Chalets are Us; Zermatt Part Deux

We arrived in Zermatt in 10-15 minutes from Tasch. I'm not a skier so I was unfamiliar with how things worked in a ski village, but a car-free ski village left even more questions. Like, how the hell were we going to get to our hotel, which sat above the town?  But right off the train, it was completely obvious. There were plenty of battery-electric cars and horse and buggies that waited to carry you to your destination. I have to hand it to the Swiss, they really know how to make mountain living easier.  

Obviously the cracker wanted nothing to do with the horse and buggy and I really wanted to walk through town so we walked the 10 minutes through town and up the mountain to our hotel. Later we found an underground cave dug into the mountain at the village level that had an elevator at the end of it leading directly straight up to the hotel. Internet, that was one of the highlights of my trip.  Not only was it convenient because you didn't have to climb the mountain every time you went to town, but the cave itself totally rocked---no pun intended. It was cold and dark set with trendy lighting.  Even Juno was totally awed and immediately demanded one be added to our house.

Mr. Wild Dingo chose the hotel this time and he didn't do us wrong. We had a corner room in a beautiful Swiss Chalet designed in clean lines and cozy wood interiors. Glass walls and a  balcony overlooked the village. The dogs immediately loved it. Mr. Wild Dingo settled down quickly. I wonder what was holding his attention out there on the balcony?

Oh. That. Not too shabby of a view from our room.

Mr. Wild Dingo found the mini bar and settled into a pre-hike cocktail. When in Switzerland . . .

Until the mid-nineteenth century, Zermatt was predominantly an agricultural community. The Matterhorn was one of the last alpine mountains to be conquered. The  first and tragic ascent of the Matterhorn in 1865 (that ended with only 3 out of 7 climbers surviving) put Zermatt on the map and caused a rush into the town that lead it to the tourism community it is today.  The village is as famous for its hiking as its skiing. Even so, on this weekend, it seemed no different from many Swiss villages---quiet and sleepy.

Like her Pop, Juno quickly staked out her favorite spot on the balcony, a sunny place overlooking the village with a cool, gentle breeze that fanned the sheer curtain over her head as she rested.

WTF is there a house on that tiny bluff? Because the Swiss can put a house there. More importantly, how the hell do you do your weekly grocery shopping? By mule?  In the mountains, it's not unusual to see homes in the strangest locations sometimes. Topping our latest "That's so Swiss" game has become our favorite WTF past times. For example, on the way home, we saw a house built on a damn waterfall. I swear to Dog.

As we unwound from the trip over a glass of bad Pinot Noir (hint: it wasn't French), we marveled over this majestic work of Mother Nature and how it only took us 3.5 hours door-to-door to get here.

Then an interloper decided to over-come his fear of sheer curtains blowing in the wind.

"Geesh, Mom, I sure have the munchies. Got any Dorrittos?"

And that was my cue to get us out the door for our first hike. They say walking is better than coffee in these situations. No?