We came into Switzerland on a train. My sister and I were playing solitaire on the train seats and a large man attached himself to our group. When we went across the border, the customs people didn't ask us very many questions because we looked (and were) innocent. After we crossed the border our 'friend' disappeared into another area of the train. My mother's conclusion was that he was perhaps smuggling and was using us as a cover.
Gornergrat
The first place I remember going was Zermatt to see the Matterhorn. We went up on a cog rail train which had, as was the European custom, separate cabins in the cars with bench seats on each side. My dad (who grew up speaking German before he spoke English and who had big camera bags slung from his shoulders),
My dad with his cameras
looked into one of the cars. There were two girls there and one of them (presuming of course that an American -which we obviously were- would not understand any language except English) said to her friend "Come over here and sit with me so this big fat [obsene word for pig] doesn't squash me". So my dad said very politely in German "Are these seats taken?" It was pretty quiet after that.
on the way up
Streams on the way up
One of my dad's Polaroids
from Gornergrat
Lots of snow
Snow on the peaks
Looking down the valley
Mountains on a clear day
My dad took a lot of photos and he used us as human figures to show the scale and add interest
My sister and me in the distance
Matterhorn on a clear day
Matterhorn
Gornergrat
The first place I remember going was Zermatt to see the Matterhorn. We went up on a cog rail train which had, as was the European custom, separate cabins in the cars with bench seats on each side. My dad (who grew up speaking German before he spoke English and who had big camera bags slung from his shoulders),
My dad with his cameras
looked into one of the cars. There were two girls there and one of them (presuming of course that an American -which we obviously were- would not understand any language except English) said to her friend "Come over here and sit with me so this big fat [obsene word for pig] doesn't squash me". So my dad said very politely in German "Are these seats taken?" It was pretty quiet after that.
on the way up
Streams on the way up
One of my dad's Polaroids
from Gornergrat
Lots of snow
Snow on the peaks
Looking down the valley
Mountains on a clear day
My dad took a lot of photos and he used us as human figures to show the scale and add interest
My sister and me in the distance
Matterhorn on a clear day
Matterhorn
- Next entry in the series 'Visiting Europe - 1950, 1964, 1992, 2002, 2015': From Gornergrat to Zermatt 1950 - 13th post
- Previous entry in the series 'Visiting Europe - 1950, 1964, 1992, 2002, 2015': Innsbruck, Austria in 1950 - post 11
