It took a short while, but I finally managed to pen down some of my experiences of a road trip I took with a buddy of mine for 4 days. The theme was James Bond as we’re both a fan and apparently there were a few film locations right here in CH (for those who can’t wait to read the rest: Piz Gloria / Schilthorn with On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, the Furkapass in Goldfinger and the Contra dam of the bungeejump in Goldeneye). For the evenings we took the opportunity to (re)visit some restaurants that promised to add the cherry on the trip cake (The Restaurant @ Dolder in Zurich, Victoria in Meiringen and The Omnia in Zermatt and Arte e Lago in Lugano).

To kickoff the trip we went on the first day to The Restaurant of Heiko Nieder at the exquisite Dolder Hotel in Zurich. For those interested you can read all about that in my post (to be added). Just one thing to say: after a day of 30+ degrees, sitting outside on a terrace with a view on Zurich while enjoying a fine dinner… not a bad start to a long weekend;))

The next day the main goal was Piz Gloria, which is the restaurant on top of the Schilthorn. This was used in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service as the lair of Bonds nemesis Blofeld. After several gondola rides starting out of Stechelberg you get in the end to an altitude of almost 3’000 m. We had some good and bad luck with the weather: we did have the clouds blocking sometimes all views, however, in 10 minutes the picture can be totally different – literally. Yes, the place can be considered very touristy, but whether you’re a Bond fan or you want to enjoy some good views (and apparently hikes), it does warrant a visit. Whether the revolving restaurant itself is a destination on itself to go to, that probably is more for the Bond fan, but when you’re there, why not have a drink or a bite and just take in the experience.

Afterwards the goal was Meiringen to stay for the night. It turned out that following the GPS sometimes does offer better guidance than prepping a trip with Google Maps. My buddy found a drive through the mountains and small villages that promised to be a cooler drive than the standard highway. After 20 minutes it turned out suddenly that part of the road was ‘permit only’, so we turned back and took the highway nonetheless. Careful people:) Upon arriving in Meiringen we checked in to Hotel Victoria. Friendly welcome, nice rooms with all amenities and also a restaurant and bistro. We still had a bit of time to go to Aareschlucht closeby, which is like a gorge that honestly I would not associate with Switzerland, but a nice surprise. They made walkpaths attached to the cliff walls and you’re surrounded by the massive sound and power of the water gushing through beneath you. After a nice walk, we decided to go to the resto instead of the bistro and with a 14/20 in Gault Millau we definitely were interested. In short, very friendly, tasty, copious portions, glad we made that choice (details follow in the post).

The next day promised a heart-stopping train ride for who’s afraid of heights as well as two scenic roads ahead of us with a fair amount of hair pins: Grimsel Pass and Furka Pass:) The Grimsel pass at 2’165m high is apparently one water divide between the North Sea and the Mediterranean. First stop was the Gelmer funicular train which boasts a gradient at its steepest of 106%… Seems to be the 2nd in the world, steep enough for me, but what a view:) We saw quite some people that either hiked up and then trained back down or vice versa. The little dam lake provided enough to see and walk around to kill time until the next train. After managing not to scream on the way down, we then tackled the Grimsel Pass. Although it started to rain lightly, it did was a nice drive. For me it was the first time you’re in the summer and you see a green valley with a glacier in the same view. Welcome to Switzerland:) On we went to the Furka Pass where Sean Connery  is trailing Goldfinger. The drive is awesome and the rain actually made it a pretty cool experience as well. Although in the full sunshine the views should be stunning… Back on normal road we continued to Tasch where we parked the car in the Terminal as -without a permit- you cannot drive to car-free Zermatt. Another taste of Swiss organization with the pretty big parking garage next to the train station, just flawless I’d say:) About 20 min by train and I had the feeling I arrived in a different world, called Zermatt. Cradled by mountains on three sides it seems like a small town, almost a big village: small streets, chalet style houses and almost no car (with the exception of electric little vans… you don’t hear them so don’t do anything unexpected on the street!). After checking in into Hotel National (first time I’ve been there, so who am I to compare, but reception made us feel very welcome, had a welcome drink, clean and tidy rooms and good location, so def would consider to go back there), we changed into something less casual and went for the next Michelin star of the trip at The Omnia at the namesake hotel. It was the 50th different one on my account and I left the place with the feeling that I could not have wished for a better evening for that occasion. The food itself: great, but the setting a first for me with the fire place etc and then the chat at the end with chef Klemens Schraml (youngest Michelin star chef in CH @ 25y): what a guy! For those interested, the post is here;) (to be added)

The second to last day started with a visit by gondola to the ‘Little Matterhorn’. Let’s say my shorts were not a proper outfit to go to 4’000 m altitude and its snow:) So when you do it, do keep in mind to dress warm for the top… The way up was mared with bad weather and lack of visibility unfortunately. Having arrived at the top was a bit surreal as for me it was the first time to see snow during summer:) After having visited the limited amount of ice sculptures in the glacier the clouds were mostly gone and a fantastic view awaited us. Probably when the sun is shining, it must be stunning. Quite a lot of hikers in their winter gear to do some heavy trekking, again, summer:) around lunch time we left.

A short few hours later we arrived in Lugano in the Italian part of CH and basically next to Italy as well. Different atmosphere as expected and the Swiss have something with cities at a lake. This with some good weather like we had: not complaining:) We chilled a bit and then got dressed for the next restaurant (and a 40 min walk past the lake): Arté al Lago. For those interested, the post is here;) (to be added). On the way back we were happily surprised on the amount of youngsters still out and about. Then we heard some beats a few streets away and decided to check it out: City Beats with the childhood icon Gigi d’Agostino:) Needless to say we stayed until the wee hours. Perfect ending of the day!

A bit later in the morning the day after and off we went for the last part of the trip back to Zurich. One stop before going home: the Verzasca Dam or also known as the Contra Dam. This is where Bond (Brosnan) bungee jumped his way down in the opening scene of Goldeneye. Impressive indeed… and surprise, you could also live that thrill yourself😉 Obviously people screamed when jumping, but the craziest were the echos: terrifying horror screams:) Count on about 7-10 min per jump if you want to queue.

And that was it, uneventful drive back via Chur to Zurich and thinking what we could do next… if suggestions, feel free to let me know! If questions, reach out!

Tschuss