Bern and Zermatt
November 17, 2019
Both of our alarms go off at the same time. I am a little slow in responding so we snooze for about half an hour longer before getting up and going. This hotel also offers breakfast with our stay so we get ready and take the elevator down one floor to the dining area.
As we walk into the dining area, we are greeted by a very enthusiastic lady who welcomes us as if we are her personal guests. She brightly chirps “may I spoil you with a cup of coffee”?
The room is about half full with people and the food looks to be recently refreshed with all sorts of breads, pastries, and a beautiful array of thinly sliced meats and cheeses (of course). There is a nice selection of beverages, both hot and cold, to choose from and we decide to come back for that after we fill our plates and find a place to sit. Along another wall, there is a table with eggs prepared different ways. (There are even hard boiled eggs with smiley faces drawn on them to start your day with a smile!)
Once situated at our table, I decide to go for our juices. Along the way, I notice little jars filled with yogurt, fruit and what looks to be some kind of grain. I conclude that this is something that requires a sampling.
The yogurt concoction is delicious! When asked, our hostess shares that it is a known specialty which originated in Bern and is known as Birchermüesli. (It is pronounced with a hard “K” sound, formed in the back of the throat. I try to parrot it back, but sound like I am trying to cough up a tonsil.) She made this with homemade yogurt, a little honey to sweeten, blueberries and a combination of grains and nuts. It is really something special! (David isn’t a fan of yogurt so he gives it a hard pass).
We decide that since it is rainy and gray that we will pack up and head straight for the train station, rather than exploring the city of Bern. Sorry to miss the sites here, but we want to have the extra time to play in Zermatt.
We take a few pictures along the way, stop at an ATM, find our train and we are off to Zermatt,
We arrive at the train station at Zermatt, collect our things and walk out into the snow filled village. There are small, battery operated vehicles available to shuttle us to our hotel, but we decide that it is a short of enough distance that we will hoof it on our own.
David takes the handle of my suitcase and pulls both suitcases through the snowy streets, past several blocks of cute shops to our hotel. The Hotel Garni Testa Grigia, ($184.50 CHF), has easy access from the main street sidewalk. Inside, there is a short hallway to a few stairs which bring you to the front desk. Since we are a little early, we are taken down some other steps to a locker area where we can store our luggage until it is time to check in.
It is still snowing to beat the band. We walk down the main street, past all the different shops and restaurants, taking a few pictures along the way. Since it is going to be a couple hours before we are able to check in, we decide to find a pub for a light lunch and to get out of the cold. The Brown Cow looks to be lively and we just so happen to be able to find two seats close to the bar. We each select a local beer to try and I order a bowl of Gulaschsuppe “Würzige Suppe mit Rindfleisch und Tomaten”, (translation: spicy soup with beef chunks and tomatoes). ($27.50 CHF). It was excellent, of course!
TIP: If you enjoy food, Switzerland is the place for you!
It is now time to check into our hotel and figure out how to spend the rest of the afternoon and evening.
Our room is HUGE, with a very large entry. The bathroom entrance is located on one side of the vast entry room and the bedroom/living area has a separate entrance on the other side. The leather sofa is long enough for David to completely stretch out–his feet don’t even reach me sitting at the other end. We understand that we have a terrific view of the Matterhorn from our window, but it is snowing so hard that we have to use our imaginations on that point.
Beds are made up a little differently in Switzerland. Instead of a fitted sheet/top sheet/ blanket/comforter that we are used to, they have a bottom sheet which is topped with a comforter, usually down filled, folded in half. (The comforter is placed inside something like an oversized pillow case.) I kinda like it!
After a little wine and relaxation, we bundle back up and head back outdoors to check out some shops. I select a nice looking cow bell with a leather strap embossed with images of the Matterhorn and Edelweiss, (complete with a certificate of authenticity) and David finds a nice Swiss nail clipper. ($80.90 CHF)
We stop in a kitchen store where I see a wonderful fondue pot–it is red with the Zermatt Canton in white, but it is remarkably heavy so I leave without it.
Back in our room, David looks up some possibilities for dinner on-line as we enjoy some music playing from our iPod. (The room is equipped with a very nice sound system).
We find the place that he thinks will be a good choice for fondue dinner, but they are busy and it will be a long wait. So we trudge through the snow to scope out other options. Some locals notice us and stop to offer their advice for some good (and bad) choices. Since they so highly recommended the place we are standing right in front of, GRAMPI’S, we head up the stairs. I order Saltimbocca di Pollo, (Chicken Saltimbocca), David orders BBQ Ribs because the locals highly recommended them, and we share a lovely bottle of red wine. ($113.50 CHF) My dinner is once again wonderful, David’s ribs were a little disappointing, but we left happy and full. We enjoy a nice stroll in the snow back to our hotel and call it a day.
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