August 19, 2015

August 19, 2015

Last night Aimee and I discussed having Fondue, one of the specialties of Switzerland.  Dunking bits of bread and potato in cheese just didn’t capture our fantasy.  Instead we opted to try the Swiss National dish of Rosti.  It is supposed to be a baked combination of potato and cheese.  Since it was raining we darted next door into the restaurant claiming to be the oldest in town.  We opted for the Rosti with ham.  It was delicious and filling.  A very young American couple seated next to us chose the fondue.  The delightful elderly owner showed them the proper fondue technique.  He took a potato and instead of dipping it in the cheese, he smashed it with a fork and poured a spoonful of cheese on top.  Now it looks just like our Rosti.  I think Rosti is just pre-made Fondue at half the price.

This morning we woke to rainy weather.  The temperature is in the 40’s.  It is only supposed to get into the high 50’s.  I didn’t bring enough warm weather clothes.  Aimee and I put on every layer of clothes we have and take a walk in the opposite direction of yesterday.  Northeast uphill to the hamlet of Ried.  From the top we get a good view of Zermatt and what should be the Matterhorn.

Back in Zermatt, we stop at the neighborhood grocery to stock up on wine and chocolate for the next leg of our journey.  This is our third and last day in Zermatt and the cloudiest of all.  It looks like the Matterhorn is not to be.  

After lunch, we walk south uphill following one of the gondolas.  We pass a tree-top adventure course which is a great way to amuse children on an overcast day.  I am surprised at all the rustic hamlets scattered throughout the area. Many are probably maintained for tourists but surprisingly there are a couple in the oddest places in central Zermatt.  The ones high up on the cliffs remind me how hard scrabble a life the older Swiss had it trying to eke out a living on a tiny farm perched precariously up a cliff.  No wonder so many of them rented themselves out as mercenary soldiers in olden times.  Today the Swiss are the opposite, extremely rich, mercilessly extracting every dollar possible from tourists.