Past Blast: The Matterhorn

View from Zermatt

While Americans may become familiar with the Matterhorn via an amusement park ride, the 14,690 ft summit is actually one of the most dangerous peaks to climb in the Alps. Alas, we only hiked from the nearby Swiss town of Zermatt to the glacier at the Matterhorn's base. The four-sided peak has a way of repeatedly dramatically-revealing itself, both in the winding streets of Zermatt and the other nearby Alpine villages, and as the trails make their way past small streams and ski slopes.

Zermatt- nestled in an Alpine valley

While the hiking itself is nice and quiet, there is an almost-constant rumbling of mini-avalanches down the steep faces of the Alps. Kind of neat to watch small streams of snow pour over the top edges and appear to be a short-term waterfall. Our day of hiking was filled with sunshine, and was only missing a yodeler or two to complete the Swiss experience.

Know where to go

The Freshmaker

Flurries

The Alps, near Kirchberg, Austria

On the commute this evening, the year's first flurries swarmed the area. Hello winter. Although they only managed to wet my windshield as they melted, they'll be back with more friends soon- I'm sure. Wish we had a decent ski slope around here to collect them; will have to keep dreaming of the Alps until I get back out to Denver sometime. Of course, there's always Rib Mountain up in Wausau, too...

Past Blast: Turin

Interior Dome of Turin's San Lorenzo, by Guarino Guarini [1679]

I dropped by Turin [Italian: Torino] during Spring Break in 2004. Located in far northwest Italy, it is nestled in the Alpine foothills. I visited before the 2006 Winter Olympiad was held there, but the city was already in the midst of facade cleaning and venue construction. America-side Turin is most famous for its Shroud. I wasn't able to see the Shroud for myself due to its being on tour at the time, but I found the museum dedicated to the Shroud and the centuries of trying to prove its authenticity interesting anyway. Turin also happens to have one of the largest Egyptian artifact collections [outside of Egypt, of course].

The Mole Antonelliana

Turin is also home to what was originally conceived as the world's tallest synagogue, the Mole Antonelliana. Today, it houses Italy's National Museum of Cinema. The interior is a modern collection of tributes and film reels that highlight Rome's Cinecitta heyday. Nevermind that many Italian films also appear on MST3k. It also lets you get a view of Turin and the surrounding Alps from atop the dome.


Turin really surprised me. I basically penciled it in as an overnight place to stop on my way up to France, but it actually had a nice collection of museums, Roman ruins,  and churches to spend the day sightseeing. I didn't have a chance to get out to the mountains, which during the winter would be a great place to catch some skiing. If you're ever traveling through Turin via train, I highly suggest making a day [or two] of it. It will be a nice breather from the more touristy parts of your trip.

Roman gate Porta Palatina

Always liked this photo of a Turin bollard... disguised as a penguin