Day Date

Mom and Dad graciously watched Carsten all day on Monday, the 28th of May (which is a holiday here), so Andy and I could take our first every 'Day Date' since he was born. We left the house around 7 am, wished everyone good luck, hopped on multiple trains, and 5 hrs later we arrived in Zermatt to see the Matterhorn.  The train trip, which would normally be very stressful with Carsten because he just can't sit for too long, was relaxing and wonderful. Andy and I got to talk, admire the scenery, read books, and just relax. We had Mom Huisman checking the webcams for us as we went to make sure that we'd be able to see the Matterhorn after all that effort :). Here's some photos along the way:

last minute travel planning!

Matterhorn train!

having fun!

Pretty scenery. I love the rock roofs. 

Andy and I arrived around noon in Zermatt and after quickly admiring the Matterhorn, we hopped on the Gonergrat cograil train which took us way up high so we could admire glaciers, mountains, and of course the Matterhorn. You see, all the matters is the Matterhorn. Once we reached the top, I went into picture taking mode and had a lot of fun taking pictures. It was incredibly beautiful and Andy and I really enjoyed taking our time admiring the scenery, talking, and talking video/photos. We even stopped at the restaurant and had a cappuccino out on the balcony. We sat on the balcony for close to an hour; during that time we bundled up with our coats and used their blankets so we could stay outside and just relax while admiring God's creation. We felt very spoiled and very much enjoyed a 'just us' vacation day. Here's some photos from the top of Gonergrat (I took soooo many photos!):

The Matterhorn. Book your tickets to come see us right now.

SO BEAUTIFUL.

Glaciers and mountains up at Gonnergrat.

We made it to the top!

Church at the top.

The Matterhorn!

What's better than the Matterhorn? Us with the Matterhorn!

I love mountains.

More photos of us with the beautiful mountains!

Coffee on the terrace!

Sitting with our blankets because our coffee is long gone... 

The cograil train! If you look closely, you can see the Matterhorn in the window. 

We eventually got quite cold and headed down the mountain to wander through Zermatt, which we had been to with my family the year before. We couldn't resist getting another crepe from the amazing crepe shop on main street and we walked the same streets to take a trip down memory lane. The Matterhorn was really no longer visible thanks to clouds, but at least this time, we knew what it should look like and where it should be. Here's a few photos from our walk in Zermatt:

The hotel where we stayed last year and where Mom and Dad Huisman stayed this year.

Best. Crepes. Ever.

Hiking is a big deal in Switzerland.

Us in the same spot as last year! You can just barely see the Matterhorn.

Last views of the Matterhorn!

We hustled to the train station to catch a train back around 4 so we could make a stop a long the way if we wanted to. We ended up getting off the crowded, hot train at Thun (near Interlaken) so we could get out and walk for 30 min. We rushed around the town and took a few photos, but in the future, we decided that it's not worth stopping somewhere for just 30 min. You need at least an hour or 2 to wander a small town and enjoy yourself. It was a cute town, and hopefully we'll make it back to that area at some point before we leave since we really haven't done that part of Switzerland. Here's a few photos of Thun:

Pretty covered bridges like Lucerne.

So peaceful. Like time has stopped somehow.

The bridge is also a dam in this case.

These surfers were utilizing the bridge/dam. Amazing!

10 points to anyone who can tell me what this means.

Pretty castle that we didn't make it to.

We arrived back in Egg around 9 pm after a wonderful, full day of sightseeing that was incredibly relaxing compared to what we're used to. We love our buddy and love taking him places, but going by ourselves made us realize that he adds quite a bit of work to our traveling. I will say however, that it is totally worth it to take him places though; he has a lot of fun and we enjoy the family time. We had an amazing day - thanks Mom and Dad!