though is that when you switch lens frequently, dust and crap will somehow find its way onto the surface of your sensor and screw up your photos... that's a constant battle.

[Highlander]

I don't know, I think the ones in this thread came out great. The sky and light cloudiness, with the white snowy ground and the mountains... it all looks great.

I guess, since you now have a digital SLR, the next step would be to take advantage of different lenses, perhaps starting with an ultra-wide lens. Wide angle is SO much fun especially for dense and crowded urban scenes. A wide angle equivalent for your XTi would go as low as 10 mm in focal length (17 or so millimeters on my Canon 5D - because its sensor is larger). Maybe after that try a telephoto... usually around 70 to 300 mm. I find them all useful for urban landscapes.

The caveat though is that when you switch lens frequently, dust and crap will somehow find its way onto the surface of your sensor and screw up your photos... that's a constant battle.

I have been thinking about a wide angle.  In European cities, it's really difficult to find enough depth to capture an entire building, it would come in handy.  Interesting about the problems with changing lenses.  My camera went down in the cold of the northern europe on this trip.  Got a warning light indicating that the lens and the camera were not communicating.  I took the camera inside for a bit and then it started working fine.  I think there must have been some moisture on the inside of the lens that froze up in the cold. 

[Cyclops]

WOW!! Great shots Highlander. All my life I've wanted to see the Matterhorn in person. That first one is amazing! Maybe some day I'll get there, I'll start saving for meals....   The skiing looks awesome too.

I was going to say the same thing about your new camera then I read Toss's comments. The pics look great. I have a 14 & 20 mm lens for my canon (I ended up upgrading my 10D to a 40D a couple of months ago) and I love both of those for different uses.

Thanks for posting those, I may have to copy one or two of those if you don't mind, I just like looking at those mountain shots!!

[Highlander]

WOW!! Great shots Highlander. All my life I've wanted to see the Matterhorn in person. That first one is amazing! Maybe some day I'll get there, I'll start saving for meals....   The skiing looks awesome too.

I was going to say the same thing about your new camera then I read Toss's comments. The pics look great. I have a 14 & 20 mm lens for my canon (I ended up upgrading my 10D to a 40D a couple of months ago) and I love both of those for different uses.

Thanks for posting those, I may have to copy one or two of those if you don't mind, I just like looking at those mountain shots!!

Thanks, feel free to copy any shot you would like.  Yea, I actually get a bit giddy when I finally get to see something like the Matterhorn that I have romanticized all my life.  That said, the view from town is probably a bit more dramatic (first shot) because the mountain seems so huge from that vantage point.  I have been to Zermatt before but never up to the top like I did this time.  The snow in Europe can be not so dependable due to relatively low altitude but Zermatt is high, really high which makes it much more dependable.  Sunny days like that are rare.  Living at sea level now, I felt the altitude.   

[K.C.Highrise]

Yeah love the pics. Switzerland would be my number one country in Europe to visit.

[Roanoker]

I parrot the "beautiful pictures" comments. Thanks!

[Highlander]

I parrot the "beautiful pictures" comments. Thanks!

Thanks, the scenery there is so incredibly spectacular that you can't go wrong when you take a picture.