The beauty of living in Europe is that you can travel at a moments notice. A few weeks ago my fiancé {dang that word sounds amazing, we are newly engaged as of New Years} and I were casually talking about our dreams which we do frequently. I mentioned that I have been itching to go skiing. It’s been so long, maybe 6 years or so since I’ve gone. We immediately started researching… Where would our dreams lead us next?! We eventually decided we couldn’t miss out on skiing in the Swiss alps. He booked our trip! Surprisingly Daniel is awesome at coordinating our trip plans. He books the reservations and I figure out the activities once we arrive. We usually find great deals on booking.com or hotels.com. We decided to take a couples trip with two very good friends of ours Travis and Krissy.
After a 4 am wake up and a 7 hour drive…. We finally boarded the train from Täsch to Zermatt, Switzerland. As we started to climb in elevation, the scenery looked untouched (so beautiful in fact that I forgot to take pictures for most of the quick train ride up the mountain). Zermatt is snuggly located in a picturesque valley in the Swiss Alps.
There are no cars in Zermatt! They run all transportation on foot, skis, bikes or special electric run taxis to transport you through the very mountainous town. We checked into our hotel which was pleasantly surprising. We stayed at Alpenlodge and the atmosphere was incredible. From the fresh pine scent of the wood finishes to the crackling of the fire we were in love. The decor couldn’t be more perfect for a cosy lodge tucked away in the mountains.
The sweet receptionist Maxi recommended a few restaurants to us and we quickly jumped at the idea of fondue with cheese made in Switzerland. I am huge on tasting the food of the region we are in and and experiencing the world through a new perspective. However, they were booked solid that night so we made reservations for the following night and choose and Italian place instead. Zermatt is located on the border of Switzerland and Italy and therefore has a strong Italian influence on food and wine. And ohhhhh my the wine!!!! I am obsessed with Italian wine. It is by far my favorite region as far as wine is concerned.
Molina’s was the name of the Italian place we decided on. We started the meal with Italian red wine and bruschetta (one of my absolute favorites!). Dan ordered pizza while I chose the lemon risotto with jumbo prawns. The intensity of the flavors danced on far after we were finished eating. If you know us well, you know that Dan and I are firm believers in dessert. We chose the Tiramisu with café ice cream to share and it was the BEST tiramisu I’ve had in Europe yet! After dinner we walked through the town, most of the shops were closed but fun to look at. It truly felt like a winter wonderland.
We played euchre in the lodge (a huge card game rivalry/fav of ours as a couple). We woke up early and enjoyed a complimentary breakfast and got ready to take our engagement pictures. Our impromptu photogrphers took breathtaking photos that I absolutely can’t wait to share!
Afterwards we got our ski gear on. I was excited to wear my new ski jacket and snow pants. I’ve had my old ski jacket for ten years and needed to replace it now that I’m no longer living in the south. We took a long tunnel and a train up to the ski slopes. We started slow with our friends since this was their first day ever skiing. Everyone fell atleast once, it’s a million times more scary than skiing in the USA because if you fall too close to the edge you fall 30+ feet down the ledge!
Thankfully we all made it back in one piece to have a warm drink at the lodge. I had a glass of glühwein and it warmed me from the inside out. Thankfully it was warm-ish outside and not too windy so we sat on the deck and enjoyed the view. We hit the slopes for a few more runs until they closed for the day.
We had dinner at the Ferdinand, a fondue restaurant in a hotel overlooking the entire city of Zermatt. The atmosphere was so romantic and sweet. Although it was pretty pricy, it was totally worth it. I would highly recommend that place. We left with our bellies full and our hearts content with such an amazing weekend away.
The next day we left with sad goodbyes with Mrs. Rosemary, the owner of Alpenlodge. She had an extra room adjacent to us available and gave it to us free of charge. She went out of her way to make us feel more than welcome. We assured her we would return (and refer all of our friends too!).
On our way out of Switzerland we stopped in Bern to eat dinner (pizza again… I swear we have an obsession with Italian food). We chose a place called IL Grissino. We also stopped at Starbucks (a tradition of ours) to collect a Switzerland cup for our collection. As this long weekend comes to a close, I am so thankful for the selfless and hilarious friends we have made. Krissy and Travis have made us laugh until we cry and took the most incredible engagement pictures we could have ever hoped for and that I can’t WAIT to share! Until our next travel adventure…
Love,
Jenny
#travel the world with me 