Skiers On The Klein Matterhorn September 2011

I had never seen real skiers before this holiday and one of my favourite parts was this particular day when we went up to video/photograph the year-round skiers on the Klein Matterhorn - loved it!

Klein Matterhorn Video

A good head for heights helps in Zermatt because there are so many 'serious' cable cars. We went up to the Klein Matterhorn twice on our trip, it was so lovely. On our second trip we took video/photos of the skiers (in September)- brilliant!

The Klein Matterhorn

Klein Matterhorn on PhotoPeach

There's 365 day skiing at the top of the Klein Matterhorn and what a great joy to see it happening. This was one of the highlights of the holiday for me.

The Gornergrat, Some Photos

gornergrat one - free slideshow

Here are just of few of the many photos I took on our first ascent on the Gornergrat Railway in Zermatt.

The Gornergrat Railway, A Little Walk Down

Many people go to the top of the Gornergrat on the railway then walk down some or all of the way back to Zermatt. On our first visit we went to the top and walked down just to Riffelberg Station. Parts of the walk are quite steep but spare a thought for the serious walkers going up.

The Gornergrat Railway Zermatt

The Gornergrat Railway is possibly the number one thing to do when in Zermatt so we chose to do that first. The railway is a most amazing piece of technology climbing the steep incline of the Gornergrat. The Swiss do manage to get trains to do things nobody else can get them to do. A ride on The Gornergrat Railway to to top is most definitely a must.

At The Hotel AlpenRoyal In Zermatt

So here we are at the Hotel AlpenRoyal in Zermatt with a balcony featuring stunning Matterhorn views. In this hotel the half board option meant no choice in food at all BUT that didn't matter since it was all totally superb the entire week. The restaurant was smallish, intimate and beautifully decked out. I had a clear, uninterrupted view of the Matterhorn whilst eating my meals.

Chamonix To Zermatt By Rail

Here's some video of my 56th birthday and travelling day between chamonix and Zermatt for the second week of our holiday.

My 56th Birthday - Travelling From Chamonix To Zermatt

Chamonix to Zermatt on PhotoPeach

My 56th birthday, 10th September, was spent travelling between Chamonix and Zermatt by rail. It was a lovely journey with just one change at Visp. Zermatt is simply stunning BUT, don't mention the prices!!! I have to say, right from the start, that this resort is the most expensive place Janet and I have ever been to. Their cheapest house, white in the hotlel was 38 Swiss Francs a bottle! Blow me down with a feather.

Final Night At Hotel Sapiniere, Chamonix, France

Hotel Sapiniere Chamonix on PhotoPeach

All good things have to come to and end, so the saying goes and our week with Inghams at the Hotel Sapiniere, had been truly superb. On Fridays they typically have a BBQ and ours was amazingly superb. The food quality was outstanding and the wine flowed freely as indeed it had done all week. The weather was gorgeous for September and the mountains were crystal clear against the almost cloudless sky. The next day we were leaving for our second week in Zermatt, Switzerland.

Top Of Aiguille Du Midi & The Argentiere Glacier.

Yes, it's true about altitude sickness and problems with breathing. For the first time in my life I found out first hand what it felt like not to have enough oxygen in the air to breathe properly. After excitedly taking photos and this video I suddenly began to feel not quite right. There was general dizziness and then I became conscious that I couldn't breathe properly. I began to get light-headed until we took the cable car down to a much lower altitude. However, I wouldn't have missed being right at the top of the Aiguille Du Midi for anything - out of this world!
Later on that day we took the train up the valley and did the walk to the Argentiere Glacier. We loved it since it was the very first time either Janet or I had ever seen the snout of a real glacier. As a former geographer, I did get rather excited by being there.

Annecy, France

Annecy is one of the prettiest towns I've ever visited overflowing with Gallic charm and regional character. Nestling right on the lake of the same name Annecy does not disappoint. I would recommend everyone in the region to go and take a look.

The Mer De Glace - Good Conditions

Our second trip up to the Mer De Glace was really superb since the weather was good and conditions just right. We wanted to see the ice caves which involved taking a gondola down then walking an additional 400 steps there and back. It was worth it though.

Back in Our Room & First Stage Aiguille Du Midi

Even on a fine day it is not always possible to take the cable car all the way up the Aguille Du Midi. On this particular day it was closed due to high winds. Fortunately we were able to return the next day and go right to the top.

St. Bernard's Pass, Monastery and St. Bernard Dogs.

St. Bernard's is just in Switzerland and is home to the world famous breed of large mountain rescue dogs. The monastery here is where monks originally bread them and still do to this day. We spent a while looking round the dog kennels and bumping into a few St. Bernard's dogs too.

The 3 Countries Tour From Chamonix - Aosta Italy

Aosta is a delightful town in the very north of Italy just over the border. It does have a very ancient Arch of Augustus and is a delightful place to spend a couple of hours exploring.

Some Photos Very Nicely Displayed In SV Builder

Chamonix Day One - including T5 at Heathrow
Chamonix Day 2.
Chamonix Day 3
Chamonix Day 4 (3 countries trip) Aosta, Italy
Chamonix Day 4 (3 countries tour) St. Bernard's Switzerland.
Chamonix Day 4 Forclaz
Chamonix Day 4 Back in Chamonix
Chamonix Day 6 Argentiere
Chamonix Day 6 Aiguille Du Midi

Argentiere, Mer De Glace, Brevent

The first couple of days in Chamonix had poor weather but the rest of the holiday turned out to be glorious though. However, at first it was extremely frustrating waiting for the clouds and the rain to clear. We caught little glimpses every now and then of the wondrous mountain peaks above but cloud would envelop them all too soon once more. Since we had purchased a 3 day pass we made sure we maximised on its use. On this bad weather day we went to the Argentiere Glacier, the Mer De Glace and the Brevent... even if the weather was lousy!

Chamonix First Day Part Two

First Day In Chamonix

chamonix day 2 - slide show

Our first whole day in Chamonix was spent in the wet and I did begin to think that we might have lousy weather for most of the time. However, I'm delighted to say how wrong I was although we did have to wait a couple of days but from then on in, the weather was simply glorious.

Our Arrival In Chamonix

When we first arrived in Chamonix the weather was not too brilliant and our first views of the French Alps were cloudy ones. We were doing a two-centre holiday with the first week in Chamonix, France and the second week in Zermatt, Switzerland.
The Chamonix hotel, the Sapiniere, was one of three that Inghams have bought and run themselves. It's a chalet hotel which gets people integrated by having long tables and rotating dining places. In this way guests get to move around to a new place at dinner every night. The staff and food were absolutely marvellous. Although the rooms were a little knocked about a bit, everything else about the Sapiniere was totally awesome. There was coffee and tea on tap all day with cakes and bread provided for afternoon tea at around 4.00pm. The reviews on Trip Advisor speak for themselves.

Watching Planes From The Thistle Hotel Opposite T5

The night before our holiday we stayed at The Thistle Hotel Heathrow. Its huge plus point is that the restaurant has superb runway views and a balcony outside. Both Janet and I love watching aircraft and in this case it was planes taking off. Here's a short video which is a real treat for anyone who loves watching planes.

Paul & Janet At Heathrow Terminal 5

Heathrow Terminal 5 on PhotoPeach


Terminal 5 is really fabulous mainly because it's designed and built to world class standards. At the moment it's all British Airways both short and long haul so we got to go from there since we were on a BA flight to Geneva. So, this is where we began the holiday proper. The flight to Geneva is only about one and a half hours, thank God.

An Opening Movie

The holiday Janet and I have just had has been incredibly special, memorable and delightfully wonderful so I wanted to make a short compilation including scenes in Zermatt and in Chamonix as well. I needed to look no further than John Denver's Rocky Mountain High for the backing music since I wanted to convey something of the grandeur and majesty of the Alps along with the spiritual/emotional impact they can have on the visitor. Indeed, it was with an overwhelming sense of nature's majesty that my abiding impressions of this trip will be based upon. There is simply so much awesome wonder to take in that words alone just cannot adequately describe the multi-sensory assault on the senses we experienced whilst there.


This blog will contain slideshows of photographs and movies with my original in-situ commentary which will hopefully reveal something of the numinous and spiritual dimension of the holiday. I think it will be the intensity of the feelings which will always make this trip so powerfully memorable for both of us. Therefore, let this be an appropriate introduction to the blog.

Paul & Janet's Chamonix & Zermatt Trip

I retired from teaching one year ago and my wife, Janet has just retired this year so we thought it would be really nice to go on our first ever holiday in September. As teachers it was never possible to travel outside of school holiday periods when prices are always very steep.
We chose a two-centre holiday to Chamonix in France and Zermatt in Switzerland, two places we had not been to previously.
We selected a suitable holiday from the Inghams brochure since we really rate them highly for their lakes and mountains holidays. We have once more been impressed by their organisation, service and superb value for money.