We never knew that we needed to see the Matterhorn, but when Lucas and Simone said we did, we took their word for it and hurled ourselves down some of the scariest mountain roads yet to get to Zermatt. We blindly booked a hotel touting a view with a price that didn’t break the bank. The image above captures the vista from our private terrace.

But, backing up a bit. Twenty-two years ago, as a Swiss exchange student, Lucas Voisin lived with the Bressinck family on South Lookout for a year when he and Ren were seniors at Catholic High. He and Renie stayed in touch and were anxious to spend time together again. Lucas, now 40 years old, is a successful businessman in Bern. He is married to Simone and they have three beautiful, lively, well-mannered children.

We met for the weekend in Leukerbad, a thermal spa resort and alpine ski village where the Voisins own an apartment and enjoy skiing in winter and hiking in summer. On Saturday morning, the seven of us boarded a cable car to the high mountain ski area and started the two hour hike back, walking on well-trodden paths, visiting and laughing while admiring the surrounding 14,000 foot peaks and views from the Rhone plain to the Mont Blanc massif. Renie and I kept thinking of how much it reminds us of Crested Butte, even the wildflowers. Eventually, we were rewarded with lunch on the sunny terrace of an eaterie perched partway down the mountain.

Later, the children came to fetch us for supper and we walked together to their upland home to feast on traditional fondue prepared with pride by Lucas and his sous-chef Renie, with yummy contributions from Simone and the children.

When we went to Zermatt the next day, we intended to stay only one night – just long enough to confirm that the Matterhorn really does look like the picture on the Toblerone candy wrapper. But once we were settled in our room with the priceless view, we realized that we were in a special spot that we weren’t ready to leave.

The village is a wonder of mountain chalets and structures clothed in ruffing rows of mostly pink and red flowers, usually vining geraniums. Cars are forbidden and must be left in Täsch, a village about three miles away. A 15 minute, 8 Euro train ride or a 17 Euro lift in a taxi will get you to the outskirts of Zermott. After that, an electric vehicle shuttles you to your hotel/residence. From then on, it’s pedestrians only.

The only way to get to the peak of the Matterhorn at 14,692 feet is to climb it yourself. Instead, we chose to ride the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise gondola to the highest viewing platform in the Alps, gliding past the great mountain which is always in view. The runoff from 14 glaciers creates streams and waterfalls. Our cab driver told us that the melting has caused a minor rift between Switzerland and Italy — a dispute over the ownership of the emerging land.

The Glacier Palace is the highest glacier palace in the world. The entrance is just next to the viewing platform. To enter, we walked through an ice tunnel that led us 50 feet below the surface. There we found, within the glacier, a wonderland of ice sculptures. We hope that the images speak for themselves.

— Renie and Diane, September 11, 2022