The tourist who arrives in Zermatt never knows what s/he'll find... Will the Matterhorn be hiding in the clouds, or standing proud? We arrived to find the mountain coy, with snow collecting secretly behind the shroud of fog and haze. Pity the poor tourist who spends a day (or several), and never sees any more than this.
We were lucky. A good west wind was blowing the clouds out, and when we woke the next morning, there was the mountain -- freshly snow-clad.
Wandering about the town on the first day we could not help but notice the streets were more navigable than they had been in years. The dining room in our hotel was far quieter than usual, with no familiar faces from previous visits. Few English-speaking voices, but instead an unaccustomed mix of Spanish, Norwegian, and random Europeans. The tourists we did encounter included a generous mix of Japanese (apparently travelling on prepaid tours arranged before their national calamity in March) and Middle Eastern families.
We asked our friend at the news kiosk for his view of the situation: "An absolute disaster," was his assessment. Bookings have been abysmal, businesses in town have been struggling and shuttering. The tourist traffic is rapidly disappearing, due to the disastrous exchange rate of the strong Swiss franc and the ongoing world recession. He showed us the inch-high headline from today's Swiss Blick, the national photo tabloid: "Will the Franc Explode Today?" (Heute Explodiert der Franc?) it asked, as the EU ministers met to find a way to ward off Greek default.
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