Almost everyone in my senior class of high school new that I had a bit of a cough drop addiction. I don’t know why, but they were delicious and I ate them like candy. In high school, I was all about Hall’s Cherry cough drops. Since then, I’ve moved onwards and upwards to Ricola Honey Lemon cough drops. Yum!
My cough drop habit has somewhat subsided over the past few years, but I’m still devoted to Ricola, and I’m very familiar with their branding, pretty scenery on their ginormous bags of cough drops (I buy in bulk, naturally), and their commercials that include Swiss countryside and “Ri-co-la” being trumpeted through the Alps.
Apparently, my cough drop habit was foreshadowing my travels because I just visited Ricola Land! Also called Zermatt, Switzerland. Or Mountainous Lush Beauty Land.
Zermatt took Ricola Land to a whole new level. Adorable small town, flowers draped over balconies, log cabin-esque architecture and bakeries with apple strudel. The town has a river running through it, and you can see impressive Matterhorn from most places throughout; just walking around is a happy experience. I just kept waiting for the Ricola man to jump out and yodel about cough drops! (Alas, this didn’t happen. All of the local Swiss people we met were very kind, however).
The best part, absolute must-see of Zermatt is the Stellisee, a lake reflecting the Matterhorn in the Alps. From Zermatt, you can take a 10 minute funicular ride to Sunnega, then switch to a 10 minute ride in a gondola to reach Blauherd. From Blauherd, you hike about 25 minutes to Stellisee lake. Make sure to enjoy the scenery on the way there! There’s a gorgeous view of the Matterhorn, surrounded by clouds, trees, and fellow Alps.
Caution, try to wear waterproof shoes, or shoes you don’t mind getting dirty. If you stray from the path (naturally I just had to), it’s very easy to get caught standing on a rock surrounded by mud. If you’re with your mom, be prepared to give her a piggy back ride over the expanse of muddy land so that her shoes will stay clean.
Once you reach the lake, it seems a bit underwhelming at first. Pretty, but it’s just like any other lake. Don’t worry! Walk around to the far end of the lake, and the entire view changes. The Matterhorn sits majestically in the background, reflecting in the lake when the waters still. The grass is vibrantly green, the rocks are covered with soft moss, and it’s totally awesome.
The water is cool and super clean. If it’s warm out, you can dip your feet in. I got a bit ambitious and made my way to the huge rocks in the center of the lake, which is also super fun, but go slow and beware of the slippery rocks on the lake floor!
When you trek back to the gondola from the lake, keep an eye out for billy goats and marmots! The billy goats especially tend to search out shade, so they may be on the side of the buildings near the gondola.
Though no Ricola man appeared to announce the appearance of cough drops, Zermatt is majestic in it’s own right. The Matterhorn, the town’s charm, and the Swiss setting make it seem almost fairytale like. Absolutely worth a visit!
xox,
Lauren
