This morning I was happy to find that yesterday's clouds had disappeared, giving my family a clear view of the Matterhorn. Because of the perfect weather, we decided to postpone our plans to take the train to Zurich in order to have time to take the cablecar up the 12,736 feet to Glacier Paradise on the Switzerland/Italy border. At the top we had terrific views of skiers, Italian peaks as far as we could see, clouds rolling in below us, the town of Zermatt, and of course the Matterhorn. We stayed outside in the cold just long enough to snap some pictures and walk around a bit. On the way back down we enjoyed our last meal at a table outside of a restaurant among the mountains. We then took a train back to Zurich to spend the night at a hotel near the airport.

The week with Collin and my parents flew by way too fast! It was a nice change to have 3 additional travelers along for the journey. A week in hotels definitely spoiled me, not to mention the real meals (a welcomed break from peanut butter on a banana, peanut butter on an apple, and peanut butter on a granola bar). It was good to hear their expressions as they saw everything for the first time. I think Steph and I are getting a bit desensitized to the beauty as we continue to travel and the newness wears off.

I was thankful for my relatively light backpack after seeing my parents struggle with their big suitcases when getting on and off the trains. Mom said she was going to pack light... ;)