The lost wallet
Trip Start
Dec 22, 2009
1
5
7
Trip End
Dec 29, 2009
Where I stayed
Zermatt, Swiss Alps, Switzerland
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Today it was my determination to make it to the highest lift in Europe and ski that area first in case my legs were to give out before I got the chance. As It turned out, it was a good idea because halfway down I was getting cramps in my thighs. Mom had decided to go shopping around the village while my brother and I skied the slopes until a meeting rondesvouz for lunch at the gornengratt restaurant as high as you can go to eat in Europe.
The Gornegratt is a restaurant and hotel at the highest point reachable in Europe. It can only be accessed by a cable car that runs up the mountain or by skies.
It took us nearly 2 hours to reach the summit using 3 gondola lifts and an aerial tram. At the summit, there is a long tunnel stretching to the Italian side of the mountain. There is also a bar, restaurant, gift shop and an ice cave which I had wanted to see but we never found the entrance It was cold. Halfway through the tunnel was an elevator to an observation deck about 3 flights of stairs higher. The wind and cold were unbelievable at -15 Celsius and high winds but the view was well worth the frostbite. A 360 degree view of the alps with the matterhorn summit just 1000 feet higher than us and so close you felt you could touch it. We found a nice couple from the Bay area and asked tehm to take pictures for us. From here you could ski to Cervinia, Italy or turn back around to Zermatt.
We had plans to meet mom in only 2 hours so after some pictures we were on our way through pristine snow down hill. As we headed to the right, we realized we were all the way at the back side of the infamous peak and it was fun to be able to say we were actually on the highest ski slope we could imagine, not to mention the amazing views.
We twisted our way down the mountain which is speckled with tiny villages only reachable by ski!! Everything from pubs to hotels were accessible only by skis. At about ¾ of the way, I had to stop for a bathroom break, and found a charming pub with a guitar player and beer bar to stop in.
In the restroom, I found that my ski boots kept my pants from going as far down as I prefer and it was difficult to adjust myself in the tiny stall. After finishing, I went up to meet my brother who was already comfortably in mid beer.
We finished the run after about 2 hours and took the gondola to the cable car to the restaurant. There, I discovered that my wallet with all my money was gone. A panic ensued and I became quite upset and nervous but luckily as I was trying to gain my composure, my brother had a shop clerk call the former pub and we located the wallet. He figured that the wallett must have been forced from my back pocket when I was trying to wedge the pants down.
We had a nice lunch but I was still nervous to see if my money would still be there. After we finished, we took the cable car back down as my brother got in some verticalitude. We met at the bottom and went back to the hotel, changed shoes and went back to Zermatt to pick up the wallet. We were told to go to a certain hotel where the wallett would be held. All the money and credit cards were there!!!
Relieved, we had a relaxing dinner at a grill across the snow covered street and then took a stroll through the center of the Christmas village like town. Back in my room, exhausted, I’m calling it a day.
