A Slippery Slope

After two weeks of leisurely and fairly uneventful travel we board the Glacier Express in Zermatt. It stops in Visp, Brig and Andermatt, which is our destination, before proceeding to St. Moritz.

Due to the name of the train, one might suspect that he will see one glacier after the other while on board. However, the glaciers are up in the mountains. They are close but can hardly be seen from the train.

The scenery is stunning though, with many mountains, fierce streams, impressive rock formations and lots of snow.

Jessica is enchanted by the beautiful panorama and grins from ear to ear. She's got the most beautiful smile - it just infects everyone with joy.

Eventually, Europe's slowest express pulls into the rail station adjacent to The Chedi Andermatt, which did not exist when I first went to Andermatt as a teenager.

The platform is crowded but I immediately spot Lottie who, after all these years, does not seem to have grown any older and is still very attractive,
She envelopes me and my niece in a warm embrace and compliments Jessica on her looks.

I hardly recognise the Andermatt I knew; it has virtually doubled in size with the construction of what amounts to a new village next to the original; the first of countless apartments and luxury hotels opened in 2013,

The town is quietly attractive; the centre is compact and the new development is on the margins, out past the station. Charming old houses line the main street, which runs from the central river bridge to the Gemsstock cable car.

We walk to the Bahnhofstrasse car park where she has left her BMW. She explains that the Swiss are know for precision clockwork, gorgeous chocolate and fine cheeses but they do not manufacture cars although, back in the 1970s, Switzerland had a dynamic automotive industry that despite its aspirations failed because of poor management and unrealistic expectations so that it has to rely on foreign imports.

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Her chalet is in the traditional style, very spacious, luxuriously furnished and within reasonable distance from from the ski cable car.

We are in a living room, in front of a fireplace and there is a monumental Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte heavily laden with chocolate, whipped cream and cherries on a small table.

Jessica tries to resist the temptation as she's keen to retain her wasp waist but in the end succumbs saying that she will lose any extra weight on the ski slopes.

Lottie tells us that she has booked Jessica for an intensive course with a ski instructor she knows. Pleased as Punch, my niece goes to her room to unpack and make sure she hasn't forgotten anything and leaves us to exchange news and reminisce.

“She looks very much like you”, she remarks.

I can't remember how much of my past life I have told her during our correspondence. I decide to be noncommittal but say that such talk is a slippery slope that could lead to an unexpected and unhappy outcome.

© Luigi Pagano 2020

Previous episode: https://www.abctales.com/story/luigipagano/certain-smile