Day 4 & 5: Randa - Zermatt - Tash - Milano - Athens

It is really difficult writing about a cold place like Switzerland when the greek August sun is burning. 

It is also difficult to write about a trip that finished two weeks ago.

But I might as well finish what I started.

So.

Sunday morning was nice and sunny. 

Breakfast, a car ride with Elena to Tash and two trains to Riferlalp for the conclusion of the seminar. Matterhorn was still there, eternally there. 

One more day on these majestic mountains. A little spaced out by the knowledge I had to process in such a small period of time. A little spaced out by the lack of oxygen at such an altitude. Still really really enjoying the fact I was there.

The Intensive finished around 2 in the afternoon. The sun was shining bright and one more time I felt like sitting on the grass. This time I took my shoes off. The grass was so welcoming! I ate my sandwich and sunbathed until I felt my scalp burning. My friends slowly scattered. I wanted to be alone. I had learned there is nothing to fear. I had learned so many things! 

Where I was sitting I found a gift. A stone carved like the Matterhorn!

Once I remained alone, I decided to walk aroud a bit. Get to know the environment of the Alps. It was really colourful. All these little flowers, all these little pine cones! I took some home for my friend as a gift. Abundance in its true manifestation. How can all this fit into one post?? I guess I'll let the photographs speak for themselves...

 When I felt I was filled with the colours and fragrances of the mountain, feeling a little dizzy from the sun, hoping it was not a sunstroke, I took the train back to Zermatt.

I hadn't really walked around the village, so I was curious to look around.

Once you get away from the central street, you can find small, quiet alleys with nice looking homes and hotels. When I heard the sound of water running, I started walking what sounded like a river. It was a river indeed. 

It was wonderful to see how the Swiss have tamed the waters and built the village around them. Respect. That is the right word. Respect for nature and it's ways. The waters here are curiously white, milky white, like the melting snow has coloured the water with its whiteness... 

Tired of walking, bought my gifts - chocolate, what else - and headed back to Randa. 

I wanted to go and see the river which was close to my hotel. In reality, I was curious to put my hand in the water and see its temperature. All rivers here are completely inaccessible. It might be because they are dangerous. Still, I was curious. 

My walk to the river proved very complicated. I had to cross the train tracks and a high speed motorway. After walking back and forth for quite a while, I did find my way to the river. I was so tired of walking around, I almost quit trying. When I finally made it there, I was dissapointed. No way of checking the water's temperature. The river banks where really high up and the river itself looked ver intimidating. It seemed deep and very furious. So I sat down on the soil and just looked at it. And listened to it. The water was rumbling and glowling. I loved it. 

It looked like it was going to rain soon, so I returned to the hotel. 

I had enjoyed the day and it was time to say goodbye to these mountains. 

Monday morning I woke up at 6 as per usual. I had my capuccino ouside. The thermometer ouside the hotel said 5 degrees. VERY COLD. I had already started missing the greek summer. 

The plan was to meet everyone in Tash at 11. A bus would drive us to Milano for our 6 o clock flight. I had plenty of hours ahead of me to have a big breakfast, drink 3 capuccino's and sit around in the cold admiring the sunlight as it lit the mountain tops. I could not get enough of this landscape!  

Instead of sitting around in Randa doing nothing, I decided to go earlier to Tash, to walk around and see what it was like.

Maurizio offered to drive me there, so we had a little chat. Such nice people they are! I was treated like family and I'm sure all of their guests are treated equally like family. Next time I come to Zermatt, I'll stay at their hotel again...

Tash was a simple, traditional Alpic village. Wooden houses, the river, all coming out of a fairytale, starring Heidi. Bright, shining sun and cold weather.

As I was walking, I discovered the best fairytale garden I have ever seen. Miniature farm, lots of miniature animals, gnomes, miniature water mills with miniature inhabitants! The garden was flooded with flowers! I will be eternally grateful to whoever made this fairytale garder...Here it is:

I spent almost 2 hours in Tash. After the garden, I visited its spectacular waterfall and wondered around the alleys.

Until it was time to say goodbye to the Alps.

The trip back to Milano was still really interesting. I took hundreds of pictures from the bus, trying to capture the moments, these last exhiting moments.

We had asked the driver to make a change in his schedule. Instead of stopping in the usual big industrial cafes of the autostrada, we asked to stop in a small village to eat gelato, the infamous italian ice-cream. And we did. Gelato is one of my favorite things. The italians know how to make ice-cream. Period.

After the gelato experience we ended up driving next to one of Italy's bigger lakes, Lago Maggiore. Full of luxurious hotels and tourists who where bathing in these lakes. I personally hate the idea of swimming in a lake, but I guess I come from a different culture....

 This was pretty much the end of the trip.

Back to a hot hot hot Athens. I felt like stepping into the oven!

Still, I was really glad I came back to the summer!