Breakfast was at 8:30am and this morning we were ready for it. We sat at the same table and we chose more or less an identical frühstück feast to yesterday. Although today I skipped the omelette.

At the end of a large table opposite us a family arrived where reserved signs had kept their place. Julie recognised them as Heinz Julen (the owner) and his family. His motto of "My home is your home" was certainly how they lived.

Once we had finished eating we relocated to the comfy seats, had another cup of their really good coffee and simply sat there admiring the view down the Mattertal Valley.

Today was another glorious day with just a whisp of cloud snagging the summit of the Matterhorn but we decided not to rush out, more or less taking the morning off and spending it on our  balcony. Julie brought out her knitting and I caught up writting this journal.

But when am turned to pm we headed out for the afternoon, walking down the main street towards the church. We passed the entrance to the Mount Cervin where their horse drawn carriage was waiting to be called into action.

A little further we passed the Monta Rosa Hotel with a plaque on the wall for Edward Whymper, an Englishman, who in 1865 stayed there before climbing the Matterhorn, completing the first ever ascent.

It was however a tragic moment in history of the mountain when four of the seven man team fell to their death on the descent.

The Matterhorn has claimed the lives of around 500 people since.

When we reached the church we walked down to the Bergsteigerfriedhof, the Mountaineer's Cemetery. Julie didn't fancy it and carried on her own in search for a cafe whilst I spent a few minutes walking around the poignant final resting place of some of those who perished on the mountains around Zermatt.

I usually enjoy a good cemetery, they have this ethereal beauty but here, I couldn't see much. After the recent heavy snowfall much of the cemetery was under six feet of snow. At least they had cleared the path.  

Turning a corner I saw a beautiful white marble Jesus on the Cross rising from the snow. Then to the right was this stunning bronze statue of a young woman. It was such a powerful statement about the life that was lost.  

I believe it was in honour of a twenty year old called Melissa Joya Maria Davis who died in 2007.

On a star shape memorial stone nearby there was a photograph of her, with her flame red hair and eyes full of dreams. There was an inscription in German that translated to "When the night covers the sky, it will seem to you as if all the stars are shinning, because I am one of them."

It clearly had been tended to, the snow had been cleared away, and small items like a white ceramic duck, a white feather, a packet of sweets were carefully placed on top.  

I was moved to tears.  So tragic.

I continued walking around the cemetary and came across a very recent grave. It was just a simple temporary wooden cross, with the name Richard Lehner on a brass plaque. He was a well-respected mountain guide who had climbed the Matterhorn over 600 times.

I don't think he was here because of a tragic accident but in honour of a life dedicated to the mountains.

I left the cemetery and went in search of Julie. As I crossed the Matter Vispa river I heard her calling out "Over here!".

She was sat outside on the patio of a restaurant called "Old Zermatt".

There was a glass of red wine waiting for me. "I ordered a dry white wine but they brought me a red!" she explained.

It was a nice spot to sit and relax with a view of the Matterhorn.

Once we had finished our wein we returned towards the church, passing the Matterhorn Museum, which was closed but due to open at 3pm.

We walked over to the Geimendehaus community centre for a closer look at a large brass Alpine horn we saw briefly yesterday. It wasn't a real instrument but it looked like an alphorn.

It held inside were seven branches of larch bound together, pointing towards the Matterhorn. Installed in 2015 for the 150th anniversary of the first ascent it represented the seven that first stood on the summit.

It was time for some lunch so we slowly made our way back down Bahnhofstrasse, stopping briefly to admire the quaint library. 

Our first pit stop was the Zermatterhof Hotel where we sat outside in the sun. In fact we felt so warm we took our coats off. 

A beer and a dry white wine was ordered, and once again red wine arrived! Luckily this time Julie noticed before the waitress poured it into the glass.

We browsed their bar snack menu but couldn't find anything we wanted to eat. So once we finished our expensive beverages we moved on.

We didn't have to walk far before finding Restuarant Stadel down a side street. It served proper traditional Swiss food. The smell of melting cheese as we approached was wonderful.

Once again we sat outside. It was even more of a sun trap here as I was getting so warm I had to take my jumper off!

I ordered their fondue, which came with roasted new potatoes and chunks of white and wholemeal bread to dip into the delicious cheese sauce. I just didn't want it to end. It was so good.

Julie chose the cheese topped rosti. It usually came with a fried egg but she asked for it without. She tucked in and didn't stop. She really enjoyed it. 

Feeling full and rather lazy we retired to our room.

It was dark when we ventured out for the evening. Originally we had booked to eat at a trendy cocktail bar and restaurant called Snowboat but decided to cancel after finding the Republic Zermatt, one of a few Sports Bar in Zermatt.

There was a Manchester United game later.

The menu was all burgers and wraps which was fine. They had a falafel wrap for me and a Spicy Mexican Chicken Burger for Julie, which she could order without the spicy Mexican sauce.

We settled down to watch the game. It was held in Wembley, the temporary home of Tottenham Hotspurs. 

The game was a disaster. Chritian Eriksen scored for Spurs after 10.5 seconds! Then Phil Jones scored a screamer with the outside of his boot, unfortunately into the back of his own net. United were 2-0 down with two thirds of the game left to go.

 Fortunately it stayed that way.

What made the evening worse was an obnoxious Spurs fan sat behind us. The fact he was a Spurs fan wasn't the problem, he was just a thoroughly unpleasant human being.

I was in such a bad mood I just wanted to sulk and go back to the hotel but Julie wisely suggested we should have a drink at our regular, the bar at Hotel Pollux.

Sitting by the log fire sipping my Zermatt beer all my frustrations melted away and I soon forgot about the game.