Tuesday, 25 June 2019

Day 52 - Monday 24 June - Klein Matterhorn

Monday 24 June


We had a slower start than we should have, with washing machine difficulties.  Trips to 2 shops to get the required coins, then when it finished, there was still 5cm water in the drum.  Another trip to the bank, a very long spin cycle, and we were done.

We walked to the cable car terminus, about 15mins at the edge of town, and were whisked up to the first junction.   
There we got into a large, standing only car for the 2nd leg.  Lots of sweaty bodies, skis, hiking poles etc.   
 
The 3rd leg is new, only opened last winter, and it took us to Klein Matterhorn, at 3883m.  It was cold in the tunnels where the terminus was and we both found it difficult to breathe.  We went first to the topmost viewing platform, where we did the obligatory photos.  We could see groups of cross country skiers up high on the next mountain, Breithorn, 4164m, and agreed they could have it on their own.
 
  Matterhorn
  Breithorn
 
 Mont Blanc

 I am the highest

Then we went down to the lowest level, the Ice Palace dug through the glacier.  Here was a crevasse you could see from the underneath, lots of ice sculptures, and a section were various groups of scientists were working on projects that required cold – many seemed to be connected with overcoming problems of living on Mars.  
the crevasse from under the glacier



 But it was very cold, so we didn’t linger, but went to watch some short videos about the science projects, then caught the cable car back one station.

 The cable car to the highest station in Europe.


 strange tracks in the snow, up really high and going nowhere

Trockener Steg facilities had not yet opened for the summer season (or maybe they don’t, they just do winter), but we sat in the sun on their terrace and had lunch, and got too hot.  We found out that the standing cable car was just a fillin, and the better one was now in use, so we got it, back through Furgg and got off again at Schwarzesee.  Here we found a small flock of black-faced sheep, and took lots of photos of them and of the Gornergrat Bahn on the opposite hill.  So then we rode down through Furi, and back to ground level.
 






We walked home, had a short rest and a change of clothes, and went out again.  Yesterday morning, Rev John had invited anyone to come on a ‘marmot spotting’ expedition, and as it happened, we were the only ones who turned up at 17:00.  So an intrepid team of 4 plodded slowly up the hill behind the town to the favoured marmot spotting field, and settled down.  We were lucky, and saw 3-5 come out of their burrows and feed in the long grass.  It was a bit hard to tell sometimes whether it was one we’d seen before, or a new one, but we were happy with our tally, and John and Caroline were pleased our trip was not in vain.
 



 Google's marmot

And we had a couple of bonuses, with a folk group in the church square on the way out, and an alpen horn group rehearsing in the school playground on the way back.


We called at the supermarket on the way home, and thought only a little bit about packing.

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