Skiing in Switzerland is the Shiznit (Country#16)

That's right mo-fos. We went skiing in Zermatt, Switzerland. Home of the Matterhorn, for those of you that don't know. And it was awesome! Shall we list the reasons for awesomness, yes we shall:

• You get to ski in two countries. Our ski-passes were good in Switzerland at Zermatt and in Italy at Cervino and Valtournenche.
• It is a cool crowd, skiing is religion here. OK there were a lot of Bogner-wearing, fur-collared douchebags; but overall people of ALL ages were considerate, skilled skiers. You wouldn't believe the people I skied behind thinking they are in their 20s, and when they turn around - they are like 70. Dave was checking out old ladies all day.
• These Swiss are uber-linguists. Everyone spoke Italian, German, English, and French. I fit right in (that is a lie) thanks to my recent German and French lessons. I made reservations and ordered food without significant levels of grunting and pointing.
• No driving. This is why you don't get many Europeans in Tahoe. You cannot properly apres-ski if you have to drive home. And the Europeans love their apres-ski more than the ski, as demonstrated by all manner of lovely bars to choose from on your ski home at the end of the day. OMG there was even a Champagne-only bar. I love Zermatt.
• The Matterhorn. Seeing it in-person (and not just at Disneyland) was really super cool. Check it out in the photos that follow.

I lost my favorite hat (there) that I got from J.B. like 20 years ago. Boooooo.

And don't think it was sunny everyday, because it wasn't.

Shall we just ski to Italy then, maybe it is warmer there.

 
And how could I forget to mention the food: all forms of meat, raclette, fondue, local Valais wines, weissbier...... Also, don't forget that you can SKI TO ITALY, so the Italian food on the mountain and in the towns will bring tears of happiness to your eyes.

It is possible to get fat while skiing 6 hours per day?

Yes it is, but oh so worth it. See how ecstatic I am.

Dave is effing lucky I love to ski, because it really could have gone another way. I HATE to be cold - as in, I despise anything less than about 55 degrees. Hence, I will be quite happy to leave London and move back to balmy Northern California. Anyway, to ensure I will enjoy I my ski experience and won't complain *too* much, here is what I wear to ski on a somewhat windy day in the 20s.

Ski jacket, hat, scarf, jog bra, 4 shirts, ski pants, 3 pants, 2 socks.

Yup, all of that - plus boot warmers. I belong in Hawaii, that is what it comes down to. But, as I mentioned, this ensemble ensures my (and Dave's) ski-happiness and warmth.

In case you are wondering, we stayed at the Matterhorn Blick Hotel. It was a simple hotel in a perfect location in the center of Zermatt, but like everything else in Switzerland - it was EXPENSIVE. Holy crap, hold on to your credit card. And it wasn't just the hotel, we had to not look at the prices on menus for fear of going into shock. Did we just pay 27 Francs for a pizza? Yes, we did. Mother-effer that part of the trip sucked.

View from our balcony, enjoy it Dave. We'll get the bill next week, gulp.

Here is the old part of Zermatt, I heart historic villages.

I suppose we'll see you all skiing next year in Tahoe. Man that is bittersweet with memories of Zermatt still so fresh. Ski on friends!