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Today we return to Preda on the Glacier Express and will be re-united with our beloved Peugeot 207SW but before we leave Zermatt there is just one last experience to enjoy: the sun rising on the Matterhorn. To witness the sunrise and all the colour changes that go with it we woke with the alarm at 5:00am. The sky was clear except for a faint wisp of cloud that added to the theatre that was about to unfold. To see the sun strike the summit of the mountain was one more page in the highlight chapter of this book. The early wake up and standing on the roof terrace of the hotel with a chill breeze blowing was worth it.
After breakfast we left the hotel for Zermatt railway station to catch the Glacier Express. We had hoped to see the culprits that left their droppings on the roadway but we were too late. They had already done their business and gone on their way.
We boarded the train only to find one of our seats missing. You don’t spend a fortune on these trains and have no seat. There must be an explanation. Soon a very flustered train manager (guard)
arrived and explained in serious English/German that this particular carriage had wheelchair facilities and our seat was removed for a wheel chair. But don’t worry she said you have seat numbers 22 and 23 over the aisle by the window. They turned out to be better than our original reserved seats. All went well until the train manager returned to check our tickets. For some reason that we had forgotten about we had First Class seats but Second Class tickets. This was a very grave situation and there was to be no humour about this incident. Just like McGyver we got out of a very sticky situation with the flash of the Visa card. Order and humour was restored. Our return trip was just as exciting as the outward trip. This time we were on the other side of the carriage and no fellow passengers beside us. We still marvel at the engineering and construction of the line with looped tunnels everywhere without the benefit of computers and other technical aids to make sure the gradient and curves of the tunnels worked out.
For the rail enthusiasts who might read this it was quite an exciting moment to see a
restored “crocodile” electric engine attached to a line of restored Pullman cars. These engines were very powerful and were used extensively throughout the Swiss rail network. Now there are only two left, the one we saw and one at Bergun.
This was a very special day, not because it was July 4 and America’s Independence Day, but because one of our touring party celebrated their birthday in such a wonderful location. We ended the day with a lovely birthday dinner at the hotel in Preda. The wonderful staff added a little touch to make sure the day finished with a highlight, a sparkler fireworks was added to a dessert and had the fellow hotel guests adding their best wishes.
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