The one with the proposal!
Matt and I went on a trip to Switzerland to celebrate our 3 years dating anniversary and during the trip, he proposed in the most beautiful Winter Wonderland I’ve ever seen on the Matterhorn mountain in Zermatt! It was absolutely beautiful and a memory I will cherish for the rest of my life.
We went to Lucerne first! We saw the beautiful little town and grabbed lunch at a pizza place then headed off for Zermatt. You have to hop on a ferry from Lucerne that is actually a car train (never rode on something like this before). It’s about a 15 minute ride from one side of the mountain to the other.
This was actually a very eventful day because while we were in Lucerne, all the locals there were telling us that there was an avalanche warning in Zermatt and that it may not be safe for us to continue our drive there. At that time, we were so disappointed because we had made plans around spending most of our time in Zermatt and really wanted to go skiing, see the town, etc but we were going to have the best time no matter what! We were in Switzerland after all. Everywhere you look is beautiful and mountainous. Luckily, when Matt called the hotel in Zermatt, the host reassured us that the roads were clear and open and they recently had an avalanche up on the mountain but all was good in the town and safe for us to go. Back in business! Maps will tell you Lucerne to Zermatt is a 3 hour drive but I would plan for 4 with the car train and the windiness of the roads once you get up in the mountains.
Zermatt is a car-free town so you have to park your car in Tasch where a train runs every 20 minutes to Zermatt. It’s only a 15 minute train ride, so no problem at all! There are little electric cars that come pick up you and your luggage from the train and take you to your hotel. It is seriously like a magical town you would only dream up in movies with the most beautiful views.
We stayed at Hotel Bellerive in Zermatt. Talk about a dream! This place was a chic little hideaway and our room had a balcony that opened up to an amazing view of the Matterhorn. (That’s the huge mountain you see in all of my photos). The people here were so friendly and accommodating. There was a wonderful breakfast every morning included with our stay and a wellness spa with a jacuzzi, sauna, and steam room. They also had massages for an additional cost but we didn’t feel the need with all the other free services available.
The night we arrived, we explored the town and went to dinner at an Italian restaurant that was wonderful but I can’t remember the name of. There are lots of great options all very close to each other.
We set off the morning after we arrived to attempt skiing the Swiss Alps! You rent your ski equipment and take the Gornergrat from Zermatt up to the mountain where they will drop you off by a restaurant you can hang out at and get settled before skiing down. I will tell you, this was the absolutely the hardest slopes we have ever seen! I consider myself an intermediate skier and Matt’s first time ever skiing was the trip we did before this in California! He is a more advanced snowboarder but tried skiing to switch it up and make it easier for us to stay together.
There are blue, red, black, and yellow runs. The blues there definitely do not equate to a green in the US! All routes are steep and very narrow lanes and I am happy to admit that we busted our butts many many times on our way down! We are so glad we did it though! Matt took one especially bad fall and he later told me that the ring was in a box in his pocket and he fell on the side the ring was in right on the box! Crushed the box into pieces and ended up with a massive colorful bruise on his thigh. It looked so painful but he has a good story to tell!
Once we finally made it down the alps, we took a lift back up to the Matterhorn to eat lunch and enjoy the view. After we ate, we walked outside on one side of the building and Matt grabbed my hands (he seemed shaky and nervous and I started thinking, are you okay? I had never seen him like this) but then said “no, come back inside” and he took us to another side where I guess he was noticing which had the best background. So thoughtful and sweet to put that much thought into choosing the perfect spot. Then he said ok wait here I’ll be right back. He went inside and came back out with our waiter who he handed his phone to and had asked to video us. He walked right back to me and got down on a knee with a little paper in his hand he read his proposal from. I don’t remember a word he said, I think I blacked out feeling so excited and my heart started beating fast. I couldn’t believe this was actually happening and in the most incredible place I had ever been. It was absolutely a dream come true.
I still have the paper he wrote his proposal on. All I remember is him asking, “Will you marry me?” me saying “YES!” and then being so excited you couldn’t wipe the smile off my face the rest of the day. And no, clearly I could not stop looking at that beautiful ring! What made this even more special was that we went to Switzerland to celebrate our 3 year anniversary and he proposed on that exact day, January 12, 2018.
Afterwards, we made it back down the mountain to the town, couldn’t wait to tell our family and friends and headed out to grab dinner and drinks to celebrate! We ate at the Grand Hotel Zermatterhof and then hit the town checking out a local club.
We had a great time in Zermatt and would definitely go back! Before heading home, we drove back to Zurich and spent a couple nights there. If Switzerland isn’t already on your list, I recommend adding it!
Cheers!
M+M
