Sweet Switzerland

We left Zurich early-ish and set out to explore a swath of Switzerland, with our two main objectives being to see The Matterhorn and to arrive at our new accommodation. We accomplished both goals and had a wonderful day. I am here to tell you that there is not one unpretty place in Switzerland. Every inch is just absolutely beautiful! We had decided that we would see The Matterhorn from the little car-free town of Zermatt, and on our way there, we were obligated to take a train ferry, which was a new and thrilling experience for all of us. Then, we had to park our car Tasch (the town just before you get to Zermatt) and got tickled thinking about how it takes a whole town full of cars to support the car-less town next to it. From there, we took another train to Zermatt, which is really very charming and a whole lot of fun. We saw The Matterhorn, sampled Swiss cheese and beer at the food festival, and visited several of the shops, including the Lindt chocolate store, which was a huge hit with everyone.

When we left Zermatt, we headed to a ski town called Vex, where we will stay for the next few days. Of course, it isn't ski season right now, but the little town is quite lovely and the views from our apartment are stunning. The first thing we noticed when we arrived is that the town is having some sort of wood carving festival, where artisans from all over the world are working on and displaying their life size creations. Some of the pieces have been done with chainsaws and some with chisels, but they are all beautiful, and we thoroughly enjoyed watching the artists work, as well as looking at all the amazing sculptures. The other thing that was immensely popular with our group was the really nice playground and sport court within easy walking distance of our apartment.

Switzerland, you're killing me with your gorgeousness!

We drove through the town of St. Niklaus today
and got a kick out of being greeted by the jolly man himself.

Getting on the train ferry

The Matterhorn

Everyone's favorite stop!

Clay was very proud of his little Swiss flag toothpick,
which his cheese sample was served on.

Just when you thought Switzerland couldn't get more beautiful!

Home, Swiss Home

The view from our balcony

It may not be ski season, but that doesn't mean there isn't any snow.

This artist was doing his carving with chisels.
He told us that the piece was more or less finished
(but never REALLY finished!)
and that he had been working on it for five days.

An art form a statue lover can definitely get behind!
(This one was carved with a chainsaw.)

Playground Perfection