A Wedding in Zermatt, 2018

There was a special event in August this year:

My son's wedding in Zermatt.

Most of the guests went up to the mountains for three days.

I did the train journey with my daughter and grandson.

I'll start off by showing you the Zermatt flag which is very striking .

Then there is the Canton of Valais flag

and the well-known Swiss flag

We had booked into the same hotel.

It's just a stone's throw away from the church

where the wedding was to take place.

As you can see, it's very mountainous.

The town itself is at an altitude of 1.620 metres

(5.310 ft)

Twice a day, a herd of goats were lead through the main street

The children guiding the goats were dressed in embroidered

red tunics.

The surrounding mountains are stunning

But the most iconic of all is the Matterhorn

whose summit is 4,478 metres (14,692 ft)

On the first day, we settled into our hotel and enjoyed visiting the little town.

On the second day, a wonderful outing was organized for all the wedding guests.

We took a cogwheel train up higher into the mountains 

where a delicious meal was served on an outside terrace.

It was lovely to meet up with other members of the family

and meet friends and colleagues who had been invited.

We walked back down all the way down to the village.

It took about one and a half hours and I could really feel the muscles

on my legs for a few days afterwards!

The day of the wedding arrived and we left our hotel dressed in our wedding outfits!

My daughter took this photo of me as we were leaving!

My daughter and grandson, in disguise!

After the church service

We all went to the wedding reception where drinks and snacks were served outside.

We had a quick peek and the prepared tables in the living room,

This long one was for my son and his wife and all close members of the family.

There were also two round tables.

I had been busy many weeks previously crocheting red hearts

for each guest.

I was so happy to participate this way.

I had also seen the idea of folding the starched napkin into an envelope shape

with a place to hold the menu 

and with the heart,

I like that the envelope represents a love letter.

The flowers are not yet on the tables.

They were pretty red roses and white baby's breath and greenery.

Perfect!

One of the sparkling chandeliers in the dining-room.

Here are the happy couple leaving in the hotel's carriage drawn by

two white horses.

So romantic!

It was a fairy-tale wedding!

You can see the good-luck rice being thrown as the carriage leaves!

There were many emotional moments, especially at the church.

It was very much an unforgettable and wonderful time in the mountains!

Last December,

I also visited Zermatt.

You can see how different everything looks in the winter here:

A Weekend in Zermatt

January Wanderings

Ile de Peilz

is a very small island, originally a simple rock which was reinforced

in 1797 with a little wall to make it a bit taller.

The tree is a big plane tree.

It looks very impressive in the summer with all the leaves which hide the tiny island.

This is the far east end of the Léman Lake

and the adjacent town is called Villeneuve.

Mountains and port in Villeneuve.

I'd taken a train to get here with a friend.

On the way back to Lausanne we stopped in another lakeside town of Vevey.

The cloud formations were beautiful

The snowy peak to the left is a mountain called Dent de Morcles.

It overlooks the Rhone Valley and is 2.969 metres high (9.744 feet).

A closer view which includes a strip of lake.

Another lovely mountain view on the Dent de Jaman on the left

and the Rochers de Naye range on the right.

The views from up there are spectacular.

I loved the structure of this almost bare tree against the blue of the sky.

Quite a few autumn leaves are still clinging to the branches.

Another day and a new train ride.

This sleek and very long train was on its way to Milan in Italy.

My smaller train came a little later.

It was a cold wait on the Lausanne station platform!

This is the lakeside in the small town of Cully.

There was a misty, mysterious ambience at the start of my walk

with just a few sparkles on the lake from a pale, hazy sun.

There were silvery tones in the lake

and I like how this scene tells a story.

We can even invent a story of our own!

I had to include this capture because we can see how the lighting changed

an hour later when I was walking back towards the station again.

The pale sun had pierced a layer of mist and the sky was turning blue which reflected in the water.

Back home again

and here is the last bloom on my Amaryllis.

The petals through a macro lens are so dainty and lovely.

After lunch, a small espresso coffee and a square of very dark chocolate.

The embroidered cloth is a lovely memento from three days spent in the mountains in Zermatt.

You can see them below if you would like to:

A Weekend in Zermatt

It's half-past pink!

There is always something new on my crochet hook.

This is my latest creation.

I received this clock from a very kind blogging friend, Astri from

Apple Blossom Dreams

It was time to refresh the flowers with new colours and I really enjoyed

crocheting the tiny roses in bright and cheerful colours.

This clock is on the wall in my bedroom.

Colour is so important during the cold winter months, don't you think?

I hope that you are finding lovely ways to bring colour into your life.

A Weekend in Zermatt

The River Vispa runs through the village of Zermatt and the pointed summit of this mountain

can be seen just about everywhere you go in the village.

The Matterhorn is probably the most well-known and recognizable mountain in Switzerland.

I recently spent a long weekend in this mountain village

and this is the view we had from the hotel balcony.

The rising sun hits the side of the snow-powdered rocky surface.

Different times of the day create different moods and they were a constant source

of never-ending fascination.

There were other things to see of course,

like beautiful chalets and pretty red shutters and seasonal decorations.

Bars and cafés often have outside seating with sheepskin rugs

and thick warm blankets to keep warm in the crisp, cold air.

Many of the chalets are very old and have a great deal of charm.

The older the chalet, the darker the aged wood becomes, like this one above.

I have a special fondness for draped sheer curtains!

The hotel we stayed in is basically a big chalet with a modern wing which

is the reception, breakfast room and restaurant.

The hotel is very nicely placed just slightly out of the centre, 

but with an easy ten-minute walk to the station. 

Only electric vehicles are allowed here

and the air is beautifully pure.

This view just takes my breath away.

The Matterhorn is 4.478 metres high.

The German word 'Matte' means valley or meadow and 'Horn' means peak.

Here is the main church called St. Mauritius

This is the view you get as you come down the steps from the church

The front view from the steps on the old chalets and another mountain range.

One last shot of this iconic mountain at sunset when the sky was just turning

a shade of lavender.

We were so lucky with the weather which was sunny and quite cold.

On the last morning, it was -10 degrees Celsius,

but the average temperature during our stay was around -6C.

I really want to go back here again, but in the summer months so that we can do 

more hiking and enjoy the alpine flowers.