Anything Goes Saturday - The Matterhorn
We all love the Matterhorn, with its thrilling bobsled ride, and the memories of the Skyway passing through it. But hey! there is another Matterhorn! Who knew! It's located in the Pennine Alps between Italy and Switzerland. This one doesn't have any crazy rides, but I guess I like it anyway. Here are a couple of photos circa 1955, in glorious Kodachrome.
Isn't that totally boss? I believe that this photo was taken from the nearby Gornergrat, which affords visitors a spectacular view of its neighbor, when the weather cooperates (it was completely clouded over when I went years ago). If there was ever a mountain that needed to be climbed, it would be the Matterhorn! It was finally summited in 1865, but over the next 130 years, 500 other climbers lost their lives, so it is no cakewalk.
As for that semi-ruined building, it might be what is now a hotel - the "Kulmhotel Gornergrat". It's hard for me to say, but I'll bet somebody out there knows.
Another nice photo, with plenty of tourists relaxing at an outdoor cafe. A railway (the "Gornergratbahn") carries folks up, and they can hike down if they choose. That's what I did, it's not terribly strenuous, and man is it beautiful!
I zoomed in on the crowd, mostly because I like the woman near the middle who is enjoying the warmth of the sun. Don't you wish you were sitting at one of those tables with your cappucino and a croissant?
Another nice photo, with plenty of tourists relaxing at an outdoor cafe. A railway (the "Gornergratbahn") carries folks up, and they can hike down if they choose. That's what I did, it's not terribly strenuous, and man is it beautiful!
I zoomed in on the crowd, mostly because I like the woman near the middle who is enjoying the warmth of the sun. Don't you wish you were sitting at one of those tables with your cappucino and a croissant?
15 comments:
Oooh, these are cool!
What a scene!
Yes I'd love to be there. Doing just what the lady in the middle of the crowd in the 2nd pic is doing - well, not exactly since she appears to be trying to inhale all the available oxygen for kilometers around.
Hm wonder if the place was being repaired, rebuilt or newly built. It's very historic Castle-like.
I love the movie Walt made in 1958, Third Man on the Mountain.
Wouldn't it be wild if Walt & Lillian were in the crowd shot?
Hurray for the Matterhorn! These shots are fantastic, especially of the tourist crowd at the cafe.
Boss it is and yes I do.
In my first published novel, at one point the heroine, a clueless movie star, writing about a trip to Europe she took in 1869, writes of visiting "The Matterhorn, a lovely mountain that is an exact oversized replica of the famous one in Anaheim."
That trip to Europe was taken in 1969, not 1869, obviously.
Another vote for Third Man on the Mountain. Watch it tonight!
LD
Where is the Skyway?
Something has been driving me nuts for a long time, and this seems like a good time and place to settle the question. I have a very vague childhood memory of an animated cartoon short that featured the running gag line, "It doesn't matter on the Matterhorn."
Does anyone here recognize the line and know what cartoon it's from? The line is all I can remember of it!
@ Viewliner: hee hee! Good one.
rant
Too bad Third Man On the Mountain, like most classic non-animated Disney films, is not on BluRay, does not have its very good music underscore available and if available at all is only on an indifferent DVD produced so cheaply you'd think Disney is having alarming cash flow problems.
/ rant
beautiful!!!
p,s. cold is a lot more tolerable with sunny ;)
@ Pilsner
It's not "A Scent of the Matterhorn" (1961) starring Pepe Le Pew, I checked because I thought that might be it, but it wasn't.
Somehow the Matterhorn wouldn't look right without a castle in the foreground, these are fascinating slides.
Connie, I agree!
Chiana, I can only assume that the building is an old structure, and I think it was restored and is now a hotel (with a decommissioned observatory!).
Chuck, that would be AWESOME!
Matterhorn, I knew you'd like these!
Debbie, are you sure it isn't rad?
Doug, I was pretty sure that I was not the first to make that joke!
Caspian, I haven't seen that movie since I was a kid. Guess it's time!
Viewliner, it's on the other side.
Pilsner Panther, I consider myself something of a cartoon connoisseur, but that one doesn't ring a bell. Something about that line makes me think of Beany and Cecil, but I really don't know.
Chiana, I looked up the DVD, and saw that it gets pretty low marks for quality, and there are no extras (except for the original trailer, I believe).
Nancy, oh yeah!
D ticket, that was the first cartoon I thought of, but I was pretty sure that it did not have the line that "It doesn't matter on the Matterhorn".
Seriously interesting picture, Major. How cool that you went there. thank you for sharing these.
The Horn That Matters is remarkably like it's namesake. I wonder if Tinkerbell is Swiss?
JG
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