Inside & Out: The Traditional Swiss Chalet~

Sep20

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The mountain regions of Switzerland are covered with thousands of old chalets, making for incredible scenery in the already magnificent alpine landscape. Some of the restored old chalets in Zermatt’s Old Town are over 300 years old. Many are being used today as apartments or shops.
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These buildings in the Valais region are made of larch wood, with stone roofs, and were originally farm dwellings. They were two-story buildings where the farm animals lived on the bottom floor, protected from the cold climate and providing heat for the second floor.
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Many farms in the Valais countryside are still working operations.
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The newer chalets are pure charm, and although I have been to Switzerland several times, I have never stayed in a traditional chalet. This trip I intended to remedy this deficit. This was our hotel in Zermatt, the Belle Vista.
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Here are some other beautiful chalets. Some are private homes and others hotels. We are staying in several and I am wondering why I never did this before.
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They are utterly charming inside and out, like this one in Zermatt,
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and this one in St Moritz.
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Had to close with one more pic of the mighty Matterhorn!
Cheers to you, and happy weekend from Klosters Switzerland~

176 thoughts on “Inside & Out: The Traditional Swiss Chalet~”

    • Yes! The bedding is just lovely. I had a German friend growing up who slept in this bedding and I always looked forward to spending the night! It’s a treat and so comfy and clean!

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  7. Hi Cindy,
    Love love love Switzerland. Only spent 1 day there in lake Lugano ( excluding my connecting flights in Zurich) but the sweet magic of the Country remains with me. Looking forward to your next post.

    peace,
    LindA

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  8. Nice pictures, Cindy! 🙂
    Did you see the old houses and barns standing on large poles, positioned on big, flat stone plates in the middle of the two parted poles? Mostly granite i think. These are climbing barriers against mice and rats. Seems to be a common method in medieval houses all over Europe. I saw this also in Norway and Romania, as well as in Bavaria.

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  23. Wow is all I can say! 🙂 I’ll add incredible, lovely, beautiful, charming (as you said) and gorgeously tempting (to stay in, get cozy and comfortable) and wake up to Switzerland’s fresh cool air, I suppose. I see why you could not resist them. I could not either. I will dream of them instead. 🙂

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  26. Pretty to look at, Cuz, but you know me…, I’d rather be sipping a marguarita while I watch the sun set over a white sand beach in a nice warm climate… 🙂 You’re obviously enjoying your trip… HUGS !

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  30. Oh, so much beauty and you are so blessed to be able to visit that lovely place Cindy. That is one place I would love to visit one day as well. Great captures and thanks for sharing these beauty hon. 😀

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  38. I always wanted to see the Mountain “Matterhorn.” This is a unique mountain which is very beautiful! Hopefully, someday I will have time to visit it in person.

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  50. What a beautiful place to lay your head at the end of an amazing day of sight seeing Cindy and that final photo of the Matterhorn against the clear blue sky is stunning.

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    • These window flower boxes everywhere just blew me away the first time I was here and they still do! It’s like a concerted community effort towards beauty and it is so lovely. You have an eye for visual beauty so I am not surprised you love it too~

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      • Do you know I get a violation notice at my prior home from the HOA for have too many flowers in my front yard. People would drive by and leave notes. It was beautiful and my passion. When we moved, I vowed no HOA. God forbid the world has too many flowers!!! Now we live on acres with coyotes for the HOA!!!

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  55. I love the old chalets as shown in your second photo. You might think it would be claustrophobic, but it’s charming. Can always look at the Matterhorn; it never fails to impress. Happy Travels.

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  57. How wonderful. I had a day in Zermatt, in winter, and really would love to go back again. Such a charming village. It is nice to see that, in summer, it is equally beautiful. And that bedroom with the painted cupboard: I really want to stay there. Was that at the Belle Vista hotel?

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    • Yes Belle Vista, ask for the Bavarian furniture room with the Matterhorn view. I have many pictures of the place. It is just magical and they bake all their breads! Everyday a wide variety of homemade bread and homemade jam for breakfast. Plus homemade cookies everyday. It is just the perfect place to stay. Comfortable, quiet, clean and so Swiss! You can walk to everything and sleep with your windows open watching the Matterhorn when you wake! If you go, let me know what you think~

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  59. Dear Cindy,
    Thought I was going to lose my mind then I found the shawl challenge. It was a Zen experience.You are so sweet and awesome! xoxoxo
    Your outer travels are an amazing thing. Right now I am inner traveling. My sister is ….. no words.
    Love!

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    • I do too. These were new, I stayed in a place in Rothenburg Germany once in a hotel that was built in the 1700’s and had antique painted Bavarian furniture. I have been in love with it ever since and picked this room for this reason. It was completely charming!

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  70. I went on holidays in places like that several times and they were gorgeous! Everything is so perfect and well done, it seems to be in a doll house. I love it, beautiful post!!!

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    • Yes indeed, doll houses! That is it exactly. The whole country seems so clean and the houses dotting the Alps do look like perfect little doll houses from a fairy tale. It’s so pretty it doesn’t seem real at first. Thanks so much for your kind comment and cheers to you~

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  71. Liebe Cindy herrliche Landschaftsfoto da bekommt man ja gleich Lust dort hinzu fahren ,fliegen ,es ist einfach nur schön toll einen schönen Donnerstag wünsche ich dir in Freundschaft Klaus

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  75. Oh my goodness, I absolutely LOVE Switzerland. Like you, we’ve been a number of times and it never ceases to stun and enthral me. It’s stunningly beautiful.

    Did you take the Glacier Express to Zermatt? We only got to go to Zermatt for the day as a treat for my husbands birthday. We’d driven up from Lake Maggiore but really want to return. The next time we’re hoping to take the Glacier Express from St Moritz/Churr to Zermatt.

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    • We have done both. This trip we took the Glacier Express from Montreux to Zermatt to St. Moritz. We also drove over the Alps from Lake Maggiore and also stayed in Chur on a previous trip.Sounds like we do very similar trips. I highly recommend the Glacier Express. It was magical!

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  76. Love that they surround them selves with flowers: in window nooks, balconies and on the narrow streets. I love that Wwitzerland is so clean, charming and rustic yet it still has all the modern amenities.

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  77. I was only able to visit Switzerland once in 1970, but it was memorable. We had two children with us–little ones, and it was March. Need I tell you more?

    One good thing was that the roads were clear for driving our little rented car and there were a few trails that had new greenery. Our hotels were cheap and comfortable–more like our modern-day bed and breakfasts. The old radiators were turned on in the rooms only after we agreed to rent a space, and it took a while for them to warm our rooms. There were comforters. Our comforters just fit the tops of our beds and of course our feet stuck out. All night long it was a fight whether to keep our feet or our shoulders warm.

    Would I go back knowing what to expect? Absolutely! Only this time I would carry a coat and thick socks.

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    • Oh what an exciting adventure! Better yet, you could go in mid-summer and wear flip-flops!! I did have those tiny comforters you mention, but only for one night and we asked for an extra. It would not be fun to sleep with cold feet in March!

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      • I am not sure what our son thought. If he mentioned anything I have forgotten, but I distinctly remember what our almost four year-old daughter said. She was absolutely thrilled with the new (to her) concept of steaming, popping radiators. And of course the comforters suited her just fine. She was little. Even today I see sparks of those memories and she is nearly 50.

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