We feel the train engage the cogs as it rattles its way up the steep incline. Outside the wide windows, we pass rocky canyons, pine-covered mountain slopes and wildflower-covered meadows. My wife and I are comfortable and warm but outside the snowy white peaks are wrapped with cloud.
The train crawls through tunnels and across high bridges then pulls into a station. This is the end of the line. We have arrived in Zermatt.
The Swiss mountain village of Zermatt is one of the great ski and climbing centres of the world. Nestled in a deep valley enclosed between steeply scarped mountains, it is dominated by the dramatic, gracefully curved pyramid of the 4478 metre-high Matterhorn.
I first ‘discovered‘ Zermatt 40 years ago and declared it one of my favourite places in the world. I have been reluctant to go back and must say that I am initially disappointed in what I see. I want Zermatt to be the same as it was but, of course, it is not.
Looking f