There is more in all these scenes than mere magnitude of proportion; there is a majesty of outline; there is an awful grace in the very colors which invest these wonderful shapes—­a charm which is peculiar to them, quite distinct even from the reality of their unutterable greatness.

ZERMATT[38]

BY ARCHIBALD CAMPBELL KNOWLES

Those who would reach the very heart of the Alps and look upon a scene of unparalleled grandeur must go into the Valais to Zermatt.

[Illustration:  Pontresina in the Engadine]

[Illustration:  St. Moritz in the Engadine]

[Illustration:  Fribourg]

[Illustration:  Berne]

[Illustration:  VIVEY on lake Geneva]

[Illustration:  The TURNHALLE in Zurich Courtesy Swiss Federal Railway]

[Illustration:  Interlaken]

[Illustration:  Lucerne]

[Illustration:  Viaducts On the new Loetschberg route to the Simplon tunnel]

[Illustration:  WOLFORT Viaduct On the Pilatus Railroad, Switzerland]

[Illustration:  The Balmat-saussure monument in chamonix (Mont Blanc in the distance)]

[Illustration:  Roofed wooden bridge at Lucerne]

[Illustration:  The castle of chillon]

[Illustration:  Cloud effect above Interlaken Courtesy Swiss Federal Railway]

[Illustration:  Davos in winter]

The way up the valley is that which follows the River Visp.  It is a delightful journey.  The little stream is never still.  It will scarcely keep confined to the banks or within the stone walls which in many places protect the shores.  The river dances along as if seeking to be free.  For the most part it is a torrent, sweeping swiftly past the solid masonry and descending the steep bed in a series of wild leaps or artificial waterfalls, with wonderful effects of sunlight seen in the showers of spray.  Fed as it is by many mountain streams, the Visp is always full, and the more so, when in summer the melting ice adds to its volume.

Then it is a sight long remembered, as roaring, rollicking, rushing along it is a brawling mass of waters, often working havoc with banks, road, village, and pastures.  If one never saw a mountain, the sight of the Visp would more than repay, but, as it is, one’s attention is taxed to the uttermost not to miss anything of this little rushing river and at the same time get the charming views of the Weisshorn, the Breithorn, and the other snow summits which appear over the mountain spurs surrounding the head of the valley.

The first impression on reaching the Zermatt is one of disappointment.  Maps and pictures generally lead the traveler to think that from the village he will see the great semicircle of snow peaks which surround the valley, but upon arrival he finds that he must go further up to see them, for all of them are hidden from view except the Matterhorn.