Awoke in Chur (as in apple core) stare at the mountains for a while then do the normal must does, place the pack on the back and off we wander the streets of Chur, most places in these parts are are spoken about at what height they are above sea level. Chur is around 650 m so just below the regular snow line, this makes it a busy regional centre. The places we have come across within Switzerland are just so clean, spotless in fact which is stark contract to their italian border friends. Places that we visit just have a certain feel about them, Chur feels like your favourite lounge seat with a cuppa in hand. Easy to spend some time here, we have just the morning, the girls go food hunting as we are doing the popular thing and picnicking including the local vino on the train.

Board the Glacier Express for our near seven hour journey from the middle of eastern Switzerland to Zermatt @ 1750 metres a .s.l. We have many new friends after that time sitting on a full train together. An Indian couple on their honeymoon, their wedding went for a week with 1500 guests. We told them that we were also on our honeymoon but our points of separation compared to theirs gave the game away quickly, the couple from Rotterdam on a two week train journey throughout Switzerland, the English couple that were doing a similar trip for three weeks and the Aussies from Gawler that were visiting their homeland, they did not speak any English for most of the journey and seemed to right back at home.

A few things need to be sorted out on this train so will need to diarise some consultancy time with them. Strange really as the swiss train network runs like clockwork, that is when the swiss and their work culture is involved. The Glacier Express had a large number of sub continent friends who were terse at best and just plain rude at worst. Needs fixing but still did not upset our picnic atmosphere . They do serve meals on board but at 45 Swiss francs a main course ( that's around 60 Aussie dollars) for very average food served without any TLC. Besides needed to save up our francs for a Piera or two in the Panorama Bar. They call the local brew Colandas around here.

Why do cows wear bells? Because they have no horns!

There could well be a school of thought that all of the fantastic alps scenic landscape becomes same same after five hours but sure beats the hum drum served up in our other life. We climb to 2033 metres a.s.l. Which was a constant climb from Chur and then descend down to 658 @ a place called Visp. From there it is the home stretch up to the end of the line of 1604 metres a.s.l. In the car free town of Zermett. The last section takes some time as the poor train I scarring us and all our luggage so naturally will be slow. They promote the journey as one of the best in the world and yes it is, taking the train from Frankston to the city will just be so mundane .

Zermatt is a snowed in reasonably large village serviced by train and within the village small electric cars and transport carts. The show stopper for the town is masked on our arrival, at 4478 metres a.s.l. it had better show it's self during our precious time here. We are housed in a traditional older style ski lodge anchored high with fairy tale like vision of the myriad of other like dwellings scattered throughout the village and valley. The hotel has a lift that services you from the main village. You need to walk through the tunnelled mountain side for around 100 metres to reach the lift. It then deposits you some 75 metres above at the establishments front entrance, very cool but hate to think of the expense to achieve this outcome.

We venture into the village for a late dinner, not sure how we will get back to regular eating hours! The temperature currently sitting on 8 degrees C which is a shock to the system, I am thinking about longs tomorrow! We try some swiss dishes, Rosti, veal snags, clear consumes with dunked cheeses. Will save the fondue for tom. Another day of new experiences to take the cake for the Aussie adventurers, I should say the flag bearer and go to girl who we push to the front when the chips are down is holding up very well. Some days she finds all the touring about, shall we say bothersome but Maddie will beat you up the stairs / steps every time.