Gornergrat Bahn

Travel Date 22nd May 2011.
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The Gornergrat Bahn is a special railway that connects Zermatt with the spectacular Gornergrat Alpine viewing platform at over 3100 m or 10200 ft.

I was surprised to find that the original track was completed over a century ago in 1898. It was the first electric cogwheel railway in Switzerland. I found the construction and engineering of the system very interesting and enjoyed riding up front in both directions. The roofed sections appear to be for avalanche protection. 

There is also a hotel and restaurant on the peak and, of course, the obligatory souvenir shop and local entrepreneurs. 

On a clear day the brochure told me that I could see 20 different spectacular mountain peaks over 4000m as well as looking down on the Gornergletscher, the second-largest glacier in the Alps. Unfortunately, it wasn't a clear day. But it was still pretty spectacular in the breaks between the mist and the drizzle.

The scale of the surroundings is hard to get across in the pictures, until you see this one with a helicopter flying along the glacier below us.

Despite the dreary weather I still found the scenery stunning, with the black, white and greys of the Alpine scenery interspersed with sudden glimpses of deep blues and greens in the frozen lakes and the glacier.

Of course, the following morning dawned with a wonderful clear blue sky, but I had an advance booking to depart on the Glacier Express early in the morning so there was no time to go up again. C'est la vie. If I ever return I will allow enough days to wait for good weather.

Cheers, Alan, Australia