European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - November 16, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                7ti Al Filer express left Cro Titt a Lwft Emmr Bridge Between St Morttz and churn tout Tiee Tom Switzerland. On in begin or end the train ride near the mighty met Terham right a 14,685-foot Peak that rut claimed the liver of Many Mountain climber. All aboard the Glacier express for super scenery by Hugh a. Mulligan associated Pressl ocal Yod Elers and ski bums lounging on the baggage Carls Call he Glacier express the Kyoto express because japanese tourists Hail the 7 i hour trip across the snowy spine of he Alps As the most Scenic train ride in the world. Indeed camera neck acid passengers my the Orient often predominate in the red and White cars marked Furka Oba Ralp. But Railroad bulls from All Over the world Rush for window seats in the electrified narrow gauge line thai connects with the Blue Green glaciers where the Rhone River rises. Along its 175-mile run through Switzerland irom Zermatt on the French Side of the Alps to Davos on the austrian Side the Glacier express passes Over 291 Bridges some among the highest in Europe. As it snakes through 91 tunnels including the eight mile Long fir a Tunnel and chugs through the 6.733-Lool-High Obe Ralp pass passengers sub breathtaking views of Alpine peaks and sleeping valleys. Winter or summer there is Snow on both sides of the track for Long stretches. The right away is alive with Brilliant wild Flowers chalets fretted in Gingerbread onion domed churches and hospices with St. Bernard dogs precipices slashed by recent avalanches and woodsmen s shacks roofed with slabs of Loose slate. Everywhere echoes me jangle of cowbells As herdsmen with flowing beards and Long slammed pipes seemingly direct from a Back lot of a remake of Heidi Lead their Dairy herds to higher or lower pastures depending on the season. Best of Alt for some train bulls the Glacier express pulls an edwardian Era. Exquisitely Wood panelled Speise Wagen dining car Hal serves a cull course gourmet meal or less than $15, if you stick with the rages menu or plat do Jour. Robust Swiss red wines from vineyards clinging to the steeply terraced Rhone Valley Are served in special Glacier express Benl stemmed glasses that one is supposed to twirl against the prevailing Gravity As the train climbers up or throttles Down another Mountain pass. Anyhow thai is what the waiter tells you in guttural English heavily burdened with the abrupt consonants and Long vowels of the ancient Romanish language which survives in these High altitudes but the stemware makes a better souvenir than scientific Experiment. One can begin this panoramic journey in St. Moriz Davos Slalz or chef on the Eastern Side of Switzerland but to absorb the maximum Alpine atmosphere it is Best to Board the train at the opposite end of the line in the quaint automobile free Mountain Village of be Ronalt. The 14.685-foot matterhorn broods Over the town with ils curved Lingery Peak a Snow Clad Pyramid of Bald Rock beckoning climbers Ever Onward and upward to its death defying Heights. Some never make it As a visit to the graveyard along the Rushing icy River poignantly proclaims. Three Long rows of tombstones some decorated with rope spiked boots ice axes and lanterns or inscribed Wilh legends like bom to climb or killed White descending the South Ace Are set aside for climbers who failed in the attempt. In recent years a number of japanese mountaineers have joined the ranks of the dead at the foot of he Malle Rhom. At the Entrance to this Well kept cemetery Blooming All year round with Flowers rises a Stark rough Hen Granite Monument to a fallen climbers. It shows a hand reaching up ram a craggy ledge toward a Cross on High. The Cobblestone streets of Zermatt Are filled with skiers hikers and climbers in sturdy boots knitted ski Caps and tyrolean fedoras festooned with mountaineering medallions fur trimmed parkas and Woolen plus fours terminating in color coordinated ribbed knee socks. As almost everywhere tourists Are Quick to adopt the protective colouring of the local status sport. Many of the Knapsack Laened hikers ambling along the narrow paths Afleck embroidered velvet waistcoats and sturdy alpe stocks but you can Tell the authentic climbers by their bib Overall Type knickers and the coils of rope about their necks. Still there Are pretenders to the peaks As hotel doormen report who never make it beyond the rooftop cocktail lounge but venture Forth each morn girded in the gear of Edward whimper. The English artist who in 1bg5 on his seventh attempt became the first human to scale the mall erhorn. Tour Tiu so determined to savor the thrills of Mountain climbing vicariously Are urged before boarding the Glacier express to make a Little Sid trip on the cog railway which climbs or nearly an hour out of Zermatt to the 10,289-foal Summit of Gorner Gral without passing through a single Tunnel. In the tiny snack bar at the lop one gets a Mountain Goat s View of the matterhorn and More than 50 other peaks depending on Cloud conditions. Genuine sportsmen will Lind ample baggage space aboard the Glacier express for skis and picks Haversack and sleeping bags Side by Side with to Matching Luggage of toss adventurous passengers Page 14 the stars and stripes