I'm still on a natural high from a European visit to primarily see the amazing Swiss Alps(some). Being raised a Colorado boy, I've got mountains in my blood. I've always been inspired by their sheer majesty and beauty. Naturally, to see and visit the Alps have been a life-long dream and ambition.

After a bit of research, I settled on seeing what are probably the most recognizable areas of Switzerland. Matterhorn (Zermatt area) and the Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau peaks (Grindlewald). No matter if you're just an observer/appreciator or an active tamer of the mountain, this journey will surely satiate your adventurous soul.

I was also able to venture through northern Italy en-route to the Cote D'Azure, France. But that's another story!

Southern France AKA Cote D’Azure (or the blue coast)

I'll be mixing practicals in with the overall experience because sometimes they intertwine. My POV is basically a first timer, solo tripper with only English as a language. I mostly travelled via car(as opposed to primarily taking train rides or tour groups), but as my mountain ascent(s) continued, it's required to park and then train, tram or hike! More on this below.

I landed in Zurich in the evening. A smallish, stylish airport, it was fairly easy to find my bags and the Car Rental. Everything pretty typical there, as was GPS to the hotel. I made sure to contact my Phone carrier prior, to make sure my phone worked and I had the correct call/text/data plan with visiting. I can't imaging taking the tour without it. GPS was a great friend, and worked VERY well in Switz. and France. There were parts of Italy however, where I lost connectivity altogether(Aosta and parts of Brescia).

Yes, I'd scripted the first couple nights in hotels (Marriott, since I am a Bonvoy member), because I knew where I would be. After that, I really left it up to the journey to dictate where I would go next and stay next. This approach was richly rewarded as my journey progressed). Incidentally, try not to sweat little things like finding the right wall charger adapter (ONE will do in Switz, Italy and France). Little side bars like this will give you a feel for the currency, language and vibe exchanges. But in Zurich, it was nice to see that my Visa CC worked and that there was a Starbucks nearby! (after Zurich though, they're sparse. If you stop at a little Coffee shop and get coffee for Take Out they come in these tiny little dixie cups (almost).

Actually, if you're like me, I think we spend the first couple days checking off our 'I need to see it work' concerns. Chargers, Credit Cards, etc. I was able to relax on the roads somewhat, since they also drive on the CORRECT side of the road ;) . I found a sweet spot in traffic. It was the right lane on narrowish highways! Oh, be sharp while driving because these guys are flying down the left lane, FYI.

If you're driving a lot, it did me good to have a handy little calculation to convert distance. Kilometers (which are on the signs everywhere) to miles (which are in my head). Basically a km is .6 a mile. You may or may not be interested in meters to feet conversion (so you know how high the mountain is!).

And.. important here. Ladies especially... arm yourself with at least a little cash. Switzerland uses the Swiss Franc. Have a couple 1 Franc coins with you while on the road. You'll need them at local gas stations to use the bathroom!!

Anyway, wow, that's a lot of practicals I learned about. But it helps to have loose attitude for all these little things. Be adventurous and a learner.. it's more fun thatta way!!

But now for the journey itself. Nothing can really prepare you for some of the beauty you're about to see. As I said, I am a Colorado boy. You'd think that would give me an idea? Nope!.. not even close.

Starting with the highway views - it was amazing. Since Zermatt was my first destination (Stayed in Chandolin). I went the route through Lucern and then Interlaken. By the way, I took my laptop. I loved the larger screen and found good ol Google Maps to the best tool, adding or subtracting destinations however I wanted. The drive is fun and adventurous too. The roads are kind of narrow and windy and there are tons of tunnels to go through.. As you climb, the views change every time you round a bend. Unless you're in a hurry, be ready to take advantage of the little turn outs provided. Take lots of photos where possible. You'll want to revisit, as much as possible, that same feeling of WOW you'll have over and over and over.

As my ascent began, the first thing I notice is how pure the lakes are. They're green. Not a pure Ice Blue, nor turquoise but GREEN. And not an some ugly algae green but a pure ice and mineral interaction green. It's really quite amazing and gorgeous.

One little treat, for the little boy in me was the car/train ride. They had us stop at what I thought was a normal train crossing. You know, ding ding ding and the arm comes down. Only this time, the train wasn't passing, it was stopping.. So that we all could board. Cars and all!! Yep, it was the only way to get through the next phase of the journey. A 10 mile tunnel where you're going through a mountain sitting on top on a flat car. Such fun!

I'm skipping a little bit of the Chandolin stay. Not that it wasn't nice, but if I could do the trip again, I would probably stay right in Zermatt, which is at the foot of the Matterhorn experience. Oh, I should say that, the predominate language kind of changes as you move more Southern Switz. There are 4 National Languages in Switz(German, Italian, French and Romansh). As an example, the highway Exit signs up north read 'Ausfahrt' (German). Farther south they read 'Sortie'(French). In the Chandolin/Zermatt areas, it seemed decidedly French. The signs obviously followed the local language.

Anyway...car-free Zermatt can only be reached by train, taxi or helicopter. Drivers park their private automobiles in a parking garage in Täsch and continue for another 12 minutes by train. Shuttle trains depart every 20 minutes. Tellers are helpful as to what tickets are needed, etc.

Zermatt itself can be a great base to see the bigs (Matterhorn). It's quaint and very well maintained with lots of options for skiers, hikers, shoppers, tourists and lookie-loos. It's just gorgeous and the place where you can grab a train, tram or helicopter to the top. Yes, it's expensive, like the rest of Switz. Btw, A friendlier calc is the Swiss Franc to US dollar. it's nearly 1:1 right now, so you kind f know how much you’re actually spending on a particular transaction. I got into Zermatt about 2pm and found out that I was too late in the day for a tram ride. I think it would have cost about $200+ US. Instead I took the Gornergrat Bahn to view the Matterhorn. It's a steep and slow moving rail with big windows so you can see everything.

In my mind, THIS is why I came to Switzerland! What you're now experiencing is a little beyond description. Even photos/videos can't do it justice. You have to see it. There truly is a sense of wow and of awe.

As a Colorado boy, I thought I'd seen it, done it, been there.. NOPE! As I said earlier. It honestly doesn't compare. The sheer size and majesty and drama of these mountains are other worldly, mythical almost.. like something out of Lord of the Rings movies. Do yourself a favor and get to Zermatt early in the day, so you can spend as much time as possible, at one or more of the several stops on the Gornergrat train ride! I'd ditch the phone photos and get the video rolling. You'll want to capture the ever changing views of Peaks, Valleys, glaciers and waterfalls. It's just spectacular.

I'm skipping a bunch of things in the middle and am purposely focusing in on Switzerland. But on the way back from France, I decided to return on a different route, destination Grindelwald, Switz. I stayed the night in Milan and came north. Of course, it's only about another hour until you're once again in Switz, taking E62 to Hwy2.

I'm specific about this because here you'll get to see an amazing array of waterfalls, from the Mountain lining both sides of the highway. Remember, the mountains in this part of the world are really lush. So the waterfalls coming down are not a little trickle, but gushing, tall and numerous. I don't mean a dozen or so. I mean the drive is littered with them for HOURS. Wow factor, shaking my head.

Grindelwald is also quintessential Switzerland. A small village/town really at the base of more famous mountains. This town is not the over the top tourist landing that Zermatt is. You really do feel thrown back in time a bit. All the little hotels can be tiny in the inside, but a comfy throwback.. and most have the most spectacular views you'll ever see. It's also a base for mountain-climbing ascents up the iconic north face of Eiger Mountain(Eiger, Jungfrau and Monch). Again, there is a a great train ride to various stops near the top(from $80 to $200+ (Eigergletscher). Don't pass this up! You can also get off, and then hike along the base of iconic Eiger's North Face. Again, take video.. not for others, but for yourself. You are going to want to relive as much of this as possible.

As a bonus, don't forget to be friendly along the way.. I met a super cool, fun young couple on their honeymoon! They recognized my American accent when I was ordering a beer. Turns out they were starting almost the exact same trip route I was just completing! Get this, they were from Boulder CO, me from Colorado Springs! Such fun carrying on!