To the happy few who have followed this blow-by-blow account of our Interrail adventures, I bring good tidings. This is the final instalment. There is light at the end of the tunnel.

Monday 24 June (cont.)

When we’re away from home for more than two nights we like to choose a “local” in which to while away the evening. In Zermatt it was Grizzly’s, which at least looked like a pub, with almost affordable beer, bar food (though not on a Monday), a welcoming Italian barmaid, and Euro 2024 on the telly. We invested many Swiss francs on a couple of pints while watching Italy v Croatia. Italy, typically, equalised in the last minute to cries of cazzo!

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We wrapped up the evening with a glass of wine on our balcony at Hotel Bahnhof. The Matterhorn hid behind the clouds as the temperature dropped.

Tuesday 25 June

We woke at 7:30am to – finally – see the mountain in all its glory.

Fascinating and terrifying

After some dithering we took the so-called “pensioner route” through the village, though it still has great views, before picking up an easy path to Chalet Ried, a rustic restaurant. We weren’t suitably clad for mountaineering and walking up steep tracks quickly becomes exhausting. I chose veal sausage with ratatouille and mash, whilst Anne could only manage a small portion of ravioli. And beer.

We were joined by Meg from Alabama, older and even slower than us, who recounted the tale of when she had traversed the slopes of the Matterhorn as a young woman – alone, ill-equipped and in bad weather. Meanwhile her friends were betting on whether or not she would survive.

What had been a glorious morning turned showery as we walked back down, but the rain did not last and we enjoyed a fine evening. But first we needed a rest.

A few facts

Zermatt is 1,600 metres above sea level, so just climbing the stairs is more of an effort than usual. It lies at the foot of the highest mountains in the Alps. The first successful ascent of the Matterhorn, nearly 3,000 metres above the town, was made in 1865 by a party led by Englishman Edward Whymper. During the descent four of the party fell to their deaths. There is disagreement over exactly what happened.

A great number of people have died climbing these Alpine giants, and the graveyard is a macabre, and moving, tourist attraction.

Zermatt is eye-wateringly expensive, with more shops selling designer watches than you could imagine. Tissot alone has two branches.

You can pay a scandalously large sum for a plate of spaghetti dressed with olive oil, garlic and chilli pepper – hardly the height of gastronomy. On the other hand it has a large and wonderful COOP, with one of the best selections of food, including prepared dishes, I have ever seen. And it is no more expensive than a British supermarket.

Rely on the COOP

That evening, predictably, we returned to Grizzly to watch Austria v Netherlands, an excellent game which the Austrians won 3-2. After which came England v Slovenia: nil-nil and exceedingly boring. But England still topped their group. 

Wednesday 26 June

Another fine start to the day, so we took the Matterhorn Express gondola to Furi then walked back down the road. It was pleasant and straightforward, though we could have been more ambitious.

Throughout the village and its environs there was evidence of the storm damage that had disrupted our journey earlier. Hotels were still pumping mud from their basements, and at least one ski-lift was badly damaged.

After lunch we visited the Matterhorn museum, which was informative but packed. Once again we dithered; we considered taking the funicular up to Sunnegga but had left it too late. The Gornergrat Railway was closed following the storms, which was a great shame but on the plus side saved us 280 CHF. We headed to the Grand Hotel Zermatterhorn and spent half our savings on negronis. A pleasant and talented young woman from the Philippines was crooning classic lounge numbers. I requested “Fly Me to the Moon” since no-one else was forthcoming with suggestions.

Thursday 27 June

A perfect sunny day, with the temperature rising as we left the hotel. Too late we realised we should have taken the funicular to Sunnegga as we were in no rush to reach our next destination, Lyon.

If we go again, we’ll be better prepared

Anyway, we boarded the 08:13 to Täsch, then a replacement bus to Visp, from where they were superb views over a ravine. Then back on the train… but unscheduled track maintenance meant we had to disembark at Aigle! For Switzerland it was remarkably chaotic. We passed the time with a beer at the café opposite the station before getting the 12:06 to Geneva, with views of Lake Leman as we approached the city.

We strolled along the lakeside with an ice-cream, passing a lido. It had not occurred to me that with better planning we could have taken a dip.

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On the 15:14 to Lyon Perrache we travelled through the beautiful Auvergne. After walking to our hotel (yet another converted 19th-century mansion block) we took a shower, then set off across the river to see the sights of the old town.

We visited the magnificent Gothic cathedral dedicated to Saint-Jean then took the funicular (another one!) to the basilica, with its views over the city. We descended through rose-scented gardens to a substantial dinner at Bouchon Les Lyonnais.

After a final glass of wine at a square packed with students we headed off to bed. It was still very hot; no air-con this time, but thankfully there was a fan in our room.

What a beautiful, lively city. We had been to Lyon before but not for three decades. It made for an excellent last night’s stay, and much cheaper than Paris.

Friday 28 June

So, last day of the trip as we walked to Lyon Perrache to catch the 09:50 TGV to Paris Gare de Lyon. I thought it was going to be fairly empty but many more passengers boarded at Part Dieu. We arrived at Paris on schedule, only to spend a frustrating half-hour queueing for two RER tickets to Gare du Nord.

To note for next time

But after a delicious lunch of oysters, champagne, salmon carpaccio and onion soup at Terminus Nord who cares about life’s little inconveniences? We felt it was appropriate to celebrate the last leg of our adventure and we did not hold back.

And, finally, the 16:12 Eurostar to London St Pancras. We sat behind an Englishwoman who did not stop talking to her grandchildren for more than 30 seconds. I so wanted it to be like Austria, where silence rules on public transport. I needed a kip. We arrived at the chunnel entrance and she finally shut up.

The Eurostar arrived bang on time at 17:30. Of course our first train to Herne Hill was cancelled. Good old Thameslink!

Final thoughts

Eight countries, more than 5,000 km (including the Flixbuses), and 30 days away from home. We travelled as light as we could, and were often able to walk to our accommodation, chosen for value and convenience. It is essential to be able to carry your luggage up a few flights of stairs. Keep one-night stopovers to a minimum: three is usually about right.

We had very few problems (apart from the Eurostar to Brussels on day one!) and we lost nothing along the way, though we were very careful. We paid for everything with a Currencies Direct card though we did have back-up cards. People were invariably helpful and we had many interesting conversations. The one disappointment was that poor weather in Switzerland and Austria affected the scenic Alpine journeys, but that was compensated for by our wonderful stay in Hvar. And it could have been a lot worse, as we avoided every bad floods in southern Germany. Exploring, swimming, eating and cultural visits during the best month of the year. I am sure we will do it again.

Cost? I wouldn’t like to put it in writing, though we never intended to rough it. Leaving Switzerland out of the equation, you can get a good en-suite room with balcony for under €100. Museum entrance in some countries (e.g. Austria) can be quite expensive. What you eat and drink is up to you but eating out twice a day isn’t always necessary.

Want to consider doing something similar? Your starting point is a website called The Man in Seat 61. Bon voyage !