Zermatt is mostly closed between the winter and summer seasons; it's very bizarre seeing a town full of grand 5 star hotels and restaurants that are simply closed down for the next 2 months. Unfortunately, it's still very snowy on the mountain peaks, so the hiking trails to the Schwarzsee and Hoernli Hut (base station where the mountaineers start their climb) were closed off, which was quite disappointing. On the other hand, it was great not to have the town and paths swarming with tourists, so I guess it was a fair tradeoff.
There's a graveyard outside the main church dedicated to those who have died on the surrounding mountains. Most of them were male and between the ages of 17 and 27 (surprise, surprise). Of course, maybe they made the initial mistake of trying Gusti's Viper poison in the village of Zmutt.
Also, only in Switzerland will you be on a tough uphill Wanderweg hiking path and suddenly run into a mom pushing a stroller with 2 kids alongside her.
