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Switzerland 2025
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Tuesday July 29, 2025
Abbey of Saint-Maurice d'Agaune and
"From Rembrandt to Van Gogh"

Wednesday July 30, 2025
Zermatt
Next
Thursday July 31, 2025
Breithorn and Straßenfest

Wednesday morning I tracked Ray's plane from Philadelphia to Zurich from my hotel room in Brig.

08:30 Europe time 23:30 California time
Ray: Landed! See you later in Zermatt!
Ray: ez flight but knee was killing me

09:07 Europe time 00:07 California time
Ray: What are you doing

09:29 Europe time 00:29 California time
Dusty: packing and getting on a train

09:31 Europe time 00:31 California time
Ray: i'm at the train depot, about to buy half-fare card and ticket to Zermatt
Ray: I haven't checked the skej yet - assuming they leave for Zermatt regularly thruout day

09:42 Europe time 00:42 California time
Dusty: you have 6 minutes until your next train :)




10:48 Switzerland time 02:48 California time

Breithorn and Kleine Matterhorn from the train to Zermatt...


09:57 Europe time 00:57 California time
Dusty: you on a train yet?

10:34 Europe time 01:34 California time
Ray: I am on the train but we only made it to another stop in Zurich so far
Ray: They closed the back end of the train forcing everyone in 2nd class to get off, go around the 1st class trains and get in the front section of 2nd class
Ray: I lost my ticket in the chaos - they don't seem to check tickets, tho
Ray: Got to change trains twice so I may get screwed yet...

10:39 Europe time 01:39 California time
Dusty: i assume they will check tickets sometime in the next 4h, you can buy another in the sbb app

10:42 Europe time 01:42 California time
Ray: They had to do maintenance on the back half
Ray: My ticket is prob still in the table there

10:43 Europe time 01:43 California time
Dusty: i have no idea what the fine is for getting caught without ticket, but nothing in switzerland is cheap
Dusty: safe bet you will get checked on the way up to zermatt, i just did
Dusty: after visp

10:45 Europe time 01:45 California time
Ray: Not too concerned

10:46 Europe time 01:46 California time
Dusty: if you buy a ticket in the app, by default it works on any train to your destination

10:54 Europe time 01:54 California time
Dusty: you still have your half fare card?

10:55 Europe time 01:55 California time
Ray: Problem solved!
Ray: I walked through the train to see if I could get back to the part we were taken out of - on the way, I ran into a guy checking tickets and told him I left my ticket on another car
Ray: He pulled it out of his pocket and gave it back to me!

10:55 Europe time 01:55 California time
Ray: Yes, I won't be losing that this time!

11:02 Europe time 02:02 California time
Dusty: buy a lottery ticket next

11:18 Europe time 02:18 California time
Ray: yah boi

11:33 Europe time 02:33 California time
Ray: Arriving in Bern
Ray: Skipping the river - headed to Visp!

I found our hotel - very old school 1950s or 60s vibe...
There was nobody at checkin, there was a pile of keys and names on the front desk, one key per room.
I found someone working in the breakfast room, she was able to determine that our room was clean and she gave me two keys.
Good thing I arrived when someone was around, I seldom saw any staff over the next three days except at breakfast.



13:34 Switzerland time 05:34 California time

View from our balcony for the next 3 days...



13:35 Switzerland time 05:35 California time

Next I tried to find the guides.
Kent said they were right on the main drag - I walked up and down the main drag and didn't see it.
I went all the way to the information booth back at the train station, waited 5 minutes for my turn to ask a question, and she quickly and cheerfully pulled out a map, circled the guide shop for me, told me that it's across from the 5 star hotel, and handed me the map...

I walked back up the street and found it at 116pm:



13:16 Switzerland time 05:16 California time

Zermatters, the guide shop, is closed between noon and 2pm....
Ray was due in town shortly after two, we'd go back later.

13:09 Europe time 04:09 California time
Ray: one hour more, roughly

13:28 Europe time 04:28 California time
Ray: Fading fast
Ray: Been going for 23 hours now.






15:19 Switzerland time 07:19 California time

Ray arrived, we got his stuff to the hotel, we found the guide shop, and the guides told us the weather tomorrow should be the best weather for days with light winds...
Saw the price list
660chf for a private guide to take a party up Breithorn (total, not per person)

We found the coop, then had dinner at Take it Doner, the only affordable place in town other than McDonalds.
It was not good.


Previous
Tuesday July 29, 2025
Abbey of Saint-Maurice d'Agaune and
"From Rembrandt to Van Gogh"

Wednesday July 30, 2025
Zermatt
Next
Thursday July 31, 2025
Breithorn and Straßenfest