Dear Traveler, Have a Good Weather Day!

‘Beneath the china-blue sky is the only way to do it,’ I read out with affirmation from the Lonely Planet to my husband who was engrossed in the phone; checking the hourly weather of Zermatt and reading forums on Trip Advisor.

‘Who knew the weather would be so unpredictable and we couldn’t have risked booking the tickets at short notice. Online tickets get sold out one or even two months in advance,’ he replied without looking up.

‘Umm…we can go to the train station tomorrow and buy new ones.’ I tried to offer him a not-so-promising solution before pulling up the blanket on me. He continued with his search, hoping to find an answer.

We never thought this would happen to us. We never thought weather would hit us so hard in the face. We realized weather had all the power to make our day or ruin one. Glacier Express journey was the most awaited one in our trip and it was slipping through our fingers.

We woke up to a sunny morning and from our balcony we could see the Matterhorn shining glorious in the light of the sun. It was our last day in Zermatt before we would board the famous train the next day. We had planned for the hike but only after going to the train station and settling the matter once and for all.

The man at the train station ticket counter had informed us that the train was completely booked for the day after tomorrow.

‘Just let it be. Let’s board the train tomorrow,’ I gave up.

‘Let’s board the train tomorrow and get down at Andermatt,’ he said while taking a bite at the chocolate. ‘There are local trains that travel along the same route but only if we take the route that goes via Andermatt.’

‘And the best bit is the one hour ride from Andermatt to Disentis across the Oberalp Pass,’ I read out from the Lonely Planet.

And so we decided to ditch the glamorous Glacier Express train for the local ones. We did not pay to admire the snow-topped mountains, earthy chalets and misty waterfalls blanketed in clouds and mist. Whether we traveled on the train or not, either way our money was bound to be wasted. So why not spend the day somewhere else, stay there overnight and get on the local ones on a cloudless day offering the same stunning scenery but in a less opulent way. This time no reservations required and a chance to hop on and hop off at various train stations.

Next morning the Matterhorn and surrounding Alps lay engulfed in the clouds. The weather god was not willing to be on our side. We boarded the Glacier Express train and traveled in the lap of luxury for an hour and a half till we reached Andermatt. Dew drops made its due appearance on the panoramic windows and what was hidden behind the fog was left solely to our imagination.

But to make most of the money that we had spent on the overpriced Glacier Express, we had our share of three-course meal in one go! The typical Gujarati couple we sometimes behave like. We looked stupid to our fellow travelers sitting besides us but we had made good friends with them so I think they understood us well or maybe not.

Next day we woke up early to catch the sun in its full glory. Clouds cleared, sun rays caressed the green pastures and dazzled the Swiss Alps. As for the journey, we had real fun in traveling the local way. There was a joy in getting down from the train in a new town, becoming familiar with the station’s name and waiting eagerly for the next one to arrive. There was a childlike joy in pulling down the windows to have that perfect shot of winding red train in the sun kissed Alpine scenery just like we had seen it many times before. If only we had continued with our journey that day we wouldn’t have ever known what we had really missed out on. This time all that could go wrong did not go wrong instead turned out to be a bittersweet memory for us.

So here’s wishing every traveler a good weather day :)