Gstaad, a mouthful indeed

I always wondered about Gstaad. Firstly, how on earth to pronounce it, but then also what it was that attracted the glitterati from all over the world to flock there. Dame Elizabeth Taylor, actor David Niven, and musician  Yehudi Menuhin are just some of the famous people that have chosen this place for their home. And then, there was the Monaco royal wedding taking place there in 2014 as well. This village is tiny but it even has its own functional airport. You get the picture…

So, off we went. The trip to the upper-class Gstaad is not your typical Swiss train ride. This is not to say anything against it. Being able to take the Swiss trains is one of the most comfortable experiences of my life. But, travelling to Gstaad is even more of a superb experience, because it involves travelling by the Golden Pass. That is a scenic railway route during which you find yourselves in luxurious glass-panelled carriages which allow you to indulge in even more of a panoramic Swiss experience. By the time we arrived in Gstaad, I was already quite hyped up.

Gstaad is a miniature gem of a village, and unless you are skiing, there is not much to see or do around there. Nevertheless, you can’t help but walk around the Promenade, enjoy the window shopping and sit in the sun while admiringly taking in the scenery. The shops are, as expected, very high-end and with many of them specializing in jewellery.

The village is supervised by the imposing Cinderella-style castle/hotel atop a hill, you see it wherever you go. The hike to the Gstaad Palace, as is its name,  is well worth it, so you can see the building from up close, and consequently view the village from a higher point.

We decided to walk to a nearby village Saanen, because there was a Christmas market there on that day. The walk was pleasant and the path was following the river, and when we arrived we were rewarded tenfold for the effort invested. Saanen street market was quite charming, specializing in exquisite food and hand-made artwork objects.

Numerous cultural events occur in Gstaad during summer, and it is possible to hike in the surrounding area much more, but for that, we will have to wait and go again when summer comes. A sacrifice I will gladly make. ?